A brief history of bharatha natyam

Origins of Bharatha Natyam

Bharata Natyam is one of India's eight 'classical' dance forms. Originating in the temples, courts, and salons of Southern India, it was performed as an offering to the presiding deity of the temple and as entertainment in the royal courts from the 16th to 20th century. Through intricate gestures, rhythmic footwork, and expressive storytelling, dancers conveyed episodes from Hindu mythology as well as love songs--both devotional and secular.

For centuries, it was sustained by hereditary dancers, once called "devadasis," unmarried women highly trained in music, poetry, and dance. Their art was woven into temple rituals, courtly performance, and community festivals, inseparable from daily life. This art form went by many names including Sadir, Sadir Aattam, Daasi Aattam, and later, Bharatha Natyam.

In the 18th and 19th centuries during British colonial rule over India, a confluence of forces led to the demise of this system. Victorian moral codes, Hindu patriarchal norms around women and marriage, the self-respect movement, and legal bans stigmatized dancing women, eroding their patronage and decimating their livelihood.

Pictured: a young hereditary dancer.

The revival and renaissance of Bharatha Natyam

In the early 20th century, elite cultural reformers predominantly from brahmin communities, such as Rukmini Devi Arundale and E Krishna Iyer, sought to restore "respectability" to the art form through a process of Sanskritization and sanitization. They reimagined Bharatha Natyam for the proscenium stage, adapting its repertoire for upper class/caste, secular audiences by blending devotion, storytelling, and theatricality.

Today, Bharata Natyam is practiced globally, by dancers of many ethnicities and backgrounds. However, the contributions of hereditary dancers and musicians to this form have been largely erased.

Naayika Arts acknowledges the hereditary dancers and nattuvanars, the original caretakers and practitioners of this art form, and their contributions to the art form we practice today.

Pictured: Rukmini Devi Arundale (1904-1986)- choreographer, dancer, and the one who is credited for the renaissance of Bharatha Natyam

Special thanks and immense gratitude to Dr. Anusha Kedhar for her guidance and sharing her insights on how we should respect the roots of Bharatha Natyam.