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Art Forms and Architecture

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GS Paper Sub Section General Studies-I History of India and Indian Heritage and Culture Write-up Code (opic [PW -!"-!#$ [%&S-!"#'$ Art Forms and Architecture )*olume I+

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,34 %e5uest you to update the 0eadline for yourself/ Start your content from Page ' -aintain the formatting of this document as-it-is/ (ry to a6oid Graphical contents including (ables7 flo8charts as the te9t 8ill be con6erted to audio also/ If the use is indispensable7 please ensure the same has a corresponding te9t that states referring the diagram/ e/g/ Please refer the picture of ::: for details/

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Art Forms and Architecture

Abstract
Guys 7 this is a huge document/It deals 8ith paintings Paintings )ancient 7medie6al and modern+ 7 puppet froms7 music7dance 7drama 7 traditional sports etc/ I ha6e s;ipped the sculpture and architecture portion in this document as it 8as getting bul;y/I 8ill include these t8o topics in the ne9t 6olume of this document HAPP< =&A%,I,G >

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Art Forms and Architecture

Content
Sl/ ,o/ (opic ! Paintings ' Wood 8or; 7 metal 8or; and te9tiles " Puppet Forms of India ? (raditional (heatre forms of India @ Indian -usic 2 Indian Classical 0ance Forms B Fol; 0ances of India 1 Indian -as;s A (raditional Sports of India Page ,o/ ? !? !1 '1 'A "@ ?2 ?B ?A

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Art Forms and Architecture

Art Forms and Architecture


Chapter 1 : Paintings
!/ Painting is an old art in India/ It is present from the -esolithic times as can be seen from the ca6e art of 3himbeta;a '/ *atsayan in his Camasutra defines painting as one of the si9 limbs ) shad-ang+ of art "/ *ishnu-dharmottar-purana is an ancient Indian treatise on painting/ ?/ Indian paintings can be de6ided into 2 sections4 -ural paintings7 -iniature paintings7 Fol; paintings7 %angolis7 Colonial era paintings7 modern paintings and contemporary painters/ Mural Paintings !/ -ural paintings can be de6ided into ca6e paintings and temple paintings '/ We 8ill study a/ Ca6e paintings of 3agh 7 3adami 7 ADanta and Sitana6assal b/ (emple paintings of &llora 7 3rihadesh8ara temple of (anDore and =epa;shi (emple/ Ajanta !/ (he ADanta ca6es 8ere built during the period of Sata6ahanas and *a;ata;a dynasty/ '/ (hese ca6es are rich in 3uddhist themes7religios narrati6es etc/ "/ (he main features of ADanta ca6e paintings are a/ Sure and firm mo6ement of line b/ se of foreshortening and use of multiple perspecti6es

c/ (here is no demarcation bet8een the scenes/ (he scenes flo8 from and into each other/ d/ (he principal character of the story is sho8n in a siEe bigger than other characters e/ f/ se of shading and highlighting to gi6e some parts of painting a luminous glo8/ (he human figures are slender 78ell proportioned and elegant/

g/ Woman ha6e narro8 8aists and full breasts/ (heir faces are mar;ed by arched eyebro8s and elongated loti form eyes/ h/ there is an intricate range of sophisticated costume7 De8ellery and hairstyles/ i/ D/ &motion and pathos are e9pressed here by the controlled turn and poise of the body and the elo5uent gestures of the hands (he earliest battle scenes in India are painted in ADanta ca6es

;/ -aDor paintings are4 (he dying princess7 3uddha 6isiting his 8ife and son7A6alo;ites6ara Padmapani/ Bagh ?|Page

Art Forms and Architecture !/ 3agh ca6es are present in -adhya Pradesh '/ 3agh paintings follo8 those of ADanta in style but they are more tightly modelled and ha6e stronger outline "/ (hey human figures are more earthly as compared to ADanta/ ?/ (he 3agh paintings are not in a 6ery good state of preser6ation/ Badami !/ (he earliest brahmanical paintings so far are the fragments found in badami ca6es/ '/ (he paintings follo8 the same style as that of ADanta and 3agh but the modelling is sensiti6e and the outlines are soft/ "/ (he Si6a and Par6ati painting is in a good state of preser6ation in the 3adami ca6es/ Sitanavassal !/ (he ca6e paintings of sitana6assal ha6e mostly Faina themes/ '/ (hey follo8 the same style as that of ADanta/ "/ (hese paintings represent e9tent of penetration of the classical art of ADanta in the 0eccan/

Temple paintings !/ We 8ill study the temple paintings of &llora73rihades8ara and =epa;shi temples/ '/ (he paintings in these temples sho8 medie6al traditions i/e figures are painted 8ith eyes 8ide open as compared to the drooping eyes of ADanta paintings/ "/ &llora a/ It has 3rahmanical 7Faina and 3uddhist themes/ b/ It follo8s medie6al traditions of Indian painting/ c/ (he main difference bet8een ADanta and &llora paintings is the sharp t8ists of the body and the depiction of eyes ?/ 3rihadesh8ara a/ (he paintings of 3ridesh8ara (emple are also in the medie6al tradition b/ (hey 8ere painted during the time of imperial cholas/ c/ (hey are different from ADanta paintings in terms of modelling and style but not in terms of sensiti6ity @/ =epa;shi (emple a/ =epa;shi temple is in Hindupur and the paintings belong to !2th century A0/ b/ (he paintings ha6e mostly sai6ite and secular themes c/ (he paintings are in the typical medie6al Indian tradition d/ (he faces are sho8n in profile and the eyes are dra8n protruding out8ards/

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Art Forms and Architecture e/ (he paintings are ;no8 for their bright colours f/ (he boar hunt is one of the famous paintings of the =epa;shi temple/

Miniature Painting !/ (he miniature paintings 8ill be studied under three heads a/ &arly medie6al miniature paintings b/ -ughal miniature paintings c/ %aDput and Pahari miniature paintings Early medieval miniature paintings !/ (hese 8ere commissioned by pala rulers and 8ere based on 3uddhist themes and 8ere dra8n on palm lea6es '/ It is a naturalistic style 8hich resembles the ideal forms of contemporary bronEe and stone sculpture7 and reflects some feeling of the classical art of ADanta/ "/ A fine e9ample of the typical 3uddhist palm-leaf manuscript illustrated in the Pala style e9ists in the 3odleian =ibrary7 G9ford7 &ngland/ It is a manuscript of the Astasahasri;a PraDnaparamita , or the perfection of Wisdom 8ritten in eight thousand lines/

?/ It 8as e9ecuted at the monastery of ,alanda in the fifteenth year of the reign of the Pala Cing7 %amapala7 in the last 5uarter of the ele6enth century @/ (he other e9ample of this style of paintings are the illustrated manuscripts of Fainta te9ts li;e Calpasutras and other isolated 8or;s such as the one commissioned by sultan Gyasuddin of -al8a/ Mughal miniature paintings !/ (he -ughal school of painting de6eloped during the reign of Humayun 8hen he brought t8o Persian painters 8ith him4-ir sayyid Ali and Ch8aDa Abdus Samad/ '/ It 8as further de6eloped by A;bar and he started organiEing painting into Car;hanas/ "/ (he main artists during the reign of A;bar 8ere 0as8anth and 3asa8an/ ?/ (he main 8or;s commissioned by A;bar 8ere (uti-e-,ama 7 HamEa ,amah7Ain-i-A;bari and %aEm ,amah )Persian (ranslation of -ahabharata+ @/ (he -ughal school of painting 8as further de6eloped by Fahangir 2/ 0uring FahangirHs reign 7the emphasis 8as on the painting of birds and animals B/ stad -ansur 8as a master painter of birds and animals/

