PAPER 5 DANCE, POETS AND POETRY, RELIGIOUS PHILOSOPHY AND INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCE MODULE 9 SHAIVA PHILOSOPHY THROUGH DANCE

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5 PAPER 5 DANCE, POETS AND POETRY, RELIGIOUS PHILOSOPHY AND INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCE MODULE 9 SHAIVA PHILOSOPHY THROUGH DANCE When someone says the words Dancing Shiva a dancer can immediately conjure up a mental image of a yogi with a loincloth made of tiger skin, matted hair dancing feverishly. Thanks to the plethora of literature and poems on Shiva, a dancer can put her hand in a basket of ideas and pick any story to describe the dance of Lord Shiva. Within India, from the Pahari / ऩह र and Guler / ग ऱ र miniature paintings, to the bronze images of the Chola Empire; from the sculpted pillars of Somnath / स मन थ to the friezes of Orissa, Shiva has been portrayed in numerous ways dancing. In fact, geography was never a restraint as we find dancing Shiva in the Far East, like Indonesia, Cambodia and Vietnam. Origins of Shiva Dancing Hinduism is probably the only religion where Gods like to dance. However, Shiva and Vishnu (and their various avatars) are more predominant in displaying their prowess in dance and their mastery over it, and rightly so. This is mainly attributed to the Natyasastra and the mythology of how dance came into being. As per legends, Shiva was the progenitor for dance. Being a dancer par excellence, he taught his dance to Tandu, who taught the art form to Bharata and Parvati and she in turn taught this to Usha, daughter of Asura Bana and an ardent devotee of Shiva. She was wedded to the prince 1

6 of Dwaraka, Aniruddha and thus the art form was transferred to the mortals. Usha trained the milkmaids of Dwarka who, in turn, passed it down to the women of Saurashtra. 1, 2 There is another reason also why Shiva is depicted dancing by our ancient sculptors. As per agamas and Saivaite philosophy, Shiva is worshipped as the Linga murti in the sanctum sanctorum or as the main deity. This Linga Murti / लऱ गम र त is Arupa Rupa / अर ऩ र ऩ, that is both formless and with a form. It is believed that for the benefit of his devotees Shiva manifested into various other forms called Maheshwara murtis. According to different schools of Saivism, there are either 25 or 64 Maheshwara murtis. Nataraja murti is one among these Maheshwara murtis. Among the forms that Shiva took the ones that are important for dance will be seen in detail below. 3 According to Saivaite literature, Shiva danced 64 types of Tandava dances, which he danced in 64 different locations. While it is a common perception that Shiva dances only the Tandava dance, he also dances non-tandava dances. In the Sangam poem of Kalitogai Aaru ari and anarukku the poet describes Kodukotti / क ड क ट ट, Pandarangam / ऩ डर गम, and Kapalam / कऩ ऱम types of dance by Shiva. While, Kodukotti (danced after destroying Tripura) and Kapalam (danced after the severing of Brahma s head) are associated with the Sivaleela, Pandarangam was a war dance performed by Shiva on the battlefield. 3 His dances have been described in detail in Tamil literature such as Umapati s Koyil Puranam / क ईऱ ऩ र ण, Tirumalainathan s Chidambara Puranam / च दम बर ऩ र णम, Sekkizhar s Periya Puranam / ऩ ररय ऩ र णम, Tirumoolar s Tirumandiram / र तर म ददरम, and in Unmai Vilakkam / उन म व ऱक कम. 2

