Hi could you suggest research topics gor bharathanatyam based on natyassstra or otherwise.

Padma Subrahmanyam’s elucidation of Natya Shastra’s Recakas
Role of Recakas in producing Rasas
What makes the dance attractive, beautiful and interesting
Kaisikivs. robotic movements in terms of mechanical engineering
Why classical Indian dance proper is a solo dance
Laya and 22 Sruthis
Why Bharata Muni didn’t allow men to sing (and the proof that most dancers and rasikas are actually deaf)
Lines of power, and why Anita Ratnam is fond of her Tai Chi classes
Anga Suddham, modes of movements and calligraphy
The Tantric explanations of everything in terms of 3 gunas, 5 elements, the vrittis and more
Difference between true art, factory-produced merchandize, and garbage

The ultimate expressions of literature, music, dance, drama, sculpture, painting and culture culminate to form Bharatanatyam. It is thus the highest Indian classical dance form.
It is not just an art form, but a full fledged classical dance style in totality.

As is written by Mr. Curt Sachs in “World History of Dance’:-
‘Dance is the mother of all arts. Music and poetry exist in time; painting and architecture in space. But the dance lives at one in time and space. The creator and the thing created, the artist and the work are still one and the same thing, Rhythmical patterns of movement, the plastic sense of space, the vivid representation of a world seen and imagined-these things man creates in his own body in the dance before he uses substance and stone and word to give expression to his inner existence’

And Bharatanatyam is the epitome of this Dance. It can truly be regarded as the crowning glory of Indian Classical Dance.

Since ancient times, it had been a Hindu tradition of temple worshiping with ritualistic dance performed by women. This elegant dance called ‘Cathir’ or ‘Sadir’ can be called as the mother of Bharatanatyam as this was modified to give birth to Dasi-attam and later to Bharatanatyam. Thus it was essentially a devotional ritual performance for religious purposes. It was a traditional custom to offer a set of sixteen religious services which included music and dance.

Young girls were thus trained in this form of art and were dedicated as ‘Devadasis’ (hand maidens of Gods). The dance was thus called ‘Dasi-attam’. After the successful completion of the training, normally by the age of eleven years, these Devadasis performed their first performance called ‘Arangetram’ in front of the deity.

The French traveler Tavernier (1641 A.D.) wrote while describing a temple:
‘When the courtesans have got together a good sum of money in their youth, they buy young slaves whom they teach to dance and sing. And when the young girls are 11 or 12 years old, their mistresses send them to this temple, believing it will bring them good fortune to offer and surrender to this idol’.

There are various evidences testifying prevalence of classical dance in India since Indus Valley Civilization. Archeological research on Mohenjodaro and Harappa indicates that dancing art was present before the Vedic Era. Retrieval of a dancer in ‘Urdha Tandava’ posture from the ruins of Takshashila prove the existence of pure dance in the 5th and 4th centuries B.C. Kalhan in his chronicle on Kashmir titled ‘Rajatarangini’ mentions about ‘devadasis’ adorning the court of the Kashmiri king Lalitaditya in the 8th century.

History further elaborates the Devadasi cult in other places as well. When Sultan Mamud of Gazni attacked Somnath Temple in 1024 A.D., there were about 500 devadasis in the temple. During the reign of the famous Chola king the 1st Rajaraj (985-1014 A.D.), there were about 400 devadasis in Tanjore’s Brihadishara Temple.

Travelogues of other foreign travelers also bear testimony to the devadasi tradition. The Venetian traveler Marco Polo (1250 A.D.) mentions about devadasis in the Malabar coast. Devadasis called ‘Muralis’ were abducted into Sultan Allauddin Khilji’s (1351-1358 A.D.) harem during his Karnataka attack.

The Portuguese traveler Domino writes about how these Devadasis were dedicated to the service of God.

Many other scriptures and religious texts mention about these Devadasis. Padmapuran (4th century), Skandapuran, Bhabishyapuran, Srimadbhagabat, Bishnupuran, Agnipuran, Silpaddikaram etc. mention the Devadasi System for religious offering of dance and music to the Gods which was in vogue at that time.
Thus this form of dance is embedded in a rich tradition of temple worshipping in many places of India.

