[PWU-13-10] [RES-1302] Art Forms and Architecture

8/12/2019 [PWU-13-10] [RES-1302] Art Forms and Architecture

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Art Forms and Architecture

Information FieldGS Paper General Studies-I

Sub Section History of India and Indian Heritage and Culture

Write-up Code [PW-!"-!#$ [%&S-!"#'$

(opic Art Forms and Architecture )*olume I+

Contributor,ame Salman e-ail mainsalman'#!'.gmail/com

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AbstractGuys 7 this is a huge document/It deals 8ith paintings Paintings )ancient 7medie6al and modern+ 7

puppet froms7 music7dance 7drama 7 traditional sports etc/

I ha6e s;ipped the sculpture and architecture portion in this document as it 8as getting bul;y/I 8illinclude these t8o topics in the ne9t 6olume of this document

HAPP< =&A%,I,G >

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ContentSl/ ,o/ (opic Page ,o/

! Paintings ?

' Wood 8or; 7 metal 8or; and te9tiles !?

" Puppet Forms of India !1

? (raditional (heatre forms of India '1

@ Indian usic '

2 Indian Classical 0ance Forms "@

B Fol; 0ances of India ?2

1 Indian as;s ?B

(raditional Sports of India ?

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Art Forms and ArchitectureChapter 1 : Paintings

!/ Painting is an old art in India/ It is present from the esolithic times as can be seen from the

ca6e art of 3himbeta;a

'/ *atsayan in his amasutra defines painting as one of the si9 limbs )shad-ang+ of art

"/ *ishnu-dharmottar-purana is an ancient Indian treatise on painting/

?/ Indian paintings can be de6ided into 2 sections4 ural paintings7 iniature paintings7 Fol;

paintings7 %angolis7 Colonial era paintings7 modern paintings and contemporary painters/

Mural Paintings

!/ ural paintings can be de6ided into ca6e paintings and temple paintings

'/ We 8ill study

a/ Ca6e paintings of 3agh 7 3adami 7 ADanta and Sitana6assal

b/ (emple paintings of &llora 7 3rihadesh8ara temple of (anDore and =epa;shi (emple/

Ajanta

!/ (he ADanta ca6es 8ere built during the period of Sata6ahanas and *a;ata;a dynasty/

'/ (hese ca6es are rich in 3uddhist themes7religios narrati6es etc/

"/ (he main features of ADanta ca6e paintings are

a/ Sure and firm mo6ement of line

b/ se of foreshortening and use of multiple perspecti6es

c/ (here is no demarcation bet8een the scenes/ (he scenes flo8 from and into each

other/

d/ (he principal character of the story is sho8n in a siEe bigger than other characters

e/ se of shading and highlighting to gi6e some parts of painting a luminous glo8/

f/ (he human figures are slender 78ell proportioned and elegant/

g/ Woman ha6e narro8 8aists and full breasts/ (heir faces are mar;ed by arched

eyebro8s and elongated loti form eyes/

h/ there is an intricate range of sophisticated costume7 De8ellery and hairstyles/

i/ &motion and pathos are e9pressed here by the controlled turn and poise of the body

and the elo5uent gestures of the hands

D/ (he earliest battle scenes in India are painted in ADanta ca6es

;/ aDor paintings are4 (he dying princess7 3uddha 6isiting his 8ife and

son7A6alo;ites6ara Padmapani/

Bagh

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!/ 3agh ca6es are present in adhya Pradesh

'/ 3agh paintings follo8 those of ADanta in style but they are more tightly modelled and ha6e

stronger outline

"/ (hey human figures are more earthly as compared to ADanta/

?/ (he 3agh paintings are not in a 6ery good state of preser6ation/

Badami

!/ (he earliest brahmanical paintings so far are the fragments found in badami ca6es/

'/ (he paintings follo8 the same style as that of ADanta and 3agh but the modelling is sensiti6e

and the outlines are soft/

"/ (he Si6a and Par6ati painting is in a good state of preser6ation in the 3adami ca6es/

Sitanavassal

!/ (he ca6e paintings of sitana6assal ha6e mostly aina themes/

'/ (hey follo8 the same style as that of ADanta/

"/ (hese paintings represent e9tent of penetration of the classical art of ADanta in the 0eccan/

Temple paintings

!/ We 8ill study the temple paintings of &llora73rihades8ara and =epa;shi temples/

'/ (he paintings in these temples sho8 medie6al traditions i/e figures are painted 8ith eyes 8ide

open as compared to the drooping eyes of ADanta paintings/

"/ &llora

a/ It has 3rahmanical 7aina and 3uddhist themes/

b/ It follo8s medie6al traditions of Indian painting/

c/ (he main difference bet8een ADanta and &llora paintings is the sharp t8ists of the

body and the depiction of eyes

?/ 3rihadesh8ara

a/ (he paintings of 3ridesh8ara (emple are also in the medie6al tradition

b/ (hey 8ere painted during the time of imperial cholas/

c/ (hey are different from ADanta paintings in terms of modelling and style but not in

terms of sensiti6ity

@/ =epa;shi (emple

a/ =epa;shi temple is in Hindupur and the paintings belong to !2thcentury A0/

b/ (he paintings ha6e mostly sai6ite and secular themes

c/ (he paintings are in the typical medie6al Indian tradition

d/ (he faces are sho8n in profile and the eyes are dra8n protruding out8ards/

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e/ (he paintings are ;no8 for their bright colours

f/ (he boar hunt is one of the famous paintings of the =epa;shi temple/

Miniature Painting

!/ (he miniature paintings 8ill be studied under three headsa/ &arly medie6al miniature paintings

b/ ughal miniature paintings

c/ %aDput and Pahari miniature paintings

Early medieval miniature paintings

!/ (hese 8ere commissioned by pala rulers and 8ere based on 3uddhist themes and 8ere dra8n on

palm lea6es

'/ It is a naturalistic style 8hich resembles the ideal forms of contemporary bronEe and stone

sculpture7 and reflects some feeling of the classical art of ADanta/

"/ A fine e9ample of the typical 3uddhist palm-leaf manuscript illustrated in the Pala style e9ists in

the 3odleian =ibrary7 9ford7 &ngland/ It is a manuscript of the Astasahasri;a PraDnaparamita, or

the perfection of Wisdom 8ritten in eight thousand lines/

?/ It 8as e9ecuted at the monastery of ,alanda in the fifteenth year of the reign of the Pala ing7

%amapala7 in the last 5uarter of the ele6enth century

@/ (he other e9ample of this style of paintings are the illustrated manuscripts of ainta te9ts li;e

alpasutras and other isolated 8or;s such as the one commissioned by sultan Gyasuddin of

al8a/

Mughal miniature paintings

!/ (he ughal school of painting de6eloped during the reign of Humayun 8hen he brought t8o

Persian painters 8ith him4ir sayyid Ali and h8aDa Abdus Samad/

'/ It 8as further de6eloped by A;bar and he started organiEing painting into ar;hanas/

"/ (he main artists during the reign of A;bar 8ere 0as8anth and 3asa8an/

?/ (he main 8or;s commissioned by A;bar 8ere (uti-e-,ama 7 HamEa ,amah7Ain-i-A;bari and

%aEm ,amah )Persian (ranslation of ahabharata+

@/ (he ughal school of painting 8as further de6eloped by ahangir

2/ 0uring ahangirs reign 7the emphasis 8as on the painting of birds and animals

B/ stad ansur 8as a master painter of birds and animals/

1/ ther painters in the court of ahangir 8ere Abul Hasan 8hom ahangir ga6e the title of

,adir-E-aman and 3ishndas 8ho 8as a master painter of portraits/

/ *arious &uropean tra6ellers 7li;e (homas %oe 76isited the court of ahangir and the ughal

school of painting 8as influenced by &uropean style especially in the use of perspecti6es/

!#/ (he painting 8as continued during the reign of Shah ahan/3ut as his main interest 8as

architecture7no ne8 inno6ations in painting 8ere made

!!/ As AuranEeb 8as a puritan7the 5uality and 5uantity of painting declined in his reign/

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Rajput and Pahari miniature paintings

!/ (he %aDasthani and Pahari paintings are mainly based on 8or;s li;e

Caurapanchasi;a7%asi;priya7%agmala and Gita Go6inda/(hey mainly pictorise the characters

in these paintings

'/ %eligious paintings contain mainly the Hindu deities/

"/ Secular painting contain court and Hunting scenes of 6arious aharaDas/

?/ (he e8ar school of painting under painter Sahibdin and the Patron-Artist duo of %aDa

Sa8ant Sing and ,ihal chand of ishegarh are the most famous ones/

@/ (he Phari paintings are mostly similar in styles and content to their %aDasthani counter parts/

2/ (he famous schools of Pahari paintings are Guler7 3ashli and angra

B/ All these schools betray some ughal naturalism/Ho8e6er their content is different and

colours are contrasting and bold/

Folk Paintings

!/ We 8ill study follo8ing fol; paintings

a/ Patua

b/ adhubani

c/ alighat

d/ ,athd8ara

e/ Pichha8i

f/ ,a;;ashi

g/ Garoda

h/ Warli

i/ Phad

D/ anDusha Art

Patua

!/ (he Patua paintings are the fol; scroll paintings of West 3engal

'/ (hey are unscrolled at the bardic recitals and are carried by 8andering minstrels

"/ the patuas of 3engal are lo8 caste landless labourers 8ho often profess a dual hindu-muslim

identity/

?/ ne of their maDor themes is the cult of Satya pir and hindu god *ishnu/

@/ ften the Patuas in recent years ha6e been used by the political organiEations for mass

mobiliEation

akkashi

!/ (hey are the scroll painters of Andhra Pradesh

!aroda

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!/ Garoda is the GuDarati tradition of narrating sacred tales from picture-scrolls/