7 Manifestations of Shiva dancing Nataraja murti / नटर ज म र त This form of Shiva is frequently depicted and dominates as THE form of Shiva apt for dance. Nataraja, meaning Kind of Dance, is an amalgamation of a deeper and transcendental philosophical thought given to us by our ancestors. The image of dancing Shiva in this pose is replicated in numerous ways over the centuries and the zenith was achieved in the hands of the Chola period sculptor. Taking inspiration from the Bhujanga trasita karana / भ ज ग त र लसत करण mentioned in the Natyasastra, Nataraja can be described as having the right hand in pataka or ardhachandra hasta, left hand in dola / ड ऱ hasta positioned across the body. Alternatively, the right hand can show the damaru / डमर with a simhamukha hasta / लस हम ख हस त and the left hand shows alapadma hasta / अऱ ऩद म हस त. Another variation is tripataka on the right hand and mrigashisam on the left hand. The right leg is in the half-sitting or ardhamandali pose, while the left leg is lifted and is in kuncita pada stance. There are variations of this pose done by dancers where they take the Nataraja pose and lift their right heel. Somaskanda murti / स मस क द म र त Somaskanda (expanded as Saha-Uma-Skanda) is the form of Shiva where he is seen with Parvati and his son Skanda. Although the iconography of Somaskanda is that of a seated Shiva, this manifestation takes a prominent role in Bharatanatyam. The reason is Somaskanda is the main deity at Tiruvarur, known as 3

8 Thyagaraja swamy. This temple in the Thanjavur district is well known for its development in sadir and current day Bharatanatyam. The devadasis employed in this temple performed dances and Kuravanjis which were in praise of Thyagesa, as he is also known. The famous devadasi dancer T. Balasaraswati popularized the Bhairavi varnam Mohamana / म हमन composed by Ponnaiya Pillai of the Tanjore quartet. This varnam is in praise of Tiruvarur Thyagesa / र तर र र त य ग श and when Satyajit Ray made a documentary on her, she chose to dance a shortened version of Mohamana varnam. Other than the Bhairavi varnam, Rupamu juchi / र ऩम ज (Todi raga by Ayyasami Nattuvanar, not Muthuswamy Dikshitar as popularly believed), Yela nannesevu / य ल ऱ नन न स (Purnachandrika raga by Ramaswami Dikshitar) and Entanine telupudura / एनटन न त ऱ ऩ द र (Khamas raga by Subbarama Dikshitar) are compositions in praise of Thyagaraja swamy and are still performed by Bharatanatyam dancers. Roopamu Juchi varnam is a standard repertoire of Kalakshetra, where Rukmini Devi Arundale choreographed this varnam keeping in mind the architecture of Tiruvarur temple. In a particular sanchari where Lord Thyagesa is shown coming out in procession, the choreography with the Nadai or walking gait is an imitation of the procession as seen in Tiruvarur. Tripurantaka Murti / त रत रऩ र न तक म र त In this story, Shiva destroys the three demon cities (Tri-Three and Pura-city or place) with a single arrow. As per Kalitogai, a Tamil 4

9 Sangam literature, Shiva dances the Kodukutti dance after burning the Tripura. Ardhanareeshwara Murti / अध न र श र म र त As mentioned in the prayer song of Kalitogai, Shiva is also described as dancing the Kodukutti dance while taking the Ardhanari form. 6 Gajasamhara Murti / गजसम ह र म र त In Gajasamhara murti Shiva kills the elephant headed demon Gajasura and is usually depicted with Shiva having his right leg on the elephant s head and using both hands he has flayed open the skin of the asura elephant. At the same time, his left leg is lifted up. In sculptures, Shiva is facing his back to the viewer and has his right leg pointed sideways has his upper body twisted, making this pose a difficult yet an elegant one when done correctly. According to legends, the village of Vazhuvoor in Tamilnadu (ancestral place of Vazhuvoor Ramaih Pillai) is where this leela of Shiva was enacted. Also, the Todayamangalam of the Shiva temple of Vazhuvoor Jaya Suddha Puri Vasa / जय श द ध ऩ र स was sung at the beginning of every performance by Vazhuvoor Ramaiah Pillai. Brahma shirascheta murti / ब रह म लशरश त म र त After severing the head of Brahma, Shiva dances the Kapali / कऩ ऱ or kapalam / कऩ ऱम dance with Brahma s head in his hand. This dance is mentioned in Sangam literature Kalitogai. Other murtis of Shiva that are important to dance are: Bhujangalalita / भ ज गऱलऱत murti, Bhujangatrasa / भ ज गत र स murti, Sandhyanrtta / स ध य न त त murti, Sadanrtta / सद न त त murti, Chanda tandava / 5

