Mangal Mandir Jagrati Class November 17, 2013 Lesson 8 – Hindu Forms Bhartnatyam and are two dance forms that originated in the temples.

Of these, Bhartnatyam is the most ancient dance form. In this dance form, each hand gesture (mudra) and body movement tells the stories from our scriptures. Below are some examples of mudras which a dancer may use.

Other classical dance forms include , , , Manipuri, . Each one of these takes much effort to learn and perform. The dance teacher is the guru who is deeply respected by all.

Lord Shiva is often depicted in the form of . Nataraj means : Nat means an Actor or a dancer and Raja means a King or Lord so Nataraja means King or God of dancing / acting. Nataraja sculptures are usually made in bronze and show Lord Shiva lifting his left leg and balancing on a demon. Lord Shiva performs this divine dance to destroy the universe to make preparations for Lord Brahma to start the process of creation of the universe. This dance is called , the dance of bliss. When Lord Shiva Performed this dance with joy, the dance is called Ananda tandava and when he performed in a violent mood, the dance is called Rudra Tandava. There are many more forms of tandava but these two are the most common forms. The dance performed by Parvati in response to Shiva's tandava is known as .

Apart from the classical dances, there are many cultural dances performed during festivals and gatherings. Among these, Raas Garba, is the most popular. Garba is a dance associated with the festival of Navratri. Navratri is the festival where devotees worship Goddesses for nine nights with dance and prayer. This dance is done in groups in circles to the rhythmic beat of dholak. Raas is performed using dandiyas which are short sticks. This is a cultural dance where even a novice may take part without formal instructions. This dance is a celebration of the victory of good over evil and commemorates the nine-day-long-war waged between Ram and Ravana. The tenth day is celebrated as Dushera or Vijayadashmi.

Mangal Mandir Jagrati Class November 17, 2013 Lesson 8 – Hindu Dance Forms Nataraja – the dancing form of Shiva

Mangal Mandir Jagrati Class November 17, 2013 Lesson 8 – Hindu Dance Forms

Dancers performing Raas Garba