DOCSLIB.ORG

The Parallel Evolution of Bharatanātyam and South Indian Architecture

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

Dancing Architecture: The parallel evolution of Bharatanātyam and South Indian Architecture by Kavitha Jayakrishnan A thesis presented to the University of Waterloo in fulfilment of the thesis requirement for the degree of Master of Architecture Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2011 © Kavitha Jayakrishnan 2011 Author’s Declaration I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revi- sions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. iii Abstract less compelling in the context of modern south Indian architecture. With an increasingly unstable political landscape during the 20th century, architectural growth in south India during this period is almost stagnant. In her book, "Indian Classical dance", Kapila Unfortunately, this creates a break in the continuity and Vatsyayan describes dance as the highest order of spiri- comparative evolution of dance and architecture, lead- tual discipline, the enactment of which is symbolic of a ing to the fragmentation and abstraction of dance in its ritual sacrifice of one's being to a transcendental order. modern form. The Natya-Shashtra, a treatise on drama and dance, re- veals the status of the performing arts as equal to prayer South Indian dance has since transformed into a promi- and sacrificial rites in the pursuit of moksha, the release nent cultural symbol and various incarnations of the form cycles of rebirth. Both dance and dancer function dancer have become the isolated yet important link, as a vehicle for divine invocation and are mirrored in between tradition and modernity. As an evolving liv- the architectural surroundings. ing embodiment of contemporary culture and identity, her transformation from Devadasi, to an icon of na- To investigate this connection between dance and place, tionalism, to a choreographer of 'high art' provides the it is imperative to understand the mythical origins of foundation for the reintegration of architecture in the architecture and temple dance. the Hindu philosophy cultural fabric. The culmination of this research aims of the cosmic man and its religious relationship with to reinstate the importance of architecture as a cultural the Dravidian architecture of Tamil Nadu is the start- nexus in order to restring a fragmented dance, commu- ing point of the discussion of a south Indian aesthetic. nity and cultural identity. The Vastu-purusha mandala is a philosophical diagram that provides a foundation for Hindu aesthetics, link- ing physical distance, religious position and universal scale in both time and space. Used as an architectural diagram, it becomes a mediator between the human body and the cosmos. The temple, as a setting for dance performances, and constructed based on the mandala, shares this quality of immersing its participants into a multi-sensory spatial experience. However, while the link between architecture and dance culture was explicit up to the 18th century, it is v Acknowledgements Gurur-Brahma Gurur-Vishnu Gurur-Devo Maheshwaraha Guru-sākshat Para-Brahma tasmai Shri Gurave Namaha Saraswati namastubhyam varade kāmarupini vidyārambham karishyāmi, siddhirbhavatu me sadā Asatomā sadgamayā Tamasomā jyothirgamayā mrithyormā amurthangamaya Om Shānti, Shānti, Shāntihi O Master; you are the creator, the sustainer, the divine and destroyer. You are the omnipresent and the glorious transcendental divinity, I salute You. O Divinity of learning, Giver of boons, Giver of form to desire. I am going to start studying, may it always be my success. Lead us from darkness to light, from ignorance to truth. And from death to eternity, let peace prevail everywhere. For my family. vii Contents Author’s Declaration .................... iii Abstract .................... v Acknowledgements .................... vii List of Illustrations .................... xi A note on content and language .................... xvii Bharata’s Address .................... xix CHAPTER 1: Classical South Indian Architecture and Dance Introduction .................... 1 CHAPTER 2: The Foundations of Architecture andNātiyam The Cosmic Man .................... 7 TheNātya-Shāshtra .................... 17 A Brief overview of Bharatanātyam .................... 24 CHAPTER 3: The Dancers Apsārās .................... 29 Devadāsi .................... 33 CHAPTER 4: Natarāja Temple, Chidambaram: A Case Study Dancing in the heart of the Universe .................... 39 CHAPTER 5: Evolving Identities Duality in Identity .................... 55 Sculpted Identity .................... 60 Divided Identities .................... 65 Collective Identity .................... 71 ix Appendices Appendix 1: Glossary .................... 78 Appendix 2: South India - A timeline .................... 