HISTORY AND SURVIVAL OF INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCE

History And Survival of Indian classical Dance : 

In its truest sense, Indian classical dance is an expression of life, involving the body as well as the emotions. Indian Dance is based on texts from Sanskrit, an ancient Indian language – also thought to be the mother of not only Indian languages but also modern European languages. Indian classical dance is one of the oldest dance traditions associated with any of the world’s major religions. It has evolved with the concepts of self and world.

"When the world had become steeped in greed and desire, in jealousy and anger, in pleasure and pain, Bramha, the Supreme one was asked by the people to create an amusement which could be seen and heard by all, for the Scriptures being learned and ambiguous, were not enjoyed by the masses". Thus does Bharata's Natya Shastra explain the emergence of this divine art in his treatise on Indian Dance. Brahma, the Supreme one, the knower of truth, mediated on the four vedas (Scriptures) and drew up the fifth, Natya Veda, the scripture of drama, presenting moral and spiritual truth. "The creator of the world Brahma extracted 'recitation' from Rig Veda, `abhiyana' from Yajurveda, song from samaveda and 'rasas' from Atharvaveda respectively, for fulfilling the high requirements of life,that is Dharma , Artha, Kama and Moksha. Though these, fame, self-confidence, fortune and cleverness are acquired, thus causing peace, patience, liberality, pleasure, and wiping our misery, pain sorrow and hatred. Bramha tried to impart to the people the diversity and the all encompassing nature of this new creation and said that "This art is not purely for your pleasure but exhibits bhava (emotion) for all the three worlds. I have made this art following the movements of the world,
whether in work or in profit, peace, laughter, battle or slaughter, yielding the fruit of righteousness to those who follow, moral law,linked to the deeds of all manking, the best, the average and the low, affording excellent counsel, pastime and all else". And thus, "Brahma gave the first lessons on Natya to Bharata. Thereafter Bharata demonstrated the three forms of dancing , namely, Natya, Nritya and Nritta before the Lord Siva with the help of the Gandharvas and the Apsaras. Then Siva remembering his own violent style of dance asked Tandu to transmit its technique to Bharata with the help of his retinue and out of affection asked Parvati to demonstrate to him the Lasya Style. Then understanding the technique of Tandava the saints transmitted its knowledge to others. Similarly Parvathi taught the Lasya style to Usha, daughter of Bana. She transmitted it to the milkmaids of dwarka and then from them it spread to women of other places. This is the order in which these dance styles spread in the world".According to Abhinaya Darpana (mirror of gestures) the description of abhinaya is divided into four parts. 1. Angika Abhinaya is the abhinaya expressed through the limbs. Ideas and emotions are beautifully displayed through various parts of the body. This includes the actor's posture, gait and movements of features and limbs. "mudras" used by the priest in prayer became a whole language for the dancer known as "hastas", the symbols of the hands. 2. Aharya abhinaya is related to the costumes and make-up of the actor in his various roles. This is depicted through the costumes and other decorations of the body. 3. Vachika abhinaya is regarded as the most important among these four by some Hindu theorists. This indicates the use of language, regulation of the tone of voice, accent and rhythm which can bring out the lyrical qualities of the play. 4. Satwika abhinaya or abhinaya of the mind denotes the eight conditions, viz., stoppage of action, perspiration, horripilation, change of voice, trembling, change of colour, tears and fainting. These are to be exhibited with suitable gestures of Angika abhinaya as this is the expansion of mental emotions through bodily reactions. The dance or the four-fold abhinaya is of three kinds Natya, Nritta and Nritya. According to Bharata, Natya or Nataka gives the stories of the epics. Where there is no abhinaya or bhava it is termed nritta. Nritya is a combination of nine sentiments (Rasas) and bhavas.


Ancient Indian history reveals that even before BC , India's art forms of dance, music and theatre were fairly well-advanced. The performing arts, i.e. dance and music reached at its best of their glory, during the reign of the Chola dynasty in Southern India.
Dance forms were raised with a purpose in the sacred premises of temples. Temple dancing was inspired with the idea of taking art to the people, and conveying a message to the masses. The temple rituals necessitated the physical presence of mortal women (instead of the ornate, carved figures of heavenly damsels, apsaras) to regain the favour of the gods. The constituting view of dance, used for the purpose of the pleasing the devas, was gradually transformed into a regular, service (with deep religious connotations) in the temples of the medieval times. This was possibly the reason behind the origin of Devadasis , the earliest performers of the classical Indian dances. They were supposed to pursue the dance forms devotedly and excel in them. At the outset, Devadasis were respectable women and highly talented artists hailing from the highest position of the society. They lived and danced only in the temple premises – their vocation enjoying great religious prestige. It was only much later that the devadasis condescended to perform in royal courts, in the presence of the elite and the nobility.
  A devadasi not only performed on all festive occasions, but also had to be present for the daily rituals, connected with the deity. She was paid from temple funds; moreover the temple supplied the food grains for her and her family. To render a realistic touch a devadasi was ceremonially wedded to the deity. She was dedicated formally to her lord and thus out of bounds for mortals.
During those earlier times the temples compete eagerly with one another for pressing the best dancers and musicians into their services. Temple dancing was institutionalised and the dancing girls were liberally patronised by the kings, elites and mahajans (money-lenders). They were paid lifetime tributes by means of inscriptions engraved in the temples of those times. For instance, the famous temple of Belur ( in modern Karnataka) has several epithets glorifying the Hoysala queen Shantala who was an accomplished dancer and a musician herself. The walls of these temples are also adorned with images of this queen and her spouse, king Vishnuvardhana.

