The dance is practised in Tamil Nad, in the south of India, under the name Bharata Natyam and the centres where it is most alive are Tanjore and Madras.
There is no doubt that the present form in which Barata Natyam is performed was configured in this particular way about a century ago by the adepts and masters (gurus) of the South, known as Nattuvanaras.
Among them may be mentioned such illustrious names as Vadivelu Pillai, Chinniah, Ponniah and Sivanandum and their revered guru Muttuswami Dikshitar, all of whom were Sancitan and Tamil scholars and masters of music and dance.
According to some inscriptions from the period between the 9th and 11th centuries AD, the establishment of Devadasi coincided with the period of construction of the great temple in the period of the Chola kings, especially Rajaraja I. Since there was a close relationship between philosophy, dance and temples, which were the centres of religion, as well as art and culture, it was natural that the practice of having Devadasis at temples was established.
In those ancient times, we read, the Devadases enjoyed a high social status and were highly educated. They could sing, read the classics, play various musical instruments and write on philosophical subjects.
The girls were generally divided into two categories, those who were entrusted to the temple by the will of their parents in a feeling of fervour and those who were entrusted to it as a result of difficult living conditions. Their duties consisted in waving the fan (Chamara) over the deities in carrying the sacred light (Kumbarti) and also in singing and dancing before the gods when they were carried in procession. The Devadasis received a fixed salary for these religious duties.
Their training in the art of dance was very complex; for the most part, they began their study at the tender age of five. Tamil inscriptions say that in the 11th century A.D. about 400 dancers were part of the great Shiva temple at Tanjore and about a hundred of the Kanchipuram temple.
The Bhagavatars found in dramatic dance the best means to interpret the great philosophical teachings of the Puranas. And, in using drama with classical music and Bharata Natyam dance techniques, they created an art that truly interpreted dance as Bharata Muni had conceived it in his Natya Sastra. Through the danced actions of the Bhagavata Mela, dramatic action, lyrical composition, dance and classical music were skilfully blended into each other to interpret the fascinating, emotionally charged stories that were portrayed; and, when characterisation became important also in this dance form, many actors took part. Only men took part, and they excelled in this art.
These devotees of dramatic dance were the ones who transmitted the art through the various generations. The Nattuvanaras, on the other hand, concentrated on the ‘solo’ form of Bharata Natyam, which until recently was known as Dasi Attam i Sadir Atam.
They modified the dance in such a way as to perform it in particular theatres. This was probably done in order to gradually bring the full extent of its technical and dramatic value before the public, through a variety of sequences.
Today, despite the fact that the art gained honour in temples where it took the form of ritual and devotional dance, it is very popular among secular audiences.
