Bharatanatyam in Tamilnadu

By Kalarani Ramchandran

Bharatanatyam in Tamilnadu depicts an honest attempt of Dr. Kalarani to preserve the novelty of the tradition of the Bharatanatyam dance form. The book is a brilliant presentation of the history and the evolution of this art form in Tamilnadu. Besides, the book covers in detail about all the associated art elements that existed and added beauty to this form of dance.

• Language: English
• Publisher: 16Leaves
• Release date: Jun 26, 2021
• ISBN: 9789390508334

Book preview

CHAPTER - I

INTRODUCTION

The urge of the human soul and its inner drive expressed in rhythmic body movements constitute an artform called dance. It is not only an expression, but also one of the earliest modes of communication of the primitive man especially to express his emotions. The communicative actions became an integral part of man’s life. For joy, sorrow and for every occasion, these actions were incorporated with rhythm and stylized movements and was performed as dance. Sage Bharata in his text Natyasastra mentions that dance is occasioned by no specific need. It has come into use because it creates beauty. As dance is naturally loved by almost all people, it is praised as auspicious. It is also eulogized as being the source of amusement, on occasions of marriage, childbirth, reception to son-in-law, general festivity and attainment of prosperity.

Rhythm and movement are basic to all creations and existence. Earth, earthly beings, stars, planets are all engaged in a ceaseless cosmic dance recital. Man is destined to dance his way to higher and still higher levels of consciousness and evolution till he achieves perfect fulfillment.

There are references to dance in the Vedas. As civilization of man progressed finearts also developed in parallel. Each geographical division had its own peculiar and original distinct features stamped in music, dance, artistic presentation and poetic genre. Nature acted as a teacher to man to pickup and develop sensitive rhythm and melody from wind, waves, raindrops etc. coupled with man's innermost creative impulse, religious urges, emotions and sensibilities. All these developed into various dances. Dance branched out to two forms, one was codified with grammer, and was known as classical and another was simplified for the masses and was called folk.

Aesthetics as a branch of philosophy enquires into the ultimate cause and source of dance and its emotional content and significance as a thing of beauty and a joy forever. Dance manifested through rhythmic movements is sensuous, but the experience of ananda (bliss) in it is transcendental and spiritual. In Indian aesthetics, rasa as the cause of ananda is central and fundamental. It is also the essence of beauty and harmony. The ultimate reality or Brahman both in its impersonal and personal aspects, is saccidananda (sat, chit and ananda). This indicates existence, consciousness and absolute bliss.

Dance is not merely for entertainment. Its delight is of a high order and serves to attain the yogic state. The aim of dance is to realise reality. The real art is that which liberates. The aim of all arts in India has been liberation and the growth of righteousness in man through beauty and delight. The aesthetic experience of the joy is brahmananda which is the ultimate aim of all schools of Hindu philosophy. Dance is said to give this brahmananda to the dancer as well as to the viewer. In the ultimate analysis God is the only source of beauty, bliss and beatitude. Hence dance in India is at its best when it expresses his glory. Abhinayadarpanam a treatise on dance written by Nandikeshwara, praises dance in the beginning verses as "Dance in its pure form has its origin in the four great Vedas. The four main aspects of the dance are drawn from the Vedas; the basic themes from the Rigveda, the captivating abhinayas from the Yajurveda, the vocal music from the Samaveda and the enchanting rasas from the Atharvaveda. Dance with its well-defined rules (shastras) is capable of granting dutiful life (dharma), wealth (artha), enjoyment (kama) and liberation (moksha). The dancer gains fame, self confidence and dexterity. Dance brings peace and divine happiness dispelling sorrow and misery. The total bliss obtained from pure dance is valued by scholars as much more than that attained through severe spiritual meditation. No wonder dance is more than an art form. "

The two major Hindu cults in India, Saivism and Vaishnavism simplified this philosophy to communicate easily to the masses. They attributed good qualities to their respective Gods and depicted them through juicy myths. These Gods were portrayed as showering love and affection over the worldly beings. This love became the central theme in the later literature. For example Tevaram hymns by saivite saints and Divyaprabandam by vaishnavate saints. Later many more similar literatures followed. In the hands of the Indian genius dance mingled with music, rhythm and movements became the quickest and the sweetest vehicle to establish an instantaneous rapport between the onlooker and the object of message i.e. God. Hence dance occupies a very sacred place in India.

