Indian culture today has a distinct identity enlivened through Temple traditions. Indian dance forms associated with the evolution and development of Temple arts speak volumes of the great cultural endeavour. Indian dance forms as practiced today have captured global attention sensitising the Indianness in all the cultural vistas of the world.

The Cosmic Dance of Shiva

The poet sings:
With each step He took
He scattered stars in space
With each movement of his outstretched arms
He enveloped space and time
With his long hair flying in the wind
He dances in ecstasy to the delight of his devotees

These words are reflected almost like a mirror image in painstakingly crafted images in stone and bronze. Shiva in a dancing pose is known the world over as Nataraja, The King Of Dance

The dance of Shiva symbolises the cosmic cycles of creation and destruction, birth and death. His dance is therefore the dance of the Universe. The parallel is seen in modern physics, which has shown 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 is also the very essence of inorganic matter.

For centuries, our culture has accepted that the dance of Shiva is the dance of life, myths, symbolism, mystic responses and philosophical explanations all merely add to the strength of such belief in a power that transcends the merely mortal. and when the human dancer enacts this act encompassing concept, he or she only makes a humble offering of acknowledgement.

Dancing for Gods

Dance forms were nurtured with a purpose in the sacred premises of temples. Temple dancing had a mission : to take art to the people and conveying a message to the masses. The monotony of the life of commonness as well as the elite was equally shared in the premises of a Temple. True religion sanctified every element with a touch of beauty.

Art was an effective means to suggest the cosmic truth touching the hearts of the devotees through dance, music, sculpture, architecture or a piece of jewellery, when compared to the effect created by rigid ritualistic practices.

The earliest historical illustration of Nataraja preaching Natyagama in its pure form originates in the Chalukyan sanctuaries of Badami and Aihole in the mid 6^th century A.D. The temple rituals necessitated the physical presence of women replacing the imaginative celestials, propitiating the Gods. The allegorical view of dance used for the purpose of the pleasure of devas, transformed into a divine service in the medieval temple traditions. As a result temples vied with one another in having the best dancers and musicians in their services. Thus temple dancing was institutionalised and the dancing girls were patronised by the kings and mahajans and were often respectfully mentioned in many inscriptions of temples built in the medieval age. The famous temple of Belur has several epithets glorifying the Hoysala queen Shantala as Natya Saraswati, Vichitra Suthradhare etc.

The dancing girls of the temples were called devadasis and the temple activity was considered as a means of dedication.

In the times of Vijayanagar the entire South India and parts of Orissa came under one rule and by this time the bhakti movement had lost its essence and the temples were the place of grandeur and celebration of events, the dancing girls were more exhibitionistic in their presentation.

The temples of Khajuraho, Bhubaneswar and Puri echoed with the lyrics of poet Jayadeva. The devadasi system in these temples was a living tradition till recently. Later due to factors like economic constraints, tantric practices and free sex enjoyed by the siddhas, jangamas, charanas, patrons and priests, these dancers in the temples were victimised to become public women and they were completely equated with prostitutes. The term devadasi which was used in the divine sense was replaced by the term Bhogastree and dance and music were used as a means of attracting clients.

The British government in India in order to uplift the women, their emancipation in education and to protect them from social evils abolished the devadasi system.

The present Bharatanatyam style finds its substance from the Dassiattam of colonial times. If at all we regard Indian dance as the spectacular contribution to human endeavour we should recall today with great reverence the entire class of devadasis who were the repository of delivering the tradition in most difficult situations from vedic to colonial times.

Classical Dances of INDIA

India offers a number of classical dance forms, each of which can be traced to different parts of the country. Each form represents the culture and ethos of a particular region or a group of people. The most famous classical forms are BHARATANATYAM of Tamilnad, KATHAKALIand MOHINIYATTAM of Kerala, ODISSIof Orissa, KATHAK of Uttarpradesh, KUCHIPUDI of Andhrapradesh and MANIPURI of Manipur.

Apart from these classical dance forms, India is particularly rich in folk idioms. Each area has its own special varieties, be they martial, seasonal, ritual, sacrificial or celebratory. It can vary from village to village but they all share a common heritage of myths and symbols. "Folk" in our practice today indicates community and expressions that are spontaneous. The expression is total. There is little difference between verbal and non verbal communication systems and techniques. Their expressions reflect their geographical postponing and their relationship to nature. They may be spontaneous expressions, innocent and done for no commercial gain.

The common root of all classical dance forms can be traced to Bharatha's NATYASASTRA. It is a common text for all the Indian dance forms. It contains the different kinds of postures, the mudras or hand movements each depicting a particular meaning, and about the construction of stage , makeup and about orchestra. All dance forms are thus structured around the nine rasas or emotions.hasya (happiness), krodha (anger), bhibatsa (disgust), bhaya (fear), viram (courage), karuna (compassion), adbhuta (wonder) and shanta (serenity).

Indian classical dance is divided into nritta- the rhythmic elements, nritya- the combination of rhythm and expression, natya- the dramatic element. To appreciate natya or dance drama, one has to understand and appreciate Indian legends. Most Indian dances take their themes from India's rich mythology and folk legends. Hindu Gods and Goddesses like Vishnu, Shiva and Lakshmi , Sita are all depicted in these dances. Each dance form also draws inspiration from stories depicting the life and beliefs of the Indians.