'/ Garodas are described as being a caste of 3rahmin/

"/ Garoda priests tra6el around conducting ritual narrations of sacred tales in e9change for coins7

grains or flour/

?/ (he author pro6ides information about the picture scrolls functioning as mobile shrines due to

their recounting of tales of the deities including Par6ati7 rishna7 and *ishnu

Phad

!/ Phad painting is a popular style of fol; painting7 practiced in%aDasthanstate ofIndia/

'/ (his style of painting is traditionally done on a long piece of cloth7 ;no8n as phad/ (he

narrati6es of the fol; deities of %aDasthan7 mostly of PabuDiand 0e6narayanare depicted on

the phads/

"/ (he3hopas7 the priest-singers traditionally carry the painted phads along 8ith them and use

these as the mobile temples of the fol; deities/

?/ (raditionally the phads are painted 8ith 6egetable colors/

@/ (he oshi families of 3hil8ara are 8idely ;no8n as the traditional artists of this fol; art-form

for the last t8o centuries/

2/ Presently7 Shree =al oshi7 ,and ishor oshi7 Pra;ash oshi and Shanti =al oshi are the

most noted artists of the phad painting7 8ho are ;no8n for their inno6ations and creati6ity/

athd"ara

!/ refers to a painting tradition and school of artists that emerged in ,athd8ara7 a to8n in

%aDsamanddistrict in the Western state of %aDasthanin India

'/ (he ,athd8ara school is a subset of the e8arschool of painting and is seen as an important

school in the !Bth and !1th century miniature paintings/

Pi#hha"i

!/ It is a subset of ,athd8ara school of painting

'/ (he 8ord Pich8ai deri6es from the Sans;rit 8ords pich meaning blac; and 8ais meaning

hanging/

"/ (hese paintings are cloth paintings hung behind the image of the Hindugod ShrinathDi/

?/ (he temple of ShrinathDi is belie6ed to ha6e pro6ided a boost to the art acti6ities in the to8n/ It

is recorded that to a6oid the oppression of the iconoclast ughal emperorAurangEeb7the image

of ShrinathDi7 a child manifestation of rishna8as installed in ,athd8ara in !2B# by Gos8ami

priests from athura/ After this7 many artists7 including the famous Acharya GopinathDi7

moti6ated by religious fer6or came and created paintings of SrinathDi/

@/ ost 8or;s produced in this style re6ol6e around the figure of ShrinathDi as a manifestation of

rishna and refer to the incident of him holding the Go6ardhan hillon his last finger/ &ach

pich8ai painting is considered a se6a or an offering to the deity and hence personifies ShrinathDi

as a prince 8ith De8els and lu9uries7 surrounded by the mil;maids7 gopis/

2/ (hese se6a themes are based on different seasons and paintings are made to depict differentmoods of the season/

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_paintinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajasthanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pabujihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devnarayanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhopahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhilwarahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shree_Lal_Joshihttp://phadchitrakari.com/phadchitrakari/nkjoshi.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathdwarahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajsamandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajasthanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mewarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuscript_miniaturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrinathjihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iconoclasmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mughal_emperorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurangzebhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishnahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathurahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishnahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Govardhan_hillhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gopihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_paintinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajasthanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pabujihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devnarayanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhopahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhilwarahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shree_Lal_Joshihttp://phadchitrakari.com/phadchitrakari/nkjoshi.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nathdwarahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajsamandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rajasthanhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mewarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manuscript_miniaturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hinduismhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrinathjihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iconoclasmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mughal_emperorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aurangzebhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishnahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mathurahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishnahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Govardhan_hillhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gopi


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B/ (here are also paintings that sho8 the =ord in different costumes celebrating different festi6als/

ther themes li;e ata


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?/ anDusha Art or anDusha ala is often referred to as Sna;e Paintings by foreigners as

s8irling sna;es in the art depict the central character 3ihulas tale of lo6e and sacrifice/ ['$

Rangolis

!/ (he domestic art of floor painting 8ith 6ariant forms in different regions such as alpna is West

3engal7rangoli in aharashtra and ;olam in south india is associated 8ith ceremonies mar;ing6arious rites such as birth7puberty7marriage and death/

'/ Women teach alpna to girls to enable them to perform 8ish fulfillment rituals )brata+7such as

obtaining suitable husbands

"/ Part of the ceremony consists of dra8ing 8ith fingers on the floor 8ith colours made of rice

po8der and other natural substances

?/ (here is an emphasis on balace and symmetry based on natural forms such as lea6es and

flo8ers

Art 'uring the #olonial Era

!/ (his can be studied under follo8ing heads

a/ Company style painting

b/ Art of %aDa %a6i *erma

c/ 3engal School of Art

(ompany Style Painting

!/ 0uring the !1thand !thcentury 7the Indian art 8as on the decline

'/ Indian artists 8ere increasingly used by 3ritish for 8ide ranging economic sur6eys and

documentation of natural history

"/ 3ritish residents commissioned paintings of flora and fauna from Indian artists 8ho 8ere

trained in 8estern techni5ues such as perspecti6e and chiaroscuro/

?/ (hus Indian artists trained in &uropean techni5ues and 8or;ing for &uropean clients ga6e rise

to the company school of painting/

@/ Shai;h ohammad Amir of araya 8as a famous artist belonging to company school of

painting/

Art o) Raja Ravi *erma

!/ %aDa %a6i 6erma 8as a prince of (r6ancore

'/ He learned painting 8atching &uropean painters paint in the court

"/ He re6i6ed the Indian art by ma;ing painting on Indian subDects in 8estern style

?/ His main subDects 8ere epics li;e %amayana and ahabharata/

@/ He mass produced his paintings using oleography and hence his paintings 8ere able to reach

the common man

2/ He 8as opposed by the artists of the 3engal School because they considered his paintings

8ere of bad taste

Bengal S#hool o) Art

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http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Snake_Paintings&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manjusha_Art#cite_note-2http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Snake_Paintings&action=edit&redlink=1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manjusha_Art#cite_note-2


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!/ (he 3engal School of Art too; shape under the guidance of & 3 Ha6ell

'/ & 3 Ha6ell 8anted to re6i6e the Indian art

"/ (he 3engal school of artists 8ere hea6ily under the influence of theosophic mo6ements

?/ (hey 8ent to the e9tent of denouncing the paintings of artists li;e %aDa %a6i *erma 8hoapplied &uropean naturalism to their paintings/

@/ Abandrinath (agore 8as introduced to the minute details of ughal paintings by & 3 Ha6ell

2/ apanese Artist a;uEo ;a;ura came to India because he 8anted to forge a pan Asian art

mo6ement

B/ His disciples


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"/ He 8as hea6ily influenced by the tribal art li;e that of the Santhals

?/ As he had recei6ed no formal education in painting7 he pro6ed to be one of the most radical

painters of India

Amrita Sher !ill

!/ She 8as born in a si;h aristocratic family to a Hungarian mother and 8as trained in &uropean art

styles

'/ She came to india and 8as highly influenced by the Indian tribal art

"/ She radically e9perimented using Hungarian and Indian styles and also started de6eloping a ne8

style 8hich used thic; te9tures

?/ (he emotions in her painting are clearly 6isible such as in the painting Kthe child bride/

+aimini Roy

!/ He 8as trained by the doyens of 3engal School of art

'/ He e9perimented 8ith 6arious styles but finally based his paintings on the alighat style of

painting

"/ He stopped using oil colors and started using 6egetable and earth colors

?/ Finally he started de6eloping on the patua style as he felt that it 8as more closer to the rural

people/

(ontemporary Painters

!/ nder this 8e 8ill study 8or; of follo8ing painters

a/ a5bool Fida Hussain

b/ Syed Haider %aEa

c/ Francis ,e8ton SouEa

d/ G %amanuDan

Ma,$ool Fida ussain

!/ He used to paint film boards and from there he rose to be the undisputed leader of modern Indian

art

'/ He 8as one of the most radical painters of India/

Syed aider Ra.a

!/ He used tantric philosophies as subDect of his paintings

Fran#is e"ton Sou.a

!/ He 8as mostly ;no8n for his painting of nude 8omen

% ! Ramanujan

!/ He 8as born in the Cholamandalam 6illage

'/ His art reflected the culture of his 6illage such as the large siEes of the male and female figures8hich represent the papier mache puppets carried in religios processions of (amil nadu/

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Chapter 2 : Wood work !etal workand "e#tiles

&ood "orks o) !ujrat

!/ Wood car6ings in GuDarat enDoy a uni5ue 5uality and that is due to the blend of t8o cultures4

Islam and Hinduism/

'/ (he nuances of the car6ing are e9ceptional in GuDarat as the craftsmen ha6e accepted ideas from

both the cultures and heightened the e9pression in the details of the 8ood car6ing/

"/ Wood car6ing here is not limited to the public architecture but is 6isible in the Ha6elis and

pri6ate houses of the ancient times/

?/ ,ot only architecture7 but GuDarat specialiEes in 8ooden toys7 s8ings7 furniture and a lot many

things made out of 8ood/ (his lets one peep into the minute celebrations of life that the people

of GuDarat engage into/

@/ Wood car6ing is li;e transcending bac; in time 8hile en5uiring upon roots of cultural and

historical aesthetics of GuDarat/ It 8as done by the masters of the past 8ho thoroughly

understood the fundamental principles 8ithin their surroundings and nature7 and transformed

them into a Kphysical reality L a re6erential mirror reflecting the plethora of customs7

mysterious rituals7 deep-rooted dogmas and the e6er-present belief-systems of the society/ (his

8as accomplished by the process of creating indigenous art and architectural forms L concei6ed

in totality and in coherence 8ith the cultural ethos/

2/ Interestingly7 8ood 8as ne6er a locally a6ailable material and 8as al8ays imported into GuDarat

from different timber producing regions/ It 8as used as a structural material as early as !'th

century and the GuDarati craftsmen transformed the 6arious components of the building-thecolumns7 ceilings7 struts7 doors7 8indo8s7 balconies7 and beam ends into 6eritable 8or;s of art/

