Naragasura Vadham - Karthika Thirunnal(1724 to 1798)                                                                         BACK

This story is taken from Bhagavatha purana. Narakasura was the son of Bhumi Devi and he obtained many boons from Vishnu and became a ruler of Pragjyothisha. He had the peculiar folly of abducting women from other countries and putting them in his prison. Indra and other gods were under his threat. As Narakasura would have wished, Nakrathundi, a wild and ferocious woman who hung tiger cubs as pendants in her ears, goes off to heaven to bring heavenly women for offering to Narakasura. She captures many ladies and as she was coming down she meets handsome Jayanthaa, son of Indra. She falls in love with this handsome lad and asks him to marry her. He refuses. When she forces him he disfigures her with his sword. She comes crying to Narakasura.

Narakasura is extremely angry . He makes elaborate and systamatic war preparations by himself and goes to war with Indra. He defeats Indra and takes away his royal umbrella and riches. Indra goes to Dwaraka and complains to Krishna. Krishna and wife Sathyabhama mount Garuda and fly towards Narakasura's abode in Pragjyothisha. Garuda defeats Vividha who tries to defend the fort. (Then Krishna fights Mura and kills him, the strongest man of Narakasura. But this in not included in kathakali due to lack of time.) Later Krisha does battle with Narakasura. However it is impossible to battle Narakasura because he can be killed only by a woman. When Krishna gets defeated Sathyabhama fights Narakasura at which time Krishna sends his Discuss which cuts off Narakasura's head. Krishna releases the sixteen thousand ladies in Narakasura's prison, takes them all to Dwaraka as his wives and gives them homes for living decently.

In this story Krishana And Jayantha are Pacha vesha, Nakrathundi is Kari. Narakasura is Kathi until he defeats Indra and then becomes Red Beard. Garuda is a special vesha and Vividha is White Beard. Others are Minuku.