PAPER: 3 CHAPTER - II Detail Study Of Bharatanatyam, Devadasis-Natuvnar, Nritya And Nritta, Different Bani-s, Present Status, Institutions, Artists

Module 9 Contribution Of Thanjavur Court To Bharatanatyam

Tanjore / तंजोर (Thanjavur / तंजाळुर) entered into another epoch- making stage in its cultural history when Ekoji / इकोजी (A. D. 1676) was succeeded by Sahaji / ऴाहजी in A. D. 1684, of the Maratha dynasty of Tanjore which lasted about 675 years. They had wealthy people to rule over, and a rich province to support them. In Tanjore the period of economic dislocation and political fragmentation were simultaneously seen, and were not characterized by cultural crises. In spite of everything there was continuity in the field of culture. If the Nayak / नायक period is the first stage in cultural florescence, necessarily the Maratha / मराठा period is the second stage of the phenomena. In the Nayak period there was an expanding agrarian economy, trade and cultural growth. The real process of perfection of this cultural production is witnessed under the Maratha rulers of Tanjore. Thus there was a powerful cultural continuity, though the economy of the Maratha period showing a declining trend. Maratha court culture assumed the pleasing burden of the Nayak culture and the king was still identified as an avatar (incarnation) of the Lord. In this period, though, the king who was personified as Rama was turned into Siva. The courtesans still continued to sing padams celebrating the king as her God and

lover. The king even composed Telugu dance dramas for the court in a striking assimilation of cultural medium, with the conceptual contents. But the Maratha ruler could spend much less on these CHAPTER - II than his Nayak predecessor, since the political scene was almost on the edge of bankruptcy and crisis.

Cultural energies that were conserved were more powerful than economic ties, and they reasserted themselves with greater vigor. Very few literary works on dance were written during this period. Many new items in dance were introduced and extensive performances were organised. The dancer followed a strict discipline of gurukula / गु셁कु ऱ system, where the technique of dance was concentrated upon more than its oral and practical aspect. This tradition was passed on to generations of dancers.

Chronological Table The Tanjore Marathas

(Reference: K. M. Venkatramayya -‘‘Administration and social life under the Maratha rulers of Thanjavur” Tamil University, Tanjore 1984)

History Ekoj established the in Tanjore in A. D. 1676-1684. He was a renowned scholar in and Telugu. He wrote the Dvipada Ramayana / 饍वळऩद रामायण in Telugu. He encouraged arts and culture just like the Nayaks. Shahaji II (A. D. 1684-1712) ascended the throne when he was very young. He was a scholar in sangitha and sahitya. He was a linguist. His works in Sanskrit available are - 1. Chandrasekara Vilasa / चन्द्रसेखर वळऱास 2. Sabdaratha Samanvaya / ऴ녍दाथथ समन्द्ळय 3. Sabdartha Sangraha / ऴ녍दाथथ संग्रह 4. Sringaramanjari / �ींगारमंजरी

He wrote a Tamil drama called Vishnu Saharaja Vilasain. The script available is written in Telugu. Many Tamil natakams like Manuniti /

मनुननती, Nala / नऱ, Prahlada / प्रहऱाद, Meenakshi Kalyanam / मीनाऺी क쥍याणम, Harichandra / हररश्चंर were enacted by the Tamil dancers in his court.

Serfoji I / सरफ़ोजी १(A. D. 1712-1728) succeeded his brother and continued to maintain the cultural traditions. He gifted a village

named Sarabojirajapuram / सरबोजजराजऩुरम to eminent scholars. When Serfoji died at the age of fifty three, his youngest brother Tulaja I (A. D. 1728-1736) inherited the throne. He is remembered as a linguist and scholar. He wrote Sangitha saramritham / संगीत

सारामतृ which dealt with rasas / रस and melas popular in his period. He promoted lots of padams, darns and svrajatis. He donated liberal gifts to scholars, musicians, dancers and poets. Apart from Carnatic music he gave scope for Hindustani musicians in his court. He strengthened the Maharashtrian tradition of bhajans and kirtans. He composed a Telugu dance drama Sivakama Sundari Parinayam /

शऴळकाम सुंदरी ऩररननयम in the Yakshagana style.