82 Appendix 3: Selected temple sites referencing .................. 86 the Natarāja image Appendix 4: Selected temple sites referencing mythology .................... 87 and dance style Bibliography .................... 88 x List of Illustrations 2 Fig. 1.0 Sutharshinie Palaniandy, Arangetram, Photography by Studio Narcissa, 2010 2 Madhu Ravindra, Arangetram, Photography by David Hou, 2010 3 Fig. 1.1 Sutharshinie Palaniandy, Arangetram, Photography by Studio Narcissa, 2010 8 Fig. 2.0 Vāstu Purusha Mandala Living Architecture: Indian by Andreas Volwahsen 9 Fig. 2.1 Development of ancillary shrine from cosmic circle and square Brahmeshvara temple plan Living Architecture: Indian by Andreas Volwahsen 9 Fig. 2.2 Community designation as per Vāstu Purusha Mandala, by author Based on text in Living Architecture: Indian by Andreas Volwahsen 11 Fig. 2.3 Annamalaiyar Temple Plan http://www.oocities.com/tiruvannamalainet/arunatemple.htm 11 Fig. 2.4 Thyagarājaswamy Temple, axonometric diagram The History of Architecture in India: From the Dawn of Civilization to the End of the Raj by Tadgell, Christopher 12 Fig. 2.5 Apsārās in dance pose, Natarāja Temple (top) http://wn.com/chidambaram_temple Apsārā carvings, Natarāja Temple (middle) http://www.nrityavidyalaya.com/bharatanatyam/index.html Dancing Shiva, Natarāja Temple (bottom) Hindu India: From Khajuraho to the temple city of Madurai by Henri Stierlin 13 Fig. 2.6 Carving of vīna player, Ranganātha Temple Hindu India: From Khajuraho to the temple city of Madurai by Henri Stierlin 14 Fig. 2.7 Apsārā carving, Jambukeshvara Temple Hindu India: From Khajuraho to the temple city of Madurai by Henri Stierlin 15 Fig. 2.8 Divine Hindu Trinity, author unknown http://www.artoflegendindia.com/hindu-trinity-p-21837.html 17 Fig. 2.9 Natarāja carving, Meenākshi Temple Hindu India: From Khajuraho to the temple city of Madurai by Henri Stierlin 18 Fig. 2.10 Performance content schedule, by author, 2010 Based on text in The Theatric Universe by Pramod Kale xi 19 Fig. 2.11 Components of stage presentation, by author, 2010 Based on text in The Theatric Universe by Pramod Kale 20 Fig. 2.12 Types of theatres, by author, 2010 Based on text in The Theatric Universe by Pramod Kale 21 Fig. 2.13 Comparative measurement systems, by author, 2011 Based on text in Why not theatres made for people? by Per Edstrom Images from: The architecture of India by Satish Grover; Why not theatres made for people? by Per Edstrom; An enclyclopedia of Hindu architecture by Prasanna Kumar Acharya 22 Fig. 2.14 Kārana sculptures, Natarāja Temple http://www.indianetzone.com/39/history_bharatnatyam.htm 24 Fig. 2.15 Sutharshinie Palaniandy, Arangetram, Photography by Studio Narcissa, 2010 25 Fig. 2.16 Dance components, by author Based on text in The Theatric Universe by Pramod Kale 26 Fig. 2.17 Types of Bhanga http://anilmenon.com/blog/2006/02/tribhanga-strike-a-pose.html#more-37 27 Fig. 2.18 Bharatanātyam dance poses http://www.theatre-du-soleil.fr/thsol/sources-orientales/les- sources-orientales/inde/ le-bharata-natyam/les-adavus-unites-de-danse-du 29 Fig. 3.0 Apsārās, celestial musician carving, Chidambaram Devi Temple Arrested Movement: Sculpture and Painting by Kapila Vatsyayan 30 Fig. 3.1 Mural of Apsārās in garbha-griha, Brihadeeshwara Temple Arrested Movement: Sculpture and Painting by Kapila Vatsyayan 31 Fig. 3.2 Urvasi Pururavas, Painting by Raja Ravi Varma http://www.citizendia.org/Urvashi_and_Pururavas 33 Fig. 3.3 Devadāsi of the middle ages, composite diagram by author, 2011 34 Fig. 3.4 Rāmāyanā Illustration, by Sri Jagannātha Mahāpātra Wives of the God-King by Frédérique Apffel Marglin 35 Fig. 3.5 Devadāsi painting, author unknown http://www.tribuneindia.com/1999/99dec12/sunday/head3.htm 36 Fig. 3.6 Map showing temple additions by Queen Sembiyan Mahadevi xii Redrawn by author, 2011, based on map found in Shiva Nataraja: Shifting Meanings of an Icon by Padma Kaimal 40 Fig. 4.0 Shivaganga Thirta (Holy tank), Natarāja Temple Photography provided by Digital South Asian Library http://www.earlychola.rajadeekshithar.com/dsalchidambaramshivaganga.jpg 42 Fig. 4.1 Natarāja Temple key plan, redrawn by author, 2011 Based on plans in Temple Architecture in South India by Alan Croker ; Shiva Nataraja: Shifting meaning of an icon by Padma Kaimal; The History of Architecture in India by Christopher Tadgell 42 Fig. 4.2 Natarāja Temple inner prakara plan, redrawn by author, 2011 Based on plans in Temple Architecture in South India by Alan Croker;The History of Architecture in India by Christopher Tadgell; Shiva Nataraja: Shifting meaning of an icon by Padma Kaimal; Chidambaram Temple map by Raja Deekshithar http://www.rajadeekshithar.com/spiritualvision_chidambaram_temple_map.htm
Recommended publications
  • Indian Classical Dance Is a Relatively New Umbrella Term for Various Codified Art Forms Rooted in Natya, the Sacred Hindu Musica

