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History
of Classical Dances
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In
its truest sense, Indian classical dance is
an expression of life, involving the body as
well as the emotions. Indian Dance is based
on texts from Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language
– also thought to be the mother of not
only Indian languages but also modern European
languages. Indian classical dance is one of
the oldest dance traditions associated with
any of the world’s major religions. It
has evolved with the concepts of self and world.
According to Hindu mythology, the Taandav
(the frenzied dance performed by Lord
Shiva, in grief after his consort
Sati’s tragic demise)
symbolises the cosmic cycles of creation and
destruction, birth and death. His dance is
therefore the dance of the Universe, the throb
of eternal life. An interesting parallel may
be seen in modern physics, which depicts that
the cycle of creation and destruction is not
only reflected in the turn of seasons and
in the birth and death of living creatures
but also in the life cycle of inorganic matter.
Nataraja (literally the
king of dancers) or Lord Shiva
in a graceful dancing pose is worshipped all
over India, by classical dancers, and also
a collector’s item for connoisseurs
of art.
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Nataraja – the divine dancer
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The
origin of Indian dance can be traced back to
Bharata Muni (a learned saint)
who lived between the 1st and 2nd century and
composed a magnum opus on dance, which
is known to the world as Natya Shastra.
In ancient times, dance was not merely a form
of entertainment. On the contrary it was considered
a medium of instruction of morality, good values,
and scriptures and the expression of reality.
Natya Shastra serves
as a common text for all the varieties of Indian
classical dance forms. It contains elaborate
details on various types of postures, mudras
or hand movements depicting different meanings,
besides the construction of a stage, the art
of make-up and lastly the orchestra. All dance
forms make ample use of the nine basic rasas
or emotions – hasya (joy and
happiness), krodha (anger), bibhatsa
(disgust), bhaya (fear), vira
(courage), karuna (compassion), adbhuta
(wonder) and shanta (serenity).
Natya Shastra further divides
classical dance into nritta- the rhythmic elements,
nritya- the combination of rhythm and expression,
and finally, natya – comprising the dramatic
elements embedded in the dance recital. To appreciate
natya or dance drama, an individual needs to
possess sound knowledge, understanding and appreciation
of Indian legends and mythology and folklore.
Hindu deities like Vishnu, Krishna, Shiva and
Lakshmi, Rama and Sita are commonly depicted
in these dances. Each dance form also draws
inspiration from stories depicting the life
and traditional beliefs of the Indians.
Ancient Indian history reveals
that several centuries before Christ, India's
art forms of dance, music and theatre were fairly
well-advanced. The performing arts, i.e. dance
and music reached the acme of their glory, during
the reign of the Chola dynasty
in Southern India.
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Dance
forms were nurtured with a purpose in the sacred
premises of temples. Temple dancing was imbued
with the idea of taking art to the people, and
conveying a message to the masses. The temple
rituals necessitated the physical presence of
mortal women (instead of the ornate, carved
figures of heavenly damsels, apsaras)
to propitiate the gods. The allegorical view
of dance, used for the purpose of the pleasing
the devas, was gradually transformed
into a regular, service (with deep religious
connotations) in the temples of the medieval
times. |
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This
was possibly the reason behind the origin of
Devadasis (literally: servants of the
deity), the earliest performers of the classical
Indian dances. They were supposed to pursue
the dance forms devotedly and excel in them.
At the outset, Devadasis were respectable
women and highly talented artists hailing from
the highest strata of the society. They lived
and danced only in the temple premises –
their vocation enjoying great religious prestige.
It was only much later that the devadasis
condescended to perform in royal courts, in
the presence of the elite and the nobility. |
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A
devadasi not only performed on all
festive occasions, but also had to be present
for the daily rituals, connected with the deity.
She was paid from temple funds; moreover the
temple supplied the food grains for her and
her family. To render a realistic touch a devadasi
was ceremonially wedded to the deity. She was
consecrated to her lord and thus out of bounds
for mortals.
During those bygone times the
temples vied with one another for pressing the
best dancers and musicians into their services.
Temple dancing was institutionalised and the
dancing girls were liberally patronised by the
kings, elites and mahajans (money-lenders).
They were paid lifetime tributes by means of
inscriptions engraved in the temples of those
times. For instance, the famous temple of Belur
( in modern Karnataka) has several epithets
glorifying the Hoysala queen
Shantala who was an accomplished
dancer and a musician herself. The walls of
these temples are also adorned with images of
this queen and her spouse, king Vishnuvardhan. |
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The
ancient and medieval temples of Khajuraho, Bhubaneswar
and Puri echoed with the famous lyrics of poet
Jayadeva, (the 12th century poet who belonged
to Kenduli village in Bengal, but eventually
settled down in Puri, Orissa).The earliest historical
illustrations of Nataraja preaching
Natyagama (the fundamentals
of dance) in its pure form originates in the
Chalukyan temple carvings at
Badami and Aihole
(both in present Karnataka) in the middle of
the 6th century A.D. The devadasi system
in these temples flourished well and was a living
tradition almost till recent times. Unfortunately,
decay set in silently. Owing to several socio-political
factors like economic constraints, predominance
of tantric practices and licentiousness
of the siddhas (saints), jangamas
( Devotees of Lord Shiva, holy men of the Lingayat
sect, founded by Saint Basavanna) charanas
(bards), patrons (mainly royalty and aristocracy)
and priests, the devadasis were sexually
exploited and degraded to the level of prostitutes.
Shockingly enough, the term devadasi (which
had a divine connotation) was replaced by the
term Bhogastree (literally = women
for enjoying); their knowledge of classical
dance and music were treated merely as assets
useful for attracting clients. |
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The
British government in India, in order to ameliorate
the condition of women, impart to them enlightenment
and education and, above all, to protect them
from social evils, abolished the Devadasi
system during the early 1900s. |
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