The darus and slokas are excellent in this dance drama. He also composed a Sanskrit nataka titled raja ranjana vidhyavilasa nataka / राजा रंजन वळ饍यावळऱास नाटक . The darus dvipadas / द셂 饍वळऩद reveal his mastery over music. Besides work on music, Tulaja wrote the following Sanskrit works on dance and medicine. 1. Natayavedagamam / नाटयळेदगमम 2. Dhanvantrivilasa / धन्द्ळंतरीवळऱास 3. Dhanvantrisaranidhi / धन्द्ळंतरीसारननधध

The distinguished Tamil composers Arunachala Kavi / अ셁णाचऱ कवळ and Marimuthapillai / मारीमुथा वऩ쥍ऱाई were his contemporaries.

Ekoji II / एकोजी २ (A. D. 1736-37) came to throne when he was forty years old and ruled only for a year before he died. His brother Sayaji / सयाजी ruled till the end AD 1738 and passed it on to Pratap Simha /

प्रताऩ शसंह. He is ranked with the eminent scholars of his time. He has composed eighty five padams in the category of nitipadam / नीनतऩदम,् srigarapadam / ध�गं ारऩदम,् bhakti keertan / भजतत कीतथनs and maratti padams / मराजतत.

Pratap Simha / प्रताऩशसंह (A. D. 1739-1763), the son of Tulaja I, came to throne in very confused political atmosphere and anarchy. He was a great ruler of the Maratha period. He was a scholar and wrote many padams and plays. He composed twelve plays in Marathi selecting themes from puranas. The musical form tarana / तराना from north was popular in his court as tillana / नत쥍ऱाना. His court musician Mellatur Veerabdraya / मे쥍ऱातुर ळीरभर was the pioneer in introducing tillana. He was the follower of the Advaita philosophy.

On Pratap Simha’s death Tulaja II (A. D. 1763-1787) ascended the Tanjore throne. Like his predecessors he was also competent in literature, music, dance and poetry. He was also proficient in playing veena. His court was filled with galaxy of musicians and dancers.

According to Tulaja II's wish after his demise Amarsingh / अमरशसंह (A. D. 1787-1798) ruled over Tanjore till Tulaja'’s son Serfoji II attained the powder of governing. After crowning Serfoji II on the Tanjore throne he moved to Madhyarjun and set a small court. He encouraged musicians and dancers in their innovative works. Gopalakrishna Bharati was a contemporary of Amarsingh. He wrote songs and dramas in Marathi.

Serfoji II / सरफ़ोजी २ (AD 1798-1832) like his uncle honoured

scholars, composers, musicians and dancers. Serfoji II established the Saraswathi Mahal / सरस्ळती महाऱ library at Tanjore with his own collection of books and palm leaf manuscripts. The archive will speak for generation of the excellent patronage and contribution of the kings of the two dynasties which ruled over Tanjore.

Shivaji II / शऴळाजी २ (A. D. 1832-1855) was the last emperor of the Maratha dynasty at Tanjore. Like his predecessors he showed great interest in the development of literature and culture, especially in the growth of Tamil language and Tamil compositions. The Maratha rule offered a peaceful atmosphere for the art to grow and nourish which reached the highest point. They left behind for the generations a scientific base for music and dance tradition transcending the barriers of language.

Literature There are many dance dramas and yakshaganas available during this period from which the technique of performing these items can be traced. The artists followed the grammar from already existing dance texts and the tradition of gurukula system. The literary works available are:

Sahendra Vilasam / सहᴂर वळऱासम - Sridhara Ayyaval

Sangita Saramritha / संगीत सारामतृ - Tulaja Rukmangatha Caritra / 셁तनन्द्गाथा चररत -Venkatagiri (1684 -1711) Abhimayadarpana / अशभमायादऩथण- Venkatagiri (1684 - 1711) Sangitasampradaya / संगीतसनप्रदाय Pradarshini / प्रदऴथनी - Subbaramadikshidar

King Sahaji who was conferred the title Abinavaboja / अबबनाळबोजा- अशभनळभोज, was a great patron of art and letters. A perusal of Sahaji's work on sangita shows that music and dance had reached a high level of excellence. Sahaji was a great scholar in sangita and sahitya. He patronised distinguished composers of padas, Yakshaganas and dramatic works and made Tanjore the seat of pada sahitya. He was the author of a number of works on drama, poetry, prabandha, padas and the scientific work on ragalakshanas. Of about twenty such literary productions only the music of Sankarapallaki seva prabandham / ऴंकरऩा쥍ऱकी सेळा प्रबन्द्धम is traceable today.

