Koppala: Thousands of devotees visit the Anjanadri Hill in the Koppal district of Karnataka every day, with several arriving with personal vows. Among them, one devotee drew special attention. A Bhartnatyam artist and teacher, Harshita N, climbed the 575 steps of Anjandari Hill, which is over 200 fight high in record time, that is 8 minutes and 54 seconds, performing the Bhartnatyam act continuously through the ascent.
Bharatanatyam is a major Indian classical dance form from Tamil Nadu. Usually, it takes 15–20 minutes for regular devotees to climb the hill. The physical effort to do this act is itself intense, but Harshita combined it with the complex dance movements, which make it more remarkable and memorable.
She performed the Pandainallur and Thanjavur styles of Bharatnatyam all along while also chanting the name of Lord Rama, beloved of Lord Hanuman, after offering special prayers at the foot of the hill.
Harshita shared her accomplishments, saying she has been practising Bharhatnatyam dance form for nearly two decades, having begun her training at the age of seven under Dr Manjiro Chandra. She also studied the art form of Kuchipudi in Andhra Pradesh.
"I always wanted to offer my art at Anjandari Hill," she said, adding, "My mother suggested that I shouldn’t just dance, but climb the hill while dancing. I took that as a vow, and today, I fulfilled it."
