PAPER 5

DANCE, POETS AND POETRY,

RELIGIOUS PHILOSOPHY AND INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCE

MODULE 7 DEVI IN DANCE

Among the Shanmarga / शंमार्ग school of worship, Shaktam / शक्तं

involves the worship of the feminine principle of Hinduism. This feminine principle, like the Trinity: Brahma, Shiva, and Vishnu, are three in number Saraswati, Parvati, and Lakshmi. According to common legends, the male Gods may have closed their eyes either due to meditation (Brahma and Shiva) or sleeping in a trance (Vishnu) thus unable to see the suffering of the people. Hence, the female goddesses of the Trinity are wide awake. Due to this outwardly interpretation of Shaktam, many devotees place their pleas to the Goddesses and pray that she can play as an intermediary between the devotee and the Paramatma.

In Hinduism, Gods and Goddesses are portrayed in two contrasting aspects; a tender and approachable aspect and the other is a violent one. It is no exception that Devi also has a ferocious and violent side that co-exists with her peaceful and serene aspect. Such representations are Durga, Kali, Mahishasuramardini, Yoginis, etc. 1

Like Shiva, Parvati also has performed certain dances. The dance competition of Shiva and Kali at Chidambaram, to prove the better dancer, is of special importance. Also, Tantric scriptures contain descriptions of a naked Kali dancing alone either in the cremation grounds or in the battle field over a dead body. 2

Brahma’s consort, Saraswati has not been mentioned in any literature to have danced. However, Lakshmi, Vishnu’s consort, is

believed to have danced Pavai dance in front of the asuras, to entice them and prevent them in starting a war. This story and the pavai

dance appears in Silappadikaaram / ससऱाप्पादिकमग. 2

Depicting Devi in Dance

Abhinaya Darpanam by Nandikeshwara describes how to portray Saraswathi, Parvati and Lakshmi as part of the Deva hastas. These hasta mudras are:3

Saraswati / सरस्वती – Right hand in Suchi / सूचि and left hand in

Kapitha asamyukt hastas.

Parvati / पावगती – Right hand in ardhachandra / अर्गिंद्र pointed

upwards (Abhaya hasta) and the left in ardhachandra pointed downwards (Varada hasta).

Lakshmi / ऱक्ष्मी – Both hands have Kaptiha mudra.

There are other hasta mudras for other aspects of Devi; Durga Hasta

and Bhudevi Hasta. For the Durga hasta, the left hand is in mushti / मुष्टि and stretched out while the right hand is in Katakamukha. If left

hand is in Katakamukha and the right hand in Pataka / पिका while a

circle is indicated by pointing downwards, then it is Bhudevi hasta. 3

While depicting Mahishahsuramardini / मदहषासुमागदिगनी (the one who

killed the demon Mahishah) dancers usually lift one leg and show Tirushula hasta on the left hand and Shikara on the right hand, while making an illusion of a long trident being used to kill Mahishahsura.

Another popular aspect of Devi that dancers depict is that of

Ardhanari / अर्गनारी; half man-half woman aspect of Shiva and

Parvati. According to Abhinaya Darpana if Padmakosha hasta / पद्मकोश हस्त is shown in the left hand indicating Parvati and Tishula

in the right hand, then this depicts Ardhanari.3

Songs on Devi

Of all the forms of Devi, Meenakshi / मीनाऺी has been a favorite

among Bhratanatyam dancers, either it be a varnam or a dance drama. Some of the compositions on Devi that are frequently performed by dancers are:

Devi Neeya thunai in Keeravani ragam is a composition by Papanasam Sivan on Madurai Meenakshi Amman.

Sri Chakra Raja, the hymn composed by Agastyar is set in ragamalika and Adi talam.

Chinthayami Jagadamba by Jayachamaraja Wodeyar in Hindolam ragam and Adi tala.

Maharaja Swati Tirunal has also composed songs on Devi aspects in the temples of his empire. These are quite popular with dancers.

