The old days of Kuchipudi

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Kuchipudi is an Indian dance form that dates back to the 16th century. It arose from a long and rich heritage of dance-drama of the same name in the third and fourth decades of this century. Kuchipudi is the name of a town in Andhra Pradesh's Krishna district. Around 35 kilometres away from Vijayawada. Andhra Pradesh has a lengthy history of dance-drama, which was referred to as Yakshagaana. Kuchipudi, like all other Indian classical dance forms, began as a religious art form based on the age-old Hindu Sanskrit literature ‘Natya Shastra,' and has long been associated with temples, spiritual religions, and travelling bards. This old dance style may be seen in 10th century copper inscriptions as well as 15th century books such as the ‘Machupalli Kaifat.' Tirtha Narayana Yati, an Advaita Vedanta sanyasin, and his pupil Siddhendra Yogi are said to have developed, methodized, and organised the current version of the dance form in the 17th century.

The whole form of the book is thought to have been completed between 200 BCE and 200 CE, however this time might alternatively vary between 500 BCE and 500 CE. It has thousands of poems organised into chapters, and it separates dance into two types: ‘nrita,' which is pure technical dance, and ‘nritya,' which is solo expressive dance. In this ancient work, Bharata Muni not only mentions the Andhra area, but also credits to it a beautiful movement known as ‘Kaishiki vritti' and a raga known as ‘Andhri.' The raga connected with the words "Arsabhi" and "Gandhari" appears in various Sanskrit manuscripts dating back to the first millennium. Copper inscriptions from the 10th century confirm the presence of Shaivism-related dance drama performance performances known as "Brahmana Melas" or "Brahma Melas" in Telugu-speaking areas of South India. During the mediaeval era, Brahmins practised this technique. Vaishnavism, which originated around the second millennium and usually includes Bhakti music and dance dedicated to Lord Krishna, apparently accepted this art style.

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The dance genre thrived in the 16th century under the patronage of medieval monarchs, as evidenced by a number of copper inscriptions. Its performance at the Vijayanagara Empire's royal court is also documented. Furthermore, Islamic invasions, the foundation of the Deccan Sultanates in the 16th century, and a significant military loss of the Vijayanagara Empire at the hands of the Deccan Sultanates in 1565 all contributed to the empire's downfall. Following the death of Aurangzeb in 1707 and the ensuing downfall of the Mughal Empire, the art form was resurrected in certain ways. However, the rise of colonial officials of the East India Company in the 18th century and the advent of British colonial control in the 19th century saw the fall of several classical dance styles, including Kuchipudi, which were mocked and discouraged. Eventually, the social stigma attached to nautch girls in north India and Devadasis in south India, as well as a highly critical and despised attitude toward them as harlots, humiliated such arrangements. In 1892, Christian missionaries started an anti-dance effort to put an end to the activity. In 1910, the British colonial authority of the Madras Presidency outlawed the practise of dancing in Hindu temples. Kuchipudi, which was traditionally played at night on a stage affiliated with a Hindu temple, also witnessed a drop as a result of this.

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The Indian community objected to the prohibition, fearing that the rich and old Hindu temple dance tradition was being targeted under the guise of social reform. As the Indian independence movement proceeded steadily in the early twentieth century, Indians were enthralled by the prospect of reviving their culture and traditions. Many classical art revivalists questioned such prejudice and joined hands to revive ancient classical dance genres between 1920 and 1950.

Sources- https://www.culturalindia.net/indian-dance/classical/kuchipudi.html

http://ccrtindia.gov.in/kuchipudi.php

Kapila Vatsyayan. INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCE. Publications Division. Kindle Edition.

NATYASHASTRA by Bharata Muni, translated into english by Manomohan Ghosh