B/ (he traditional art of 8ood car6ing of GuDarat encompassed in itself L the historical profiles7

cultural 6arieties7 mythological fables7 religious beliefs7 social sensiti6ities7 inherited tradition7

proficient techni5ues7 mans interpretation and e9pression of nature and much more/ (he 8ood

car6ers defied the phenomenon of indi6iduality7 and 8ere dri6en by the intangible forces of

culture/

1/ ,a8abs Palace in Palanpur and intricate Dharo;has )8indo8s+ car6ed out of 8ood or Ha6elis

)mansions+ in *aso 8ith their 8ealth of 8ooden architectural details are some of the e9amples

of 8ood car6ing tradition in GuDarat/

/ (he 8ood-car6er community of GuDarat is ;no8n as the e8ara istris7 8ho 8or; in rural andurban areas/

!#/ GuDarat is among the only three regions of India 8here precious 8ood-8or; has still sur6i6ed/

(hese three regions are the Himalayan region particularly ,epal7 parts of South India and

GuDarat/

!!/ (he 8ood-8or; of GuDarat both in 5uality and 5uantity is 6ery rich/ Almost all ancient Indian

architecture is found in 8ood/ (he 3uddhists used 8ood-8or; e9tensi6ely in their architecture

and it influenced 8estern India including GuDarat/ In the sheer magnificence of its 8ood car6ing7

GuDarat is probably uni5ue in the 8orld

!'/ 3e it the cantile6ered balconies of palaces in Palanpur and 3huD7 the maDestic doors of traditional

houses or Ha6elis7 the images of the Goddess =a;shmi or the elephant deity Ganesh car6ed in

the central portion of the arch8ay or simply furniture7 all are artistic master pieces of GuDarat/

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!"/ =arge-siEed bo9es called KPataras7 are made from 8ood and beautifully car6ed mainly at

3ha6nagar in Saurashtra/

!?/ (he Patara is a part of the bridal trousseau7 fashioned to hold bed rolls7 De8ellery7 documents7 oil

and grain/

!@/ Soothing colors and designs in the tin foil style are used in ma;ing furniture in San;heda 8hichis noted for its lo8 seats7 tables7 stools and s8ings/

!2/ unagadh and 0horaDi in %aD;ot district are famous for cradles 8ith stands7 cupboards 8ith

cubicles and Dhula or s8ings 8hich are typical of GuDarat/

!B/ Wood inlay 8or; of Surat is also famous and in6ol6es placing of pieces of i6ory7 plastic7 horn7

bone7 metal7 and fine 8ires into car6ed surfaces/ (he 8ood on 8hich inlay 8or; is done include

tea; rose 8ood7 or sandal8ood/ ahu6a and Idar are ;no8n for their lac5uer 8or;

!1/ Wooden bloc;s for printing in te9tiles are also made in GuDarat/ (he design is first stenciled on

the 8ood and then the inter6ening spaces are chipped out/

!/ Wood car6ing is an art7 craft and technology that GuDarat can boast of/ oreo6er7 it connects to

the daily life and li6ing of the people/

%anthas

!/ (hey are the te9tiles produced by the 8omen of 3engal

'/ (hey are produced from discarded saris and the embroidery on them is done by the threads

remo6ed from the saris/ (hese colourfull 8or;s of great ingenuity and beauty are based on

patch8or; and a fe8 simple threads-read7yello87blue-blac; and green/ (he embroidery

reinforces the loose fabric/

"/ (he antha artist de6eloped the con6ention of many petalled lotus medallion in

centre7surrounded by floral borders and ;al;a motifs in the four corners/(he ;al;a motif ispossibly of mughal origin and inspires the Scottish paisley design/

?/ (he antha themes remind us of the legacy of tantric 3uddhism of 3engal/

Metal Meenakari

!/ &namel M eena;ari is a crystal form of glass fused 8ith metal o9ides li;e sil6er7 gold7 copper

and Einc/

'/ %eal enamel 8hen used on copper7 sil6er or gold produces bright beautiful colors li;e De8el

stones/

"/ Copper enameling is a lengthy process 8hich in6ol6es 6arious steps4-

a+ (he obDect is made by mould casting in desired shapeN

b+ Fine engra6ing is done by hand on itN

c+ eena )Persian 8or; for glass+7 8hich comes in a roc; form is grinded into fine po8der

and mi9ed 8ith 8ater and glue and made into a thic; pasteN

d+ (his paste is filled in the engra6ed design

e+ (he obDect is then heated on a 6ery high temperature7 8hich affi9es the meena or enamel

on the obDectN

f+ Finally7 filing 8or; is done to gi6e a finished loo;/

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?/ (his enamel M colours do not fade and can sustain the heat/ any utility and decorati6e items

li;e bo8lsMcandle stands7 frames7 spoons etc/7 are made in this craft/

%alamkari

!/ alam;ari or Oalam;ari is a type of hand-painted or bloc;-printed cotton te9tile7

produced in parts of India/ (he 8ord is deri6ed from thePersian8ords ;alam )pen+ and

;ari )craftmanship+7 meaning dra8ing 8ith a pen/

'/ (he achilipatnam alam;aricraft made atPedana near by achilipatnam in rishna

district7 Andhra Pradesh7 e6ol6ed 8ith patronage of the ughalsand theGolconda

sultanate/

"/ (here are t8o distincti6e styles of ;alam;ari art in India

a/ Sri;alahastistyle

b/ achilipatnam

?/ (he Sri;alahasti style of alam;ari7 8herein the ;alam or pen is used for free hand

dra8ing of the subDect and filling in the colours7 is entirely hand 8or;ed/ (his style

flo8ered around temples and their patronage and so had an almost religious identity -

scrolls7 temple hangings7 chariotbanners and the li;e7 depicted deities and scenes ta;en

from the great Hindu epics - %amayana/ ahabarata7Puranas and the mythological

classics/

@/ (his style o8es its present status to Smt/ amalade6i Chattopadhayay 8ho popularised

the art as the first Chairperson of the All India Handicrafts 3oard/ nly natural dyesare

used in alam;ari and it in6ol6es se6enteen painsta;ing steps/

2/ (he cotton fabric gets its glossiness by immersing it for an hour in a mi9ture of

myrabalam )resin+ and co8 mil;/ Contours and reasons are then dra8n 8ith a point in

bamboo soa;ed in a mi9ture of Dagri fermentedand 8aterN one by one these are applied7

then the 6egetable dyes/ After applying each color7 the alam;ari is 8ashed/ (hus7 each

fabric can undergo up to '# 8ashings/ *arious effects are obtained by using co8 dung7

seeds7 plants and crushed flo8ers/

Te/tiles o) !ujrat

!/ Bandhej

a/ It is the name gi6en to the tie and dye fabric of amnagar7 and6i and 3huD/

b/ (he art of bandheD is ;no8n for its typical designs and patterns/ (hese are often used

in 8edding outfits 8hen they are called gharchola odhni and sarees/

c/ (he tie-dyed fabrics or the bandheD of GuDarat are certainly the best of its ;ind

produced in India/ Also ;no8n as bandhani or bandhni7 it is made on superfine

cotton mulmul/ Sometimes you 8ill find the use of muslin along 8ith the gold

chec;s and motifs created in the Damdani style/

(echni5ue

i/ (he printed portion of the fabric are pinched and pushed into small points

ii/ then ;notted 8ith ' or " t8ists of thread

!2| P a g e
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textilehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handicrafthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machilipatnam_Kalamkarihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedanahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishna_districthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishna_districthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andhra_Pradeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mughal_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golkondahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golkondahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Srikalahastihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machilipatnamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_carhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramayanahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabaratahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puranashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_dyehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermentation_(biochemistry)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cow_dunghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottonhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textilehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handicrafthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machilipatnam_Kalamkarihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedanahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishna_districthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krishna_districthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andhra_Pradeshhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mughal_Empirehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golkondahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golkondahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Srikalahastihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machilipatnamhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_carhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramayanahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahabaratahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puranashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_dyehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resinhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bamboohttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermentation_(biochemistry)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cow_dung


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iii/ (he ;notted parts remain uncolored

i6/ the fabric is dyed in the lightest shade first

6/ re-tied and dyed in the dar;er color

6i/ (he fabric may be tied and dyed many a times7 depending on the number

of shades in the final color scheme

6ii/ (he cost of the bandheD of GuDarat rests not only on the 5uality of the

fabric7 but also on the number of times it has to be tied and dyed as 8ell

as the intricacy of the pattern/

'/ Matani 0

a/ atani or more popularly called atani Pechedi or ata-ni-pachedi are made by the

*aghris for the purpose of 6arious rituals/

b/ (hey employ a combination of bloc; printing for the outline of the pattern as 8ell as

the painting of the mordants/

c/ (he atani is actually a tribute to the other Goddess 0urga/ Hence the dominant

motif is essentially of the Goddess 0urga in her se6eral forms and aspects/

d/ Goddess 0urga is the symbol of Qsha;tiQ or QstrengthQ/ She is 8orshiped all o6er the

state of GuDarat 8ith o6er8helming faith and sincerity/ (he GuDaratis belie6e firmly

that the Goddess 8ill reco6er them from all the dangers and ad6ersities in life/

e/ In the art of atani in GuDarat7 0e6i 0urga has been depicted in 6arious forms 8hich

include her pleasant as 8ell as Q%udra %upaQ or the 6iolent form/ (he formersymboliEes 8ealth and prosperity 8hereas the latter indicates 6iolence 8hereby the

Goddess ;ills Ashuras or the e6il po8er and restores peace/

f/ =i;e any other art and craft7 atani portrays the face of the society/ It e6idently

illustrates the religious inclinations of the GuDaratis particularly to8ards 0e6i 0urga