10 दत ड murti, Gangadhara / ग ग धर murti, Kirata / ककर त murti, Maatangaari / म तन गर, Shankara Narayanar, Jvarabhagnam / ज रभ गम or Javahara murti, Kalasamhara / क ऱस ह र murti, Kama Dhahana / क म दहन murti. Songs on Shiva Among the many songs on Shiva, Bharatanatyam has probably the largest collection of compositions that are popular and frequently performed even today. Keertanams on Shiva Keertanam literally means a song in praise of a deity. Shiva Keertanams were composed by Muthutandavar, Gopalakrishna Bharati, and Papnasam Sivan. More ancient are the hymns sung by 63 Nayanmars or Saivaite saints. The Keertanams Idadhu padham / इडद ऩदम in Kamas raga and Adi Tala by Papanasam Sivan, Bho Shambo / भ शम भ in Revati raga And Adi Tala by Dayananda Saraswati are popular. Gopalakrishna Bharati composed some iconic songs on Shiva such as Aadum Chidambaramo / आड म च द म बर म in Behag raga and Adi Tala / आदद त ऱ, Eppo Varuvaro / एप ऩ र र in Chenchuruti raga and Adi Tala, Karanam Kettu vadi / क रण क ट ट ड in Poorvikalyani raga and Adi Tala, Natanam Adinar / नटनम आड न र in Vasanta raga and Adi Tala. 7 Being a dance form that originated in Tamilnadu, Bharatanatyam dancers often used the Thevaram / थ रम hymns and other saivaite 6

11 poems to start the performance. Sometimes, one witnesses a small abhinaya on this and the dancer segues into the alarippu immediately. The popularity of Saivaite hymns can be seen in the trend of reciting the Thirupugal / र तर ऩ गऱ composed by Thirugana sambandar as the underlying lyrics for a non-lyrical composition such as the alarippu. One such Tevaram hymn of Appar or Thirunavukkasar is Kunitha Puruvamum / क र नथ ऩ र म म, where the saint describes the countenance of Lord Nataraja. He paints a imagery that consists of bow like eyebrows, coral like lips, matted locks, red skin smeared with milk colored ash. He then says those who have darshan of this divine dancer are blessed to be born in this earth. In the Doordarshan archives, dancer Lakshmi Viswanathan performs this hymn with elan and brings in front of us the vision of Appar, as he witnessed it. Padams on Shiva Padams are compositions that are performed after the varnam, and are in slower speeds of execution. Padams and Javalis / ऩद म तथ ज ऱ are an enjoyable aspect of Bharatanatyam, as here the abhinaya mastery and skills of the dancer are showcased. Most often padams in Bharatanatyam are predominantly about Krishna or Muruga. However, every now and then one witnesses a dancer performing to a padam about Shiva or to one of his manifestations. Some of the rare padams on Shiva are Manadariyaamal / मन द ररय मऱ in Kambodi raga and Adi Tala by Muthtandavar on Lord Nataraja, Enge irundalum / ए ग इर न दऱ म in Kambodi raga and Rupaka Tala by Subbarama Iyer on Tiruvarur Thyagaraja swamy. 8, 9 7