The padam Meenakshi Thaye in Abhogi ragam and Adi talam was composed by K. N. Dhandayudhapani Pillai on Meenakshi Amman. 4

Lalgudi G Jayaraman composed many keertanams on Devi such as Unnai yandri in Kalyani, Sri Jagadisvari in Ahir bhairavi ragam and Adi talam and others.5

There are popular varnams on Devi such as

Maye mayan sodhariye in Todi ragam composed by Madurai N Krishnan. This is a well-known varnam from the repertoire of dancer Sudharani Raghupathy. This varnam is praising Parvati and her grace as the world mother.

Angayarkanni in ragamalika composed by Lalgudi G Jayarama is on Madurai Meenakshi Amman. This varnam extolls the story of Madurai Meenakshi Amman from her birth till her wedding. The unique aspect of this varnam is that the lyrics and the

ragam depicted the navarasa / नवरास. Her birth is Ananda and

set to Bilahari ragam, Shringara rasa for her falling in love with Shiva set to Huseni ragam, Adbutha rasa when she hears His

victories set to Valaji ragam, Hasya rasa / हास्य रास when she

laughs at the extremes Shiva went in his leelas is set to Saranga ragam, Bhibatsa rasa for the frustration of Daksha’s ignorance

to Shiva is set to Sucaritra ragam, Raudra rasa / रूद्र रास for her

various forms like Mahakali, Kapalini, Trishulini, and Simhavahini during her battles with Asuras is set to Atana ragam, Bhyanaka rasa for her fear of Shiva poisoning himself

with the Alakala is set to Rasikapriya ragam, Karunya rasa / कारुण्य रास for extolling her motherly virtues is set to Sahana,

and finally Shanta rasa for her benevolent and boon-fulfilling form is set to Nadanamakriya ragam.

Mate malayadhavaja is a daru varnam composed by H. N. Muttiah Bhagavathar, set in Khamas ragam and Adi talam, which is frequently performed by Bharatanatyam dancers. It has no specific reference to any story on Meenakshi Amman, but describes in various manifestations of Devi such as Shankari, Chamundeswari, Sakhodari, Gauri, and as mother.

Aatkolla Vendum Aayane is a padavarnam composed by G. Vijayaraghavan set in Anandhabhairavi ragam and Adi talam. This is from the perspective of Andal who beckons Narayana or Vishnu to take her with him. While, Andal begins with gentle prodding to be transcended, as the varnam proceeds she gets impatient as she realizes there is very little time left for her in this world.

Nithyakalyani is a padavaranam composed by Seetarama Ayyar, set in Ragamalika and roopaka talam. Adayr K. Lakshman had choreographed this varnam for the 1971 Madras Music Academy opening festival, and recently in 2014. Parashah group had revisited this varnam with a fresh look for their thematic presentation on Marabu: Fragrance of Tradition.

Madurai Muralidharan has composed and choreographed a padavarnam on Madurai Meenakshi Amman, Maye manam kanindarul set in Simhendra madhyamam ragam and Adi tala. The varnam praises Meenakshi as an enchanting goddess who is incarnate of other feminine forms such as Bhairavi, Mahakali, Maheswari, Lakshmi, Saraswati, and Parvati.

Also, Madurai Muralidhran has created an entire margam on Devi called Sri Chakram in 2009, where the Pushpanjali is on Saraswathi, followed by a keertanam on Mahakali, Varnam on

Tripurasundari / त्रिपुरसंुिरी, a padam on Alamelu manga and a

tillana in Mahati ragam.

There is a rare padavarnam composed by Ramaswami Dikshitar,

father of Muthuswami Dkshitar, 'Sivamohanasakti nannu / ससवामोहनशष्क्त' on Goddess Meenakshi of Madurai is set in 44 Ragas

in Roopaka Tala.

Dance Productions on the feminine aspect

Meenakshi Vijayam was a dance drama choreographed by Rukmini Devi Arundale, where the story of Meenakshi is enacted from her birth till her wedding to Shiva. Unlike other dance dramas choreographed by Rukmini Devi that had a single source of lyrics, Meenakshi Vijayam had songs from various sources that were used to highlight the nrtta and abhinaya aspects. It was premiered in 1977 and revived again in 20036, 7

Bharatanatyam Dancer Navtej Johar had choreographed

Muthuswami Dikshitar’s compostion Meenakshi me mudam dehi / म्नाक्सी में मुिाम िेदह in Poorvikalyani ragam and Adi talam. Here

using Bharatanatyam the magical, mystical attributes of Meenakshi were interpreted in both outwardly and abstract forms.