The four famous prabandhas of Sahaji are Vishnu Pallaki Seva Prabandham / वळष्णु ऩा쥍ऱकी सेळा प्रबन्द्धम , Sankara Pallaki Seva Prabandha, Pancharatna Prabandha / ऩंचरतन प्रबंध and Tyagaraja Vinodha Chitra Prabandha / तयागराज वळनोद धचत्र प्रबंध . These are prabandha natakas with beautiful padas in rakti ragas and gana ragas - depicting bhakti, sringara and vairagya / ळैरा嵍य themes. Padas of such themes, collectively called Tyagesa Padas / तयागेऴ ऩद are in Sanskrit, Marathi and Telugu languages. These collections of padas are classified as bhakti, bhava, vairagya, sringara, hasva padas, neethi padamulu / नीनत ऩदमेऱु and mangalamulu / मंगऱमुऱू. The padas of Sahaji so far identified and available reveal his mastery over the languages and his deep scholarship in music and sahitya.

An important landmark cognizable during the reign of Sahaji is the musical opera known as geyanatakas. The birth of geyanatakas brings in new vistas to many musical forms. For example the four

prabandhas (Sankara pallakiseva, Vishnu pallakiseva, Pancharatna, and Tyagaraja vinodha chitra) represent a new class where the dramatic, literary, musical and dance elements are happily blended. It is clearly evident that Sahaji was the innovator of a new variety of prabandha compositions to highlight musical and dance significance. Raghunatha Nayak's work like Valmiki Charitam / ळा쥍मीकक चररतम and Raghunatha Ramayana / रघुनाथ रामायण were also examples of prabandhas. But Sahaji combined together the tradition of the literary prabandha and the Yakshagana tradition. He created a fusion of the two and produced what are known as drishya kavyas / 饃श्यकाव्य. A harmonious blending of Sanskrit and Telugu with plenty of scope for dance both in its nritta and nritya aspects are found in these drishya kavyas. Sahaji conveys a dramatic story through song, dialogue, abhinaya and nritta in these dramas.

The Pallaki-seva prabandham is one of the earliest geya natakas in Telugu. The opera is developed around Tyagesar, the presiding deity of Thiruvarur. The rhythmic movements of palanquin bearers are described in this opera. It is admirable that a Maratha king had such a fine command over the Telugu language. There are 22 darus and varieties of musical forms like churnika / चूर्णकथ ा, kandapadya / कन्द्दऩा饍य, sesapadya / सेसाऩा饍य, utpalamala / उतऩऱमाऱा, champakamala / चनऩकमाऱा and dvipada / 饍वळऩद. These serve as connecting links to the chain of events. The darus contain swanamamudra / स्ळनाममुरा of Sahaji. His conception of the whole idea is splendid and it is very pleasant to note Sahaji describing the Goddess as sangita rasike / संगीत रशसके . It was the custom of the palanquin bearers to sing the Pallaki-seva prabandham while

carrying the king from Tanjore to Thiruvarur / थि셁वा셁र.

