Bhagavata Mela Nataka is the dance drama performed by the devotees of Bhagavan Sri Krishna. Bhagavata Mela Nataka of South India can be traced back to the year 1502 CE in the records of the Vijayanagar Empire. After the fall of this empire, many of the dancers of this tradition migrated to the Thanjavur area, where they secured the patronage of Nayaka rulers, who were originally vassals of Vijayanagar. Acyutappa Nayakka (1572 – 1614 CE) gifted a number of villages to the dancers, among which Melattur and Salivamangalam are the most important. These dance-dramas were also performed at Uttukkadu, Sulamangalam, Nallur and Teppermanallur. Melattur is today the chief center of Bhagavata Mela Natakas. In Andhra Pradesh, became the main center for Bhagavata mela and the style itself has come to be known as Kuccipudi dance.
Bhagavata-mela plays were written in flowing Telugu with verse
and dialogues in the typical yakshagana style. A variety of musical forms are
employed. These plays take us close to the spirit of natya as defined by
Bharata in his Natyashastra. The dramas are based on puranic themes and the
lives of the great devotees. They include masterpieces like Prahlada-caritam,
which narrates th great devotion of Prahlada toward Bhagavan Vishnu;
Ushakalyanam, the legend of Usha, the daughter of Banasura, who married Krishna’s
grandson Aniruddha; Harishchandra, the story of the great king who would not
utter a lie even if it meant loss of his kingdom and family; and Rukamngada,
the story of the king who would not abandon his religious vow of observance of
fasting for any reason whatsoever. The music gives us a clear picture of the musical
modes of the era in Carnatic music before Tyagaraja, Shayama Shastri and
Muthuswami Dikshitar.