1/ Gther painters in the court of Fahangir 8ere Abul Hasan 8hom Fahangir ga6e the title of ,adir- E-Iaman and 3ishndas 8ho 8as a master painter of portraits/ A/ *arious &uropean tra6ellers 7li;e (homas %oe 76isited the court of Fahangir and the -ughal school of painting 8as influenced by &uropean style especially in the use of perspecti6es/ !#/ (he painting 8as continued during the reign of Shah Fahan/3ut as his main interest 8as architecture7no ne8 inno6ations in painting 8ere made !!/ As AuranEeb 8as a puritan7the 5uality and 5uantity of painting declined in his reign/ 2|Page

Art Forms and Architecture Rajput and Pahari miniature paintings !/ (he %aDasthani and Pahari paintings are mainly based on 8or;s li;e Caurapanchasi;a7%asi;priya7%agmala and Gita Go6inda/(hey mainly pictorise the characters in these paintings '/ %eligious paintings contain mainly the Hindu deities/ "/ Secular painting contain court and Hunting scenes of 6arious -aharaDas/ ?/ (he -e8ar school of painting under painter Sahibdin and the Patron-Artist duo of %aDa Sa8ant Sing and ,ihal chand of Cishegarh are the most famous ones/ @/ (he Phari paintings are mostly similar in styles and content to their %aDasthani counter parts/ 2/ (he famous schools of Pahari paintings are Guler7 3ashli and Cangra B/ All these schools betray some -ughal naturalism/Ho8e6er their content is different and colours are contrasting and bold/ Folk Paintings !/ We 8ill study follo8ing fol; paintings a/ Patua b/ -adhubani c/ Calighat d/ ,athd8ara e/ Pichha8i f/ ,a;;ashi

g/ Garoda h/ Warli i/ D/ Patua !/ (he Patua paintings are the fol; scroll paintings of West 3engal '/ (hey are unscrolled at the bardic recitals and are carried by 8andering minstrels "/ the patuas of 3engal are lo8 caste landless labourers 8ho often profess a dual hindu-muslim identity/ ?/ Gne of their maDor themes is the cult of Satya pir and hindu god *ishnu/ @/ Gften the Patuas in recent years ha6e been used by the political organiEations for mass mobiliEation akkashi !/ (hey are the scroll painters of Andhra Pradesh !aroda B|Page Phad -anDusha Art

Art Forms and Architecture !/ Garoda is the GuDarati tradition of narrating sacred tales from picture-scrolls/ '/ Garodas are described as being a caste of 3rahmin/ "/ Garoda priests tra6el around conducting ritual narrations of sacred tales in e9change for coins7 grains or flour/ ?/ (he author pro6ides information about the picture scrolls functioning as mobile shrines due to their recounting of tales of the deities including Par6ati7 Crishna7 and *ishnu Phad !/ Phad painting is a popular style of fol; painting7 practiced in %aDasthan state of India/ '/ (his style of painting is traditionally done on a long piece of cloth7 ;no8n as phad/ (he narrati6es of the fol; deities of %aDasthan7 mostly of PabuDi and 0e6narayan are depicted on the phads/ "/ (he 3hopas7 the priest-singers traditionally carry the painted phads along 8ith them and use these as the mobile temples of the fol; deities/ ?/ (raditionally the phads are painted 8ith 6egetable colors/

@/ (he Foshi families of 3hil8ara are 8idely ;no8n as the traditional artists of this fol; art-form for the last t8o centuries/ 2/ Presently7 Shree =al Foshi7 ,and Cishor Foshi7 Pra;ash Foshi and Shanti =al Foshi are the most noted artists of the phad painting7 8ho are ;no8n for their inno6ations and creati6ity/ athd"ara !/ refers to a painting tradition and school of artists that emerged in ,athd8ara7 a to8n in %aDsamand district in the Western state of %aDasthan in India '/ (he ,athd8ara school is a subset of the -e8ar school of painting and is seen as an important school in the !Bth and !1th century miniature paintings/ Pi#hha"i !/ It is a subset of ,athd8ara school of painting '/ (he 8ord Pich8ai deri6es from the Sans;rit 8ords pich meaning blac; and 8ais meaning hanging/ "/ (hese paintings are cloth paintings hung behind the image of the Hindu god ShrinathDi/ ?/ (he temple of ShrinathDi is belie6ed to ha6e pro6ided a boost to the art acti6ities in the to8n/ It is recorded that to a6oid the oppression of the iconoclast -ughal emperor AurangEeb7 the image of ShrinathDi7 a child manifestation of Crishna 8as installed in ,athd8ara in !2B# by Gos8ami priests from -athura/ After this7 many artists7 including the famous Acharya GopinathDi7 moti6ated by religious fer6or came and created paintings of SrinathDi/

@/ -ost 8or;s produced in this style re6ol6e around the figure of ShrinathDi as a manifestation of Crishna and refer to the incident of him holding the Go6ardhan hill on his last finger/ &ach pich8ai painting is considered a se6a or an offering to the deity and hence personifies ShrinathDi as a prince 8ith De8els and lu9uries7 surrounded by the mil;maids7 gopis/ 2/ (hese se6a themes are based on different seasons and paintings are made to depict different moods of the season/ 1|Page

Art Forms and Architecture B/ (here are also paintings that sho8 the =ord in different costumes celebrating different festi6als/ Gther themes li;e -ata <ashoda7 ,andlal and 3algopal figures are also painted in this style/Some of the paintings are gem-encrusted/ Madhu$ani !/ (hese paintings are found in the -ithila region of 3ihar/ '/ (hese are made on house 8alls 8hich are made of perishable materials li;e bamboo78hattle and daub/ "/ (hese contain scenes from epics li;e -ahabharata and %amayana ?/ (hey are generally done by the 8omen members of the house hold/ %alighat !/ (hey de6eloped from the patua style of painting '/ (he britishers came to Calcutta and started sho8ing interest in arts "/ (hey started training schools in Calcutta ?/ (he patua painters came to Calcutta and learned from ne8 &uropean styles @/ (hese artists settled around Calighat temple and thus 8as born the Calighat school of painting 8hich 8as a blen of 3engali and &uropean styles/ 2/ (he charm of the Calighat paintings lies in the fact that they captured the essence of daily life and they influence modern artistes li;e the late Famini %oy e6en to this day/ &arli !/ Warli painting is a tribal of art -aharashtra/ '/ (he 8omen paint the inner 7dar;est 8alls of 8edding chamber 8ith red ochre and rice paste/ "/ (hese nuptial paintings follo8 a comple9 process accompanied by 6arious rites ?/ (heir main subDect is Palaghata7the 8arli godess of fertility/ @/ (he humiliation of the blac; fertility godess by the hands of *edic god Indra is a common theme/ 2/ Warli men and 8omen also produce secular paintings li;e cau;at7a pictogram centering on the s5uare78hich stands for the four corners of the earth/ B/ (he s5uare is enclosed by geometric shapes and natural scenery rendered in the ,eolithic art styles Manjusha Art !/ -anDushas are temple-shaped bo9es7 Containg 1 -Pillars/(hey are made of bamboo7Dute and paper/(hey also contains Painting of Gods and Goddesses and Gther Characters/(hese bo9es are used in 3ishahari puDa -A festi6al 0edicated to Sna;e God7Celebrated in 3hagalpur7India/ '/ =egends says that fi6e daugheters of =ord Shi6a --aina7 3ha8ani7 0e6i7 Padma and Faya ;no8n as 3ishahari )-eaning Person carrying Poison+/ (hey re5uested to Wor;ship earth Which Shi6a granted and (his Festi6al of 3ishari started/ "/ -anDusha Art is one of the 6ery old and historically 6ery important Art 8hich is e9pression 8ise not less than -adhubani Art or any art of India/ A|Page