    Indian Classical Dance Is a Relatively New Umbrella Term for Various Codified Art Forms Rooted in Natya, the Sacred Hindu Musica

    CLASSICAL AND FOLK DANCES IN INDIAN CULTURE Palkalai Chemmal Dr ANANDA BALAYOGI BHAVANANI Chairman: Yoganjali Natyalayam, Pondicherry. INTRODUCTION: Dance in India comprises the varied styles of dances and as with other aspects of Indian culture, different forms of dances originated in different parts of India, developed according to the local traditions and also imbibed elements from other parts of the country. These dance forms emerged from Indian traditions, epics and mythology. Sangeet Natak Akademi, the national academy for performing arts, recognizes eight distinctive traditional dances as Indian classical dances, which might have origin in religious activities of distant past. These are: Bharatanatyam- Tamil Nadu Kathak- Uttar Pradesh Kathakali- Kerala Kuchipudi- Andhra Pradesh Manipuri-Manipur Mohiniyattam-Kerala Odissi-Odisha Sattriya-Assam Folk dances are numerous in number and style, and vary according to the local tradition of the respective state, ethnic or geographic regions. Contemporary dances include refined and experimental fusions of classical, folk and Western forms. Dancing traditions of India have influence not only over the dances in the whole of South Asia, but on the dancing forms of South East Asia as well. In modern times, the presentation of Indian dance styles in films (Bollywood dancing) has exposed the range of dance in India to a global audience. In ancient India, dance was usually a functional activity dedicated to worship, entertainment or leisure. Dancers usually performed in temples, on festive occasions and seasonal harvests. Dance was performed on a regular basis before deities as a form of worship. Even in modern India, deities are invoked through religious folk dance forms from ancient times.
  • General Introduction to Odishan Temple Architecture

    General Introduction to Odishan Temple Architecture

    Odisha Review May - 2012 General introduction to Odishan Temple Architecture Anjaliprava Sahoo INTRODUCTION Sastras recognize three main styles of temple architecture known as the Nagara, the Dravida Temple is a ‘Place of Worship’. It is also called 1 the ‘House of God’. Stella Kramrisch has defined and the Vesara. temple as ‘Monument of Manifestation’ in her NAGARA TEMPLE STYLE book ‘The Hindu Temple’. The temple is one of Nagara types of temples are the typical the prominent and enduring symbols of Indian Northern Indian temples with curvilinear sikhara- culture: it is the most graphic expression of religious spire topped by amlakasila.2 This style was fervour, metaphysical values and aesthetic developed during A.D. 5th century. The Nagara aspiration. style is characterized by a beehive-shaped and The idea of temple originated centuries multi-layered tower, called ‘Sikhara’. The layers ago in the universal ancient conception of God in of this tower are topped by a large round cushion- a human form, which required a habitation, a like element called ‘amlaka’. The plan is based shelter and this requirement resulted in a structural on a square but the walls are sometimes so shrine. India’s temple architecture is developed segmented, that the tower appears circular in from the Sthapati’s and Silpi’s creativity. A small shape. Advancement in the architecture is found Hindu temple consists of an inner sanctum, the in temples belonging to later periods, in which the Garbha Griha or womb chamber; a small square central shaft is surrounded by many smaller room with completely plain walls having a single narrow doorway in the front, inside which the image is housed and other chambers which are varied from region to region according to the needs of the rituals.
  • Copyright by Kristen Dawn Rudisill 2007

