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From the Ramayana, we learn that Ayodhya,
the capital of King Dasaratha, was always bright and lively with dancers
and musicians. It had four principal mandapas or halls, and one of
these was meant exclusively for dancing by women. The birth of Rama, his
wedding and his coronation were all marked by great joy and revelry,
which included performances by hired dancers and musicians. (‘Traditions of Indian classical dance,’ Mohan Khokar, chapter ‘Down the centuries’) |
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In this meeting it was decided to give titles like Maharaj to the guru
who had more than 100 disciples and at that time, Bindadin Maharaj was
awarded this title as he had a large number of students studying under
him in Lucknow. (Kathak, Indian Classical Dance Art, Sunil Kothari, page 50, chapter ‘Jaipur gharana’) |
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Though there is no written record available, the contemporary gurus of
Jaipur gharana maintain that a meeting of the Kathakas took place in
1895 during the time of Maharaja Sawai Madho Singh in Jaipur to drown
all the differences about the gharanas. There used to be as many
gharanas as there were gurus and they were known by the gharana named
after the guru. This caused sufficient confusion and hard feelings as
most of the exponents belonged to the same group. In this historic
meeting, exponents from Lucknow were also invited. It was resolved that
instead of giving names of gharanas after the individuals, they be given
names of the place. (Kathak, Indian Classical Dance Art, Sunil Kothari, chapter ‘Jaipur gharana’) |
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