Art Forms and Architecture ?/ -anDusha Art or -anDusha Cala is often referred to as Sna;e Paintings by foreigners as s8irling sna;es in the art depict the central character 3ihulaHs tale of lo6e and sacrifice/ ['$

Rangolis !/ (he domestic art of floor painting 8ith 6ariant forms in different regions such as alpna is West 3engal7rangoli in -aharashtra and ;olam in south india is associated 8ith ceremonies mar;ing 6arious rites such as birth7puberty7marriage and death/ '/ Women teach alpna to girls to enable them to perform 8ish fulfillment rituals )brata+7such as obtaining suitable husbands "/ Part of the ceremony consists of dra8ing 8ith fingers on the floor 8ith colours made of rice po8der and other natural substances ?/ (here is an emphasis on balace and symmetry based on natural forms such as lea6es and flo8ers Art 'uring the #olonial Era !/ (his can be studied under follo8ing heads a/ Company style painting b/ Art of %aDa %a6i *erma c/ 3engal School of Art (ompany Style Painting !/ 0uring the !1th and !Ath century 7the Indian art 8as on the decline '/ Indian artists 8ere increasingly used by 3ritish for 8ide ranging economic sur6eys and documentation of natural history "/ 3ritish residents commissioned paintings of flora and fauna from Indian artists 8ho 8ere trained in 8estern techni5ues such as perspecti6e and chiaroscuro/ ?/ (hus Indian artists trained in &uropean techni5ues and 8or;ing for &uropean clients ga6e rise to the company school of painting/ @/ Shai;h -ohammad Amir of Caraya 8as a famous artist belonging to company school of painting/

Art o) Raja Ravi *erma !/ %aDa %a6i 6erma 8as a prince of (r6ancore '/ He learned painting 8atching &uropean painters paint in the court "/ He re6i6ed the Indian art by ma;ing painting on Indian subDects in 8estern style ?/ His main subDects 8ere epics li;e %amayana and -ahabharata/ @/ He mass produced his paintings using oleography and hence his paintings 8ere able to reach the common man 2/ He 8as opposed by the artists of the 3engal School because they considered his paintings 8ere of bad taste Bengal S#hool o) Art !# | P a g e

Art Forms and Architecture !/ (he 3engal School of Art too; shape under the guidance of & 3 Ha6ell '/ & 3 Ha6ell 8anted to re6i6e the Indian art "/ (he 3engal school of artists 8ere hea6ily under the influence of theosophic mo6ements ?/ (hey 8ent to the e9tent of denouncing the paintings of artists li;e %aDa %a6i *erma 8ho applied &uropean naturalism to their paintings/ @/ Abandrinath (agore 8as introduced to the minute details of -ughal paintings by & 3 Ha6ell 2/ Fapanese Artist Ca;uEo G;a;ura came to India because he 8anted to forge a pan Asian art mo6ement B/ His disciples <o;oyama (ai;an and Hishido Shinso started 8or;ing 8ith Abandrinath (agore 1/ Abandrinath (agoreHs 8or; 8hich betrayed Fapanese Influence 8as published in Fapanese art magaEine Co;a A/ His famous painting is that of 3harat -ata produced during the S8adeshi -o6ement Modernist Paintings !/ (he modernist paintings can be studied under follo8ing heads a/ Cubism b/ Primiti6e school (u$ism !/ What is Cubism J (here 8as a techni5ue pre6alent in &urope ;no8n as Kdirectional =ighteningH 8hich used 6arious shades to lin; the 6arious obDects of lightening/Cubism 8as a techni5ue by 8hich the solidity of the obDect 8as destroyed by setting up conflicting relations of light and shado8 8ithin a picture frame '/ Ganganendranath (agore 8as the first artist in India that introduced and hea6ily e9perimented 8ith Analytical cubism Primitive S#hool !/ (his school of painting de6eloped during the Indian freedom struggle '/ (he artists of these schools too; inspiration from the fol; and tribal cultures of India "/ nder this school 8e 8ill study 8or; of three artists a/ %abindra ,ath (agore b/ Amrita Sher Gill c/ Faiminy %oy Ra$indra ath Tagore !/ He too; up painting as an untrained artist at the age of 2B '/ He de6eloped this art 8hile e9perimenting 8ith letters from 3engali script and 6arious folds of pages

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Art Forms and Architecture "/ He 8as hea6ily influenced by the tribal art li;e that of the Santhals ?/ As he had recei6ed no formal education in painting7 he pro6ed to be one of the most radical painters of India Amrita Sher !ill !/ She 8as born in a si;h aristocratic family to a Hungarian mother and 8as trained in &uropean art styles '/ She came to india and 8as highly influenced by the Indian tribal art "/ She radically e9perimented using Hungarian and Indian styles and also started de6eloping a ne8 style 8hich used thic; te9tures ?/ (he emotions in her painting are clearly 6isible such as in the painting Kthe child brideH/ +aimini Roy !/ He 8as trained by the doyens of 3engal School of art '/ He e9perimented 8ith 6arious styles but finally based his paintings on the Calighat style of painting "/ He stopped using oil colors and started using 6egetable and earth colors ?/ Finally he started de6eloping on the patua style as he felt that it 8as more closer to the rural people/ (ontemporary Painters !/ nder this 8e 8ill study 8or; of follo8ing painters a/ -a5bool Fida Hussain b/ Syed Haider %aEa c/ Francis ,e8ton SouEa d/ C G %amanuDan Ma,$ool Fida -ussain !/ He used to paint film boards and from there he rose to be the undisputed leader of modern Indian art '/ He 8as one of the most radical painters of India/ Syed -aider Ra.a !/ He used tantric philosophies as subDect of his paintings Fran#is e"ton Sou.a !/ He 8as mostly ;no8n for his painting of nude 8omen % ! Ramanujan !/ He 8as born in the Cholamandalam 6illage '/ His art reflected the culture of his 6illage such as the large siEes of the male and female figures 8hich represent the papier mache puppets carried in religios processions of (amil nadu/ !' | P a g e