    Copyright by Kristen Dawn Rudisill 2007

    Copyright by Kristen Dawn Rudisill 2007 The Dissertation Committee for Kristen Dawn Rudisill certifies that this is the approved version of the following dissertation: BRAHMIN HUMOR: CHENNAI’S SABHA THEATER AND THE CREATION OF MIDDLE-CLASS INDIAN TASTE FROM THE 1950S TO THE PRESENT Committee: ______________________________ Kathryn Hansen, Co-Supervisor ______________________________ Martha Selby, Co-Supervisor ______________________________ Ward Keeler ______________________________ Kamran Ali ______________________________ Charlotte Canning BRAHMIN HUMOR: CHENNAI’S SABHA THEATER AND THE CREATION OF MIDDLE-CLASS INDIAN TASTE FROM THE 1950S TO THE PRESENT by Kristen Dawn Rudisill, B.A.; A.M. Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of the University of Texas at Austin in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The University of Texas at Austin December 2007 For Justin and Elijah who taught me the meaning of apu, pācam, kātal, and tuai ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I came to this project through one of the intellectual and personal journeys that we all take, and the number of people who have encouraged and influenced me make it too difficult to name them all. Here I will acknowledge just a few of those who helped make this dissertation what it is, though of course I take full credit for all of its failings. I first got interested in India as a religion major at Bryn Mawr College (and Haverford) and classes I took with two wonderful men who ended up advising my undergraduate thesis on the epic Ramayana: Michael Sells and Steven Hopkins. Dr. Sells introduced me to Wendy Doniger’s work, and like so many others, I went to the University of Chicago Divinity School to study with her, and her warmth compensated for the Chicago cold.
  • Cow Care in Hindu Animal Ethics Kenneth R

    Cow Care in Hindu Animal Ethics Kenneth R

    THE PALGRAVE MACMILLAN ANIMAL ETHICS SERIES Cow Care in Hindu Animal Ethics Kenneth R. Valpey The Palgrave Macmillan Animal Ethics Series Series Editors Andrew Linzey Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics Oxford, UK Priscilla N. Cohn Pennsylvania State University Villanova, PA, USA Associate Editor Clair Linzey Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics Oxford, UK In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the ethics of our treatment of animals. Philosophers have led the way, and now a range of other scholars have followed from historians to social scientists. From being a marginal issue, animals have become an emerging issue in ethics and in multidisciplinary inquiry. Tis series will explore the challenges that Animal Ethics poses, both conceptually and practically, to traditional understandings of human-animal relations. Specifcally, the Series will: • provide a range of key introductory and advanced texts that map out ethical positions on animals • publish pioneering work written by new, as well as accomplished, scholars; • produce texts from a variety of disciplines that are multidisciplinary in character or have multidisciplinary relevance. More information about this series at http://www.palgrave.com/gp/series/14421 Kenneth R. Valpey Cow Care in Hindu Animal Ethics Kenneth R. Valpey Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies Oxford, UK Te Palgrave Macmillan Animal Ethics Series ISBN 978-3-030-28407-7 ISBN 978-3-030-28408-4 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-28408-4 © Te Editor(s) (if applicable) and Te Author(s) 2020. Tis book is an open access publication. Open Access Tis book is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.
  • Colonial Indian Architecture:A Historical Overview