The antiquity of the art of dance in India is attested by many works in Sanskrit language. These texts deal in detail with the technique of the art and the reception that the art had at that point of time. Bharata’s Natyasastra is the earliest known literature in Sanskrit on the subject of dance. Since the days of Bharata, many Sanskrit treatises have dealt with the art of dance exclusively or occasionally. For example, Brihadesi by Matanga, Abhinayasastra by Kohala, Nrittaratnavali by Jayasenapathi, Abhinayadarpana, Bharatarnava by Nandhikeshwara and many more post Bharata treatises.

Indigenous sources in Tamil do provide ample information about the music and drama in the Tamil country. A brief introduction to them in the background of the various political changes that took place in Tamilnadu will serve as the necessary prelude. The earliest known era in the history of Tamilnadu is known as the Sangam age (c.-the first three centuries of the Christian era). Tamil tradition holds that there had been during this period a Sangam (a literary organization) at Madurai consisting of poets and scholars patronised by the Pandyan rulers. Tamil works like Koottanool. Indrakaliyam, Isainunukkam, Sayantham, Agattiyam, Seiriyam have been assigned to this period. Dance goes by the name of Kootu and Adal in early Tamil literature. Tolkapiyam speaks of velan veriyadal, as a dance in the temple by the possessed priest.

The earliest of the inscriptions relevant to dance art seems to be the one found at Arachalur (A.R.E. 280/1962). It is assigned to the period A. D. 200-250 on paleographical grounds. It has a series of rhythmical syllables analogous to sollukattu. The syllable ta is the fulcrum and it is called ttatakaram. It pertains to foot-work (padha padam) in dance. The text fits into the kantachapu variety (tala variety currently used and has five counts) and the antiquity of the dance tradition is confirmed by this inscription (A.R.E. 282/1962). It reads as:

The date of composition is disputed. The syllables are still used in dance lessons and concerts. The only exception seems to be the letter ‘tu'. For example ‘tu’ is used in Natesa Kavutuvam as ‘Tu ha tu ha tu ha tai’. Kavutuvam is an invocation dance in Tamil. The lyrics are in praise of deities and this is popularly used in dance recitals. It consists of sahityam and jathis. This inscription is of significance both from the point of view of dance and rhythm in dance.

The great Tamil classics of the post Sangam era (3rd - 6th cen. A.D.) makes favourite theme for dance and music. Silappadikaram, the well known Tamil epic of the post Sangam age gives a comprehensive picture in the Aranketrukkadai. The work being a happy blend of muttamil - iyal, isai and natakam. This has been praised as a treatise on ancient Tamil music and dance and is a mine of information on dance, instruments, musicians and stage art.

In Bharata’s Natyasastra the term natya includes all the artistic elements of the theatre art. Dance was the part of drama. Probably drama could also be a part of dance. It is really difficult to discern a bifurcation between these arts on the basis of the evidence available in early literature. There had been a homogeneous presentation of dance and drama. For instance the term Sangita is always refered to as geetha (song), vadya (instrumental music) and nritta (dance). Silappadikaram includes and explains about natya, gita, nritta and vadya. Dance has its common source in joy (bliss) - it is an expression of inner beauty. This spirit is externalised for the eyes in the case of dance. So the Tamil tradition seems to run parallel to the Sanskritic tradition.

Since the 7th century A. D. Kanchipuram and a good portion of the Kaveri delta came under the jurisdiction of the Pallavas of Kanchipuram, and their reign lasted upto 9th century A. D. The Pallavas of Kanchi were great patrons of fine arts. Kodumbalur, the seat of power of the Irukkuvelir has also played an important part in patronising fine arts. During the age of the Pallavas fine arts grew in fertile soil and climate, well irrigated by the Bakthi movement of Saivism and Vaishnavism. Dance entered as a part of temple services and consequently the art gathered momentum to seep through all social and economic strata of society. Traders, artisans, agricultural workers all had the opportunity of witnessing dance in the temples. Association with the temple inducts divinity to the art and its practitioners. The icon of Lord Nataraja the dancing God has emerged during this period. Kuram Nataraja in bronze is an outstanding example of the Pallavas. The form par excellence was perfected during the time of the Imperial Cholas. Such developments however are not traceable from the first half of the Pallava rule. From the second half of the Pallava rule they are traceable in Tondaimandalam and adjoining areas. The temple artists had come to occupy an honoured place in the society. Many of them identified themselves (particularly dancers) with the temples, and its principal deity. They were not mere servants in the temple, because many of them offered their wealth and belongings to the temple. It is recorded that a dancer named Thiruvotiyur Nakkan donated oil lamps to a temple at Thirumanaikattu. Other dancers have donated gold jewellery and money to the temple they were attached.

