Sergdxx at 20:09, 23 March 2026

2026-03-23T20:09:56Z

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{{Short description|Theatre centre in Goa, India}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2018}}

[[File:Mapusa_Aerial_Natyagruha.jpg|thumb|Aerial shot of the theatre centre, 2015]]

'''Hanuman Natyagraha'''<ref>{{Cite news |date=2018-11-23 |title=Mapusa's Hanuman Natyagraha in need of facelift |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/mapusas-hanuman-natyagraha-in-need-of-facelift/articleshow/66757643.cms |access-date=2024-06-24 |work=The Times of India |issn=0971-8257}}</ref> is a prominent theatre centre, which hosts plays primarily in the [[Konkani language|Konkani]] and [[Marathi language|Marathi]] languages, in the [[North Goa]] commercial town of [[Mapusa]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Town Survey Report: Goa, Daman & Diu, Mapusa. series-29 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fqVLHwe98VkC&q=%22Hanuman+Natya+Graha%22+-wikipedia |website=www.google.com |publisher=Controller of Publications |access-date=10 January 2024 |page=8 |language=en |date=1988}}</ref>

== History ==
The Hanuman Natyagraha was established in the late 1970s as an initiative of the [[Hanuman]] Temple Committee of [[Mapusa]] to provide a dedicated venue for [[Konkani cinema|Konkani]] and [[Marathi cinema|Marathi]] theatrical performances (tiatr and natak) in North Goa.<ref name="TOI">{{cite news |last=D’Souza |first=Denver |title=Mapusa's Hanuman Natyagraha in need of facelift |work=The Times of India |date=23 November 2018 |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/mapusas-hanuman-natyagraha-in-need-of-facelift/articleshow/66757643.cms |access-date=2025-07-04}}</ref> Built adjacent to the town's central Hanuman temple, the auditorium originally named "Hanuman Bhavan" was funded through community donations and designed to seat approximately 800 patrons, including a 300‑seat balcony that quickly made it Mapusa's premier cultural landmark.<ref>{{cite report |title=Town Survey Report: Goa, Daman & Diu, Mapusa |series=Series-29 |publisher=Controller of Publications, Government of India |year=1988 |page=112}}</ref>

Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Hanuman Natyagraha hosted dozens of annual tiatr festivals and became instrumental in the growth of Goa's Konkani theatre movement, launching the careers of leading playwrights and actors in the region.<ref>{{cite report |title=Town Survey Report: Goa, Daman & Diu, Mapusa |series=Series-29 |publisher=Controller of Publications, Government of India |year=1988 |page=115}}</ref> By the 2000s, however, the facility showed signs of wear like aging seating, inadequate ventilation, and an outdated stage setup limited its ability to attract larger productions. In 2018, the Times of India reported that the temple committee had drafted a ₹1.5 crore renovation plan covering air conditioning, seating replacement, and lighting upgrades to restore Hanuman Natyagraha to its former status as Goa's leading theatre centre.<ref name="TOI"/> Responding to growing concerns, the temple committee and [[Government of Goa]] pledged ₹30 lakh in 2019 for improvements, though progress remained slow amid funding shortfalls and debates over whether to renovate in phases or rebuild entirely.<ref>{{cite web |last=Herald Goa Bureau |title=Bardez taluka yearning for cultural centre for years |website=Herald Goa |url=https://www.heraldgoa.in/Goa/The-Sunday-Roundtable/bardez-taluka-yearning-for-cultural-centre-for-years/62434 |date=18 May 2019 |access-date=2025-07-04}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

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[[Category:Buildings and structures in Mapusa]]

Hanuman Natyagraha - Revision history

Sergdxx at 20:09, 23 March 2026