Dance as Devotion: The Spiritual Roots of Bharatanatyam

Bharatanatyam is rooted in devotion. It developed as a temple art in Tamil Nadu, and its central image is Shiva as Nataraja, the Lord of Dance. Much of its repertoire sets bhakti poetry addressed to deities. Even today, dancers begin and end with a namaskaram, a salutation to the earth, the guru and the divine.

Nataraja: the image at the heart of the dance

Almost every Bharatanatyam classroom and stage has a small figure of Nataraja. The image shows Shiva performing the ananda tandava, the dance of bliss. In Shaiva thought this dance carries out the five cosmic acts of creation, preservation, dissolution, concealment and grace. Every element of the classic Chola bronze carries meaning:

• The damaru, a small drum in the upper right hand, is the sound and rhythm from which creation begins.
• The flame in the upper left hand stands for dissolution.
• The lower right hand is raised in abhaya, the gesture that says "do not fear".
• The lower left hand is held across the body like an elephant's trunk, pointing to the raised left foot, which offers refuge and release.
• The dwarf beneath the right foot, Apasmara, represents ignorance held down.
• The ring of fire around the figure is the universe within which the dance takes place.

Dancers relate to this image in a practical way as well. The rhythm, the balance on one leg and the stillness of the face within movement are what we aim for in class.

Chidambaram and the temple roots of Bharatanatyam

The Thillai Nataraja temple at Chidambaram is where Shiva is worshipped above all as the dancer. Its gopurams carry carved panels of the 108 karanas, the units of movement described in the Natya Shastra. For centuries, dance was part of temple ritual in Tamil Nadu. Devadasis performed in daily worship and during festivals, as described in our history of Bharatanatyam.

The dance moved from temple to concert stage in the twentieth century, but its structure still follows a ritual shape. A recital often opens with a Pushpanjali, an offering of flowers, or an Alarippu, which unfolds the body as if in salutation. It closes with a Mangalam, a prayer for auspiciousness. Our guide to the Bharatanatyam margam explains each item.

Bhakti poetry in padams and varnams

Bhakti means loving devotion to God. In Bharatanatyam, devotion is very often expressed as human love. The dancer becomes the nayika, the heroine, who longs for the nayaka, the beloved. Here the beloved is Krishna, Shiva, Murugan or another deity. The longing, waiting, jealousy and joy are human emotions, and the audience understands them as the soul's longing for the divine.

The repertoire draws on many devotional poets:

• the Tamil hymns of the Alvars and Nayanmars, including Andal's Tiruppavai, sung widely during the month of Margazhi
• the Sanskrit Gita Govinda of Jayadeva, whose ashtapadis describe Radha and Krishna
• the Telugu padams of Kshetrayya, addressed to Muvva Gopala, a form of Krishna
• Tamil kirtanas and padams by later composers, such as Gopalakrishna Bharati's songs on the devotee Nandanar

The varnam, the centrepiece of a recital, usually carries this theme at length. The dancer alternates passages of pure rhythm with lines of sung poetry, each interpreted in several ways. Expressing bhakti well depends on mastery of the rasas, described in the nine rasas in Bharatanatyam. Shringara, the mood of love, and bhakti are closely bound together.

The namaskaram and bhumi pranamam

Every class and every performance begins and ends with the namaskaram. Part of it is the bhumi pranamam, the salutation to the earth. The dancer is about to strike the ground with her feet for an hour or more, so she first touches the earth and asks its forgiveness. A typical sequence runs like this, though details vary from bani to bani:

1. Stand in samapadam, feet together, hands joined.
2. Raise the joined hands above the head in salutation to the divine.
3. Bring them to the forehead for the guru and to the chest for the audience.
4. Bend and touch the floor with the fingertips, then touch the eyes.
5. Rise and finish with the hands joined again.

Many students also learn the verse that opens the Abhinaya Darpana, which links the four types of abhinaya to Shiva:

Angikam bhuvanam yasya, vachikam sarva vangmayam, aharyam chandra taradi, tam vande sattvikam Shivam.

Roughly: "Whose body is the world, whose speech is all language, whose ornaments are the moon and stars, to that pure Shiva I bow."

How devotion shows in practice today

In a modern dance class, devotion is less about ritual than about attitude. You see it in small habits:

• removing footwear before entering the dance space and not stepping over the salangai, the ankle bells
• touching the salangai to the forehead before tying them, a habit that begins at the salangai pooja
• greeting the teacher and listening carefully to corrections
• practising an item many times so that it can be offered properly, not simply shown

Above all, devotion shows as attention. A dancer who is fully present in a slow Adi tala varnam, holding araimandi and following each line of the music, is practising the same discipline that temple dancers practised centuries ago.

Respecting students of all backgrounds

Bharatanatyam is learnt today by children and adults of every faith and of none. A good teacher explains the stories of Krishna, Shiva or Murugan as part of the art's literature and culture, much as a literature teacher explains a poem. No student is asked to adopt a belief, and questions are welcome. For many students the namaskaram simply becomes a moment of gratitude and focus before practice.

Mayura Natyalaya teaches in the Pandanallur style, and students from all backgrounds are welcome. Children, teens and adults can join our weekend classes in Porur, and adult beginners may find our page on classes for adults useful.