8hich is 5uite ob6ious from the fabulous 8ay they celebrate the Q,a6aratriQ/

g/ atani reflects a passion among the GuDaratis for colors and a 6ision for the intricate

designs and forms/ It is the e9pression of an artistic personality as 8ell as rich

cultural heritage/

h/ Ahmedabad is a maDor center of traditional as 8ell as contemporary te9tiles/


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d/ Surat is popular for 6el6ets 8ith Patola designs/


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Almost all types of puppets are found in India/ Puppetry throughout the ages has held an important

place in traditional entertainment/ =i;e traditional theatre7 themes for puppet theatre are mostly based

on epics and legends/ Puppets from different parts of the country ha6e their o8n identity/ %egional

styles of painting and sculpture are reflected in them/

Puppetry has been successfully used to moti6ate emotionally and physically handicapped students to

de6elop their mental and physical faculties/ A8areness programmes about the conser6ation of the

natural and cultural en6ironment ha6e also pro6ed to be useful/ (hese programmes aim at sensitising

the students to the beauty in 8ord7 sound7 form7 colour and mo6ement/ (he aesthetic satisfaction

deri6ed from ma;ing of puppets and communicating through them helps in the all round de6elopment

of the personality of the child/

Stories adapted from puranic literature7 local myths and legends usually form the content of

traditional puppet theatre in India 8hich7 in turn7 imbibes elements of all creati6e e9pressions li;e

painting7 sculpture7 music7 dance7 drama7 etc/ (he presentation of puppet programmes in6ol6es the

creati6e efforts of many people 8or;ing together/

Follo8ing types of puppets are found in India!+ String Puppets

'+ Shado8 Puppets

"+ %od Puppets

?+ Glo6e Puppets

String Puppets

follo8ing types of String puppets are found in India

!/ athputli ) %aDasthan+

'/ undehi )rissa+

"/ Gombeyatta)arnata;a+

?/ 3ommalattam)(amil ,adu+

%athputli

!/ (he traditional marionettes of %aDasthan are ;no8n as athputli/

'/ Car6ed from a single piece of 8ood7 these puppets are li;e large dolls that are colourfully

dressed/

"/ (heir costumes and headgears are designed in the medie6al %aDasthani style of dress7 8hich

is pre6alent e6en today/

?/ (he athputli is accompanied by a highly dramatised 6ersion of the regional music/

@/ 6al faces7 large eyes7 arched eyebro8s and large lips are some of the distinct facial features

of these string puppets/

2/ (hese puppets 8ear long trailing s;irts and do not ha6e legs/

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India has the richest 6ariety of types and styles of shado8 puppets/ Shado8 puppets are flat figures/

(hey are cut out of leather7 8hich has been treated to ma;e it translucent/ Shado8 puppets are pressed

against the screen 8ith a strong source of light behind it/ (he manipulation bet8een the light and the

screen ma;e silhouettes or colourful shado8s7 as the case may be7 for the 6ie8ers 8ho sit in front of

the screen/

Follo8ing types of shado8 puppets are found in india

!/ (ogalu Gombeyatta)arnata;a+

'/ (holu 3ommalata)Andhra Pradesh+

"/ %a6anachhaya)rissa+

Togalu !om$eyatta

!/ (he shado8 theatre of arnata;a is ;no8n as (ogalu Gombeyatta/

'/ (hese puppets are mostly small in siEe/ (he puppets ho8e6er differ in siEe according to their

social status7 for instance7 large siEe for ;ings and religious characters and smaller siEe for

common people or ser6ants/

Tholu Bommalata

!/ (holu 3ommalata7 Andhra PradeshQs shado8 theatre has the richest and strongest tradition/

(he puppets are large in siEe and ha6e Dointed 8aist7 shoulders7 elbo8s and ;nees/

'/ (hey are coloured on both sides/ Hence7 these puppets thro8 coloured shado8s on the screen/

"/ (he music is dominantly influenced by the classical music of the region and the theme of the

puppet plays are dra8n from the %amayana7 ahabharata and Puranas/

Ravana#hhaya

!/ (he most theatrically e9citing is the %a6anachhaya of rissa/

'/ (he puppets are in one piece and ha6e no Doints /

"/ (hey are not coloured7 hence thro8 opa5ue shado8s on the screen /

?/ (he manipulation re5uires great de9terity7 since there are no Doints/

@/ (he puppets are made of deer s;in and are concei6ed in bold dramatic poses/

2/ Apart from human and animal characters7 many props such as trees7 mountains7 chariots7 etc/

are also used/

B/ Although7 %a6anachhaya puppets are smaller in siEe-the largest not more than t8o feet ha6e

no Dointed limbs7 they create 6ery sensiti6e and lyrical shado8s/

Rod Puppets

%od puppets are an e9tension of glo6e-puppets7 but often much larger and supported and manipulated

by rods from belo8/ (his form of puppetry no8 is found mostly in West 3engal and rissa/

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Follo8ing types of %od puppets are found in India

!/ Putul ,autch)West 3engal+

'/


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"/ nli;e the traditional %od puppets of West 3engal and rissa7 these puppets are in one piece

and ha6e no Doints/

?/ As these puppets ha6e no Doints7 the manipulation is different from other %od puppets and

re5uires greater de9terity/

!love Puppets

Glo6e puppets7 are also ;no8n as slee6e7 hand or palm puppets/ (he head is made of either papier

mache7 cloth or 8ood7 8ith t8o hands emerging from Dust belo8 the nec;/ (he rest of the figure

consists of a long flo8ing s;irt/ (hese puppets are li;e limp dolls7 but in the hands of an able

puppeteer7 are capable of producing a 8ide range of mo6ements/ (he manipulation techni5ue is

simple the mo6ements are controlled by the human hand the first finger inserted in the head and the

middle finger and the thumb are the t8o arms of the puppet/ With the help of these three fingers7 the

glo6e puppet comes ali6e/

(he tradition of glo6e puppets in India is popular in ttar Pradesh7 rissa7 West 3engal and erala/

In ttar Pradesh7 glo6e puppet plays usually present social themes7 8hereas in rissa such plays are

based on stories of %adha and rishna/ In rissa7 the puppeteer plays on the dhola; 8ith one hand

and manipulates the puppet 8ith the other/ (he deli6ery of the dialogues7 the mo6ement of the puppet

and the beat of the dhola; are 8ell synchronised and create a dramatic atmosphere/

In erala7 the traditional glo6e puppet play is called Pa6a;oothu/ It came into e9istence during the

!1th century due to the influence of atha;ali7 the famous classical dance-drama of erala7 on puppet

performances/ In Pa6a;oothu7 the height of a puppet 6aries from one foot to t8o feet/ (he head and

the arms are car6ed of 8ood and Doined together 8ith thic; cloth7 cut and stitched into a small bag/

(he face of the puppets are decorated 8ith paints7 small and thin pieces of gilded tin7 the feathers of

the peacoc;7 etc/ (he manipulator puts his hand into the bag and mo6es the hands and head of the

puppet/ (he musical instruments used during the performance are Chenda7 Chengiloa7 Ilathalam and

Shan;ha the conch/ (he theme for Glo6e puppet plays in erala is based on the episodes from either

the %amayana or the ahabharata/

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Chapter %: "raditional "heatre Formsof India

=i6ing traditions occupy a prominent place in the Indian social system/ Any li6ing tradition has a

natural flo8/ (here can be no doubt about the fact that traditional art forms reflect the ideals of the

society7 its determination to sur6i6e7 its ethos7 emotions7 fello8-feelings7 and so on/ 0rama in itself is

a complete form of arts/ It includes in its frame8or; acting7 dialogue7 poetry7 music7 etc/Incommunity li6ing7 the art of singing has its o8n importance/ In all the traditional theatre-forms7 songs

and the art of singing ha6e an important role to play/ (raditional music of the theatre is an e9pression

of the feelings of the community/(raditionally the language of ordinary people has an element of

creati6ity7 though not based on classical or grammatical roots/ (his ;ind of creati6ity is spontaneous7

emerging from the circumstances/ When there is intensity of emotions7 there is a natural ;ind of

rhythm in the e9pressions/ It is this natural rhythm from 8hich emerges the traditional theatre-form/

In this art form7 sorro87 Doy7 frustration7 hatred and lo6e ha6e their role and place/

In different regions of India7 there are religious festi6als7 fairs7 gatherings7 ritual offerings7 prayers7

almost throughout the year/ 0uring these occasions7 traditional theatre forms are presented/ (hey

reflect the common mans social attitudes and perceptions/ In this social portrayal7 there is also the

indi6iduals role 8hich is gi6en due importance/

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(raditional theatre forms incorporate not only the common mans interests but there is also a classical

element in them/ (his classical facet7 ho8e6er7 ta;es on regional7 local and fol; coloring/ It is

possible7 that those associated 8ith the classical 8orld of Sans;rit drama7 8ent to the neighbouring

regions after its decline and intermingled 8ith the local theatre forms/ (his ;ind of synthesis7 gi6e-

and-ta;e must ha6e ta;en place on 6arious le6els such as 8ritten7 6erbal7 classical7 contemporary7

national and local/

In traditional theatre forms there are special styles of dance portraying the entry on to the stage or

platform7 narrati6e and descripti6e roles/ (he best e9ample of descripti6e acting is the 3idapat naach/

