18 Vannams – Kandyan Dance Recitals of Sri Lanka

The Vannams belong to the Kandyan dancing tradition and are thought to have originated as songs composed in Kavikara Maduwa (a dance arena) in the reign of the 18th century Monarch of Kandy, Sri Veera Parakrama Narendrasinha. Some believe Wannams were composed by a Sage named Ganithalankara of Nagapattinam in South India and brought down to Sri Lanka by offerings Royal tribute.

The word "vannam" comes from the Sinhala word "varnana" (descriptive praise). The Gahaka, Gajaga, Asadrusha, Udara and Thuranga Vannams - in praise respectively of the conch shell at the King’s consecration, the royal elephant, the king’s glory, monarchy and the chariot-horse – were the first written. The corpus later grew to eighteen Vannams.

The Vannams were inspired by nature, history, religion and folk lore, and each is composed and interpreted in the mood or expression based on its theme.

The eighteen classical Vannams are Gajaga (elephant), Thuranga (horse), Mayura (peacock), Gahaka (conch shell), Uranga (reptile), Musaladi (hare), Ukusa (hawk), Vairodi (precious stone), Hanuma (monkey), Savula (cock), Sinharaja (lion), Naiyadi (cobra), Kirala (lapwing), Eeradi (arrow), Surapathi (in praise of the Goddess Surapathi), Ganapathi (in praise of the God Ganesha), Udara (expressing the pomp and majesty of the king), and Asadrusha (extolling the merits of the Buddha).

The Vannams were first only limited to recitations, but later choreographers created dances around them, utilising such elements as matra, kasthiram, seeru maru and adaw – which can be applied with ease to the beat and the form of each Vannama.

The Vannam dance tradition has seven components:

1 Thanama - singing a note of the melody to each syllable.

2 Thitha - the beat indicated with cymbals giving a rhythmic timing.

3 Kaviya - the poem vocalized by the dancer.

4 Bera-padaya - rhythm of the drum.

5 Kasthirama - the finale of the first movement of the dance.

6 Seeru-maruwa - the movement in preparation for ‘adawwa’.

7 Adawwa - the finale of rhythmic body and foot movements.

Kanthi Shilpadhipathi, a dancer and folk singer rated as a Super-grade Artist by the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation and a graduate of the University of Kelaniya, presents the recitals of Vannams with the direction of her husband, Piyasara Shilpadhipathi who is a brilliant exponent of Sri Lankan drum music.

It should be noted that some Vannams presented in this series feature rarely used Adawwas (rhythmic body and foot movements that come as a finale).

NOTE: For the rest of the Vannams in this series, please refer to the Part 2 of this Album (shilpadhipathi.bandcamp.com/album/18-vannams-sri-lankan-traditional-music-part-2).

For Sinhala and English Lyrics: Please go to each Vannam.

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