In all important Indian Literature dance holds an important place. The two great epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata are full of reference to the religious significance puranam, which speak of the use, meaning and purpose of spiritual identification and perfection. In the Vedic period people used dance for religious, social and ritual purposes. Like during horse sacrifice, weddings and many other important rituals. During the Buddist, Gupta and medieval periods, dance played and important role in achieving the spiritual inspiration and identification of the people of that time. The existing temple sculptures, paintings and icons are compelling proof , shedding light on the past. Later, with the invasion of the Muslim, who considered it almost a scandal to use music and dance for divine worship, dance found its way into the courts and as a form of entertainment. Also, due to the lack of interest in people with regard to their religion, many in society used dance for erotic pleasure. Thus, with the Muslim rule, there came into existence a new class of people called "Naach-wali". When the Europeans, for whom dance was mainly a social function, came to India, the degeneration of dance continued. With these developments, the aim, purpose and goal of dance apparently changed. It could be likened to a diamond which had lost its luster. However, the middle of the 20th Century saw a new renaissance in Indian Dance. It was due to the dedication of professional artists like Rukmini Devi, Krishna Iyer and others who strove to restore the lost dignity and spiritual quality of this divine art. Although today the Indian classical dance has moved from the temple to the auditorium and stage, the dedication of its performers remains the same. "Art emerges from the womb of religion and from the mystery of magic". This is very true in India, where religion and philosophy are preached and God worshipped through dance forms."Art in ancient India could perhaps be called temple art, not because it was necessarily part of the temple, but because its aim was the perception of spiritual identification".In India, the temple was been a place of communication between God and man. Different arts have sprung up form the temples and God was worshipped in music and dance. The desire of man for union with the Almighty led him to establish "in every temple a 'Rangamantapa', where music and dance performance took place as part of religious ritual". Dancing was considered to be the highest form of worship. Vishnudhamottara Puranam tells us that "to worship God by nritta (dance) is to fulfill all desire, and to him who dances, are protected from harms. The dancer, as he undergoes mystical experiences in the dance, communicates the same to the audience. In other words, dance becomes the expression of the experience of revelation and complete union with God, which leads us to believe that dance and all other fine arts have not only a effective function but also a spiritual and cultural function in India".

Indian dance is universal, has a way of unifying the energies and has immense therapeutical and theatrical values. There are no limitations of theme or content of the dance since it depicts the exploits of the gods, demons and kings as well as of ordinary human beings. Indian classical dance is inseparably bound with spirituality in its inception, growth, development, existence, purpose and goal. It is not just a performance but a Sadhana, as Tapas and a Bhakti. It commands devotion, and through and in it,one hopes to realize the divine in himself. Through dance the artist attains the divine and the glorious vision, that is Ananda (Bliss). The link between the various classical dance forms of India is the focus on the eternal yearning of the human soul (Jeevatma) to unite with the divine soul (Paramathma).

Evalutionary Nature: 

The extensive codification in the ancient treatises have been given to us by those wise writers along with the caution that if the performer does not interpret them according to their imagination and times, the art would become a dead art. This gives
ample freedom to the artist who wishes to practice these traditional art forms. Rather than confining him to follow the codified material with obstinate determination, they offer a structure within which the artist can explore their own creativity. Using the codified structure to his benefit, the artist can evolve his own style, thus not allowing the art to degenerate. Apart from this freedom which the treatises offer, the composers in Indian history have given us treasure house of compositions to be choreographed and the untiring performer can never tire the spectator.
 Traditional Indian dance has not remained the same through the centuries. Rather, it has evolved into something entirely different from what it was at its origin. The format of the recital has changed significantly. This evolution is one of the primary causes for the survival of our classical dancer forms.
                    The dilution in the quality of the technique is the cause of some concern. Although the dances have gained popularity during recent years, some of them are in danger of losing quality. The aesthetic enjoyment of the classical Indian dance is considerably hampered today by the gap between the dancer and the spectator.Even the accomplished dancer, in spite of his mastery of technique, may sometimes only be
partially initiated in the essential qualities of the dance form and its aesthetic significance.The majority are somewhat confused by a presentation which is obviously contextual and characterized by allusions but which derives from traditions to which they have ready access. Although they are aware that the dance is an invitation through its musical rhythms to the world in time and through its quality of sculpture to the world in space , which the character portrayed is living, they are unable to identify themselves with him.It would therefore be wise to question the future of Indian classical dance forms and analyze its survival in the years to come. I believe that if they have survived for the last three thousand years, although they may face new problems, they will be able to hold their own place because of the reasons discussed above.