In this traditional theatre form7 emphasis is not on beauty but on acting itself and narrati6e and

descripti6e s;ills/ 0ance as a narrati6e art is the base of theatre form 8hich can be seen in the

traditional theatre form of 3ha6ai of GuDarat/ In this form7 5uic; or slo8 foot mo6ement is a means of

narration/ (he art of ma;ing the entry by dancing has been perfected in the traditional ashmiri

theatre form7 3hand ashn/ (he 8ay each character 8al;s and enters the platform7 identifies him/ In

oodiyaattam and An;ia ,aat7 the entry by dancing itself is complicated and artistic/ In the forms7 the

tempo and basic posture and gesture identifies the role of the character/

In traditional theatre7 age-old forms7 customs and the desire to impro6ise are intermingled/ It is

usually 8hen the significant themes are enacted7 that the acting restricts itself to traditional norms7 not

de6iating from it/ 3ut7 e6ery time the theme inches to8ards the contemporary7 the actors impro6ise as

far as dialogue deli6ery is concerned/

/

In traditional theatre forms there are certain con6entions of presentations depending upon and

changing according to the form and siEe of the stage or the platform and other a6ailable situations/

(here is no formal setup go6erning the entry or e9it of the actors/ 0epending on the situation or

conte9t7 the actors enter into the stage and enact their role 8ithout being formally introduced/ After a

particular e6ent or incident is o6er7 all the artists ma;e an e9it7 or all of them sit do8n on the sides of

the stage or near the bac;drop7 con6eying the change of a scene

In traditional theatre forms7 there is no such thing as episodes/ (here is al8ays continuity in its theme7

structure and presentation/ (here is also a scope for impro6isation and incorporation of ne8references leading to subtle e9tension in the story-line/ (here is direct and intimate communication

bet8een the actors and the audience/

(raditional theatre forms ha6e definitely been influenced by industrial ci6iliEation7 industrialiEation7

and urbaniEation/ (he socio-cultural aspects of these influences should be carefully studied/ (here

8as a time 8hen anpur became the centre of the traditional theatre ,autan;i/ Artists7 dancers and

singers produced plays based on local heroes7 their popularity and traditional lo6e stories/ (hus7 a

local theatre form ac5uired significance in the field of entertainment/

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(raditional theatre forms ha6e a common distinguishing feature that is the element of simplicity/

What is the underlying force of traditional theatre forms that has enabled it to sur6i6e and maintain its

simplicityJ (he fact remains7 that it is the immediate7 direct7 realistic and rhythmic relationship that

the spectators are able to de6elop 8ith the artists of traditional theatre forms 8hich is generally not

e9perienced in other art forms/ It is reflected in the applaud by the spectators by means of clapping

their hands/

Secondly the de6elopment of traditional theatre forms is based on such local and regional peculiarities

8hich are not bound and restricted by social and economic di6isions7 limitations7 etc/ (radional art

forms ha6e influenced classical art forms and 6ice-6ersa/ It is an eternal Dourney in the sphere of

Kculture/

In traditional theatre forms7 characters ;eep changing their place on the stage to be more impressi6e

and to gi6e the situation a greater significance/ (his techni5ue also reduces the chance of boredom

through repetition and stillness/ 0ialogues deli6ery is usually carried out in a high pitch/ (his helpsthe actors in reaching out to a larger audience/ (he artists al8ays add something or the other to the

original dialogue on their o8n/ (he changes brought through impro6isations7 ma;e the spectators

ecstatic/ Also7 it establishes a direct relationship bet8een the artists and the spectators/ (he clo8n also

plays a similar role/ While being humorous7 he also touches upon the socio-economic7 political issues

and situations 8ith lot of satire/ (here are different methods too7 in the 8ay the clo8n ma;es his

appearance/ If the ;ing7 in traditional theatre forms7 decides on a step not beneficial for the people at

large7 the clo8n appears and ta;es the side of the common man/ He ma;es the audience laugh and at

the same time discloses the anti-people attitude of the ;ing/

Follo8ing are the common theatre forms of India

Bhand Pather

this traditional theatre form of ashmir7 is a uni5ue combination of dance7 music and acting/ Satire7

8it and parody are preferred for inducing laughter/ In this theatre form7 music is pro6ided 8ith surnai7

nagaara and dhol/ Since the actors of 3hand Pather are mainly from the farming community7 the

impact of their 8ay of li6ing7 ideals and sensiti6ity is discernible/

S"ang

riginally the theatre form S8ang7 8as mainly music-based/ Gradually7 prose too7 played its role in

the dialogues/ (he softness of emotions7 accomplishment of rasa along8ith the de6elopment of

character can be seen in this theatre form/ (he t8o important styles of S8ang are from %ohta; and

Haathras/ In the style belonging to %ohta;7 the language used is Haryan6i )3angru+ and in Haathras7 it

is 3raDbhasha/

autanki

,autan;i is usually associated 8ith ttar Pradesh/ (he most popular centres of this traditional theatre

form are anpur7 =uc;no8 and Haathras/ (he meters used in the 6erses are4 0oha7 Chaubola7

Chhappai7 3ehar-e-tabeel/ (here 8as a time 8hen only men acted in ,autan;i but no8adays7 8omen

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consecuti6e days/ (he plays are A6ataram7 aliamandana7 %asa ;rida7 ;amasa6adha7 S8ayam6aram7

3ana


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Chapter & : Indian !usic

Here 8e 8ill study the follo8ing topics

!/ rigin of Indian usicology ),atyashatra73rihadeshi7Sangeetratna;ara+

'/ 0hrupad

"/ hayal

?/ (humri and (appa

@/ ale (rinity of the Carnatic music

2/ Female (rinity of the Carnatic music

1rigin o) 3ndian Musi#ology

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(he Indian music is basically medolic as compared to its 8estern counterpart 8hich is mainly

harmonic/(he Indian music has no standard fre5uency and it can be chosen by the singer/

,atya Shastra of 3harata is an important landmar; in the history of Indian music/ It is

supposed to ha6e been 8ritten sometime bet8een the 'nd century 3/C/ and the 'nd century A/0/

Some scholars are e6en doubtful 8hether it is the 8or; of one author and the 8or; might 8ell ha6e

been a compendium - at least7 the 6ersion 8hich is a6ailable to us/ (he ,atya Shastra is a

comprehensi6e 8or; mainly dealing 8ith dramaturgy/ 3ut a fe8 chapters of this deal 8ith music/

(herein 8e get information on scales7 melodic forms7 tala and musical instruments/ (he then

contemporary music recogniEed t8o standard scales/ (hese 8ere called gramas/ (he 8ord grama is

itself perhaps deri6able from the idea of group or sect4 a 6illage7 for instance/ (his probably lead to a

set of s6aras or notes being called grama/ (his could roughly be translated as scales/ (here 8ere then

t8o gramas pre6alent/ ne 8as called the ShadDa grama7 the other one 8as the adhyama grama/ (he

difference bet8een the t8o 8as only in one note7 the panchama/ (o spea; more accurately/ 8e say

that the panchama in madhyama grama 8as one sruti lo8er than the panchama in shadDa grama/

(he sruti thus is the unit of measure or small difference bet8een the 6arious consecuti6e pitches

8ithin a grama or a scale/ For all practical purposes they are said to be t8enty t8o/ (his is only as faras practical enumeration is concerned/ Dust as 8e 8ould say that there are se6en notes in an octa6e or

sapta; - from Sa to upper Sa/ 3ut in reality the number of srutis employed in Indian music is infinite/

Getting bac; to gramas in 3harataQs time7 there 8ere t8o7 8ith se6en notes each/ 3harata also

mentions t8o other note4 these 8ere the antara gandhara and ;a;ali nishada/

,o87 from each grama subsidiary scales are deri6ed/ (hese are called moorcchanas/ (he

notes are played or sung in a descending manner/ (here are se6en basic notes in a scale7 hence there

can be se6en moorcchanas/ (here 8ere t8o gramas and each had se6en standard notes and t8o

au9iliary ones7 as 8as mentioned/ Since each note could gi6e a moorcchana7 numerous such

subsidiary scales could be obtained/ It is possible to sho8 that there could be si9ty-four moorcchanas

deri6able from t8o gramas/ (he process ga6e different tonal orders 8ithin 8hich could be grouped orfrom 8hich could be e6ol6ed7 all ;no8n classical melodies of those days/ (his condition remained for

many centuries/ In appro9imately the !"th century A/0/ Sarangade6a - 8hose forefathers hailed from

ashmir - settled in South India and 8rote his monumental Sangeeta %atan;ara/ He also described

technical terms such as gramas and moorcchanas/ (he standard scales 8ere still the same/ 3ut

8hereas 3harata mentions t8o au9iliary s6aras7 the number and definition of these 8ere 6ery

different in medie6al times/From about the !!th century7 music from Central and West Asia began to

influence our music tradition/ Gradually this influence too; a deeper root and many changes too;

place/ f these7 an important one is the disappearance of gramas and moorcchanas/Sometime around

about the !@th century7 this process of change became manifest7 the grama system became obsolete/

(he concept of mela or thata ta;es its place/ In this there is only one standard scale/ All ;no8n notes

are referred to a common note Sa/3y about the !1th century e6en the standard or shuddha s6ara inHindustani music becomes different/

So far 8e ha6e been spea;ing of scales4 the grama7 moorcchana and mela/ (hese are ob6iously

concepts de6eloped after melodies 8ere born/ ,o fol; singer thin;s of a grama or a mela/ (he tribal

and fol; songs e9isted and still e9ist 8ithout a conscious grammar/ It is the musicologist 8ho later

classifies melodies or ragas into scales/

We shall no8 turn our attention to the melodic structures/ Again it is to the *edas that 8e must turn

for the first codified melody/ In the ,atya Shastra of 3harata are found descriptions of melodic forms

called Dati/ Ho8 they 8ere sung or played7 8e ha6e no ideaN but some salient points can be called from

,atya Shastra and later commentaries/ &6ery one of these Datis could be put in some moorcchana or

the other/ (hey 8ere distinguished by characteristics li;e the graha )starting note+ nyasa )note on

8hich a phrase stops+/ the range of notes - from lo8 pitch to high - and so on/ any scholars are of

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the opinion that the concept of raga 8hich is so basic to our music7 8as born and de6eloped out of

