Bharatanatyam - Introduction

Bharatanatyam is perhaps the oldest amongst the contemporary classical dances of India. Bharatanatyam is characterized by the use of the ekaharya lasyanga style in which one dancer-actor plays many different roles. This dance form goes back a long way in history and early records appear as sculptures on temple walls and in literature. After the 10th Century AD its development took place mainly in South India and eventually was restricted to an area which forms the state of Tamil Nadu today. The medieval southern kings like the Cholas and Pallavas were great patrons of this dance form and during their reign it received tremendous support. The dance survived the British period and in fact was able to develop further during the colonial period. It remains a popular dance form

till date, almost fifteen hundred years since its inception.

Bharatanatyam is perhaps the oldest amongst the contemporary classical dances of India. Bharatanatyam is characterized by the use of the ekaharya lasyanga style in which one dancer-actor plays many different roles. This dance form goes back a long way in history and early records appear as sculptures on temple walls and in literature. After the 10th Century AD its development took place mainly in South India and eventually was restricted to an area which forms the state of Tamil Nadu today. The medieval southern kings like the Cholas and Pallavas were great patrons of this dance form and during their reign it received tremendous support. The dance survived the British period and in fact was able to develop further during the colonial period. It remains a popular dance form till date, almost fifteen hundred years since its inception.