Royal patronage extended to Indian classical dances

by Subahini Pathmanathan

The Indian classical dance forms are closely linked to Hindu tradition and influenced by Hinduism and based on Natya Sastra. Most of the Indian classical dances had their origin in the temples and the temple environs, In one way or another these dance forms enjoyed the royal patronage. Sadir dancers were given full support and encouragement by various kings at different periods.

The kings themselves engaged the dancers to serve in temples, and provided all the facilities, to continue their service.

Later the temple dancers became court dancers. Especially, during the Chola period there is evidence which provides a wealth of information about temple dancers and court dancers.

In the royal courts, the poets were called Asthana Vithakars and those who composed the music for the poems were called Asthana Kavinjars and those who danced for poems were called Asthana Narthakis.

Similarly, another Indian classical dance form is Kathakali which originated in royal courts and moved to the temples. Before the birth of Kathakali, Chakkaier Koothu was more popular in the present Kerala State.

It was performed by male members of a particular caste called Chakkaier who had the hereditary right to perform. The basic theme of the dance was gathered from epics and puranas.

Origin

Kathakali had its origin from Krishna Atttam during the reign of king Maanadevan of Calicut in the 17th century. The Krishna Attam was based on Lord Krishna’s stories. The literature for Krishna Attam was in Sanskrit.

The Kottakari king of south Kerala requested Maanadevan to stage the Krishna Attam at his court. Due to the refusal of Maanadevan, the broken hearted King Kottakari Raja introduced Ramara Attam which was similar to Krishna Attam but the story was based on Lord Rama.

The poetic verses were in the regional language Malayalam. In the Ramar Attam, exquisite facial expressions and beautiful hand gestures were used.

Accompaniments were also employed. In later years, this dance form adopted various themes including other Puranas and Ithikas stories. Firm vigorous movements, Thandava stances, subtle Lassiya movements and various martial techniques were introduced.

With the passage of time, the name Krishna Attam and Ramar Attam disappeared and the dance form came to be known as Kathakali. Royal patronage was given especially by the Travancore rulers, namely Balarama Varma and Swaathithirunal Maha Raja. There is evidence that in the Travancore Palace Kathakali troupes were available to perform regularly.

Development

The north Indian classical dance form Kathak, derived its name from the word, Katha. Katha means story. Kathakar (story tellers) belonged to a particular caste.

They were actually responsible for the development of this dance form and performed at temples. The firm development of Kathak dance form, originated during the 15th century.

The main theme or stories in this dance form were on Radha, Krishna themes with bakthi cult. Mostly, the Radha Krishna Bakthi cult was based on the dramatic play call Rasalila. The dance form included melodious music, beautiful rhythmic dances and dramatic narrations in between the dance. During the period of Muslim reign this dance form moved from temples to courts.

Initially it developed in two different regional and religious courts. One was in the Muslim courts and other was in the Hindu courts. In courts the dance form was cherished and preserved with the same spirit as a stylised entertainment.

In Rajasthan, Hindu royal courts gave more prominence to Nirtha aspect (pure dance movements). In the Muslim courts in Delhi, Agra, and Lucknow, the dance form developed with normal life moods and passions. Hence naturally it gave more importance to expression, Bhavas and Rasas. The execution of this art form gave birth to two different styles.

Style

One is the Jaipur style and the other is the Lucknow style. The devotional music Kirthans, during the period of the Moghal emperors the Khayal, Drupad, Thumpri and Ghazal were the musical concepts, introduced as the musical base for this art form.

In the 19th century, during the reign of King Wajid Ali, the Lucknow style gained recognition and the king gave support and encouragement for the development of this art in his royal court.

One of the main founders of the style was Thakur Prasad and his three sons who served in the court of King Wajid Ali. The style differences as in any art form are the master work of different gurus of different areas. The king of Raigarh of Madya Pradesh, Chakradhar Singh, gave the royal patronage to both styles of kathak. They have beautiful aesthetic essence and attractive stances. Manipuri dance, like all other Indian classical dance forms, has its roots in deep devotion, and spiritualism. The King Bhagaya Chandra who ruled Manipur from 1759 to 1798 A.D. He was deeply involved in culture and religion.

He himself excelled in prose, poetry, philosophy, dance, drama and music.

The kings and the queens were very much involved with the traditional art forms, mainly dance and music. Even the queen herself danced with the public. Generally the dance was common to all; there was no barrier for caste or creed.

Royal patronage

The dance was not practised just for mere entertainment but with deep dedication and devotion. After the era of king Bhagaya Chandra, the kings in his lineage, gave full support and patronage for the dance, and other art forms.

Even the development of thalas in Manipuri is still identified with the rule and period of individual kings. Odissi, another classical dance form, received royal patronage from kings. According to one of the inscriptions, king Kharavela of second century B.C, encouraged the dance and music forms by carving the figures of dancers and musicians in the caves.

The Jaganath temple of Puri was built during the reign of King Chodaganga Deva who belonged to Ganga dynasty and his dynasty lasted more than four decades.

The Ganga dynasty lasted for more than four centuries. He introduced the Maharis (Devadasis) to serve in the Lord Jaganath temple, at Puri. Still his contribution to the art is recognised and celebrates in Orissa (earlier Orda Desh).

Interpreting the meaning of the songs through dance was generally done through hand gestures and facial expressions. This type of interpretation of songs through dance was introduced in odissi, during the Suriya Dynasty. During this period, the Maharis were trained to perform dance at temples. Abinaya Chandrika which is still considered a complete work on Odissi dance was written by the minister Mahakeswar Mohapatra of King Narayanadeva’s court. Later the Odissi dancers were divided into three categories. One was temple dancers, Maharis, and the other was the royal court dancers, Nachunis, and the third was the Gotipuas, the male dancers who performed before the general public.

Male dancers

Still there are a number of outstanding male dancers and numerous dance teachers, choreographers (some belong to the traditional nattuvanar clan) in the classical Bharatha Natyam field.

In all, the Indian classical dance forms, the males play important roles with female dancers. The contribution of males for the development of certain classical dance forms are more than that of the females. Kuchupidi and Odissi originally were danced by males alone.

Bhagavatha Mela is still wholly performed by male performers and in Kathakali, male dancers play a more important role than female dancers. In Kathak and Manipuri the role of male dancers are equally important with female dancers. In Bharatha Natyam, the most outstanding gurus were males and today there are a very few outstanding male performers in this field.