Dati/ (he maDor 8or; dealing 8ith the raga is the 3rihaddesi of atanga/ (he 8or; is dated around the

2th century7 A/0/ 3y this time7 the idea of the raga as a melodic scheme had become clear and 8ell

defined/ atanga 8as from the southern areas of India7 to be specific he 8as from Carnatic/ (his

sho8s that up to this era7 at least7 the grammar of Indian music 8as more or less one throughout the

country/ Secondly7 8hat he deals 8ith is desi music/ (hat is 8hy he had titled the 8or; 3rihaddesi/

A characteristic contribution of India to musical rhythm is the tala/ (ala is a cyclic arrangement of

time units/ (he basic units of time di6ision are laghu7 guru7 and pluta/ (hese are actually deri6ed from

poetic prosody/ =aghu comprises one syllable7guru t8o7 and pluta three/ (here are also larger units/

3harataQs ,atya Shastra gi6es details of construction of tala out of 6arious time units7 ho8 they should

be played and so on/ =ater authors de6eloped a scheme of !#1 talas/ 3esides some ancient talas ne8

ones7 as for e9ample7 Firdost7 seem to ha6e entered Hindustani music/ (he most important aspect of

playing the tala in the Hindustani system has been the de6elopment of the ideas of the;a/ (his

techni5ue is characteristic of Hindustani music/ A the;a is the definition of a tala by the stro;e of a

tabla/ &ach stro;e on the drum has a name called a bol or syllable/ For instance7 dha7 ta7 ghe/ etc/

In any language one can ha6e an epic7 a sonnet7 a lyric7 a short story and so on/ Similarly7 gi6en a ragaand a tala7 6arious musical forms ha6e been created/ %ight from ancient times7 musical forms can be

di6ided into t8o broad categories/ (hese 8ere the anibaddha and the nibaddha sangeeta/ (he first may

be called the open or free form and the second as the closed or bound form/

Anibaddha sangeeta is one 8hich is not restricted by meaningful 8ords and tala/ It is a free

impro6isation/ (he finest form is the alap/

f the nibaddha 6ariety7 there are many/ (he earliest about 8hich some ;no8ledge is a6ailable is the

prabandha giti/ Indeed7prabandha is often used as a generic term to indicate any nibaddha song or

musical composition/ We ha6e little e6idence of these closed forms7 e9cept that they 8ere set to

definite ragas and talas/ f all ;no8n prabandhas those of ayade6a are the best ;no8n/ (his poet

li6ed in 3engal in the !'th century and composed his Gita Go6inda7 a Sans;rit 8or; 8ith songs and6erses/ (he songs are ashtapadis4 that is7 each song has eight couplets/ (oday7 the songs ha6e spread

throughout the country and each region has its o8n style/ As a matter of fact7 singers ha6e ta;en the

liberty of gi6ing the prabandhas their o8n tunes/ In the face of this7 it is impossible to determine the

original tunes of the ashtapadis/

(he popularity of ayade6aQs Gita Go6inda is due to many reasons/ (he first7 naturally is the intrinsic

poetic beauty of the 8or; almost une5ualled/ It also lent itself to dance and any concei6able style of

music/ Again7 it 8as in Sans;rit7 thus transcending many linguistic barriers/ 3esides all this7 the

greatest significant force sustaining it is bha;ti/ 3ha;ti or adoration is as old as man/ It really is a state

of mind beseeching the =ord/

'hrupad

!/ 0hrupad is a type of nibaddha sangeeta/

'/ It is belie6ed to ha6e been a further elaboration of the prabandha structure/

"/ While it might ha6e had an impetus for popularity e6en by the !?th century7 it finds a

blossoming period from !@th century on8ards to about the !1th century/ 0uring these

centuries 8e meet the most respected and reno8ned singers and patrons of this form/ (here

8as an Singh (omar7 the aharaDa of G8alior/ It 8as he 8ho 8as mainly responsible for

the enormous 6ogue of dhrupad/ (here 8ere 3aiDu7 3a;shu and others/ S8ami Haridasa a

hermit of 3rinda6an 8as not only a dhrupadiya7 but one of the most central figures in the

3ha;ti cult in the ,orthern areas of India/ 3y tradition he 8as the guru of (ansen7 one of thebest ;no8n dhrupad singers and one of the nine De8els of &mperor A;barQs court/

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?/ In structure dhrupad has t8o parts7 the anibaddha section and the sanchari dhrupad proper/

@/ (he first is free alap/ (he dhrupad proper is a song in four parts4 the asthayee7 the antara7 the

Sanchari and the abhoga/

2/ (he essential 5uality of the dhrupadic approach is its sombre atmosphere and emphasis on

rhythm/

B/ (here 8ere four schools or 6anis of singing the dhrupad/

a/ (he Gauhar 6ani de6eloped the raga or unadorned melodic figures/

b/ (he 0agar 6ani emphasiEed melodic cur6es and graces/

c/ (he handar 6ani specialised in 5uic; ornamentation of the notes/

d/ ,auhar 6ani 8as ;no8n for its broad musical leaps and Dumps/

1/ (hese 6anis Qare no8 indistinguishable/

/ (he dhrupad is e6en no8 highly respected and can be heard on the concert platform but moreoften in temples of ,orth India/

!#/ (he dhrupad has some8hat receded to the bac;ground and is not so popular 8ith the masses/

(he 3een and Pa;ha8aD 8hich 8ere closely associated 8ith the dhrupad also do not find

much patronage these days/

%hayal

!/ (oday the pride of place in classical Hindustani usic is occupied by the hyal/

'/ We are really not sure about the beginning of the hyal/ (he 8ord is alien and means

QimaginationQ/ And as you 8ill find 8hen you hear it is more lyrical than the dhrupad/

"/ 3ut 8hether the musical form itself is foreign/ is a matter of doubt/

?/ Some scholars are of the opinion that in fact7 it has its roots in the ancient Indian roopa;a

alaps/ It is also said that Amir husrou of the !"th century ga6e it an impetus/

@/ Sultan ohammed Shar;hi of the !@th century is credited 8ith encouraging this form/

2/ Ho8e6er7 it attained its maturity at the hands of ,iyamat han Sadarang and Adarang of the

!1th century/

B/ As sung today7 the ;hyal has t8o 6arieties4 the slo8 or 6ilambit ;hyal and the fast or drut

;hyal/

1/ In form both are similar7 they ha6e t8o sections - the asthayee and the antara/ (he 6ilambit is

sung in slo8 tempo and the drut at a faster speed/

/ In techni5ue/ the e9position is less gra6e than the dhrupad/ (here are more delicate gam;as

and ornamentations/

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!#/ 3oth types of ;hyals ha6e t8o sections/ (he asthayee and the antara/ (he asthayee mostly

confines itself to the lo8 and middle octa6es/ (he antara generally mo6es in the middle and

upper octa6es/

!!/ (ogether asthayee and antara ma;e one song7 a composition7 or bandish7 QcheeEQ as it is called/

As a total 8or; it re6eals the essence of the raga in 8hich it is set/

!'/ Comparable to the 6anis of the dhrupads7 8e ha6e gharanas7 in the ;hyal/ (hese are schools of

singing founded or de6eloped by 6arious indi6iduals or patrons such as ;ings or noblemen/

!"/ (he oldest of these is the G8alior gharana/ (he father of this school 8as one ,athan

Peerba;sh7 8ho settled do8n in G8alior7 and hence the name/

!?/ He had t8o grandsons Haddu han and Hassu han 8ho li6ed in the !th century and 8ere

regarded as great masters of this style/ (he 5ualities of this gharana are an open 6oice clear

enunciation of 8ords7 a comprehensi6e attention to raga/ s6ara and tala/ Some of the

prominent musicians of this gharana are rishna %ao Shan;ar Pandit7 %aDa 3haiya

Poonch8ale etc/

!@/ (he Agra Gharana is said to ha6e been founded by one huda 3a;sh of Agra/ He had studied

8ith ,athan Peerba;sh of G8alior7 but de6eloped his o8n style/ Here again the 6oice is open

and clear7 a speciality of this gharana is its bol taan4 that is7 a fast or medium laya;ari passage

using the bols or 8ords of the song/ (he song itself is rendered in medium tempo/ f the most

8ell ;no8n musicians of this gharana in recent times are *ilayat Hussain han and FayyaE

han/

!2/ (he aipur Atroli gharana is said to ta;e off directly from dhrupad/ It is associated 8ith

Alladiya han of the !th-'#th century/ (he ;hyal is al8ays in medium speed/ (he 8ords are

pronounced clearly and in an open and clear 6oice/ (he distinguishing characters are the

passages 8hich are primarily based on alan;ars - that is/ repetiti6e melodic motifs - and an

almost metronomic insistence of tala di6ision/ Some of the prominent musicians of recent

times are alli;arDun ansur7 ishori Amon;ar etc/

!B/ Finally 8e come to the %ampur Sahes8an gharana/ Since the earlier singers came from

%ampur in ttar Pradesh7 this school has come to be called so/ (he slo8 and fast hayals

usually are follo8ed by a (arana/ (he style is 6ery lyrical and full of finer tonal embroidery/

,isar Hussain han7 %ashid han are the t8o prominent musicians of recent times belonging

to this gharana/

Thumri and Tappa

!/ (hey are popular types heard in concerts/

'/ (he thumri is 6ery lyrical in its structure and presentation/ (hese forms are termed as QsemiQ or