The Tamil Epic Silapaddikaram (Story of anklet) also tells us about Nattuyangam. The words ‘Nat’, ‘Abhoi’ and ‘Angam’ go to form the word Nattuyangam which means leader of dancers. These dance teachers later came to be known as ‘Nattuban’ derived from ‘Nattuyangam’.

This dance of the Devadasis was later adopted in some cases for entertainment when ‘Rajnartakis’ (Court dancers) started performing in Palaces.

It was then when the exploitation of the devadasis began by social dictators and these Nattubans in the name of religion, and of course taking advantage of the economic conditions of parents. This expoitation took such a promiscuous and nasty form that the government had to pass the ‘Devadasi Bill’.

Thus the traditional journey of Bharatanatyam began from the very roots of sacred practices.

Later on due to Muslim rule in North India for about five centuries and other allied reasons, this religious dance lost its existence from the North Indian scenario where rice offerings replaced offerings of dance.

This dance style was then solely nurtured and developed in South India. It was here in South India that it was later revived to give its present form and style. Nowadays this dance is taught and practiced throughout the world not only by women but by men as well, transcending all barriers of religion and caste.

It is thus an Indian Dance from which many other dance forms have been derived. In course of time, this dance form had been reformed, but only for its betterment to stand the test of time. Thus it has evolved as the best art form unifying all the diverse art forms to render the divine joy of the spiritual uplifting. The Devadasi culture may be almost lost today but Bharatanatyam has come out of it as a dynamic visual personification of music and the other static forms.

Therein lays the unique identity of Bharatanatyam. It is also unique because as is said this dance is also a history of India itself. Dr. Janet O’Shea’s book ‘At Home in the world: Bharata Natyam on the Global Stage’ traces many national struggles over gender identity, regionalism and globalization while narrating about this dance.

Many legends and tales are associated with Bharatanatyam. Dance, as per Indian Mythology, has been said to be descended on earth from the cosmic dance of God Shiva who is “Nataraja’ or the King of Dance. Sculptures in Chidambaram depict this ‘Nataraja’ in a dancing posture. The rhythms of His dance are responsible for the creation and destruction of this Universe. The famous pose of Nataraja depicts this cosmic dance. Drum of creation is held in the right hands. Whatever is old is destroyed by means of fire held in His left hand. A blessing gesture (Mudra) is indicated by His other right hand. His other left hand, points to His left foot, which has crushed a demon. This demon is called ‘Muyaluka’ in Tamil which means ignorance. So destruction of evil will bestow wisdom.

Science of dance is elaborately spelled out in ‘Natyashastra’ written by a Hindu sage, Bharata Muni (c. 400 BCE- 200 BCE). Traditional Bharatanatyam dance generally conforms to the stipulations of this Natya Shastra’. Other texts like Abhinayadarpana, Abhinayabharati, Silapaddikaram, Natabadibadyaranjan etc. also elucidate various techniques.

"The right hand is in the Katakamukha Hasta, the three joined fingers symbolizing the sacred syllable 'AUM'. The fingers of the left hand are in Alapadma Hasta, which is the rotating lotus of spiritual light. The eyes are directed towards the Supreme Lord. The left leg is lifted, symbolizing the swift ascent of the consciousness in one step from the Earth to the Heaven."

According to some, the name Bharatanatyam is derived from the name of Bharata Muni. Natya refers to the science of dance. The most common theory behind the name is that ‘Bha’ comes from ‘Bhava’ or expression; ‘Ra’ is the ‘Raga’ or accompanying melody; and ‘Ta’ denotes ‘Tala’ or the rhythm or time. All these are the essential elements of a Bharatanatyam recital. In fact in earlier times, it was compulsory for a Bharatanatyam dancer to learn singing as well.

The present day Bharatanatyam has undergone some changes, especially during the 18th and 19th centuries. The Maratha rulers then patronized this art. The technique earlier followed was different and conformed to Natyashastra.

Traditional Bharatanatyam performances normally were of four types- Sadirnatyam, Bhagabatmela Drama, Kuruvanji and Kuchipuri.

Sadirnatyam was the pure original form of Bharatanatyam. It was known as Sadirnatyam, Dasiattam, Chinnamelan, Bhogmelan, Tanjori Dance, etc. in different regions. Pure dance comprising rhythms and rhythmic dance along with facial expressions were its important features. Usually women performed this dance. Love (for the Divinity) was the main theme conveyed.

