Sasirekha Parinayam

For the 2009 Telugu film, see Sasirekha Parinayam (film).

Sasirekha Parinayam is an Indian Telugu folktale based on oral traditions popular in Telugu States. While it uses characters who appear in the Mahabharata, the story is not present in the epic.[1] The plot concerns the marriage of Sasirekha, called Vatsala in some versions, the daughter of Balarama, to Abhimanyu, the son of Arjuna. It echoes the marriage of Arjuna to Subhadra in the Mahabharata.

The story is popular in performances, including Tholu bommalata (shadow puppets), Yakshagana, and Kuchipudi.[2][3][4] By early 1950s, Surabhi theatre troupes made the folktale popular across Telugu-speaking regions.[5]

  1. ^ Indrajit Bandyopadhyay (29 October 2008), "A Study In Folk "Mahabharata": How Balarama Became Abhimanyu's Father-in-law", Epic India: A New Arts & Culture Magazine, archived from the original on 17 February 2012
  2. ^ Sampa Ghosh; Utpal Kumar Banerjee (2006), Indian puppets, Abhinav Publications, p. 59, ISBN 978-81-7017-435-6
  3. ^ "In Memory of a pioneer". The Hindu. 21 September 2007. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012.
  4. ^ Sunil Kothari; Avinash Pasricha (2001), Kuchipudi, Abhinav Publications, ISBN 978-81-7017-359-5
  5. ^ Narasimham, M. L. (30 April 2015). "Mayabazar (1957)". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2 May 2015. Retrieved 8 October 2022.