Sacred Dance of India

Author(s): Mrinalini Sarabhai
Publisher: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan

Page 29

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Kuman Kum Kum Das in 'Darpana Bhangi (Odissi)
Odissi
The Cholas were a magnificient dynasty, whose contribution to the cultural history of India was unparalleled From the 4th century BC, when Katyayana, the grammarian, mentions the Cholas, they are prominent till the 13th century Mention is made of them by Kautilya in his Artha Shastra, by Ptolemy, and we find their name in the inscriptions of the Emperor Asoka
In the 3rd century, the celebrated Sangam Age, they had their centres at Uraiyur and Kaveripumpattinam From A D 846 till 1279, they held sway in Tanjore, their rule ending with the death of Rajendra III There is evidence of devadasts being attached to the temples in the time of the Cholas, a system which continued through the ages Judging from the various treatises, the dance was, already, a systematised and highly technical form and was called 'Natya' which involved drama, dance and music The dancing girls attached to the Tanjore temple were four hundred in number and inscriptions from the temples tell us of their various activities An inscrip tion from Tiruvengaivasal temple mentions the gift of land to a dancer for her performance in the Varkası Trruvadıraz Festival They were women of culture and proficient in various arts and many of the temples of India were proud of their devadasıs, and their accomplishments
In the Brahmeswar temple at Bhuvaneswar, is an inscription dating back to the 8th century, which tells us of girls who performed fitual danges. Bev were called maharis
The Jagannath temple was the focal point of all cultural activity and in the 12th century, Chodaganga Deva founded the blargo dynasty, patronising the arts, a tradition that contanued wil latel Aabhaas such as the