Oggu Katha - Dress

Dress

The chief narrator wears a dhoti tied up to the knees, a colored shirt, a colored head cloth, a colored waistcloth, and ankle bells. The other narrator also will have the same dress. More than the costume, the ornaments they have to wear are traditionally considered more important. The main narrator will have a chain made of seven shells called 'gavvala darshanam'.

There is a legend regarding this chain of shells. It was said that seven brothers of Bhramaramba (Mallanna's consort) fought with him at the time of her wedding. Mallanna defeated them and cursed them to be dogs. When Bhramaramba entreated the Lord to save them from the curse, he graced them by asking them to be Oggus and narrate his stories. The seven shells symbolize the seven brothers and are given a prominent place while narrating the story.

In addition, they will wear five silver rings and five silver chains (jogirly), a wrist band (ponchi), thick silver rings (kadiyam) around the neck, to the right wrist and to the upper arm, a three - layered garland made of pagadam (sapphire) and round silver nooses (tavalam), ande and matte to the fingers of the foot and a garland with Mallana's portrait on it (ambarala golusu). During the course of action, he also wears a stick, which serves also as a sword or the chains of a horse.

Oggus Katha allows tremendous scope for dramatization. In the hands of an able narrator, it becomes a very inspiring one, because of the innumerable improvisations introduced, along with the traditional way of rendering the story.