Bharatanatyam

Bharatanatyam is a classical dance form from Tamil Nadu, India, recognized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi. It conveys South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, especially those of Shaivism and Hinduism more broadly.

The dance’s early roots appear in the Natya Shastra, composed between roughly 500 BCE and 500 CE, and in the ancient Tamil epic Silappatikaram, dated to around 171 CE. Temple carvings from the 6th to 9th centuries CE indicate that dance was already a refined performance art by the mid-1st millennium CE. Originally called Sadiraattam, it was renamed Bharatanatyam in 1932 and is considered India’s oldest classical dance tradition.

Bharatanatyam includes various bani, or traditions, each defined by the technique and style of a specific guru or school, often named after the guru’s village. The style is known for a fixed upper torso, bent legs, and flexed knees (aramandi), combined with precise footwork and a sign language using hand gestures, eyes, and facial muscles. The dance is accompanied by music and a singer, with the guru typically present as the nattuvanar, or director-conductor. Its performance repertoire includes nrita (pure dance), nritya (conveying meaning through hand gestures), and natya (dramatic elements). A standard program lasts about two hours without interruption, performed by a single dancer who does not leave the stage or change costumes. The orchestra—drums, a drone instrument, and a singer—sits at the back of the stage, led by the dancer’s guru.

Through the 19th century, Sadiraattam was exclusive to Tamil Hindu temples. The colonial British government banned it in 1910, but the Indian community protested, and in the 20th century the dance expanded beyond temples as Bharatanatyam. Modern stage productions are now popular across India and include purely dance-based performances with non-religious themes and fusion ideas. The basic structure of modern Bharatanatyam was formalized by the Thanjavur Quartet.

The word Bharatam is often explained as a backronym: bha for bhavam (feelings), ra for ragam (melody), and tam for talam (rhythm). Natyam is Sanskrit for “dance,” so Bharatanatyam connotes a dance that harmoniously expresses bhavam, ragam, and talam. Another interpretation translates it as “the dance of Bharata,” referring to the reputed author of the Natya Shastra. In 1932, E Krishna Iyer and Rukmini Devi Arundale proposed renaming Sadiraattam—also known as Parathaiyar Aattam or Thevarattam—as Bharatanatyam at a meeting of the Madras Music Academy, and they helped modify mainly the Pandanallur style.

The theoretical foundations of Bharatanatyam appear first in the Natya Shastra and later in the Tamil text Kootha nool, derived from the Tholkappiyam (250 BCE). The first complete compilation of the Natya Shastra is dated between 500 BCE and 200 CE, though estimates range to 500 CE; some scholars place the Natasutras around 600 BCE. The most studied version has about 6,000 verses in 36 chapters, describing the theory of Tāṇḍava dance (Shiva), rasa, bhāva, expression, gestures, acting techniques, basic steps, and standing postures—all part of Indian classical dances. The text presents dance as a form of expression for spiritual ideas and virtues. Historical references also appear in the Tamil epics Silappatikaram (c. 2nd century CE) and Manimegalai (c. 6th century CE). Silappatikaram tells of a dancing girl named Madhavi and describes her training regimen in verses 113–159. Carvings in Kanchipuram’s Shiva temple (6th–9th centuries CE) suggest dance was well-developed by the mid-1st millennium CE. A notable example is the southern gateway of the Chidambaram temple (c. 12th century), where 108 poses (karanas) from the Natya Shastra are carved in stone. Bharatanatyam shares poses with ancient Shiva sculptures; one 5-foot-tall image with 18 arms displays dance positions in a geometric pattern, with mudras used in the dance. The early 12th-century Sanskrit text Manasollasa discusses dance movements like Natya, Tandava, Lasya, Laghu, Visama, and Vikata, similar to the Natya Shastra.

Some colonial Indologists and modern authors have claimed Bharatanatyam descends from an ancient Devadasi culture dating between 300 BCE and 300 CE, but modern scholars question this due to a lack of direct textual or archaeological evidence. Historical sculptures and texts describe dancing girls and temple quarters for women, but do not depict them as courtesans or prostitutes, as early colonial writers alleged.