Uparupakas are the minor types of Sanskrit dramas. It comprises music, dance drama and bodily gesticulation. The Bhavaprakasana gives an elaborate description of twenty minor kinds of dramas which are styled Uparupakas. The Sahityadarpana describes eighteen kinds of dramas which are designated as Uparupakas. The Agnipurana mentions seventeen minor kinds of dramas in addition to the ten Rupakas. The Uparupakas were bhavatmaka or dependent on emotions. While the Rupakas are considered to be major forms of drama {natya), the Uparupakas (dance compositions) are minor forms of drama. Though Vithi and Bhana are said to be major forms of drama yet on the basis of their nature they can be as well classified among the Uparupakas. The Uparupakas present a bhava or bhavas, padarthabhinaya, only a fragment of a story and are lacking in one or more abhinayas, e.g. Kathakali lacks in vacikabhinaya. Thus the possibility of naturalistic features, lokadharmi, is condensed in the Uparupakas.
The chief Uparupakas in Sanskrit drama are, Natika, Trotaka, Gosthi, Sattaka, Natyarasaka, Prasthana, Ullapya, Kavya, Prehkhana, Rasaka, Samlapaka, Sngadita, Silpaka, Vilasika, Durmalika, Prakaranika, Hallisa and Bhanika. In the Natyashastra Bharata refers to a kind of play called the nattot natika. In Natika according to the Dasarupa, the plot contains an invented story as in the Prakarana, but the hero is a celebrated king and of the self-controlled and light-hearted type. The major sentiment is erotic, with its various characteristics. The heroine is near the hero because of her connection with the harem. Through her hearing and seeing him, a newly awakened passion arises in the hero in regular stages. The Natika contains all junctures except vimarsa and the four sub-divisions of the gay style which is represented by the four acts.
The Trotaka uparupaka has five, seven or nine acts. It deals with gods and men and in each act the vidusaka appears. The tenth anga of the garbhasandhi is called Trotaka. The Gosthi is a one-act drama in which nine or ten ordinary men and five or six women appear. It does not contain lofty discourse but represents love and enjoyments. It mainly depicts Krishna`s exploits in killing demons. The Sattaka is nothing but a Natika entirely written in Prakrita without viskambhaka or pravesaka. The acts are not called ankas but javanikantaras. The marvellous sentiment prevails in it. Like the Trotaka, the Sattaka also make use of a specified kind of dance. The Natyarasaka is likewise a one-act piece with changing time and rhythm. The comic and the erotic sentiments are chiefly employed in it.
The Prasthana uparupaka has two acts. In it the hero and the heroine are slaves or servants and bharativrtti is employed. The Avaloka on the Dasarupa says that the Prasthana is a kind of imitative dance. Abhinavagupta states that in this piece, imitation of the gait and movement of animals like elephants is found. The Ullapya is a one-act piece. It is full of fighting and background music is played from behind the stage with reference to the plot. According to some, it should be in three acts, have four heroines and abound in combats. The Kavya contains one-act and is a comedy (hasya). Different kinds of songs such as khandamatra, avipadika and bhagnatala are prescribed for it. There are passionate speeches and is full of the humour. According to the Avaloka on the Dasarupa, the Kavya is a kind of imitative dance and is interplay of song and dance. If the whole song-poem is one raga, it is called Kavya but if it is found in a variety of ragas, it is citra Kavya. Gita Govinda belongs to citra- Kavya type. In the one-act Prehkhana, there is no sutradhara. It contains mukha, pratimukha and nirvahana junctures. Angry interlocution and uncomplicated combats form its subject.
The Rasaka is a one-act piece in which five persons appear. A variety of languages and dialects are employed in it. It contains mukha and nirvahana junctures but some admit pratimukha juncture is also employed here. The Avaloka on the Dasarupa says that it is a kind of nritya, with a piece consisting of singing and dancing. It was a show performed in the open on streets amidst a gathering of people in quadrangles and temple courtyards.
Natya Rasaka otherwise called carcari dance is performed in spring and in honour of the king, for example, the one in the beginning of the play Ratnavali. The Samlapaka has three or four acts. In it the hero is heretic and sentiments other than the erotic and the pathetic are employed. Representation of besieging a city, deceit, combat and confusion are depicted.
The Sngadita chiefly employs Bharativrtti and contains mukha, pratimukha and nirvahana junctures. According to the Avaloka and Dasarupa, Sngadita is a kind of mimic dance. This type of composition depicts love in separation, featuring a lady of the family and her lady friend (sakhi). The heroine narrates the qualities of her lover who is attached to her friend and complains against her. The Silpaka has four acts in which all the vrttis are allowed and the comic and quietist sentiments are excluded. Descriptions of burning grounds and similar things are found in it. The hero is a Brahmana and the secondary hero a low character. Probably it was a kind of pantomime. The Vilasika is a one-act drama and is also called vinayika by some writers. In it erotic sentiment is predominant and mukha, pratimukha and nirvahana junctures are used. It has an inferior hero.
The Durmalika is a type of drama performed by a single nartaki. Songs are sung by accompanying singers while the dancer dances. The Durmalika has four acts. The first act lasts for three natikas and the vita appears in it, in the second the vidusaka appears and lasts for five natikas, and the third, with the pitha-marda, lasts for six natikas. The fourth is that in which citizens appear and lasts for ten natikas. The Prakaranika is a natika with the hero and heroine drawn from the rank of sarthavahas. The Hallisa has one act, with the kaisikivrtti predominating in it. It contains junctures, mukha and nirvahana only. There is plenty of music and dancing in it. Hallisa is a circular dance. The Bhanika is a one-act piece containing the mukha and nirvahana junctures only and the vrttis bharati and kaisiki, with a heroine of high family and a vulgar hero.