Art Forms and Architecture

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Art Forms and Architecture

Chapter 2 : Wood work !etal work and "e#tiles


&ood "orks o) !ujrat !/ Wood car6ings in GuDarat enDoy a uni5ue 5uality and that is due to the blend of t8o cultures4 Islam and Hinduism/ '/ (he nuances of the car6ing are e9ceptional in GuDarat as the craftsmen ha6e accepted ideas from both the cultures and heightened the e9pression in the details of the 8ood car6ing/ "/ Wood car6ing here is not limited to the public architecture but is 6isible in the Ha6elis and pri6ate houses of the ancient times/ ?/ ,ot only architecture7 but GuDarat specialiEes in 8ooden toys7 s8ings7 furniture and a lot many things made out of 8ood/ (his lets one peep into the minute celebrations of life that the people of GuDarat engage into/ @/ Wood car6ing is li;e transcending bac; in time 8hile en5uiring upon roots of cultural and historical aesthetics of GuDarat/ It 8as done by the masters of the past 8ho thoroughly understood the fundamental principles 8ithin their surroundings and nature7 and transformed them into a Kphysical realityH L a re6erential mirror reflecting the plethora of customs7 mysterious rituals7 deep-rooted dogmas and the e6er-present belief-systems of the society/ (his 8as accomplished by the process of creating indigenous art and architectural forms L concei6ed in totality and in coherence 8ith the cultural ethos/ 2/ Interestingly7 8ood 8as ne6er a locally a6ailable material and 8as al8ays imported into GuDarat from different timber producing regions/ It 8as used as a structural material as early as !'th century and the GuDarati craftsmen transformed the 6arious components of the building-the columns7 ceilings7 struts7 doors7 8indo8s7 balconies7 and beam ends into 6eritable 8or;s of art/ B/ (he traditional art of 8ood car6ing of GuDarat encompassed in itself L the historical profiles7 cultural 6arieties7 mythological fables7 religious beliefs7 social sensiti6ities7 inherited tradition7 proficient techni5ues7 manHs interpretation and e9pression of nature and much more/ (he 8ood car6ers defied the phenomenon of indi6iduality7 and 8ere dri6en by the intangible forces of culture/ 1/ ,a8abHs Palace in Palanpur and intricate Dharo;has )8indo8s+ car6ed out of 8ood or Ha6elis )mansions+ in *aso 8ith their 8ealth of 8ooden architectural details are some of the e9amples of 8ood car6ing tradition in GuDarat/ A/ (he 8ood-car6er community of GuDarat is ;no8n as the -e8ara -istris7 8ho 8or; in rural and urban areas/ !#/ GuDarat is among the only three regions of India 8here precious 8ood-8or; has still sur6i6ed/ (hese three regions are the Himalayan region particularly ,epal7 parts of South India and GuDarat/ !!/ (he 8ood-8or; of GuDarat both in 5uality and 5uantity is 6ery rich/ Almost all ancient Indian architecture is found in 8ood/ (he 3uddhists used 8ood-8or; e9tensi6ely in their architecture and it influenced 8estern India including GuDarat/ In the sheer magnificence of its 8ood car6ing7 GuDarat is probably uni5ue in the 8orld !'/ 3e it the cantile6ered balconies of palaces in Palanpur and 3huD7 the maDestic doors of traditional houses or Ha6elis7 the images of the Goddess =a;shmi or the elephant deity Ganesh car6ed in the central portion of the arch8ay or simply furniture7 all are artistic master pieces of GuDarat/ !? | P a g e

Art Forms and Architecture !"/ =arge-siEed bo9es called KPatarasH7 are made from 8ood and beautifully car6ed mainly at 3ha6nagar in Saurashtra/ !?/ (he Patara is a part of the bridal trousseau7 fashioned to hold bed rolls7 De8ellery7 documents7 oil and grain/ !@/ Soothing colors and designs in the tin foil style are used in ma;ing furniture in San;heda 8hich is noted for its lo8 seats7 tables7 stools and s8ings/ !2/ Funagadh and 0horaDi in %aD;ot district are famous for cradles 8ith stands7 cupboards 8ith cubicles and Dhula or s8ings 8hich are typical of GuDarat/ !B/ Wood inlay 8or; of Surat is also famous and in6ol6es placing of pieces of i6ory7 plastic7 horn7 bone7 metal7 and fine 8ires into car6ed surfaces/ (he 8ood on 8hich inlay 8or; is done include tea; rose 8ood7 or sandal8ood/ -ahu6a and Idar are ;no8n for their lac5uer 8or; !1/ Wooden bloc;s for printing in te9tiles are also made in GuDarat/ (he design is first stenciled on the 8ood and then the inter6ening spaces are chipped out/ !A/ Wood car6ing is an art7 craft and technology that GuDarat can boast of/ -oreo6er7 it connects to the daily life and li6ing of the people/ %anthas !/ (hey are the te9tiles produced by the 8omen of 3engal '/ (hey are produced from discarded saris and the embroidery on them is done by the threads remo6ed from the saris/ (hese colourfull 8or;s of great ingenuity and beauty are based on patch8or; and a fe8 simple threads-read7yello87blue-blac; and green/ (he embroidery reinforces the loose fabric/ "/ (he Cantha artist de6eloped the con6ention of many petalled lotus medallion in centre7surrounded by floral borders and ;al;a motifs in the four corners/(he ;al;a motif is possibly of mughal origin and inspires the Scottish paisley design/ ?/ (he Cantha themes remind us of the legacy of tantric 3uddhism of 3engal/ Metal Meenakari !/ &namel M -eena;ari is a crystal form of glass fused 8ith metal o9ides li;e sil6er7 gold7 copper and Einc/ '/ %eal enamel 8hen used on copper7 sil6er or gold produces bright beautiful colors li;e De8el stones/ "/ Copper enameling is a lengthy process 8hich in6ol6es 6arious steps4a+ (he obDect is made by mould casting in desired shapeN b+ Fine engra6ing is done by hand on itN c+ -eena )Persian 8or; for glass+7 8hich comes in a roc; form is grinded into fine po8der and mi9ed 8ith 8ater and glue and made into a thic; pasteN d+ (his paste is filled in the engra6ed design e+ (he obDect is then heated on a 6ery high temperature7 8hich affi9es the meena or enamel on the obDectN f+ Finally7 filing 8or; is done to gi6e a finished loo;/

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Art Forms and Architecture ?/ (his enamel M colours do not fade and can sustain the heat/ -any utility and decorati6e items li;e bo8lsMcandle stands7 frames7 spoons etc/7 are made in this craft/

