Vaghya-Murali

Another entertaining dance of Maharashtra, with dominating theatrical elements, is Vaglya-Murali. This dance too has religious associations. The dance recapitulates the tradition of Marathas to worship the weapons on the eve of Dussera festival, in the name of Lord Malhari, who is considered to be an aspect of Lord Shiva. The name of the dance is derived from the terms Vaghya, the male actor-dancers and Murali, the female dancers who used to be dedicated to Lord Shiva in the past. A duet between the Vaghya and the Murali develops into a full fledged dance to the accompaniment of percussion instruments and bells.