The rule of the Pallavas is said to have lasted up to A. D. 912. Their glorious reign period was eclipsed by the rise of the Imperial Cholas. Before the Cholas made it their capital Tanjore had been occupied by the Mutharaiyars, who were the chieftains at Palayarai. The power of the Pandyas had not been completely eclipsed. Later the Pandyas suffered defeat at the hands of the Cholas.

The close association of the Bhakti movement with the art of dance in Tamilnadu can never be ignored. It should be noted that movement in its earlier phase was active in the Pallava country and later spread farther south and west with a concentration in the Chola country. There were many academic definitions of Bhakti and the portrayal of Bhakti movement. Bhakti is mentioned in Vedas, Upanishads, epics and Puranas. Religious philosophy suggests three ways for the attainment of salvation. They are gnanamargam, karmamargam and bhakti margam. Bhakti movement is an amalgam of number of devotional movements of divergent nature. A monolithic view of all these are to be taken, admitting only the common denomination (bhakti) understood in its generic sense. Bhakti is neither a cult nor a doctrine, nor does it signify any specific mode of religion or belief. Explanation of bhakti cannot run counter to ‘monism’. The message of bhakti had a popular appeal. It was indegeneous and later turned out to be a mass movement. The cult of bhakti is described to have taken the form of a movement in the Tamil country. The contribution that Tamilnadu made in this regard, is that the activities were confined to the framework of already established dogmas and doctrines. Though called a movement it did not stand to propagate any extraordinary or new religious belief and dogmas to their followers. The movement had its genesis in the worship of Gods ‘Siva’ and ‘Vishnu’. The Saiva saints (Nayanmars) and Vaishnava saints (Alwars) were the architects of this movement. Bhakti literature Tevaram and Divyaprabandam hymns couched in music and dance became essential part of temple worship.

The capture of Tanjore by Vijayalaya, around 850 A.D. marked the rise of the Chola power. He was perhaps a Pallava feudatory at that time, and must have wrested Tanjore from the Mutharayas. The Cholas continued and developed all the art tradition which prevailed before them under the Pallavas, Pandyas and Mutharayas. Besides continuing the architectural and sculptural tradition of the Pallavas, they also patronised the art of dance and music.

The chapters in this book in particular, concentrate on the post Chola period. Evidently the Nayak and Maratta regimes at Tanjore (Thanjavur) are marked by an unprecedented leap in the development of this art. Hence there is a major concern about this phenomenon leap. But any progress is based on the available knowledge that preceded the era of achievement.

The political scene since the time of the Vijayalaya Chola is the dismal disarray of centripetal forces. The kingdom of Vijayanagara established in A. D. 1336 on the southern bank of the river Tungabadhra existed till A. D. 1565 (Talaikotta battle). Early rulers of Vijayanagar were Saivaites and the later rulers supported Vaishnavism. How and when the Tamil country came under Vijayanagar sway is an interesting historical premise that had invited many theories. Despite controversies, it is accepted that A. D. 1371 is a reasonably accurate assessment. This is supported by inscriptions available from ‘Serkadu’ in North Arcot district of Tamilnadu.

Ganga-devi’s epic Madura Vijayam gives an interesting account that a mysterious lady is said to have appeared before Kumarakampana, the viceroy of Vijayanagar while he was at Kanchipuram. The epic states Vyagrapuri (Chidambaram), as the abode of tigers. "The vimana of the Srirangam temple is dilapidated where there resounded the joyous beat of the mridangam there is heard at present the howl of the jackal that made its abode" The mysterious lady requested Kumarakampanna to restore worship at Chidambaram, Thiruvanaikaval, Srirangam and Madurai temples. In the history