    Colonial Indian Architecture:A Historical Overview

    Journal of Xi'an University of Architecture & Technology Issn No : 1006-7930 Colonial Indian Architecture:A Historical Overview Debobrat Doley Research Scholar, Dept of History Dibrugarh University Abstract: The British era is a part of the subcontinent’s long history and their influence is and will be seen on many societal, cultural and structural aspects. India as a nation has always been warmly and enthusiastically acceptable of other cultures and ideas and this is also another reason why many changes and features during the colonial rule have not been discarded or shunned away on the pretense of false pride or nationalism. As with the Mughals, under European colonial rule, architecture became an emblem of power, designed to endorse the occupying power. Numerous European countries invaded India and created architectural styles reflective of their ancestral and adopted homes. The European colonizers created architecture that symbolized their mission of conquest, dedicated to the state or religion. The British, French, Dutch and the Portuguese were the main European powers that colonized parts of India.So the paper therefore aims to highlight the growth and development Colonial Indian Architecture with historical perspective. Keywords: Architecture, British, Colony, European, Modernism, India etc. INTRODUCTION: India has a long history of being ruled by different empires, however, the British rule stands out for more than one reason. The British governed over the subcontinent for more than three hundred years. Their rule eventually ended with the Indian Independence in 1947, but the impact that the British Raj left over the country is in many ways still hard to shake off.
  • Easter Eggs: a Narrative Chronology

    Easter Eggs: a Narrative Chronology

    EASTER EGGS: A NARRATIVE CHRONOLOGY Adrienne Edwards and Thomas J. Lax Collaboration is a touchstone for Ralph, who has turned family members into participants and made lifelong artistic affiliations with strangers. As a young girl, Chelsea Lemon Fetzer, the artist’s daughter and one of his first collaborators, remembers methodically taking a bite out of dozens of apples used as props in his Wanda in the Awkward Age, of 1982. Twenty years later, her video documents of his Living Room Dances—in which Lemon cold called the oldest living descendants of blues musicians, showing up to dance in their living rooms and record their reactions—are fruits of an exercise in supreme observation. Under the auspices of the Ralph Lemon Company, founded in 1985 and dissolved in 1995, and of Cross Performance, Inc., founded in 1995 with the support of Ann Rosenthal and MAPP International Productions, Ralph has worked with movement artists and storytellers across the places he has traveled and then stayed: Minneapolis; New York; Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire; Accra, Ghana; Nrityagram, India; Nagoya, Japan; Kunming, China; Little Yazoo, Mississippi; and many more. It seemed only fitting that the story of Ralph’s work be narrated by those whose words, gestures, and likenesses have helped to make it. What follows is a roughly chronological, wholly partial account of Ralph’s forty years of art making, compiled through in-person, telephone, and email conversations conducted on the occasion of this publication. It is an imitation of Ralph’s work, which, as Kathy Halbreich told us, always walks that very fine line between the carefully crafted and the amateur, engaging muscle knowledge so sedimented it looks untaught.
  • Bharatanatyam: Eroticism, Devotion, and a Return to Tradition

    Bharatanatyam: Eroticism, Devotion, and a Return to Tradition

    BHARATANATYAM: EROTICISM, DEVOTION, AND A RETURN TO TRADITION A THESIS Presented to The Faculty of the Department of Religion In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Bachelor of Arts By Taylor Steine May/2016 Page 1! of 34! Abstract The classical Indian dance style of Bharatanatyam evolved out of the sadir dance of the devadāsīs. Through the colonial period, the dance style underwent major changes and continues to evolve today. This paper aims to examine the elements of eroticism and devotion within both the sadir dance style and the contemporary Bharatanatyam. The erotic is viewed as a religious path to devotion and salvation in the Hindu religion and I will analyze why this eroticism is seen as religious and what makes it so vital to understanding and connecting with the divine, especially through the embodied practices of religious dance. Introduction Bharatanatyam is an Indian dance style that evolved from the sadir dance of devadāsīs. Sadir has been popular since roughly the 6th century. The original sadir dance form most likely originated in the area of Tamil Nadu in southern India and was used in part for temple rituals. Because of this connection to the ancient sadir dance, Bharatanatyam has historic traditional value. It began as a dance style performed in temples as ritual devotion to the gods. This original form of the style performed by the devadāsīs was inherently religious, as devadāsīs were women employed by the temple specifically to perform religious texts for the deities and for devotees. Because some sadir pieces were dances based on poems about kings and not deities, secularism does have a place in the dance form.
  • FOR B.ARCH - BACHELOR of ARCHITECTURE (FIVE YEAR - FULL TIME) REGULATION – 2016 -I (Applicable to the Students Admitted from the Academic Year 2015 -2016)

    FOR B.ARCH - BACHELOR of ARCHITECTURE (FIVE YEAR - FULL TIME) REGULATION – 2016 -I (Applicable to the Students Admitted from the Academic Year 2015 -2016)

    DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE MINUTES of BOARD OF STUDIES CURRICULUM & SYLLABUS (I - X Semester) For B.Arch (Bachelor of Architecture) (Based on Outcome Based Education) REGULATION– 2016 R-I REGULATIONS – 2015 (Revision 1) TABLE OF CONTENTS S.No Contents P.No 1. Institute Vision and Mission 1 2. Department Vision and Mission 2 3. Members of Board of studies 3 4. Department Vision and Mission Definition Process 5 5. Programme Educational Objectives (PEO) 6 6. PEO Process Establishment 7 7. Mapping of Institute Mission to PEO 8 8. Mapping of Department Mission to PEO 9 9. Programme Outcome (PO) 10 10. PO Process Establishment 11 11 Correlation between the POs and the PEOs 12 12 Curriculum development process 13 13. Faculty allotted for course development 14 14 Pre-requisite Course Chart 18 15 B. Arch – Curriculum 19 16 B. Arch – Syllabus 27 17 Overall course mapping with POS 145 Ninth Board Of Studies ii Dated:07/04/2016 PERIYAR MANIAMMAI UNIVERSITY Our University is committed to the following Vision, Mission and core values, which guide us in carrying out our Architecture Department mission and realizing our vision: INSTITUTION VISION To be a University of global dynamism with excellence in knowledge and innovation ensuring social responsibility for creating an egalitarian society. INSTITUTION MISSION UM1 Offering well balanced programmes with scholarly faculty and state-of-art facilities to impart high level of knowledge. UM2 Providing student - centered education and foster their growth in critical thinking, creativity, entrepreneurship, problem solving and collaborative work. UM3 Involving progressive and meaningful research with concern for sustainable development.
  • The Ethnographic [Feministic-Legal] Comparative Study on Life Style of Female Prostitutes in the Historic and Contemporary India Having Reference to Their Status

    The Ethnographic [Feministic-Legal] Comparative Study on Life Style of Female Prostitutes in the Historic and Contemporary India Having Reference to Their Status

    INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH CULTURE SOCIETY ISSN: 2456-6683 Volume - 2, Issue - 2, Feb – 2018 UGC Approved Monthly, Peer-Reviewed, Refereed, Indexed Journal Impact Factor: 3.449 Publication Date: 28/02/2018 The Ethnographic [Feministic-Legal] Comparative Study on Life Style of Female Prostitutes In The Historic And Contemporary India Having Reference To Their Status B.Leelesh Sundaram 2nd year B.B.A, LL.B (hons), Saveetha School of Law, Saveetha University. Email - [email protected] Abstract: The nature has bestowed the beautiful capacity of bringing life into the world within women. Women are globally perceived as the purest form of beings in the world. India being a part of south Asian continent has given spiritual and ethnical importance to women at high extent, but this concept is hindered by the practice of prostitution. India is identified as one of the greatest centres of illegal prostitution practice in the contemporary society. The practice of prostitution in India is a part of the society from time in memorial and literature helps us understand the situation of prostitutes in Indian history. Though there has been a number of research and discussion done on prostitution in India, an ambiguity still prevail with respect to life style of female prostitutes in India by ethnographically comparing it with their lifestyle in historic owing special attention to their status. This research aims to study the extent of prostitution in India and compare the life style of prostitute in historic and contemporary India. The paper tries to analyze the status of prostitutes in historic and contemporary India and also find out the reaction towards prostitution in Contemporary and Historic India.
  • Secondary Indian Culture and Heritage

    Secondary Indian Culture and Heritage

    Culture: An Introduction MODULE - I Understanding Culture Notes 1 CULTURE: AN INTRODUCTION he English word ‘Culture’ is derived from the Latin term ‘cult or cultus’ meaning tilling, or cultivating or refining and worship. In sum it means cultivating and refining Ta thing to such an extent that its end product evokes our admiration and respect. This is practically the same as ‘Sanskriti’ of the Sanskrit language. The term ‘Sanskriti’ has been derived from the root ‘Kri (to do) of Sanskrit language. Three words came from this root ‘Kri; prakriti’ (basic matter or condition), ‘Sanskriti’ (refined matter or condition) and ‘vikriti’ (modified or decayed matter or condition) when ‘prakriti’ or a raw material is refined it becomes ‘Sanskriti’ and when broken or damaged it becomes ‘vikriti’. OBJECTIVES After studying this lesson you will be able to: understand the concept and meaning of culture; establish the relationship between culture and civilization; Establish the link between culture and heritage; discuss the role and impact of culture in human life. 1.1 CONCEPT OF CULTURE Culture is a way of life. The food you eat, the clothes you wear, the language you speak in and the God you worship all are aspects of culture. In very simple terms, we can say that culture is the embodiment of the way in which we think and do things. It is also the things Indian Culture and Heritage Secondary Course 1 MODULE - I Culture: An Introduction Understanding Culture that we have inherited as members of society. All the achievements of human beings as members of social groups can be called culture.
  • A History of Legal and Moral Regulation of Temple Dance in India