The Vishnu pallakiseva prabandha has Goddess Lakshmi as nayaki. It consists of sobhana / सोभना, pavvalimbu / ऩव्ळशऱनब,ू daru / द셂, dvipada / 饍वळऩद, padva / ऩडळा, dodhaka / दोधक, davalambu / दळऱानबू and melukoluku / मेऱुकोऱुकू . Rhetorical beauties like vrittyanuprasa / ळतृ तयानुप्रास, muktapadagrasta / मुततऩदग्रस्त, chekanuprasa / चेकानुप्रास and latanuprasa / ऱतानुप्रास are abundant in this nataka. Pallcikiseva therefore is a kind of temple service, very much popular in the district of Tanjore. The deity is taken out in procession followed by music and dance. A remarkable point is the description of such processions is made in elegant Telugu. The pancharatna prabandha gives a wonderful treatment of dance and music, in which a band of five artists consisting of two dancing girls, nattuvanar, chenchu kuravas / चᴂचू कु रळ, and a servant to help the artist, form the group. They visit the court of Parameswara and pleased with their talents in dancing, the Lord honours them. This work is noteworthy, because it consists of ghananatya / घनना絍य. This dance is full of jatis and korvais in different talas. The sequence of korvai, jati, ganapathi kautuvam, daru, etc. present novelty to this production. It also shows a high degree of perfection of the art where sahitya is given secondary importance and the emphasis is on music and rhythm. Pancharatna prabandha stands as monumental evidence to Sahaji's proficiency in music and dance.

Vinodhachitra prabandha is a manipravala / मर्णप्रळाल prabandha in which the songs are composed in Sanskrit, Marathi, Telugu and Tamil. This contains six acts and Sahaji himself calls it a nataka.

Sahaji is the devotee of Lord Tyagesar whom he has conceived here as the Lord of dance Nataraja. He dedicates the works to Him for His delight (vinoda). This work is also called Sankarakalinatana Samvada Natakam / ऴंकरकाऱीनटन संळाद नाटकम . In this nataka a conversational bout between Goddess Badrakali and Lord Tyagesar leads to resurgence of the form of Lord Nataraja. Incidentally the nature of Devanatya / देळना絍य, Rajanatya / राजना絍य and Desinatya / देऴीना絍य (heavenly, court and popular dance) becomes one of the topics of the interesting debate that goes on between Tyagesar and Badrakali where both of them finally settle for Desinatya, since it has a wider variety of dance forms.

The darus in Sankarakalinatana Samvada Natakam are very unique in nature. Sahaji has composed darus which explain in detail the different types of flowers, birds, animals, society, people etc. Here, the dancer while choreographing has opportunity to incorporate different hastas as defined in the dance texts, or even innovate new hastabinayas / हस्ताशभनय. These types of dance compositions give scope for improvement in hastabhinayas. A daru in this natakam describes thirty varieties of talas and its usages. A unique item in this nataka is called Svara sabdartha tala diavaratna prabandha / स्ळर ऴ녍दाथथ ताऱ दैळरतन प्रबंध. This is filled with jatis and svaras and is in raga todi and dhruva tala. This natakam has varieties of such songs which demand great experience and knowledge of dance on the part of the composer and dancer. It speaks volumes of king Sahajirs literary and music accomplishments.

The term prabandha denotes any work based on purana or a piece of literature. A prabandha is a composition with four angas (parts)

6 and six types of dattus / दततु (elements). The dattus include svara / स्ळर (musical note), pada / ऩद (lyric), biruda / बब셁द (ornamentation of the pada) pata / ऩट (rhythmic syllables) tata / तट (beat) and teneka / तेनका (words like om, nam, tam etc.). In the light of the textual knowledge, it is clear that different types of prabandhas were produced by including or omitting any of these angas or dattus. Prabandha is a poetical composition or kavya.