On the same lines of Meenakshi, dancer Padma Subrahmanyam had choreographed Meenakshi Kalyanam when she was in her teens. Also, Sudharani Raghupathy had choreographed Shakti Prabhavam, a dance drama on Devi in 1991.

The Nellaiappar temple in Tirunelveli, Tamilnadu is also the home of Goddess Kanthimathi. The composer Chokkanatha Pillai was a devotee of Kanthimathi Amman and in one of his famous composition envisioned her as a small child. This genre of poems called as Pillai Tamizh (Pillai meaning child) describes the pleas of the devotee as a mother and begs for the Goddess to come to him. Having cajoled enough the poet is frustrated that his pleas are falling on deaf ears; he is angry and chides her, just like a mother will chide her daughter. This Kanthimathi Amman Pillai Tamizh Vaaradirundaal is part of the dancer Alarmel Valli’s repertoire.

Another such Pillai Tamizh composed by Kumargurupara Swamigal on Goddess Meenakshi called Meenakshi Ammai Pillaittamizh. This song is part of Meenakshi Vijayam dance drama of Kalakshetra.

The dance drama called Jaya Jaya Devi composed by Lalgudi G. Jayaraman is about the various aspects of Devi. Composed of six episodes and in Tamil, was choreographed by dancer Radha and

involves stories of Dakshaayani / िाऺायानन, Uma Parinayam / उमा पररणयम, Ardhanaari / अर्गनारी, Durga / िरु्ाग, Karumaari / करुमारी and

Parvathi Laasyam / पावगती ऱस्यम . This was premiered in 1994 and

had a successful groundbreaking 23 shows all over US and Canada and again in 2008 in India. This dance drama was embroiled in a copyright infringement lawsuit, where the court ruled that the composer had the copyright and was the owner of the production rather than the organizers who had commissioned the production.

Another dance drama that has gained popularity in recent times is the Sheela Unnikrishnan’s production Janani Jagath Karani in 2010.

Dancer Anitha Guha, known for her dance dramas or Natyanatakams, choreographed Saarvam Shakthi Mayam Jagath that described the Adi Sakthi as the supreme form. This was premiered in 2003.

The Devi aspect in Vaishnava tradition, such as Goddess Lakshmi and her manifestations have also been depicted and performed in dance. Rukmini Devi Arundale revived the Bhagvatha mela as part of the

Kalakshetra repertoire and had Usha Parinayam / उषा पररणयम and

Rukmini Kalyanam / रुक्मणी कल्याणं premiered in 1959 and 1964,

respectively. She also had choreographed the dance drama Andal

Charitram / अंिऱ िररिं in 1961.6

Kuravanji on Devi

The predecessor of Kuravanji dance drama is the Kuram, containing the dialects of the Kurathi. Among the Kurams, there are some on

Devi, such as Madurai Meenakshi Amman Kuram / समनाऺी अम्मान कुरम, Dharmaambal Kuram / र्मागम्बऱ, Draupadi Kuram / द्रौपिी कुरम, and Bhavani Kuram / भवानी कुरम. 8

There is also a Draupadi Kuravanji attributed to an anonymous author. The Krishnamari Kuravanjior Karumaari Kuravanji choreographed by Rukmini Devi Arundale in 1971 is on the Thiruverkadu Karumari Amman. This kuravanji is composed by Karumaari Daasar. 9

Similar to other kuravanjis, the heroine falls in love with Lord Vedapuriswarar of Tiruverkadu, when he comes out in a procession. A kurati is invited to foretell the future of heroine’s love. With the grace of Karumaari, the kurati predicts that the heroine’s wishes will come true if she worships the Devi Karumaari. In the beginning Devi Karumaari, who takes the form of a black cobra, had an ant hill as the altar. Legends say that Tiruverkadu was a forest of banyan trees and filled with numerous ant-hills. Thus the heroine with her sakhi, visits the altar and pray to Karumaari, who then appears and blesses the heroine with her grace and benevolence.

