Nayaka
नायकSanskritSay it: naa · ya · ka
- aa ee oo ē ō — long vowels: hold them twice as long
The hero — often the silent, unseen beloved
ConceptBharatanatyamKuchipudiOdissiMohiniyattam
Meaning
The nayaka is the hero of an expressive piece. In many varnams and padams he never appears; he is the silent, absent beloved around whom the nayika's feelings turn, often understood as a god.
Also written: naayaka, nayakan