%alamkari !/ Calam;ari or Oalam;ari is a type of hand-painted or bloc;-printed cotton te9tile7 produced in parts of India/ (he 8ord is deri6ed from the Persian 8ords ;alam )pen+ and ;ari )craftmanship+7 meaning dra8ing 8ith a pen/ '/ (he -achilipatnam Calam;ari craft made at Pedana near by -achilipatnam in Crishna district7 Andhra Pradesh7 e6ol6ed 8ith patronage of the -ughals and the Golconda sultanate/ "/ (here are t8o distincti6e styles of ;alam;ari art in India a/ Sri;alahasti style b/ -achilipatnam ?/ (he Sri;alahasti style of Calam;ari7 8herein the P;alamP or pen is used for free hand dra8ing of the subDect and filling in the colours7 is entirely hand 8or;ed/ (his style flo8ered around temples and their patronage and so had an almost religious identity scrolls7 temple hangings7 chariot banners and the li;e7 depicted deities and scenes ta;en from the great Hindu epics - %amayana/ -ahabarata7 Puranas and the mythological classics/ @/ (his style o8es its present status to Smt/ Camalade6i Chattopadhayay 8ho popularised the art as the first Chairperson of the All India Handicrafts 3oard/ Gnly natural dyes are used in Calam;ari and it in6ol6es se6enteen painsta;ing steps/ 2/ (he cotton fabric gets its glossiness by immersing it for an hour in a mi9ture of myrabalam )resin+ and co8 mil;/ Contours and reasons are then dra8n 8ith a point in bamboo soa;ed in a mi9ture of Dagri fermented and 8aterN one by one these are applied7 then the 6egetable dyes/ After applying each color7 the Calam;ari is 8ashed/ (hus7 each fabric can undergo up to '# 8ashings/ *arious effects are obtained by using co8 dung7 seeds7 plants and crushed flo8ers/ Te/tiles o) !ujrat !/ Bandhej a/ It is the name gi6en to the tie and dye fabric of Famnagar7 -and6i and 3huD/ b/ (he art of bandheD is ;no8n for its typical designs and patterns/ (hese are often used in 8edding outfits 8hen they are called gharchola odhni and sarees/ c/ (he tie-dyed fabrics or the bandheD of GuDarat are certainly the best of its ;ind produced in India/ Also ;no8n as bandhani or bandhni7 it is made on superfine cotton mulmul/ Sometimes you 8ill find the use of muslin along 8ith the gold chec;s and motifs created in the Damdani style/ (echni5ue i/ ii/ !2 | P a g e (he printed portion of the fabric are pinched and pushed into small points then ;notted 8ith ' or " t8ists of thread

Art Forms and Architecture iii/ i6/ 6/ 6i/ 6ii/ (he ;notted parts remain uncolored the fabric is dyed in the lightest shade first re-tied and dyed in the dar;er color (he fabric may be tied and dyed many a times7 depending on the number of shades in the final color scheme (he cost of the bandheD of GuDarat rests not only on the 5uality of the fabric7 but also on the number of times it has to be tied and dyed as 8ell as the intricacy of the pattern/

'/ Matani 0 a/ -atani or more popularly called -atani Pechedi or -ata-ni-pachedi are made by the *aghris for the purpose of 6arious rituals/ b/ (hey employ a combination of bloc; printing for the outline of the pattern as 8ell as the painting of the mordants/ c/ (he -atani is actually a tribute to the -other Goddess 0urga/ Hence the dominant motif is essentially of the Goddess 0urga in her se6eral forms and aspects/ d/ Goddess 0urga is the symbol of Qsha;tiQ or QstrengthQ/ She is 8orshiped all o6er the state of GuDarat 8ith o6er8helming faith and sincerity/ (he GuDaratis belie6e firmly that the Goddess 8ill reco6er them from all the dangers and ad6ersities in life/ e/ In the art of -atani in GuDarat7 0e6i 0urga has been depicted in 6arious forms 8hich include her pleasant as 8ell as Q%udra %upaQ or the 6iolent form/ (he former symboliEes 8ealth and prosperity 8hereas the latter indicates 6iolence 8hereby the Goddess ;ills Ashuras or the e6il po8er and restores peace/ f/ =i;e any other art and craft7 -atani portrays the face of the society/ It e6idently illustrates the religious inclinations of the GuDaratis particularly to8ards 0e6i 0urga 8hich is 5uite ob6ious from the fabulous 8ay they celebrate the Q,a6aratriQ/

g/ -atani reflects a passion among the GuDaratis for colors and a 6ision for the intricate designs and forms/ It is the e9pression of an artistic personality as 8ell as rich cultural heritage/ h/ Ahmedabad is a maDor center of traditional as 8ell as contemporary te9tiles/ <ou can find here -ata-ni-pachedi narrati6e cloth paintings and bloc;-printing/ "/ Patola a/ (he Patola sil; from Patan is 6ery popular and one of the largest selling fabrics in the country/ b/ (he sarees are a mar; of tradition and grandeur depicting GuDarat as a land of prosperity and 8ealth/ c/ (his is uni5ue to Patan and is ;no8n for its utmost delicate designs 8o6en 8ith great e9pertiEe and 5uality/

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Art Forms and Architecture d/ Surat is popular for 6el6ets 8ith Patola designs/ <ou can identify four characteristic patterns in the Patola of GuDarat 8o6en traditionally by the Sal6i community/ i/ ii/ iii/ (he double i;at sarees 8ith all o6er motifs of flo8ers7 parrots7 dancing figures and elephants/ (hese are for the use of the Fains and Hindus/ For the -uslim *ora community7 sarees 8ith geometric and floral designs are made/ (here are the sarees 8o6en for the -aharashtrian 3rahmins 8ith a plain7 dar;-colored body and borders 8ith 8omen and birds7 called the ,ari CunD/ (here are sarees specially 8o6en for the traditional e9port mar;ets in the Far &ast/

i6/

e/ All these patterns are uni5ue in style and composition and they ha6e been de6eloped ;eeping in mind the actual choice of the different communities/ f/ (he 8ea6ing of Patola is done on simple traditional handlooms/ (he dyes employed in these fabrics are made from 6egetable e9tracts and other natural colors/ A Patola saree re5uires ? to 2 months to be made on an a6erage/

g/ GuDarat Patola e9hibits a passion for color and a deep sense for design and form/ (hey con6ey a message of the stateQs rich cultural heritage/

Chapter $ : Puppet Forms of India


A puppet is one of the most remar;able and ingenious in6entions of the man/ It has been said that a puppet has to be more than his li6e counterpart for it is definitely the suggesti6e element that is more capti6ating and enduring in a puppet/ A puppet is one of the most remar;able and ingenious in6entions of the man/ It has been said that a puppet has to be more than his li6e counterpart for it is definitely the suggesti6e element that is more capti6ating and enduring in a puppet/Ancient Hindu philosophers ha6e paid the greatest tribute to puppeteers/ (hey ha6e li;ened God Almighty to a puppeteer and the entire uni6erse to a puppet stage/ Srimad 3haga6ata7 the great epic depicting the story of =ord Crishna in his childhood say that 8ith three strings-Satta7 %aDa and (ama7 the God manipulates each obDect in the uni6erse as a marionette/In Sans;rit terminology Puttali;a and Putti;a means Klittle sonsH/ (he root of Puppet is deri6ed from the latin 8ord KPupaH meaning a doll/ India is said to be the home of puppets7 but it is yet to a8a;en to its unlimited possibilities/ (he earliest reference to the art of puppetry is found in (amil classic KSilappadi;aaramH 8ritten around the !st or 'nd century 3/C/,atyashastra7 the masterly treatise on dramaturgy 8ritten sometime during 'nd century 3C to 'nd century A0/7 does not refer to the art of puppetry but the producer-cum-director of the human theatre has been termed as KSutradharH meaning the holder of strings/ (he 8ord might ha6e found its place in theatre-terminology long before ,atyashastra 8as 8ritten but it must come from marionette theatre/ Puppetry7 therefore7 must ha6e originated in India more than @## years before Christ/ !1 | P a g e