    A History of Legal and Moral Regulation of Temple Dance in India

    Naveiñ Reet: Nordic Journal of Law and Social Research (NNJLSR) No.6 2015, pp. 131-148 Dancing Through Laws: A History of Legal and Moral Regulation of Temple Dance in India Stine Simonsen Puri Introduction In 1947, in the state of Tamil Nadu in South India, an Act was passed, “The Tamil Nadu Devadasis (Prevention of Dedication) Act,” which among other things banned the dancing of women in front of Hindu temples. The Act was to target prostitution among the so-called devadasis that were working as performers within and beyond Hindu temples, and who, according to custom also were ritually married or dedicated to temple gods. The Act was the culmination of decades of public and legal debates centred on devadasis, who had come to symbolize what was considered a degenerated position of women within Hindu society. Concurrent with this debate, the dance of the devadasis which had developed through centuries was revived and reconfigured among the Indian upper class; and eventually declared one of Indian national dances, called bharatanatyam (which can translate as Indian dance). Today, while parts of the devadasi tradition have been banned, bharatanatyam is a popular activity for young girls and women among the urban middle and upper classes in all parts of India. The aim of this article is to examine moral boundaries tied to the female moving body in India. I do so by looking into the ways in which the regulation of a certain kind of dancers has framed the moral boundaries for contemporary young bharatanatyam dancers. A focus on legal and moral interventions in dance highlights the contested role of the female body in terms of gender roles, religious ideology, and moral economy.
  • A History of Indian Music by the Same Author

    A History of Indian Music by the Same Author

    68253 > OUP 880 5-8-74 10,000 . OSMANIA UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Call No.' poa U Accession No. Author'P OU H Title H; This bookok should bHeturned on or befoAbefoifc the marked * ^^k^t' below, nfro . ] A HISTORY OF INDIAN MUSIC BY THE SAME AUTHOR On Music : 1. Historical Development of Indian Music (Awarded the Rabindra Prize in 1960). 2. Bharatiya Sangiter Itihasa (Sanglta O Samskriti), Vols. I & II. (Awarded the Stisir Memorial Prize In 1958). 3. Raga O Rupa (Melody and Form), Vols. I & II. 4. Dhrupada-mala (with Notations). 5. Sangite Rabindranath. 6. Sangita-sarasamgraha by Ghanashyama Narahari (edited). 7. Historical Study of Indian Music ( ....in the press). On Philosophy : 1. Philosophy of Progress and Perfection. (A Comparative Study) 2. Philosophy of the World and the Absolute. 3. Abhedananda-darshana. 4. Tirtharenu. Other Books : 1. Mana O Manusha. 2. Sri Durga (An Iconographical Study). 3. Christ the Saviour. u PQ O o VM o Si < |o l "" c 13 o U 'ij 15 1 I "S S 4-> > >-J 3 'C (J o I A HISTORY OF INDIAN MUSIC' b SWAMI PRAJNANANANDA VOLUME ONE ( Ancient Period ) RAMAKRISHNA VEDANTA MATH CALCUTTA : INDIA. Published by Swaxni Adytaanda Ramakrishna Vedanta Math, Calcutta-6. First Published in May, 1963 All Rights Reserved by Ramakrishna Vedanta Math, Calcutta. Printed by Benoy Ratan Sinha at Bharati Printing Works, 141, Vivekananda Road, Calcutta-6. Plates printed by Messrs. Bengal Autotype Co. Private Ltd. Cornwallis Street, Calcutta. DEDICATED TO SWAMI VIVEKANANDA AND HIS SPIRITUAL BROTHER SWAMI ABHEDANANDA PREFACE Before attempting to write an elaborate history of Indian Music, I had a mind to write a concise one for the students.