Bharatanatyam

Bharatanatyam (Tamil: பரதநாட்டியம்) is a major form of Indian classical dance that originated in Tamil Nadu. The dance form is also briefly mentioned in Kannada text Manasollasa written by Someshwara III. It has flourished in the temples and courts of southern India since ancient times. It is one of the eight widely recognized Indian classical dance forms, and expresses South Indian religious themes and spiritual ideas, particularly of Shaivism, Vaishnavism, and Shaktism, collectively Hinduism.

Bharatanatyam

Bharata Natyam Performance DS.jpg

A Bharatanatyam dancer

Genre

Indian classical dance

Origin

Tamil Nadu

A description of Bharatanatyam from the 2nd century CE can be found in the ancient Tamil epic Silappatikaram, while temple sculptures of the 6th to 9th century CE suggest it was a highly refined performance art by the mid-1st millennium CE.Bharatanatyam is the oldest classical dance tradition in India.Bharatanatyam is the state dance form of Tamil Nadu.