Art Forms and Architecture Almost all types of puppets are found in India/ Puppetry throughout the ages has held an important place in traditional entertainment/ =i;e traditional theatre7 themes for puppet theatre are mostly based on epics and legends/ Puppets from different parts of the country ha6e their o8n identity/ %egional styles of painting and sculpture are reflected in them/ Puppetry has been successfully used to moti6ate emotionally and physically handicapped students to de6elop their mental and physical faculties/ A8areness programmes about the conser6ation of the natural and cultural en6ironment ha6e also pro6ed to be useful/ (hese programmes aim at sensitising the students to the beauty in 8ord7 sound7 form7 colour and mo6ement/ (he aesthetic satisfaction deri6ed from ma;ing of puppets and communicating through them helps in the all round de6elopment of the personality of the child/ Stories adapted from puranic literature7 local myths and legends usually form the content of traditional puppet theatre in India 8hich7 in turn7 imbibes elements of all creati6e e9pressions li;e painting7 sculpture7 music7 dance7 drama7 etc/ (he presentation of puppet programmes in6ol6es the creati6e efforts of many people 8or;ing together/ Follo8ing types of puppets are found in India !+ String Puppets '+ Shado8 Puppets "+ %od Puppets ?+ Glo6e Puppets

String Puppets follo8ing types of String puppets are found in India !/ Cathputli ) %aDasthan+ '/ Cundehi )Grissa+ "/ Gombeyatta)Carnata;a+ ?/ 3ommalattam)(amil ,adu+ %athputli !/ (he traditional marionettes of %aDasthan are ;no8n as Cathputli/ '/ Car6ed from a single piece of 8ood7 these puppets are li;e large dolls that are colourfully dressed/ "/ (heir costumes and headgears are designed in the medie6al %aDasthani style of dress7 8hich is pre6alent e6en today/

?/ (he Cathputli is accompanied by a highly dramatised 6ersion of the regional music/ @/ G6al faces7 large eyes7 arched eyebro8s and large lips are some of the distinct facial features of these string puppets/ 2/ (hese puppets 8ear long trailing s;irts and do not ha6e legs/ !A | P a g e

Art Forms and Architecture B/ Puppeteers manipulate them 8ith t8o to fi6e strings 8hich are normally tied to their fingers and not to a prop or a support/

%undhei !/ (he string puppets of Grissa are ;no8n as Cundhei/ '/ -ade of light 8ood7 the Grissa puppets ha6e no legs but 8ear long flo8ing s;irts/ "/ (hey ha6e more Doints and are7 therefore7 more 6ersatile7 articulate and easy to manipulate/ ?/ (he puppeteers often hold a 8ooden prop7 triangular in shape7 to 8hich strings are attached for manipulation/ @/ (he costumes of Cundhei resemble those 8orn by actors of the Fatra traditional theatre/

2/ (he music is dra8n from the popular tunes of the region and is sometimes influenced by the music of Gdissi dance/ !om$eyatta !/ (he string puppets of Carnata;a are called Gombeyatta/ '/ (hey are styled and designed li;e the characters of <a;shagana7 the traditional theatre form of the region/ "/ (he Gombeyatta puppet figures are highly styliEed and ha6e Doints at the legs7 shoulders7 elbo8s7 hips and ;nees/ )please note that %aDasthani and Grissi puppets do not ha6e legs+ ?/ (hese puppets are manipulated by fi6e to se6en strings tied to a prop/ @/ Some of the more complicated mo6ements of the puppet are manipulated by t8o to three puppeteers at a time/ 2/ &pisodes enacted in Gombeyatta are usually based on Prasangas of the <a;shagana plays/ B/ (he music that accompanies is dramatic and beautifully blends fol; and classical elements/

Bommalattam !/ Puppets from (amil ,adu7 ;no8n as 3ommalattam combine the techni5ues of both rod and string puppets/ '/ (hey are made of 8ood and the strings for manipulation are tied to an iron ring 8hich the puppeteer 8ears li;e a cro8n on his head/ "/ A fe8 puppets ha6e Dointed arms and hands7 8hich are manipulated by rods/ ?/ (he 3ommalattam puppets are the largest7 hea6iest and the most articulate of all traditional Indian marionettes/ @/ A puppet may be as big as ?/@ feet in height 8eighing about ten ;ilograms/ 2/ 3ommalattam theatre has elaborate preliminaries 8hich are di6ided into four parts - *inaya; PuDa7 Comali7 Amanattam and Pusen;anattam

Shado" Puppets '# | P a g e

Art Forms and Architecture India has the richest 6ariety of types and styles of shado8 puppets/ Shado8 puppets are flat figures/ (hey are cut out of leather7 8hich has been treated to ma;e it translucent/ Shado8 puppets are pressed against the screen 8ith a strong source of light behind it/ (he manipulation bet8een the light and the screen ma;e silhouettes or colourful shado8s7 as the case may be7 for the 6ie8ers 8ho sit in front of the screen/ Follo8ing types of shado8 puppets are found in india !/ (ogalu Gombeyatta)Carnata;a+ '/ (holu 3ommalata)Andhra Pradesh+ "/ %a6anachhaya)Grissa+

Togalu !om$eyatta !/ (he shado8 theatre of Carnata;a is ;no8n as (ogalu Gombeyatta/ '/ (hese puppets are mostly small in siEe/ (he puppets ho8e6er differ in siEe according to their social status7 for instance7 large siEe for ;ings and religious characters and smaller siEe for common people or ser6ants/ Tholu Bommalata !/ (holu 3ommalata7 Andhra PradeshQs shado8 theatre has the richest and strongest tradition/ (he puppets are large in siEe and ha6e Dointed 8aist7 shoulders7 elbo8s and ;nees/ '/ (hey are coloured on both sides/ Hence7 these puppets thro8 coloured shado8s on the screen/ "/ (he music is dominantly influenced by the classical music of the region and the theme of the puppet plays are dra8n from the %amayana7 -ahabharata and Puranas/

Ravana#hhaya !/ (he most theatrically e9citing is the %a6anachhaya of Grissa/ '/ (he puppets are in one piece and ha6e no Doints/ "/ (hey are not coloured7 hence thro8 opa5ue shado8s on the screen / ?/ (he manipulation re5uires great de9terity7 since there are no Doints/ @/ (he puppets are made of deer s;in and are concei6ed in bold dramatic poses/ 2/ Apart from human and animal characters7 many props such as trees7 mountains7 chariots7 etc/ are also used/ B/ Although7 %a6anachhaya puppets are smaller in siEe-the largest not more than t8o feet ha6e no Dointed limbs7 they create 6ery sensiti6e and lyrical shado8s/

Rod Puppets %od puppets are an e9tension of glo6e-puppets7 but often much larger and supported and manipulated by rods from belo8/ (his form of puppetry no8 is found mostly in West 3engal and Grissa/

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Art Forms and Architecture Follo8ing types of %od puppets are found in India !/ Putul ,autch)West 3engal+ '/ <ampuri)3ihar+ "/ Grissan %od puppets

Putul aut#h !/ (he traditional rod puppet form of West 3engal is ;no8n as Putul ,autch/ '/ (hey are car6ed from 8ood and follo8 the 6arious artistic styles of a particular region/ "/ In ,adia district of West 3engal7 rod-puppets used to be of human siEe li;e the 3unra;u puppets of Fapan/ (his form is no8 almost e9tinct/ ?/ (he 3engal rod-puppets7 8hich sur6i6e are about " to ? feet in height and are costumed li;e the actors of Fatra7 a traditional theatre form pre6alent in the State/

