Natya Shastra: Bharatanatyam

India has a rich cultural heritage that is very ancient. The Natya Shastra is a Sanskrit text on performing arts that dates back between 200 BCE and 200 CE. It is a notable as an ancient encyclopedia of art which has greatly influenced dance, music and literary traditions in India.

Bharatanatyam is a major genre of Indian Classical dance form that has its origin in Tamilnadu. Bharatanatyam's theoretical foundations can be traced back to the ancient text Natya Shastra. Traditionally Bharatanatyam was exclusively performed by women and the themes were mostly related to South Indian religion and spiritual ideas, namely that of Shaivism, Vaishnavism and Shaktism.

Bharatanatyam was exclusive to Hindu Temples and the evidence can be seen in the sculptures that adorn many temples. It did evolve through the ages. Though Bharatanatyam was used in temple worship throughout India but it could not hold its ground in the Northern India due to repeated foreign invasions and was replaced by other mixed dance forms. However, in the south due to the prevalence of Dasi Attam, which is a more exalted form of dance and was an integral to the ritual worship. A Devadasi, (Deva= Divinity)( Dasi= Servant) was an artist who was solely dedicated to the services of the temple. The families of the Devadasis specialized in music, dance and with their dance masters known as Nattuvanars maintained and passed on these traditions from one generation to the next with patronage from the ruling kings.

There are four very distinctive forms of Bharatanatyam, namely, Sadir Natyam, Bhagavata Melam, Kuruvanji and Kuchipudi.

By: Madhuchanda Saxena

Content: http://rangashree.org/bharatanatyam-history.html