Bhagamati, Taramati and Premavati, names that conjure up images of a golden age of Arts, especially music and dance in the 17th Century history of Hyderabad and Golconda Fort. It was an era of great amity between the Muslim rulers and Hindu subjects in the old Nizamate. Sultan Mohammed Quli Qutb Shah the founder of Hyderabad, named the city 'Bhagyanagar' in honour of his consort Bhagamati, a name in vogue even today. His grandson Sultan Abdullah Qutb Shah, befriended two sisters Taramati and Premavati who were known for their skills in singing and dancing respectively. He built two special 'Baradaris', which are pavilions with 12-domed entrances, where his consorts would sing and dance for him.

During the past few years, the Taramati Baradari was renovated and a beautiful complex with a hotel, a 600 seat A/C auditorium, and a modern 1600 seat outdoor performance center overlooking the Baradari was developed. The A.P. Tourism Development Corporation held its inaugural Premavati National Dance Festival in honour of the noted dancer, from 22 to 24 October 2004 in Hyderabad. Planned to be an annual event and developed along the lines of Konarak Festival, the fest featured different dance styles and included dancers from all over India.

The group performances featured: Bharatanatyam (Ananda Shankar Jayant), Andhra Natyam (Kala Krishna), Navasandhi (Nataraja Ramakrishna), Kuchipudi (Raja & Radha Reddy), thematic dance presentation (Shobana), Pung Cholam (Moriang, Manipur), Manipuri Rasleela (Darshan Zhaveri), Odissi (Madhavi Mudgal), Kathak (Pandit Brij Maharaj), Mohiniattam (Bharati & Vijayalakshmi Shivaji), Theyyam (Kurukshretra Kala Samiti, Kerala), Contemporary dance (Daksha Sheth), Yakshagana (Idagunji Mahaganapati Mandali) and Folk dances Veera Natyam (Shaikh Kabeer Basha), Tappeta Gullu with Dappu (Suryakanth Bhagavatulu). All the performances were very colourful and were well received by the rasikas.

The three-day event was held under a moonlit, starry sky with aesthetic stage lighting and a good audio system. To promote tourism in Andhra Pradesh, the APTDC plans to conduct three more events in the near future. They are Taramati Music Festival at the Baradari (3-5 December 2004), Rishikonda Beach Festival at Visakhapatnam (14-16 January 2005) and Golconda Cultural Festival at the Fort (4-6 February 2005).

For further details contact: APTDC at (040) 2326 2151, e-mail: aptdc@satyam.net.in