Dancer

Dancer

Hoysalawara Temple,Hoysala Dynasty, 12th Century AD

           The sculptures of dancers have preserved the legacy of classical Indian dances well. Classical dances have an ancient history and a modern rediscovery. Bharat Muni had written his Bharatnatya Shastra--a treatise on Drama--in 2nd century BC. But during the medieval period dance died out as a living art. It is only in the beginning of the 20th century that it was rediscovered by famous dancers like Uday Shankar and Rukmani Devi.

These dancers went back to the sculptures of temples at Tanjore and Chidambram to see the postures, the gestures of the dancers.

Today India has six classical dances: Kathak from Jaipur and Lucknow, Kathakali from Kerala, Bharatnatyam from Tamil Nadu, Manipuri from Manipur, Odissi from Odissa, Kuchipudi from Andhra Pradesh. The extent of dances from the four corners of the nation proves their lasting traditions and popularity.