Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel TipsTravel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel TipsTravel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips
  • Home
  • Travel News
  • Travel Guides
  • Travel FAQs
  • Destinations
  • Diaspora Stories
  • Immigration
  • Exclusive
Font ResizerAa
Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel TipsTravel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips
Font ResizerAa
  • Home
  • Travel News
  • Travel Guides
  • Travel FAQs
  • Destinations
  • Diaspora Stories
  • Immigration
  • Exclusive
Search
  • Home
  • Travel News
  • Travel Guides
  • Travel FAQs
  • Destinations
  • Diaspora Stories
  • Immigration
  • Exclusive
Follow US
© Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
Kathak dancers, Indian classical dance forms, Indian Eagle travel blog
Indian culture

Interesting Facts about Classical Dance Heritage of India

Indian Eagle
04/30/2014

Today is International Dance Day; the day to celebrate dance as a manifestation of creativity and an art of imagination across the world. India too celebrates its classical dance culture, a priceless heritage of the ancient times. The Indian classical dance forms have made it to international heights from the four walls of temples and royal courts. A cultural legacy for generations, the classical dance heritage of India is worth a tribute today. Indian Eagle briefs the classical dances to celebrate International Dance Day.

Bharatanatyam

indian classical dances, cultural heritage of India, Indian dance forms

One of the most celebrated classical dance forms of India, Bharatanatyam is unique to the Dravidian culture of South India. Tamil Nadu and Karnataka, the South Indian states, have been basking in the glory of Bharatanatyam for generations. The origin of this classical dance is associated with the 2000-year old Devdasi tradition in the temples of South India. Bharatanatyam is mythically believed to be introduced by Lord Brahma and documented by Sage Bharata in the Natya Shastra, a Sanskrit text. Devdasis or temple dancers who were dedicated in service to the presiding deities used to perform Bharatanatyam in temples. Mridangam, Veena, Flute, Violin and Talam are some of the instruments used in this dance performance.

Kathak

Kathak dancers, Indian classical dance forms, Indian Eagle travel blog

If Bharatanatyam is the mainstay of South Indian culture, Kathak is intermingled with the culture of North India. The recitation of mythological tales in rhythm with music and dance in ancient India is believed to be the origin of Kathak. Therefore, this classical dance form is associated with the recital art of storytelling. In the bygone days, kathakars or bards or poets used to depict mythological stories from the scriptures through facial expressions and hand gestures in villages as well as temples. It became sophisticated and popular in the Mughal regime. Kathak has been patronized in Banaras, Lucknow and Jaipur. The story of Radha and Krishna is the predominant theme of Kathak. Such instruments as Tabla, Pakwaj, Harmonium, Sarengi and Talam are used in Kathak performances.

Kathakali

Kerala dance culture, Indian classical dance forms, Indian eagle travel blog

Kerala has its own share of the Indian cultural heritage and that is for Kathakali, a classical dance form. Heavy makeup and colorful costume are the most amazing facets of Kathakali. The painted face and colorful appearance of Kathakali dancers are identified with the culture of Kerala. A most sophisticated form of imagination, Kathakali dance is a highly creative medium to depict the stories of the Hindu epics and mythologies. As it is a group performance, each dancer wears a different makeup as per the role or character. The dancer playing a noble hero or god wears green makeup on the face, while the dance playing a demon smears his face in green with red marks on the cheeks. It has become a popular dance drama over the years. Chenda, Cymbals, and Maddalam are the instruments used in Kathakali shows.

Kuchipudi

Indian cultural heritage, classical dance forms of India

Kuchipudi has risen to international fame from a village in the South Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. This classical dance of India owes its origin to the Telugu Brahmins in Kuchelapuram Village, who were known for their expertise in staging the mythological legends through dance, drama and music. Kuchipudi has evolved from the Bhagavatmela tradition and differed from other Indian classical dance forms by the use of speech. The Kuchipudi dance moves are faster than those of any other classical dance. It is performed to both the Carnatic music and the Hindustani Music. There are a few variations of Kuchipudi.

Manipuri

Manipuri dance, Indian folk dances, classical dance forms of India

Manipuri, a distinguished classical dance heritage of northeast India, deserves a mention here. Woven into the life and culture of Manipur, a northeastern state amidst hills, Manipuri is known for its poetic charm, colorful costumes and delicate moves. Since the time when the gods, as it is believed, dried a lake in the countryside of Manipur to make space for dance, this classical dance has been part of the socio-religious culture of the state. Ras Leela and Sankirtana are the devotional themes of Manipuri dance. The Manipuri dancers wear colorfully embroidered skirts with transparent embellished veil.