In this sense the Nalayira Divyaprabandham / नाऱनयरा ददव्यप्रबन्द्धम in Tamil and Telugu Mahabharata are also referred to as prabandha. But in the beginning of the 16th century, prabandha came to mean "a kavya of erotic type”. It must contain varnana / ळणथन (description) of a king, capital, mountain, river, sunset, love, marriage etc. The prabandhas are classified as prakyata / प्रतयात, where the theme is taken from an epic or purana. Uttpadya prabandha / उततऩ饍या प्रबंध, in which the story is the result of the author's own imagination and misraprabandha / शमस्रप्रबंध where the theme is borrowed from puranic or epic and mixed up with interesting incidences, born out of the authors’ imagination. This variety of misraprabandha gained popularity during the 16th cen. A. D. The innovation of kriti and keerthana replaced the old prabandha form of musical compositions. As evidences prove’ the prabandha form was popular during the time of Sahaji and at this point of time it denotes a set form of rhythmic musical composition. Sahaji has invested the elements of Yakshagana into the literary form of prabandha and thus gave plenty of scope for natya and nritta aspects. As mentioned earlier the prabandha of Sahaji is a compilation of various types of darus. For example: Vigneshwara daru, Sringara daru, Leela daru, Abhinaya daru, Jakkini daru, etc., The darus have no thematic link and this makes the prabandha different from the nataka or Yakshagana which is expected to have a single theme. Each daru is mentioned with the appropriate names of ragas, talas, svarajathis and sollukattus. Wide varieties of darus suitable for dance presentations abound in Sahaji’s prabandhas. Sahaji was the first composer to have composed sringara padas in Marathi. It is a compiled work under the name Rasikakarnamirtham. He has

explained vividly the nayika lakshana and nayika beda in this work.

Sahaji’s Sringara Padas: 147 No. Name of Padas Raga Tala 1. Nandi Pada Surati Adi 2. Svivalakshana Pada Mukari 3. Poorvoktamugdalakshana Brindavana •• Pada Saranga 4. Agayathayovanalakshana Nadananua Ata Pada Kriya

5. Gayathayovanalakshana Sankara Adi Pada barnam 6. Navodalakshana Pada Ahiri " 7. Visabdranavodalakshana Surati or Pada Nayaki 8. Madhyalakshana Pada 148 Pantuvarali 9. Prakalpanalakshana Todi " 10. Sugrathenanda Asaveri " mohalakshana Pada 11. Praudadheeralakshana Begada Ata 12. padaAdheeralakshana Pada Bhairavi Adi 13. Dheeradheeralakshana Bhairavi " 14. PadaPraudamanavathilakshana Begada Ata 15. Pravudalakshana Pada Huseni 16. Anutakanyalakshana Pada Nayaki of Kanada 17. Vmthasurathagopana Surati Adi Lakshana 18. Vadivadagdhalakshana ......

19. PadaKriyavidagdhalakshana Atana Ata 20. PadaLakshithalakshana Pada Bhairavi Ata 21. Kulatalakshana Pada Ahiri 66 22. Anushayanalakshana Pada Kalyani Adi 23. Mudhithalakshana Pada Malhar Ata 24. Samanyalakshana Pada Asaveri Adi 25. Prathamaproshithapathika Gantarava Adi lakshana Pada 26. Dudariproshitapathika Gandamath Ata 27. Kandithalakshana Pada arKapi " 28. Kalaliantaritalakshana Pada Gumma Adi kambodi 29. Vipralabdalakshana Pada Gowri Ata 30. Ukthalakshana Pada Todi Adi

31. Vasakasadlalakshana Pada Gowri Adi 32. Svadinpathilkalakshana Subapantu Rupaka Pada varali 33 Rakiabhisarikalakshana Madhya Adi Pada mavathi 34. Divabhisarikalakshana Pada149 Mohanam Adi 35. Jyosthrabhisarikalakshana Dhanyasi Adi Pada 36. Uttamalakshana Kapi " 37. Madhyamalakshana Kalyani Ata 38. Adamalakshana Begada " 39. Swapradarshinilakshana Todi Adi 40. Chitradarshinilakshana ...... 41. Sakshadarshini Gowri Adi 42. Sandesh Pada Kambodhi ...

In the context of prabandha, pada signifies the word content of the composition (mattu / माट्टू ). At a certain stage pada came to denote all compositions with a meaningful sahitya (dattu / दाट्टू ). Padam in modern parlance is synonymous with a particular form of lyric that gives ample scope for expression of emotions. The padams of Kshetrayya (17th century) which are filled with madhurabakthi on Muvvagopala / मुव्ळगोऩाऱा, depicts various types of nayika. King Sahaji seems to have been inspired by these padams. The Tyagesa padas are classified as bhakti and are most appropriate for performing abhinaya. Sahaji has given some of the best padas of this variety.

