Dima, Indian theatre Form

Dima is a popular Indian theatre form which employs a celebrated story as the plot.

Dima is a drama of a similar but gloomier character than the Samavakara. It comprehends four acts. Dima is limited to the representation of terrific events, as portents, incantations, sieges, and battles. The hero of Dima should be a demon, demi-god or deity.

Dima had a celebrated story for its plot, and used representations of magic, conjuration, war, rage, bewilderment, and eclipses of sun and moon. It comprised four acts and did not employ the pravesaka or vishkambhaka introductory or linking scenes. The characters were sixteen in number and extremely haughty, encompassing gods, Gandharvas i.e. celestial musicians, Yakshas i.e. demigods, Daityas i.e. demons, serpents, ghosts, pretas i.e. spirits, and pisacas i.e. ghouls. Raudra or furious rasa was the principal rasa, others being subservient, but avoiding the santa or peaceful, hasya or comic, and sringara or erotic. Dima prominently utilized the kaisiki or graceful vritti. Vatsaraja`s Tripuradaha i.e. `Burning of the Three Cities` in twelfth century is an example. The Natyashastra also refers to the performance of this episode by Bharata, his pupils, and his sons, in the presence of Siva.

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