@/ (hese puppets ha6e mostly three Doints/ (he heads7 supported by the main rod7 is Doined at the nec; and both hands attached to rods are Doined at the shoulders/ 2/ (he techni5ue of manipulation is interesting and highly theatrical/ A bamboo-made hub is tied firmly to the 8aist of the puppeteer on 8hich the rod holding the puppet is placed/ (he puppeteers each holding one puppet7 stand behind a head-high curtain and 8hile manipulating the rods also mo6e and dance imparting corresponding mo6ements to the puppets/ B/ While the puppeteers themsel6es sing and deli6er the styliEed prose dialogues7 a group of musicians7 usually three to four in numbers7 sitting at the side of the stage pro6ide the accompanying music 8ith a drum7 harmonium and cymbals/ 1/ (he music and 6erbal te9t ha6e close similarity 8ith the Fatra theatre/

The 1rissa Rod puppets !/ (he Grissa %od puppets are much smaller in siEe7 usually about t8el6e to eighteen inches/ '/ (hey also ha6e mostly three Doints7 but the hands are tied to strings instead of rods/ (hus elements of rod and string puppets are combined in this form of puppetry/ "/ (he techni5ue of manipulation is some8hat different/ (he Grissa rod-puppeteers s5uat on the ground behind a screen and manipulate/ ?/ (he music blends fol; tunes 8ith classical Gdissi tunes/ (he music begins 8ith a short piece of ritual orchestral preliminary called Stuti and is follo8ed by the play/

2ampuri !/ (he traditional %od puppet of 3ihar is ;no8n as <ampuri/ '/ (hese puppets are made of 8ood/

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Art Forms and Architecture "/ nli;e the traditional %od puppets of West 3engal and Grissa7 these puppets are in one piece and ha6e no Doints/

?/ As these puppets ha6e no Doints7 the manipulation is different from other %od puppets and re5uires greater de9terity/

!love Puppets Glo6e puppets7 are also ;no8n as slee6e7 hand or palm puppets/ (he head is made of either papier mache7 cloth or 8ood7 8ith t8o hands emerging from Dust belo8 the nec;/ (he rest of the figure consists of a long flo8ing s;irt/ (hese puppets are li;e limp dolls7 but in the hands of an able puppeteer7 are capable of producing a 8ide range of mo6ements/ (he manipulation techni5ue is simple the mo6ements are controlled by the human hand the first finger inserted in the head and the middle finger and the thumb are the t8o arms of the puppet/ With the help of these three fingers7 the glo6e puppet comes ali6e/

(he tradition of glo6e puppets in India is popular in ttar Pradesh7 Grissa7 West 3engal and Cerala/ In ttar Pradesh7 glo6e puppet plays usually present social themes7 8hereas in Grissa such plays are based on stories of %adha and Crishna/ In Grissa7 the puppeteer plays on the dhola; 8ith one hand and manipulates the puppet 8ith the other/ (he deli6ery of the dialogues7 the mo6ement of the puppet and the beat of the dhola; are 8ell synchronised and create a dramatic atmosphere/ In Cerala7 the traditional glo6e puppet play is called Pa6a;oothu/ It came into e9istence during the !1th century due to the influence of Catha;ali7 the famous classical dance-drama of Cerala7 on puppet performances/ In Pa6a;oothu7 the height of a puppet 6aries from one foot to t8o feet/ (he head and the arms are car6ed of 8ood and Doined together 8ith thic; cloth7 cut and stitched into a small bag/

(he face of the puppets are decorated 8ith paints7 small and thin pieces of gilded tin7 the feathers of the peacoc;7 etc/ (he manipulator puts his hand into the bag and mo6es the hands and head of the puppet/ (he musical instruments used during the performance are Chenda7 Chengiloa7 Ilathalam and Shan;ha the conch/ (he theme for Glo6e puppet plays in Cerala is based on the episodes from either the %amayana or the -ahabharata/

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Art Forms and Architecture

Chapter %: "raditional "heatre Forms of India


=i6ing traditions occupy a prominent place in the Indian social system/ Any li6ing tradition has a natural flo8/ (here can be no doubt about the fact that traditional art forms reflect the ideals of the society7 its determination to sur6i6e7 its ethos7 emotions7 fello8-feelings7 and so on/ 0rama in itself is a complete form of arts/ It includes in its frame8or; acting7 dialogue7 poetry7 music7 etc/In community li6ing7 the art of singing has its o8n importance/ In all the traditional theatre-forms7 songs and the art of singing ha6e an important role to play/ (raditional music of the theatre is an e9pression of the feelings of the community/(raditionally the language of ordinary people has an element of creati6ity7 though not based on classical or grammatical roots/ (his ;ind of creati6ity is spontaneous7 emerging from the circumstances/ When there is intensity of emotions7 there is a natural ;ind of rhythm in the e9pressions/ It is this natural rhythm from 8hich emerges the traditional theatre-form/ In this art form7 sorro87 Doy7 frustration7 hatred and lo6e ha6e their role and place/ In different regions of India7 there are religious festi6als7 fairs7 gatherings7 ritual offerings7 prayers7 almost throughout the year/ 0uring these occasions7 traditional theatre forms are presented/ (hey reflect the common manHs social attitudes and perceptions/ In this social portrayal7 there is also the indi6idualHs role 8hich is gi6en due importance/

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Art Forms and Architecture (raditional theatre forms incorporate not only the common manHs interests but there is also a classical element in them/ (his classical facet7 ho8e6er7 ta;es on regional7 local and fol; coloring/ It is possible7 that those associated 8ith the classical 8orld of Sans;rit drama7 8ent to the neighbouring regions after its decline and intermingled 8ith the local theatre forms/ (his ;ind of synthesis7 gi6eand-ta;e must ha6e ta;en place on 6arious le6els such as 8ritten7 6erbal7 classical7 contemporary7 national and local/

In traditional theatre forms there are special styles of dance portraying the entry on to the stage or platform7 narrati6e and descripti6e roles/ (he best e9ample of descripti6e acting is the 3idapat naach/ In this traditional theatre form7 emphasis is not on beauty but on acting itself and narrati6e and descripti6e s;ills/ 0ance as a narrati6e art is the base of theatre form 8hich can be seen in the traditional theatre form of 3ha6ai of GuDarat/ In this form7 5uic; or slo8 foot mo6ement is a means of narration/ (he art of ma;ing the entry by dancing has been perfected in the traditional Cashmiri theatre form7 3hand Fashn/ (he 8ay each character 8al;s and enters the platform7 identifies him/ In Coodiyaattam and An;ia ,aat7 the entry by dancing itself is complicated and artistic/ In the forms7 the tempo and basic posture and gesture identifies the role of the character/

In traditional theatre7 age-old forms7 customs and the desire to impro6ise are intermingled/ It is usually 8hen the significant themes are enacted7 that the acting restricts itself to traditional norms7 not de6iating from it/ 3ut7 e6ery time the theme inches to8ards the contemporary7 the actors impro6ise as far as dialogue deli6ery is concerned/