QlightQ classical/

"/ (humri is a lo6e song and hence the te9tual beauty is 6ery important/ (his is closely

coordinated 8ith the musical rendition/ And ;eeping in mind its mood a thumri is usually set

to ragas li;e hamaD7 aphi7 3haira6i and so on and the musical grammar is not strictly

adered to/

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?/ (here are t8o styles of thumri singing4 the Poorab or 3anaras 8hich is fairly slo8 and staid

and the PunDab style 8hich is more mercurial/ %asoolan 0e6i7 Siddhesh8ari 0e6i are

prominent musicians of this style/

@/ (he (appa consists of the song uttered in fast note patterns/

2/ It is a difficult composition and needs much practice/

B/ 3oth the (humri and (appa re5uire special training/

1/ %agas in 8hich (appa compositions are set remain same as in (humri style/

/ Pt/ =// Pandit7 alini %aDur;ar are names 8ho specialiEe this form of singing/

Male Trinity o) (arnati# Musi#

!/ (he (rinity of Carnatic music refer to the outstanding trio of composer-musiciansof Carnatic

music in the !1th century7 being(yRgarRDa7 uthus8ami 0i;shitarand Syama Sastri

'/ Prolific in composition7 the (rinity of Carnatic music are ;no8n for creating a ne8 era in the

history of Carnatic music by bringing about a noticeable change in 8hat 8as the e9isting

Carnatic music tradition/

"/ Compositions of the (rinity of Carnatic music are recognised as being distinct in style7 and

original in handlingragas/

?/ uthus8ami 0i;shitar mainly composed in Sans;rit7 8hile (yagaraDa and Syama Sastri

mainly composed in (elugu/

@/ (he (rinity of Carnatic music composed ne8 ragas and talas7 and had a remar;able ability to

introduce inno6ations 8ithin the same raga/

2/ Compositions of Syama Sastri in Qapoor6aQ ragas li;e Chinthamani 7 and alagada e6idence his

originality and genius in disco6ering ne8 forms in Carnatic music/

B/ (he creati6e ability of Syama Sastri is possibly best e9ampled in his concert-contest against

esa66aya7 a great Carnatic musician from 3obbili/0uring this contest 8hich too; place at

the court of the ;ing of (hanDa6ur7although esa6ayya sang a rare raga follo8ed by a tana in

different Dathis and gathis7 Syama Sastri reproduced similar tana 6arieties7 and to the delight

of the audience7 8ent further to introduce other 6arieties 8hich 8ere not ;no8n to

esa66aya/

Female Trinity o) (arnati# Musi#

!/ 0amal rishnas8amy Pattammal7 / S/ Subbula;shmi and/ =/ *asantha;umari8ere )and

still are+ popularly referred to as the Female trinity of Carnatic usic/ (his trio initiated the

entry of 8omen into mainstream Carnatic usic

'/ Pattammal started a fe8 re6olutionary trends in Carnatic music/ She 8as the first 3rahmin

8oman to ha6e performed this genre of music publicly/ 3rahmins ran;ed as the highest in the

caste hierarchy pre6alent in India in the early '#th century7 and society considered it taboo for

a 3rahmin 8oman to perform on stage/

"/ Pattammal 8as also the first 8oman to ha6e performed %agam (hanam Palla6i in concerts/

"?| P a g e
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musicianshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnatic_musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnatic_musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ty%C4%81gar%C4%81jahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muthuswami_Dikshitarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muthuswami_Dikshitarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syama_Sastrihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telugu_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobbilihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanjavurhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._S._Subbulakshmihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._L._Vasanthakumarihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composershttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musicianshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnatic_musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnatic_musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ty%C4%81gar%C4%81jahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muthuswami_Dikshitarhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syama_Sastrihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ragashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanskrithttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telugu_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobbilihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanjavurhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._S._Subbulakshmihttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M._L._Vasanthakumari


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?/ %agam (hanam Palla6i7 8hich 8as classed as a male stronghold7 is the most difficult concert

item in Carnatic music7 as it calls for great s;ill and a high degree of concentration to handle

the rhythmic comple9ities in6ol6ed/

@/ Pattammal 8ent further to perform 6ery comple9 Palla6is in intricate talas )rhythmic cycles+N

impressing and earning the respect of her male peers7 connoisseurs and fello8-musicians/

2/ Her singing of palla6is 8as technically perfect7 and aesthetically pleasing/ For this reason7

she became dubbed Palla6i PattammalT/

B/ She is also remembered for populariEing patriotic compositions of poet subramanyam bharati

1/ adurai Shanmu;ha6adi6u 8as a reno8ned Carnatic 6ocalist/

/ She 8as the first musician e6er to be a8arded the 3harat %atna7 IndiaQs highest ci6ilian honor/

!#/ She is the first Indian musician to recei6e the %amon agsaysay a8ard7 often considered

AsiaQs ,obel PriEe

!!/ / =/ *asantha;umari8as the youngest female a8ardee of the Sangita alanidhi a8ard

!'/ As 8ell as being a much sought-after playbac; singer for films7 =* popularised unfamiliar

ragas and her %agam (hanam Palla6is 8ere considered cerebral/

!"/ Additionally7 she popularised the compositions of Purandara 0asa and 8as responsible for

populariEing his compositions 3aaro;rishnayya7 Innu daya barade7 among others

Chapter ' : Indian Classical (anceForms

,andi;es6ara and 3harata are the authorities on Indian dances/(he Indian classical dancer should be

properly trained in ,atya7,ritya and ,ritta

,o8 8hat is ,atya7,ritya and ,ritta J

,atya is 0rama 7 ,ritya is con6eying of emotions and feelings through hand gestures7body postures

and facial e9pression and ,ritta is pure dance de6oid of any feelings/

(he Indian Classical dancer should be able to e9press the ,a6rasas/

,o8 "hat are avrasas 4

(hey are 6arious moods and emotions of human beings/ (hey are as follo8s

!/ Shringara

'/ aruna

"/ *eer

?/ *ibhatsa

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@/ %oudra

2/ 3hayana;

B/ Shant

1/ Hasya/ Adbhuta

(he Ancient te9ts classifies dances in t8o forms

!/ (anda6a Lmasculine

'/ =asya L feminine

&hat is a$hinay 4

Abhinay broadly means e9pression/It is con6eyed through

!/ Angi;a L 3ody

'/ *aschi;a L Speech

"/ Aharya L ma;eup and coustume

?/ Sat6i;a L mood and emotions

We 8ill study follo8ing classical dances

!/ 3harat ,atyam

'/ atha;ali

"/ atha;

?/ anipuri

@/ ddisi

2/ uchipudi

B/ Sattriya

Bharat atyam

!/ 3harat ,atyam is one of the oldest dance forms

'/ (heAbhinaya Darpanaby Nandikesvarais one of the main sources of te9tual material7 for

the study of the techni5ue and grammar of body mo6ement in 3haratnatyam 0ance

"/ It has a huge repertoire

?/ It has been ;ept ali6e till today because of the 0e6adasi tradition@/ (he repertoire 8as mainly built up by the (anDore 5uartete under aharaD SerfoDi

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2/ (he 6arious dance poses of the 3haratnatyam can be seen from the sculptures such as the one

on the Gopurams of the adurai temple/

B/ 3harat ,atyam dance is ;no8n as &;aharya as one dancer ta;e many roles/

1/ (here is a great emphasis on abhinaya in 3harat ,atyam/

/ 3harat ,atyam begins 8ith alla ripu )offering of flo8ers by the dancer+

!#/ ,e9t part is Datis8aram /It has no sahitya and is performed on any of the famous Carnatic

%agas/

!!/ (his part is follo8ed by Shapdam/the song is in the praise of supreme being

!'/ (his is follo8ed by 6arnam 8hich is the most comple9 part of 3harat ,atyam /Common

pieces in 6arnam are ;irtanam7padam7Da6alis and ;ritis/In ;eertanam 7the te9t is more

important and music is more important /they are normally based on mythological themes li;e

%amayana and ahabharata/

!"/ Padams and a6alis are based on lo6e themes and are mostly de6ine in nature/

!?/ (he dance reaches its clima9 8ith tillana 8hich is a fast and 6igourous nritta and has its origin

in the tarana tradition of Hindustani classical music/

!@/ (he dance ends 8ith mangalam that is in6o;ing the blessings of God/

!2/ (he person 8ho performs the dance recitation is called nattu6anar/

%athakali

!/ It is based on other traditional dance forms of erela namely

Cha;iar;oothu7odiyattam7rishnattam and %amnattam

'/ (he te9tual basis of atha;ali is 3alaram 3harata and Hastla;shana 0eepi;a/

"/ (he atha;ali dancer has to employ angi;a 7 6aschi;a 7 aharya and sat6i;a techni5ue in a

6ery synchroniEed manner in order to properly render the natya7nritya and nritta aspects of

atha;ali dance/

?/ (he ata;;athasor stories are selected from %amyana and ahabharata and 8ritten in highly

sans;ritised 6erse form in malyalam

@/ (he atha;ali dance consists of 6arious types of character and are grouped into categories

sat6i;a )good+ 7 raDasi;a)a good 8arrior but not a good person necessarily+ 7 tamsi;a

a/ Pacha

b/ athi

c/ ari

d/ (hadi

e/ inu;;u

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2/ Pacha characters are good and they belong to sat6i;a categories/ Green colour dominates in

the facial ma;eup of pacha characters/(he chief pacha characters are %am and *ishnu/(hey

are characteriEed by a cro8n ;no8n as ;irata and a peacoc; feather in the cro8n/

B/ (he athi characters li;e %a6ana belong to the raDsi;a type/(hey are great 8arriors but are

generally anti hero/they are characteriEed by a small ball called chutippu placed on their nose

or forehead/

1/ (he thadi character are bearded characters/there are three types

a/ Chahu6anna thadi L %ed 3eard

b/ *ella thadi L 8hite beard L this is generally hanuman and also dons the ma;eup of

mon;ey

c/ arutha thadi L blac; beard

/ (he ;ari characters ha6e a blac; base for their ma;eup and they are generally forest d8ellers

and hunter gatherers/

!#/ (he inu;;u are minor characters li;e 8omen and sages/

!!/ (he Costume and a;eup of atha;ali is done in three stages

a/ (eppu L (his is the ma;eup that is done by artist himself

b/ Chutti;uthu L (his is the ma;eup done by specially trained artists

c/ dutha;ettu L (his is the donning of bello8ing s;irts by the artist

!'/ (he stage setup of atha;ali is 6ery simple/It consists of t8o huge oil lamps ;ept in from of

the stage/A curtain called tirasseela hides the artists from the audience before the start of the

performance/

!"/ (he atha ;ali dance consists of follo8ing stages

a/ eli;otu L this is the announcement of the beginning of sho8 by beating of drums and

cymbals

b/ (odayam L it is a de6otional number performed by one of the characters to in6o;e the

blessings of god

c/ Purapddu L 0ancer enthralls the audience 8ith is nritta by performing ;alamsas/

alamsas are pure dance numbers 8ere the dancer is free to enthrall the audience 8ith his

nritta and is not re5uired to follo8 the padams/

d/ elapadda L (he musicians enthrall the audience 8ith their s;ills

e/ (irano;;u L entry of all the characters on the screen other than pacha or minu;;u

f/ Start of the play

!?/ atha;ali music follo8s the traditional sopana sangeet of erala/ It is said to be the ritual

singing of the Ashtapadis on the flight of steps leading to the sanctum sanctorum