Bhagatbatmela drama was essentially a religious dance drama of some conservative Brahmins who claimed to be descendents of Bharata Muni. Tales of Mahabharata were enacted.

There were many similarities of Bhagabatmela Drama with Kathakali. Both were night-long open-air performances performed by men. Of the differences, the one that is noteworthy is in Bhagabatmela, performers could sing or recite whereas there was no such provision in Kathakali.
Previously these were composed in Sanskrit but later on many lyrics were composed in Telegu. Of the dramas of this category, which were famous are Markandeo, Prahlad, Sita Kulyanam, Harishchandra. These were written by Venkatraman Shastry about 200 years ago. Another famous piece was ‘Parijat Haranam’ written by Tirthanarayan Swami, who also compiled the book ‘Krishnalila Tarangini’.

Although there is no chronological history about this Bhagabatmela Drama, yet evidence is there regarding the elegance of this dance form from 8th century onwards. As Sri K. V. Ramachandran writes:-
“though verse seeks composite expression in unison with the fully developed arts of music and dance in the drama, it is dance which triumphs and dominates- dance in its infinite variety as a decorative unit that twines in and out of every speech and song as the basis and supreme resource of abhinaya dance that condition everything from the simplest courtesy to the most elaborate ritual and helps to recapture the epical-most sphere of the stories.”

Kuruvanji is a ballet type of dance style where there are six to eight female performers. This is the only example of ballet in Indian dance. Tirukura Rajappa Kabirayar’s composition ‘Kutral Kuruvanji’ is the oldest Kuruvanji dance. Later, Smt. Rukmini Devi tried to revive this dance form.

Kuchipuri village beside the river Krishna in Andhra Pradesh was the birthplace of this dance form Kuchipuri, now considered to be a separate dance form. Male performers usually also play female roles. Characters musically introduce themselves as they enter on stage. Bhamkalappam, Golla-Kallappam, Usha Parinayam are noteworthy Kuchipui dramas.

Traditional Bharatanatyam confined to South India, especially Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh to some extent, underwent a lot of changes to transform itself into the Bharatanatyam that we find today. Although the basics of ‘Natyashastra’ are the binding factors, but other scriptures like the Abhinaya-darpana has evolved which have further embellished this ancient dance form.

Major changes were brought in by the Tanjore Quartet of Chinnayya, Ponniah, Sivanandam and Vadivelu who adorned the court of the Maratha King Saroboji (1798-1832). Vadivelu was a renowned founder of South Indian or Carnatic music. He was the first one to introduce violin in Carnatic music. Before there used to be a program called ‘Kaustavam’.

The changes in Bharatanatyam and South Indian music are complementary to each other.
The rules of Tanjore Kings, Achuthappa Nayak (1572-1614), Raghunath Nayak and Vijayraghav Nayak (1614-1673) were the Golden Era of Bharatanatyam’s evolution. Contribution of Venkatmukhi, Kshetraya and Tirthunarayan Swami deserve special mention.
Later on, during the reigns of Raja Pratap Singh and Tulajaji, many contributed for the betterment of Bharatanatyam. Mahadev Annavi, Subbaraya Natuvan (Tanjore bothers’ father) Dikshitar; Shyamshastry were a few among them.

Bharatanatyam is graced by a variety of techniques, but the most important basic features are:-

Nritta - pure rhythmic movements
Abinaya- conveying a message or a story by expressions and movement of different parts of body and gestures.
Nritya – the outcome on combining Abhinaya and Nritta.

Nritta comprises Chari, Karana, Angahara and Mandala.

Chari- One leg movement
Karana- Two leg movement
Khanda- Three Karanas
Mandala- Three to Four Khandas and Four to Five Khandas
Angahara- Four to Nine Karanas
Natyashastra defines 108 Karanas and 32 Angaharas.
Karana (Talavilasita Karana where foot
with the toe upwards stretched to the side and the palms of the hands are bent.)


The Karanas are carved in the Chidambaram Temple in Tamil Nadu.

Sculpture in Chidambaram Temple

Bharatanatyam is considered as the fire dance, i.e. it is ‘the mystic manifestation of the metaphysical element of fire in the human body. It is one of the five major styles (one for each element) that include Odissi (element of water) and Mohiniattam (element of air)’.