12 The nattuvanar K N Dhandayudhapani Pillai, known for his virtuoso in choreographing Bharatanatyam dances, has also composed padams on Lord Nataraja of Chidambaram like Arpudha sirpiyadi in Ragamalika and Rupakam Tala, Parthukonde irundaal in Abheri raga and Adi Tala. 10 Another famous composer of 19 th century was Ghanam Krishna Iyer. Hispadam Tiruvotriyur Thyagarajan / र तर त रत रय र त य ग र जन in Atana raga on Tiruvotriyur Thaygarajaswamy was made famous by T. Jayammal s singing and Tanjore Balasaraswati dancing to this song. Another Ghanam Krishna Iyer s padam on Shiva is Theruvil vaarano / थ र व ऱ र न in Kalyani raga and Rupaka Tala 9 Other padams on Shiva and his various manifestations that are regularly danced to are Mugathai katiya / म ग थई क दटय in Bhairavi raga and Misra chapu tala composed by Papavinasa mudalaiyar, Enneramum undhan / एन न र म म उन धन in Devagandhari raga and Adi Tala composed by Marimuthupillai, Ehtaikandu / एह त क द in Kalyani raga and Rupaka Tala, and Kalai Thooki / क ऱई त क in Yadukulakambodi raga and Adi Tala also composed by Marimuthupillai, Tandaniten / तन दर नत in Todi ragaand Adi Tala composed by Ramalingaswami. 9 Tillanas on Shiva The finale in a Bharatanatyam performance is the Tillana. Some Tillana s on Shiva were composed by K. N. Dhandhayudhapani Pillai, such as the Tillana in Hindolam raga and Adi Tala, Kanada raga and 8

13 Adi tala, Hamsanandi raga and Adi Tala. He also composed a Pancharatna Tillana set in five different ragason Lord Shiva. 10 Dance dramas on Shiva Bhagavatha mela and Kuravanjis are dance dramas by group presentation in Tamilnadu. While the Bhagavatha mela has participation, in recent times, by both genders; Kuravanjis are predominantly performed by female dancers. Bhagavatha mela dance dramas are predominantly Vaishnavite themes like the Prahalada Charitram / प रह ऱ द ररत र of Melattur. However, two Bhagavatha mela compositions, Markandeya and Sivaratri vaibhavam / लश र त रत र भ म क क सस ट exist that are based on Saivaite themes. 3 Kuravanjis are dance dramas from Tamilnadu that are bhakti laden and involves the fulfilling of the prophesy of the jivatma mingling with the paramatma. Kuravanji is an amalgamation of Kuravan / क र न (the nomadic tribe) and Vanji / ज (woman of the said tribe). There are many Kuravanajis composed and choreographed on Shiva. The Thirukutrala Kuravanji / चथर क त र ऱ क ज is the earliest known Kuravanji composed about 300 years ago! This kuravanji was composed by Tirikoodarasapa kavirayar and dedicated to Thirukutrala nathar of Kutralam temple. Many of these kuravanjis were performed by devadasis in Shiva temples that have Shiva as the deity or Lord whom nayika is pining for. 9

14 Some of the Kuravanjis on Shiva are: Adi mooleshar Kuravanji / आदद म ऱ स र क र ज by Marimuthapillai, Kannappar Kuravanji / कन न प ऩर क र ज by Markanda Nalvar, Kumbhesar Kuravanji / क म भ श र क र ज by Papanasa Mudaliyar, Chidambara Kuravanji / च द बरम क र ज by Chellapillai, Sivaperumaan Kuravanji / लस ऩ र म न क र ज by Damodara Kavirayar, Sivanmalai Kuravanji / लस नमऱ ई क र ज by T. Lakshmana Bharati, Chitrambala Kuravanji / च त र म बऱ क र ज by K. N. Dhandayudhapani Pillai, Thirukedishwarar Kuravanji / चथर क ददश रर क र ज by Yazhpanam Veeramani Iyer, Thiruporur Kuravanji / चथर ऩ र र क र ज by Sabapathi Mudalaiyar, Nellai Kuravanji / न ल ऱ ई क र ज by Tondaimaan Mudalaiyar, Bhrigadeeswarar Kuravanji / ल ग द स र र क र ज by Sivakozhundu Desikar, Varunapuri Adimooleshar Kuravanji / र णऩ र अददम ऱ श र क र ज by Thillaividangar Maarimutha Pillai, and many more. 11 Among the recent revival efforts on kuravanji dance dramas, the role played by Rukmini Devi Arundale is significant. Having witnessed the dance in Tanjore and realized the charm and beauty of Kuravanjis, she revived the Thiru Kutrala Kuravanji with new choreography. After six years of effort and one month of meditation this kuravanji was premiered in It was later performed at various venues. It would be an understatement to say that Rukmini Devi s kuravanji revival was a catalyst in bringing the kuravanji dance drama to the forefront of Bharatanatyam group productions. 12 While all these Kuravanji dance dramas have originated in Tamilnadu and are in praise of various Shiva temples in Tamilnadu, there are no similar compositions available about Shiva temples of the North. 10