A new format of dance was introduced by Raja Serfoji in the name of Nirupana-s / नन셂ऩण. They are narration of a story with vivid themes possessing all the features of a dance repertoire. Nirupana literally means the amplification of a theme. The root seems to have been from the keerthan, popularly known as

Kathakalakshepam / कथाकऱाऺेऩम. Serfoji's Nirupanas present a single theme woven into a series of eighteen different types of dance compositions. The eighteen items figuring in one Nirupana are: 150 1. Jayajaya 2. Pada 3. Geethi 4. Saranu 5. Swarajathi 6. Prabandha 7. Alaru 8. Abhinayapada 9. Triputa 10. Sollu 11. Tillana 12. Sloka varna 13. Sabda 14. Arjitapada15. Kautta 16. Varnam 17. Jakkini 18. Mangala.

Serfoji was the first composer to introduce a single theme concept. All these original titles of the eighteen varieties are in Sanskrit and Devanagari manuscripts. Serfoji's Nirupana, in short, includes compositions which relate to the repertoire of the past as well as the present. An important aspect is that the composer has prescribed a single raga and tala for the whole series of eighteen compositions. This is rather impractical, judged from the point of view of the present day connoisseur. Perhaps this was accepted by the audience of Serfoji’s time since the performance went throughout the night.

All the Nirupanas are condensed in a book by the name of korvayanche Sahityache Jinnah by late Acharya Parvati Kumar. This contains sixteen varieties of Nirupana compositions based on puranic epic and kalpitha kathas. All the Nirupana-s begin with the invocatory item jayajaya / जयजय and end with mangalam / मंगऱम. This can be danced as a solo performance. The performance conveys all features, emotions and moods of different characters. The compositions end with saranudaru / सरणुद셂. What is to be noted in his work, is the existence of seven different types of allarippus in

different talas. The seven sets are of the nature of Ekartha / एकाथथ i.e. particularization of a subject. Several items in the programme are gradually introduced in due course of the performance,so as to enable the audience to understand151 the thematic subject and succeeding sequence by excellent exposition through gestures and abhinayas.

Nirupanas of king Serfoji:

No. Name Raga Tala 1. Parvathopakyana yadukulakamboji adi 2. Saripatachadava kalipitha poorvikalyani adi katha 3. DandaneethiNirupana sama adi 4. Mahadevachi prarthana sudhasaveri ata 5. Sakhine nayakis srama arabhi adasow Nayakas kalavoon sankatopaya karana 6. Sakine nayakis Pantuvarali surafacta buddhiwada Sangayanchi 7. Suladikaliptha katha Saveri rupaka Though these Nirupanas are in Marathi language they are set to Carnatic mode of raga and tala. This forms a good background for sadir dance. The dance items present in these Nirupanas are alaru, sabdam, sollu, var nam, padam, tillana, kavutha, svaraJati, jakkini and mangalam. This type of dance performed by a solo dancer depicting or dramatizing a completeplay was called bhedyaka. Apart from these Nirupanas, Serfoji has composed a suladi / सूऱादी in ragamalika / रागमाशऱका and talamalika / ताऱमाशऱका and salamachi jinna kalpitha katha / सऱामाची जजन्द्न कज쥍ऩत कथा in raga attana and aditala. This dance piece explains very colourfully the various kinds of salaams / सऱाम, salutations, ramram / रामराम, namaskar / नमस्कार, mujaras / मुजरा, offered to Raja Serfoji in his durbar. The method and practice of various communities and people of India and their respect to the king are vividly presented. A novel form, patronised by Serfoji II was the enactment of kuruvanjis in Marathi language. His Devendra Kuravanji / देळेन्द्रकु रळंजी and Tristhalliteerthayatra Lavani / बत्रस्था쥍ऱीतीथथयात्रा ऱाळणी are interesting compositions. Devendra Kuravanji in the Marathi language deals with the wanderings of a kuruva woman who describes the heroine and qualities of the hero in melodious songs. The Kuravanji reflects Serfoji’s indepth knowledge of music. The Lavani singing was popular in his time which is of folk variety. Serfoji authored many kathas and natakas as well.