Natya Rekha - a trail of dance

By Sowmya

Initiated into Bharatanatyam at the age of 7, dance became an integral part of my formative years. Training under the watchful eye of a Guru who was a purist, I acquired a solid foundation in the intricacies of the Adavus and the nuances of the Abhinaya in the traditional Tanjavur style.

As my Abhinaya training progressed from simple emotions of devotion and happiness, to the complexities of sringara (love) and viraha (pangs of seperation) as experienced by the nayikas (heroins) of the innumerable padams andvarnams, it helped me explore myself - bringing self awareness. This has helped me in emerging as a confident and self assured woman that I am today.

My journey as a dancer and performer put me in touch with many interesting people and took me to fascinating places over the years. From the magical Chidambaram in Tamil Nadu, to the enchanting Dasara celebrations at Mysore, to the awe-inspiring Brihadeshvara Temple in Tanjavuru, to the ruins of Hampi of the Vijayanagara Empire.
In this post, I try and retrace few of my travels to these exquisite places which have been the foundation of our rich culture.

An opportunity to dance at the Natyanjali Festival brought me and few of my fellow dancers to the abode of Lord Nataraja himself. My joy was unbounded at this honor. This festival opens on the auspicious occasion of the Maha Shivaratri and of course at the right kind of venue, which is the Prakara of the Chidambaram temple.

The morning of the performance, we dressed up in the simple knee length sarees which is popularly known as the ‘practice saree’ and made our way to the Nataraja Temple in Chidambaram. Dedicated to Lord Nataraja, this ancient temple of the Cholas is unique not only because it is devoted solely to the art of Bharatanatyam, but since it is one of the rare temples where Shiva is represented by an idol rather than the customary lingam.

As the priest opened the door of Garbhagudi - sanctum sanctorum after alankara, we had our first glimpse of the majestic Nataraja murti. Lit only by the light of the oil lamps the God of Dance stood there in perfection.

We recite the shloka taught by our Guru in union, "Aangikam bhuvanam yasya

I Vaachikam sarva vagmayam II Aaharyam chandra taaradi I Tam namaha saatvikam shivam II" (which means, Whose bodily movement is the (entire) universe, Whose speech is the language of (the universe), Whose ornaments are the moon and the stars, Him we worship, the serene Lord Shiva) and bow our head in reverance...

Just outside the sanctum sanctorum there is a beautiful aavarana where dancers offer Abhinaya and their dance to Lord Nataraja as Sadhana. As I switched on the tape recorder to dance to ‘Bho Shambho Shiva Shambho Swayambo’, I was transported to a different world..... there existed only Me and the Lord, the servant and the Master, the Aatma and the Paramaata. The serenity that engulfed me at this moment is inexplicable………

About Chidambaram

Chidambaram was traditionally known as Thillai, since the place was originally a forest of the thillai, botanically known as excecaria agallecha shrubs. In Hindu literature, Chidambaram is one of the five holiest Shiva temples, each representing one of the five natural elements; Chidambaram is space. The other four temples in this category are: Thiruvanaikaval Jambukeswara (water), Kanchi Ekambareswara (earth), Thiruvannamalai Arunachaleswara (fire) and Kalahasti Nathar (wind).

The temple complex also has a shrine of Govindaraja or Lord Vishnu which lies adjacent to the main shrine and has a beautiful idol of the lord reclining on Adisesha, the serpent. There are two other shrines, one dedicated to Subramanya and the other to Ganesha. In the courtyard, a large Nandi looks on devotedly at its Lord and master through an aperture on the wall.