15 However, as an exception to this observation Anjali Mehr choreographed a Gujarati Kuravanji called Shri Chandramaulishwara Kuravanji / श र न रम ऱ श र क र ज (Somanatha Kuravanji), which was in praise of the Shiva as Chandramouli Swamy in Somnath, Gujarat. This was premiered in In Kuchipudi In Kuchipudi, the classical dance of Andhra, a genre of dance called as pagati vesham / प रगर त श involves the story of Shiva as Ardhanari. In this pagati vesham, the dancer is made up to look like Shiva on the right side and as Parvati on his left side. A veil held from the head and tied to the nose ring and also held by one hand near the neck completes the illusion. This veil works as a prop to cover half of the face and also as a marker for the audience to delineate Shiva and Parvati. This Ardhanarishwara / अध न र श र theme is employed in the folk form and also in the classical form by dancers. In dancer Swapna Sundari s words Although the costume design was similar the dance of Shiva was done by the folk dancer with spontaneous spirit, whereas the classical version was more stylized. In the folk version of Parvati appear coquettish, whereas the classical version her movements are more gentle. Shiva reveals his form, where in the folk the river Ganga is depicted to flow from his locks, whereas in the classical form Shiva s third eye is indicated. 13 One particular Kuchipudi dancer who had made a name by performing the Ardhanari theme is Ardhanareeswaram Venkat. By performing this item for 20 years with 3456 performances, he has earned the prefix of Ardhanareeswaram in his name! 14 11

16 The doyen of Kuchipudi, Vempati Chinna Satyam had choreographed dance dramas on Shiva, such as Haravilasam / हरव ऱ सम, Arthanareeswaram / अध न ररश रम, and Kirataarjuneeyam / ककर त ज न यम. Talking about Haravilasam, which was premiered in 1988, Vempati Chinna Satyam says that he experimented through dance and aharya the scene where Sati is burnt in her father Daksha s yagna. Using a group of girls dressed in red, he made them rush on to the stage in a single file, surround Sati and throw their arms and fluttering their hands, suggesting flames engulfing Sati. 15 In Ardhanareeswaram, the pravesa daruvu (entrance song) for Ganga was choreographed by Vempati Chinna Satyam with sweeping movements, high leaps and jumps to indicate the ferocious and bubbly nature of the river. 16 In Kathakali As per the historical evolution of Kathakali, it has been a Vaishnavite predominant dance form. Although, stories from Saivaite mythology are introduced, these are rare in the common repertoire of a Kathakali performance. One such mythological story that is performed in Kathakali is the Kiratarjuniya / ककर त ज न य from the Mahabharata. In this, Arjuna is doing penance to Shiva to obtain arrows of magical qualities. In order to test him, Shiva appears as a hunter or Kirata and kills a boar (a demon sent by Dhuryodhana), which was also the target of Arjuna. Having killed the boar with two arrows originating from two different bows, argument arose as to who killed the boar first. This performance has Shiva and Arjuna displaying the Veera rasa. 12

