Bhagavata Mela
Bhagavata Mela is a classical Indian dance that is performed in Tamil Nadu,[1] particularly the Thanjavur area.[2][3] It is choreographed as an annual Vaishnavism tradition in Melattur and nearby regions, and celebrated as a dance-drama performance art.[2][4] The dance art has roots in a historic migration of practitioners of Kuchipudi, another Indian classical dance art,[2] from Andhra Pradesh to the kingdom of Tanjavur.
The term Bhagavata, state Brandon and Banham, refers to the
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History
The origins of the Bhagavata Mela are in
Kuchipudi declined and was a dying art in 17th-century Andhra,
The Deccan region saw wars and political turmoil with Mughal imperial expansion ending the Deccan Sultanates by the end of the 17th century.[10] During this period, more Bhagavatar community families moved south, invited by the newly established Maratha rajas in the Kaveri delta, to settle in and around Kumbakonam. These families maintained their Kuchipudi-inspired dance drama culture, in a form called Bhagavata Mela.[2]
Repertoire
The Bhagavata Mela is traditionally celebrated in Hindu temple grounds or next to a temple, starting after dusk and through the night, and like the original Kuchipudi artists, male Brahmins were the artists who played the role of men and women characters in the underlying story.[2][3] Modern productions include both male and female artists, and has evolved to show influences of both Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam – the main classical dance of Tamil Nadu.[6]
Like all classical dances of India, the Bhagavata Mela incorporates sophisticated gestures as sign language combined with intricate footwork and acting (abhinaya) to communicate a religious story with spiritual message.[4][6] These aspects of the Bhagavata Mela have roots in the Natya Shastra, the ancient Hindu text on performance arts.[8] The performance includes Nritta, Nritya and Natya. The Nritta performance is abstract, fast and rhythmic aspect of pure dance.[16] The Nritya is slower and expressive aspect of the dance that attempts to communicate feelings, storyline particularly with spiritual themes.[16] The Natya is a play performed by a team of artists.[17][18] The roots of abhinaya are also found in the Natyashastra text which describes basic units of dance, the gestures and movements that connect with the audience and aesthetically arouses joy in the spectator, and transports the individual into a super sensual inner state of being.[8][19]
The communication in Bhagavata Mela is in the form of expressive gestures (mudras or hastas) synchronized to music. The gestures and facial expressions convey the ras (sentiment, emotional taste) and bhava (mood) of the underlying story.[20] Like other Hindu classical dances, the artist successfully expresses the spiritual ideas by paying attention to four aspects of a performance: Angika (gestures and body language), Vachika (song, recitation, music and rhythm), Aharya (stage setting, costume, make up, jewelry), and Sattvika (artist's mental disposition and emotional connection with the story and audience, wherein the artist's inner and outer state resonates).[20] Abhinaya draws out the bhava (mood, psychological states).[20]
The Bhagavata Mela stories are typically from the Hindu Epics or the Puranas, with Prahlada Charitram being particularly popular.[4] The music is Carnatic style, and most of the underlying story is sung to the rhythm of the music while the dance artists perform.[6] The repertoire is aided by an orchestra of musical instruments, with mridangam (drum) and cymbals providing the beat, and flute, string instruments and harmonium completing the ensemble.[6]
References
- Yaksaganaand Bhagavata Mela.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-521-58822-5.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-973946-2.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-415-26087-9.
- ISBN 978-0-8240-4946-1.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-521-58822-5.
- ISBN 978-0-391-02716-9.
- ^ a b c d Ragini Devi 1990, pp. 67–68.
- ^ Reginald Massey 2004, pp. 79–80.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-14-306454-1.
- ISBN 0-948725-04-4.
- ISBN 9788170173595.
- ISBN 978-81-7017-315-1.
- ISBN 978-0-14-100143-2.
- ISBN 978-0-7206-0574-7.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-415-99404-0.
- ^ Reginald Massey 2004, pp. 33–38, 83–84, 207–214.
- ISBN 978-0-8240-4946-1.
- ^ Tarla Mehta 1995, pp. 3–5.
- ^ ISBN 978-1-317-32572-7.
Bibliography
- Ragini Devi (1990). Dance Dialects of India. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-0674-0.
- Reginald Massey (2004). India's Dances: Their History, Technique, and Repertoire. Abhinav Publications. ISBN 978-81-7017-434-9.
- Tarla Mehta (1995). Sanskrit Play Production in Ancient India. Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 978-81-208-1057-0.
- Williams, Drid (2004). "In the Shadow of Hollywood Orientalism: Authentic East Indian Dancing" (PDF). Visual Anthropology. 17 (1). Routledge: 69–98. S2CID 29065670. Archived from the original(PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2016.
- Indumati Raman (2018). Bhagavata Mela - My Tryst With Tradition. Indus Source Books. ISBN 978-9385509087.