The Bhakti Of The Bharatnatyam Dancer

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A warm, brilliantly hued saree. Expressively lined eyes. Captivating mudras accompanying the sonorous sound of ghungroos. The magic of bharatnatyam is not only in the dancer, but in her attire and her skill and her expressiveness. It is hands-down the crown jewel of the eight classical dances of India (the other seven being Odissi, Mohiniattam, Manipuri, Kathakali, Kathak, Kuchipudi, and Sattriya), and has overtones of Shaivism, Shaktism, and Vaishnavism unlike any of the others.

The painting that you see on this page is a stylised composition of a bharatnatyam dancer. Her form is sublime, of which depicted herewith are the mudra of her hands, the ghungroo on her feet, and the beauty of her face. Her hands and feet are dyed the vivid red of the alta, a locally made liquid derived from crushed hibiscus flowers. Gold bangles tinkle at her fair wrists, and pristine silver adornments grace her neck and her ears and the parting of her jet black hair.

She lowers her head ever so subtly. She is drawn in by the music, her eyes shut, a serene smile playing on the corners of her red-lipped mouth. A gracious red bindi surrounded by dots of sandalwood paste marks the location of the mythical ajna chakra. Against the statement gold backdrop of the composition, the dancer’s mudras and musculature seem to have a particularly lifelike quality.