• A group form of dance drama from Tamil Nadu, with all roles performed by men, and themes based on mythology. The tradition of Bhagavata Mela natakams of Tamil Nadu employed the art of music and dance in rich flavour using themes from “Srimad Bhāgavatam” and other “Purāṇams” to extol the principle of Bhakti. Only men called “Bhāgavathulu”, Bhāgavathar”, participated in this art and thus the tradition came to be known as “Bhāgavatha Meḷa”.
• It is a South Indian traditional theatre performed in the villages around Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu, involving popular plays by a troupe (meḷam) of Brahmin actors trained in dance, music, and speech. Originally performed as a part of a ritualistic offering to Lord Narasimha, an incarnation of Viṣhṇu, the tradition of bhāgavatha meḷa goes back to the eighteenth century.