Palnati Virula Katha
Burra
There are many oral traditions describing stories in various formats in Telugu. Harikatha, Burrakatha, Janapada geetalu/geyalu use the oral format of storytelling. Although storytelling existed as an oral tradition for many centuries, Burrakatha in the current format was introduced by Nazzar in the mid 20th century.. Palnati Virula Katha is the story of Palnadu and its heroes from 11th and 12th centuries. Mr. Roghair* worked and collected the stories of Palnadu as described by traditional exponents who are called Veera Vidyavantulu (masters of the tradition).
We appreciate Mr. Roghair’s help and giving us his permission to use the text and audio recordings.
*Gene H Roghair. The Epic of Palnadu: A Study and Translation of Palnati Virula Katha. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1982
We are including presentations by Mr. Alissetti Galeyya (ఆలిశెట్టి గాలెయ్య) and his troupe. Mr. Galeyya, a man of the తెలగ community, is the వీరవిద్యావంతుడు (master of the tradition). He is assisted by three వంతులు: ఆలిశెట్టి వెంకటేశ్వర్లు, ఆలిశెట్టి సైదయ్యా, ఆలిశెట్టి తిరుపతిరావు. Instruments are పంబజోడు (double drums played with stick and fingers), తిత్తి (goatskin drone), fingercymbals and jangling ankle bracelets. These performers can be seen in the photograph below.
Aaranagandla Yuddham (ఆరణగండ్ల యుద్ధం)
This was recorded on cassette tape in the village of Janapadu, Palnad Taluk, Guntur District. The performance was attended by a large crowd of local people. The recordings were made in 1974 (Part I on 17-7-1974, part II on 18-7-1974, and part III on 18-7-1974). The tapes were made ~ 50 years ago and sometimes difficult to understand. We apologize for the difficulty.