In Kuchipudi

In the Kuchipudi tradition Sabdas were part of the solo repertoire.

Among the numerous sabda, the Chamundeswari Sabda / िामुन्डसे्वरी शब्ि and Ardhanareeshwara Sabda / अर्गनारेश्वर शब्ि

glorify the Devi. Chamundi / िामंुडी is a form of Durga / िरु्ाग who

slayed Chamunda or Mahishahsura, the buffalo headed demon. As a solo performance, the dancer has to be adept at ekaharya abhinaya, where changing characters back and forth between Chamundi and Mahishahsura is a skill. The sadba describes the entire story and choreography is composed as to include the climax battle scene between the Goddess and the demon. 10

The Ardhanareeshwara Sabda is part of a genre in Kuchipudi called Pagati Veshamulu or Vesham. Here the dancer is dressed as half-Shiva and half-Parvati with a veil hanging from his headdress. The dancer creates an illusion of two dancers dancing by moving the veil back and forth. While dancing the Tandava aspect of dance the dancer shows only the right side of him, and similarly for the left. 10,

11

A rarely performed unique composition in Kuchipudi is the

Simhanandini / ससम्हानंदिनी in praise of Goddess Kanaka Durga,

whose vehicle is the Lion. It has its origins in the 14th and 15th century

and was believed to be performed on the Vijayadasami / ववजयािशमी day in front of the temple chariot during the procession. The song is set in Simhanandi talam, a set of six talas: Chanchatputa, Ratitala,

Darpana, Kokilapriya / कोककऱविया, Abhanga / अभंर्ा and Mudrita

talam / मुदद्रत ताऱम , all adding up to the Simhanandini tala of 128

syllables or counts, the dancer executes complex jatis and at the same time draws a picture of a lion with her feet on a white cloth covered over a layer of colored powder. Recently, Kuchipudi and Bharatanatyam dancer Ananda Shankar Jayant made the Simhanandini famous all over the world by dancing this in front of a TED audience. 11

Other dances

There is also documented evidence of Chhau dancers dancing to themes on Devi, such as the Durga dance. 12

Kathak dancer Deepti Gupta mentions that Durga dancing was a standard repertoire in Kathak, where the Mahishahsuramardini story is enacted. 13

Footnotes:

1. Know our Natya Tradition by Jayanti Sundar, Samudra August 2006.

2. Saivism and Vaishnavism in Indian Dance by Mohan Khokar, Sangeet Natak Academi Dance Seminar 1958.

3. Abhinaya Darpanam of Nandikeshwara by Prof. P. S. R. Appa Rao. Natyamala publications, 1997.

4. Adalisai Amutham by K. N. Dhandayudhapani Pillai, Natyakalalayam Publications, 1974.

5. Lalgudis’ Creations Volume II – Compositions of V.R. Gopala Iyer and Lalgudi G. Jayaraman. Published by Lalgudi Trust, 2000.

6. Kalakshetra Quarterly Volume 8, Issue 3-4. 7. Meenakshi Vijayam: Revival by Gowri Ramnarayan.

Kalakshetra publications, 2003. 8. Kuravanji Natya Paatisai by Prof. Gnanambigaidevi Kulendran.

Tamil University, Thanjavur Publications, 2007. 9. Rukmini Devi Arundale (1904-1986): A Visionary Architect of

Indian Culture and Performing Arts by Avanthi Meduri. Motilal Banarasidas Publishers, 2005.

10. Dance Dialects of India by Ragini Devi. Motilal Banarasidas Publications, 2002.

11. Attendance: Telugu Traditions. The Dance Annual of India, Edited by Ashish Mohan Khokar, Ekah Printways, 2014.

12. Indian Ballet dancing by Projesh Banerji, Abhinav Publications, 1983.

13. Dancing on the Earth: Women's Stories of Healing and Dance By Johanna Leseho, Sandra McMaster. Published by Findhom Press 2011.