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Vaishnava scholars identified Krishna as the greatest dancer, while earlier texts treat Shiva as the creator of dance and the supreme dancer and named him Nataraj (Nata or actor, raj or supreme). The Vaishnavites did not ignore Shiva, they named Krishna as Natabara (Nata or actor, bara or superior). The dance descriptions that we find in the Vaishnava texts are that of Krishna and his playmates. Shiva's dance got codified in the verses of the Natyashastra and Krishna's dance in the verses of the Vaishnava texts. (Sruti Bandopadhay, 'Manipuri Sankirtan: Performance Art Behind Rituals' - Nartanam, Jan-Mar 2003) |
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Narasingha Deva ruled in the 13th century. He built the magnificent Surya temple at Konarak, totally embellished with sculptures of dancers and musicians. Narasingha Deva constructed a dance hall in Simhachalam temple and granted gifts to maharis to sing and dance in praise of Lord Narasingha. An inscription in the Ananta Vasudev Temple at Bhubaneswar records the fact that it was a source of royal pride that Narasingha Deva's daughter Chandradevi was an accomplished dancer and singer. (Chapter 'Dance in Ancient Orissa,' Dance Dialects of India by Ragini Devi) |
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Seraikella
Chhau is the monopoly of the Kshatriyas and is performed by princes. Prince
Bijoy Pratap Singh Deo, is responsible for the present repertoire of this
dance form and is considered one of the greatest choreographers of India
in classical dance for he gave the chhau style elegance, dignity and sophistication.
('Dramatic Spectacle' by Leela Ramanathan, Deccan Herald Bangalore, March 2, 2003) |
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