17 In Manipuri One of the oldest dance documented in Manipuri is Lai Haroba or Haroaba / ऱई हर ब or हर ब, which is done to please the god Thang-jina / थ ग ज न or Shiva as known in Manipuri. This dance is described as Jagoi-Nin-Thoag-Pareng / जग ई-र नन-थ अग-ऩर न ग meaning a series of dances by the king of dancers, Shiva. Even today, this dance is performed in the Moirang district of Manipur by priests and girls devoted to the temple. 17 It is said that Lai haroba is a synthesis between the tantric faith of Manipuris and Saivism. The festival of Lai haroba, performed by priests and priestesses, lasts a fortnight and there are two dances. The first one is Maibi dance, which is an imitation of how the universe came into existence and creation. The second one is called Khamba Thoibi / ख म ब थ इब dance Young boys choose girls as partners to enact the life story of Khamba and Thoibi, who are revered as incarnations of Shiva and Parvati. The story is about how the princess of Moirang dynasty, Thoibi, falls in love with a Khamba of the Khumal dynasty. Khamba and Thoibi used to play the role of Shiva and Parvati in the religious festival of Moirang. They get married, but this relationship was not favored by others as the two dynasties were feuding. After some time, while Khamba was away, Thoibi discovers a spear secretly hidden in the house. According to customs of the land, keeping a spear in a woman s house indicates her approval of an extra marital affair. Getting angry, Thoibi throws the spear outside that falls on Khamba, was was returning and he dies. Unable to bear the pain of separation, Thoibi plunges the spear into her heart

18 In Chhau Seraikella Chhau / स र क ल ऱ छ dance is performed mostly in honor of Ardharanishwara / अध न र श र aspect of Shiva. Originating in Orissa and Bihar, the ritualistic performance of Chhau happens on the Chaitra Parva or the Spring festival that lasts for four days in the Shiva temple of Majna Ghat on the baks of river Kharkad. Wearing a mask and made up like Mangala Chandi (a manifestation of Shakti), the Chhau dancer starts dancing from the river bank and ends the performance within the Shiva temple, all the while carrying the sacred water from the river in a pot on his head. During the other days of the festival, dance competitions are held in front of the flagstaff of the temple, which represents Lord Nataraja. The themes of these dances are varied from Savaite to themes from Ramayana 3, 18, 19 and Mahabharata, and other puranas. 14

19 Footnotes 1. Bharata Natya and Other Dances of Tamil Nadu by E. Krishna Iyer. The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, Rhythm in Joy, Leela Samson. Lustre Press Pvt. Ltd Saivism and Vaishnavism in Indian Dance by Mohan Khokar, Sangeet Natak Academi Dance Seminar Dance Imagery in South Indian Temples: Study of 108 Karana Sculptures. Thesis dissertation submitted by Bindu S. Shankar, Ohio State University, Know our Natya Tradition-Part 3 By Jayanthi Sundar, Samudra, June Tamizh Padams by Madhavi Rajagopalan. Giri Publications Tamil Padangal by Dr, Gowri Kuppuswamy and Dr. M. Hariharan. CBH Pulications, Adalisai Amudham by KN Dhandayudhapani Pillai. Published by Natyakalalayam Kuravanji Natya Paatisai by Prof. Gnanambigaidevi Kulendran. Tamil University, Thanjavur Publications, Rukmini Devi on her Life and Art: An Interview. Kalakshetra Quarterly, Vol 8, Issue 3-4. Kalakshetra Publications. 13. Kuchipudi Revisited by Swapnasundari. Produced by Public Diplomacy Division, Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India and Kuchipudi Dance Centre, New Delhi. Release date: Male Dancers. Attendance: Telugu Traditions, Dance Annual of India Ekah Printways and Dance History Society Publication, My Experiments with Kuchipudi by Vempati Chinna Satyam. Nartanam, Vol 12, Issue 3, July-September

20 16. The Dance Dramas of Vempati Chinna Satyam by Anuradha Jonnalagadda. Nartanam, Vol 12, Issue 3, July- September Dance Dialects of India by Ragini Devi. Motilal Banarasidas Publications, Nityasumangali by Saskia C. Kersenboom-Story. Motilal Banarasidas Publications, Chaitra Parva Rituals Chhau Dances By Mohan Khokar. Marg, Volume 34, Issue 3, June

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