The Thrissala Bhagavathi Temple at Mankavu in Kozhikode, which belongs to the Zamorin family, is home to several unique mural paintings that adorn its walls. The latest in the collection, ‘Prahlada Bhakti Vijayam’, was unveiled on Sunday and the ‘Nethronmeelanam’ (blackening the eyes) ceremony was held on the temple premises.
‘Prahlada Bhakti Vijayam’ is one of the three musical dramas of Saint Tyagaraja which has been converted into the mural painting format under the aegis of Dhyanasankalpam, an open studio for murals based at Mankavu. The conceptualisation and delivery was done by artist Midhun Babu and his students.
The 50-feet-long and 5-feet-wide painting has been done on the walls of the pond on the eastern side of the temple. Another mural painting based on ‘Nouka Charitam’, another musical drama by Saint Tyagaraja, already adorns the Sreekrishna temple walls at Thrissala. The author has skipped out on the two main characters in the story of Prahlada, his father Hiranyakashipu and Lord Narasimha, while concentrating solely on the secret of Prahlada’s birth and his attainment of peace. Dhayanasankalpam claims that this story has never been depicted as a picture anywhere in India.
Midhun Babu, who picturised the story in the Kerala mural style, is a native of Pringathur in Kannur district and has an experience of adorning temple walls and public places with mural paintings for more than 14 years.
The ground for the Nethronmeelanam ceremony was set by a Carnatic recital of ‘Prahlada Bhakti Vijayam’ by Parvathi Krishnan and Lakshmi Krishnan on Saturday evening.