!@/ (he orchestra 8hich is also used in other traditional performing arts of erala7 normally

comprises the Chenda7 addalam7 Chengila7 Ilathalam7 Ida;;a and Shan;hu/

!2/ Ila;iattam is that part of the performance 8hen the characters get an opportunity todemonstrate their e9cellence in abhinaya/ For the most part of the performance the dancers

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engage themsel6es in chodiattam 8hich means acting in strict conformity to the 8ords in the

padams sung by the accompanying musicians/

!B/ (han;s to the ser6ice done by the poet *allathol7 this classical dance form recei6ed a ne8

impetus and today many inno6ations are also being made to suit the needs of a changing

society

%athak

!/ (he importance of atha; lies in the fact that it is the only dance form associated 8ith the

muslim culture and to the ,orth Indian Classical music both feeding and sustaining each

other

'/ atha; has its origins in the ahtha;ars )story tellers+ and recei6ed a great impetus during the

bha;ti dradition and de6eloped on the performances li;e ras leela

"/ (he golden era of ;atha; 8as during the reign of na8ab WaDid Ali Shah of oudh / He

established the =uc;no8 gharana 8ith its strong accent on bha6a7 the e9pression of moods

and emotions/ (he aipur gharana ;no8n for its laya;ari or rhythmic 6irtuosity and the

3enaras gharana are other prominent schools of atha; dance/

?/ (he techni5ue of mo6ement in atha; is uni5ue to it/(he 8eight of the body is e5ually

distributed along the horiEontal and 6ertical a9is/ (he full foot contact is of prime importance

8here only the toe or the ball of the foot are used7 their function is limited/ (here are no

deflections and no use of sharp bends or cur6es of the upper or lo8er part of the body/ (orso

mo6ements emerge from the change of the shoulder line rather than through the

manipulations of the bac;bone or upper chest and lo8er 8aist muscles/ In the basic stance7

the dancer stands straight7 holds one hand at a le6el higher than the head and the other is

e9tended out on the le6el of the shoulder/

@/ (he techni5ue is built by the use of an intricate system of foot-8or;/ Pure dance )nritta+ is all

important 8here comple9 rhythmic patterns are created through the use of the flat feet and the

control of sound of the an;le bells 8orn by the dancer/

2/ As in 3haratnatyam7 dissi and anipuri7 atha; also builds its pure dance se5uences by

combining units of mo6ement/

B/ (he cadences are called differently by the names tu;ra7 tora7 and parana7 all indicati6e of the

nature of rhythmic patterns used and the percussion instrument accompanying the dance/

1/ (he dancer commences 8ith a se5uence called (hat 8here soft gliding mo6ements of the

nec;7 eyebro8s and the 8rists7 are introduced/

/ (his is follo8ed by a con6entional formal entry ;no8n as the Amad )entry+ and the Salami

)salutation+/

!#/ (hen follo8 the 6arious combinations of rhythmic passages all punctuated 8ith and

culminating in a number of pirouettes)circular mo6ements+/

!!/ (he pirouettes are the most characteristic feature of the dance style in nritta portions/

%ecitation of the rhythmic syllables is commonN the dancer often pauses to recite these to a

specified metrical cycle follo8ed by e9ecution through mo6ement/

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!'/ (he nritta portion of atha; is performed to the nagma/ 3oth the drummer )here the drum is

either a pa;ha8aD7 a type of mridangam7 or a pair of tabla+ and the dancer 8ea6e endless

combinations on a repetiti6e melodic line/

!"/ (he metrical cycle )tala+ of !27 !#7 !? beats pro6ides the foundation on 8hich the 8hole

edifice of dance is built/

!?/ In the mime portions )nritya or abhinaya+7 8ords are not used in simple numbers called the

gata7 8hich is performed in a lyrical manner to gentle rhythm/ (hese are short narrati6e pieces

8hich portray a brief episode from rishnaQs life/ A poetic line set to music is interpreted 8ith

gestures in other numbers7 such as the tumri7 bhaDan7 dadra - all lyrical musical compositions/

!@/ In these sections7 there is a 8ord to 8ord or line to line synchronisation in the same fashion as

in 3haratnatyam or dissi/

!2/ 3oth in nritta )pure dance+ and the abhinaya )mime+ there is immense scope for impro6isation

of presenting 6ariations on a theme/

!B/ (he interpretati6e and the abstract dance techni5ues are inter8o6en into each other7 and thedancerQs greatness lies in his capacity for impro6isation on the melodic and metric line on the

one hand and the poetic line on the other/

Manipuri

!/ anipuri7 one of the main styles of Indian Art or Classical 0ances originated in the

pictures5ue and secluded state of anipur in the north-eastern corner of India/

'/ 3ecause of its geographical location7 the people of anipur ha6e been protected from outside

influences7 and this region has been able to retain its uni5ue traditional culture/

"/ (he origin of anipuri dance can be traced bac; to ancient times that go beyond recorded

history/

?/ (he dance in anipur is associated 8ith rituals and traditional festi6als7 there are legendary

references to the dances of Shi6a and Par6ati and other gods and goddesses 8ho created the

uni6erse/

@/ =ai Haraoba is one of the main festi6als still performed in anipur 8hich has its roots in the

pre-*aishna6ite period/

2/ =ai Haraoba is the earliest form of dance 8hich forms the basis of all stylised dances in

anipur/

B/ =iterally meaning - the merryma;ing of the gods7 it is performed as a ceremonial offering of

song and dance/

1/ (he principal performers are the maibas and maibis )priests and priestesses+ 8ho re-enact the

theme of the creation of the 8orld/

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/ With the arri6al of *aishna6ism in the !@th century A/0/7 ne8 compositions based on

episodes from the life of %adha and rishna 8ere gradually introduced/

!#/ It 8as in the reign of ing 3hagyachandra that the popular %asleela dances of anipur

originated/

!!/ It is said7 that this !1th century philosopher ;ing concei6ed this complete dance form along8ith its uni5ue costume and music in a dream/

!'/ nder successi6e rulers7 ne8 leelas7 and rhythmic and melodic compositions 8ere introduced/

!"/ anipur dance has a large repertoire7 ho8e6er7 the most popular forms are the %as7 the

San;irtana and the (hang-(a/

!?/ (here are fi6e principal %as dances of 8hich four are lin;ed 8ith specific seasons7 8hile the

fifth can be presented at any time of the year/ In anipuri %as7 the main characters are %adha7

rishna and the gopis/

!@/ (he themes often depict the pangs of separation of the gopis and %adha from rishna/

!2/ (he parengs or pure dance se5uences performed in the %asleela dances follo8 the specific

rhythmic patterns and body mo6ements7 8hich are traditionally handed do8n/

!B/ (he %as costume consists of a richly embroidered stiff s;irt 8hich e9tends to the feet/

!1/ A short fine 8hite muslin s;irt is 8orn o6er it/ A dar; coloured 6el6et blouse co6ers the upper

part of the body and a traditional 8hite 6eil is 8orn o6er a special hair-do 8hich falls

gracefully o6er the face/

!/ rishna 8ears a yello8 dhoti7 a dar; 6el6et Dac;et and a cro8n of peacoc; feathers/ (he

De8ellery is 6ery delicate and the designs are uni5ue to the region/

'#/ (he irtan form of congregational singing accompanies the dance 8hich is ;no8n as

San;irtana in anipur/

'!/ (he male dancers play the Pung and artal 8hile dancing/

''/ (he masculine aspect of dance - the Choloms are a part of the San;irtana tradition/

'"/ (he Pung and artal choloms are performed at all social and religious festi6als/

'?/ (he martial dancers of anipur - the (hang-ta - ha6e their origins in the days 8hen manQs

sur6i6al depended on his ability to defend himself from 8ild animals/

'@/ (oday7 anipur has an e6ol6ed and sophisticated repertoire of martial dances7 the dancers use

s8ords7 spears and shields/ %eal fight scenes bet8een the dancers sho8 an e9tensi6e training

and control of the body/

'2/ anipuri dance incorporates both the tanda6a and lasya and ranges from the most 6igorous

masculine to the subdued and graceful feminine/

'B/ Generally ;no8n for its lyrical and graceful mo6ements7 anipuri dance has an elusi6e

5uality/

'1/ In ;eeping 8ith the subtleness of the style7 anipuri abhinaya does not play up the

mu;habhinaya 6ery much - the facial e9pressions are natural and not e9aggerated -

sar6angabhinaya7 or the use of the 8hole body to con6ey a certain rasa7 is its forte/

Documents

[PWU-13-10] [RES-1302] Art Forms and Architecture