Odissi

Odissi dance culture, Indian classical dance forms

One of the classical dance forms of ancient India, Odissi is the cultural pride of the state Orissa or Odisha. Like other forms of Indian culture, Odissi has its own story of survival. It has evolved through modifications over years. Nritya and Abhinaya are two most interesting highlights of Odissi. In Nritya, the dancers make delicate body movements to create ornamental moves. In Abhinaya, the dancers make myriad facial expressions to interpret a religious story or mythical legend. Odissi is performed in a multiple different styles including tribhangi.

Indian Eagle shares with NRIs their love and respect for the culture of India. That is why IndianEagle.com offers the cheapest air tickets to them.

TAGGED:Andhra PradeshIndiaIndian cultureJaipurKarnatakaKeralaManipurOrissaSouth IndiaTamil Nadu
8 Comments
  • Dr Vasanth says:
    07/17/2014 at 8:50 pm

    The picture in desciption of Bharatanatyam is Odissi..

    Reply
    • Shreyaa Banik says:
      06/22/2021 at 8:25 am

      Yess. This is not acceptable.

      Reply
  • Swarnaprabha Behera says:
    06/06/2017 at 6:55 am

    By reading this article, i have come to know the deeper aspects of indian dances.

    Reply
  • Miraya says:
    09/21/2020 at 4:26 am

    I liked this it gave me information for my dance project.

    Reply
  • Anu Bhardwaj says:
    07/08/2021 at 6:45 am

    Thanks for sharing the information.

    Reply
  • Alyssa Hill says:
    12/01/2021 at 5:55 pm

    Thanks for sharing the information and these Indian heritage dances are pretty cool!!!

    Reply
  • Kuhu says:
    05/04/2022 at 8:52 am

    You have forgotten a classical dance which is not included in many articles, that is Sattriya

    Reply
    • indianeagle says:
      05/04/2022 at 10:02 am

      Kuhu! Thank you very much for bringing this to our notice. We will definitely rework on the article.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Ad image

Find Us on Socials

Popular Posts

What's flight PNR? where to find PNR number, What to do with flight PNR code, airline PNR number risks
Why is It More Important to Know and Save Your Flight PNR Number These Days? A Complete Guide
FAQs
Who is Varun Mohan, Windsurf CEO Varun Mohan, Google DeepMind Varun Mohan, Google Vs OpenAI - Varun Mohan
Who is Varun Mohan? Windsurf CEO who Rejected OpenAI’s $3bn Offer to Join Google for $2.4bn
News
Schengen visa for transit in Germany, transit via Frankfurt and Munich, US to India travel via Germany
Hidden Schengen Visa Rule for Transit via Frankfurt and Munich, Rakesh Decodes and Saves His Travel on Time
Travel Stories
Indian parents' trip to USA, Indian parents' visit to Nvidia office California, Inspiring stories of Indian parents
Indian Techie Takes Parents to His Nvidia Office in USA; It Leaves Them Teary-eyed out of Pride and Joy
News
July 2025
M T W T F S S
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
28293031  
« Jun    

More Such Stories for You

Sankurathri Foundation Kakinada, Padma Shri Chandrasekhar Sankurathri, Srikiran Institute of Ophthalmology
Features

Padma Shri Chandrasekhar Sankurathri: His Tragic Loss in Air India Plane Crash 1985 Made Him a Hero for the Poor

6 Min Read
Tirupati laddu facts, Tirupati temple prasad, Tirumala laddu history
Flavors

A Sneak Peek into the History, Production, Sale of Tirupati Laddu: Interesting Facts about Holy Prasadam

9 Min Read
Yewle Tea House Pune, Navnath Yewle Chaiwala, Indian tea sellers, stories of tea India, travel to Pune
Flavors

Meet Pune’s Navnath Yewle Chaiwala who Earns Rs 15 Lakh a Month and is Planning to Go Global

4 Min Read
Tiruchirappalli airport new terminal, Indian airports, Indian aviation news
News

Trichy Airport’s New Integrated Terminal with Gopuram is a Fusion of Tradition & Technology: Interesting Features

5 Min Read
Travel to India, Cheap Flights to India, Aviation News, India Travel Tips

Travel Beats is an Indian Community portal by IndianEagle, a leading travel organization for Indians in USA. Travel Beats celebrates the achievements of young Indians and publishes exclusive stories from the US and India. It also publishes the latest news about Indian Americans from different walks of life and lists upcoming Indian events in USA. It also shares updates from US-India airlines. To be precise, Travel Beats is a consistent effort by IndianEagle to bridge between Indians in America and India.

Resources

  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Indian Eagle
  • Share With Us

© 2025 IndianEagle LLC. All rights reserved.

    Designed and developed by Indianeagle  

Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?