Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 1996 - 57

Inscription in
Prakrit
language and
Pali script.

Maha Meghavahana Aira Sri Kharavela]. An ancient inscription on the site (see figure 2) informs us: "Expert
in the histrionic arts, Kharavela arranged such things for
the entertainment of his citizens as combats, dance, music, musical ensembles, festivals, and plays. In his kingdom, Kharavela built roads, theatres, canals, gates and
temples" (Dash, pp. 2-3).
The performance structures range in size and configuration from the small carved head, knO\\1l as the
Vyaghragumpha. (see figure 3) just large enough for a
seated musician to sing and play an instrument, to the
large Rani Gumpha, which can accommodate large theallical productions. The Rani Gumpha is a Sanskrit theatre of the first type described by Bharata in Chapter
Hro of the Va()'asbastra,J \\Titten sometime in the early
Christian era. It conforms to the specifications written
down by Bharata in nearly every detail, including dimensions.! It shows very little attlition from its existence of
more than two millennia. Only part of a ledge and, of
course, all the wooden parts, are missing. Its beautiful
decorations, carved into the stone, are worn by two
thousand years of wind and weather but are otherwise
not damaged.
In establishing the various ~lles of theatres,
Bharata says:
Tbere are tbree ()'pes ofpIa)' bOllses devised b)' tbe wise Visvakar/lla [the heavenly architectj3 ill tbe treatise on bis art.
Tbe)' are \~krsta [rectangular], caturasra
[square], and tryasra [triangular]. Tbeir
sizes v{//]': tbe}' ma)' be jeystha [large],
madhya [middle sized], alld m'ara [small].
(Bharata, verses -8)
The Rani Gumpha is a vikrsta ~TJe, thus medium in
size. being nine~'-six feet in length and for~'-eight feet in
breadth, corresponding to the sixty-four by thir~'-two
cubits prescribed by Bharata for a theatre 10 be used for
kings:
7'lJe large plf()'bollse is meallt for Gods
and tbe middle sized for kings, II lbile for
tbe rest of tbe people bas been prescribed
tbe smallest. (Bharata, verse 11)
A plrl)l bOllse meant for mortals sbollld
be made si.r()'!ollr cllbits in lengtb and

tbir(J'-tll'O cllbits in breadtb. (Bharata,
verse 17)
The medium is the correct size. says Bharata, since
large theatres are not properly resonant and expressions
in the faces of the aClOrs are lost.· Also, the larger sizes
should not be built, he says, since men should not riral
the creations of the Gods (Bharata. \'erses 18-23). Tltis
is the Rani Gumpha: an optimal. rectangular. Sanskrit
theatre.
Unlike the other two ~TJes of Sanskrit theatres.
where the audience sits on all sides of the pelformance
space, the Vikrsta theatre has an audience peIformer
alignment similar to the Western proscenium theatre;
the perfonmU1ce space is at one end of the rectangular
structure \\~th the audience facing it. This is what we
find at the Rani Gumpha. The seating (ranga/llandala)
is simply an open court, forty-eight foot square, exactly
equal to the total performance space. Sitting on the

II
The
Vyagragumpha

at Udayagiri.

ground or floor is still co 111m on for performances in India, even when indoors.
Also, its length is laid out east to west, with the sun
at the back of the audience. This alignment with the sun
is IyTJicai of lU1cient temples, going back to earliest
E~TJt, and given the ritual function of na()'a in the
Hindu faith, it is nann'al that a Sanskrit theatre should be
laid out as a sacred space.; In fact, to this day, traditional pelformers do an obeisance as they enter the
stage and performrulces in Orissa begin \rith an invocation 10 the Gods for good auguries in tile performance.
As in Greek ruld RonllUl theaters, the entire performrulCe space is backed by a decorated facade. The facade of tile Rani Gumpha is remarkably similar to Greek
theatres of the Hellenistic period as it has botll rul upper
and lower level for pla~ing. The upper level, called the
rangasirsa, is ten feet above the lower level ruld runs
the entire width of the facade, calling to mind the Greek
logeion. It originally had a wooden foredeck supported
by columns beneath. These columns would have ranged
in order across the face of the rangapitba, or lower
level, gi~ng it the appearrulCe of a Hellenistic
proskenion, with a colonnaded front. This arrangement,
seen in a photo (figure 4) taken from the stage right
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Theatre Design & Technology - Winter 1996