In traditional theatre forms there are certain con6entions of presentations depending upon and changing according to the form and siEe of the stage or the platform and other a6ailable situations/ (here is no formal setup go6erning the entry or e9it of the actors/ 0epending on the situation or conte9t7 the actors enter into the stage and enact their role 8ithout being formally introduced/ After a particular e6ent or incident is o6er7 all the artists ma;e an e9it7 or all of them sit do8n on the sides of the stage or near the bac;drop7 con6eying the change of a scene

In traditional theatre forms7 there is no such thing as episodes/ (here is al8ays continuity in its theme7 structure and presentation/ (here is also a scope for impro6isation and incorporation of ne8 references leading to subtle e9tension in the story-line/ (here is direct and intimate communication bet8een the actors and the audience/

(raditional theatre forms ha6e definitely been influenced by industrial ci6iliEation7 industrialiEation7 and urbaniEation/ (he socio-cultural aspects of these influences should be carefully studied/ (here 8as a time 8hen Canpur became the centre of the traditional theatre ,autan;i/ Artists7 dancers and singers produced plays based on local heroes7 their popularity and traditional lo6e stories/ (hus7 a local theatre form ac5uired significance in the field of entertainment/

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Art Forms and Architecture (raditional theatre forms ha6e a common distinguishing feature that is the element of simplicity/ What is the underlying force of traditional theatre forms that has enabled it to sur6i6e and maintain its simplicityJ (he fact remains7 that it is the immediate7 direct7 realistic and rhythmic relationship that the spectators are able to de6elop 8ith the artists of traditional theatre forms 8hich is generally not e9perienced in other art forms/ It is reflected in the applaud by the spectators by means of clapping their hands/

Secondly the de6elopment of traditional theatre forms is based on such local and regional peculiarities 8hich are not bound and restricted by social and economic di6isions7 limitations7 etc/ (radional art forms ha6e influenced classical art forms and 6ice-6ersa/ It is an eternal Dourney in the sphere of KcultureH/

In traditional theatre forms7 characters ;eep changing their place on the stage to be more impressi6e and to gi6e the situation a greater significance/ (his techni5ue also reduces the chance of boredom through repetition and stillness/ 0ialogues deli6ery is usually carried out in a high pitch/ (his helps the actors in reaching out to a larger audience/ (he artists al8ays add something or the other to the original dialogue on their o8n/ (he changes brought through impro6isations7 ma;e the spectators ecstatic/ Also7 it establishes a direct relationship bet8een the artists and the spectators/ (he clo8n also plays a similar role/ While being humorous7 he also touches upon the socio-economic7 political issues and situations 8ith lot of satire/ (here are different methods too7 in the 8ay the clo8n ma;es his appearance/ If the ;ing7 in traditional theatre forms7 decides on a step not beneficial for the people at large7 the clo8n appears and ta;es the side of the common man/ He ma;es the audience laugh and at the same time discloses the anti-people attitude of the ;ing/

Follo8ing are the common theatre forms of India

Bhand Pather this traditional theatre form of Cashmir7 is a uni5ue combination of dance7 music and acting/ Satire7 8it and parody are preferred for inducing laughter/ In this theatre form7 music is pro6ided 8ith surnai7 nagaara and dhol/ Since the actors of 3hand Pather are mainly from the farming community7 the impact of their 8ay of li6ing7 ideals and sensiti6ity is discernible/ S"ang Griginally the theatre form S8ang7 8as mainly music-based/ Gradually7 prose too7 played its role in the dialogues/ (he softness of emotions7 accomplishment of rasa along8ith the de6elopment of character can be seen in this theatre form/ (he t8o important styles of S8ang are from %ohta; and Haathras/ In the style belonging to %ohta;7 the language used is Haryan6i )3angru+ and in Haathras7 it is 3raDbhasha/ autanki ,autan;i is usually associated 8ith ttar Pradesh/ (he most popular centres of this traditional theatre form are Canpur7 =uc;no8 and Haathras/ (he meters used in the 6erses are4 0oha7 Chaubola7 Chhappai7 3ehar-e-tabeel/ (here 8as a time 8hen only men acted in ,autan;i but no8adays7 8omen

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Art Forms and Architecture ha6e also started ta;ing part in the performances/ Among those remembered 8ith re6erence is Gulab 3ai of Canpur/ She ga6e a ne8 dimension to this old theatre form/ Raasleela %aasleela is based e9clusi6ely on =ord Crishna legendsN it is belie6ed that ,and 0as 8rote the initial plays based on the life of Crishna/ In this theatre form the dialogues in prose combined beautifully 8ith songs and scenes from CrishnaQs pran;s/ Bhavai 3ha6ai is the traditional theatre form of GuDarat/ (he centers of this form are Cutch and Cathia8ar/ (he instruments used in 3ha6ai are4 bhungal7 tabla7 flute7 pa;haa8aD7 rabaab7 sarangi7 manDeera7 etc/ In 3ha6ai7 there is a rare synthesis of de6otional and romantic sentiments/ +atra Fairs in honour of gods7 or religious rituals and ceremonies ha6e 8ithin their frame8or; musical plays are ;no8n as Fatra/ (his form 8as born and nurtured in 3engal/ Crishna Fatra became popular due to ChaitanyaQs influence/ =ater7 ho8e6er7 8orldly lo6e stories too7 found a place in Fatra/ (he earlier form of Fatra has been musical/ 0ialogues 8ere added at later stage/ (he actors themsel6es describe the change of scene7 the place of action7 etc/ Maa#h -aach is the traditional theatre form of -adhya Pradesh/ (he term -aach is used for the stage itself as also for the play/ In this theatre form songs are gi6en prominence in bet8een the dialogues/ (he term for dialogue in this form is bol and rhyme in narration is termed 6anag/ (he tunes of this theatre form are ;no8n as rangat/

Bhaona 3haona is a presentation of the An;ia ,aat of Assam/ In 3haona cultural glimpses of Assam7 3engal Grissa7 -athura and 3rinda6an can be seen/ (he Sutradhaar7 or narrator begins the story7 first in Sans;rit and then in either 3raDboli or Assamese/ Tamaasha (amaasha is a traditional fol; theatre form of -aharashtra/ It has e6ol6ed from the fol; forms such as Gondhal7 Fagran and Cirtan/ nli;e other theatre forms7 in (amaasha the female actress is the chief e9ponent of dance mo6ements in the play/ She is ;no8n as -ur;i/ Classical music7 foot8or; at lightning-speed7 and 6i6id gestures ma;e it possible to portray all the emotions through dance/ 'ashavatar 0asha6atar is the most de6eloped theatre form of the Con;an and Goa regions/ (he performers personify the ten incarnations of =ord *ishnu-the god of preser6ation and creati6ity/ (he ten incarnations are -atsya )fish+7 Curma )tortoise+7 *araha )boar+7 ,arsimha )lion-man+7 *aman )d8arf+7 Parashuram7 %ama7 Crishna )or 3alram+7 3uddha and Cal;i/ Apart from styliEed ma;e-up7 the 0asha6atar performers 8ear mas;s of 8ood and papier mache/ %rishnattam Crishnattam7 fol; theatre of Cerala7 came into e9istence in the middle of !Bth century A/0/ under the patronage of Cing -ana6ada of Calicut/ Crishnattam is a cycle of eight plays performed for eight 'B | P a g e

Art Forms and Architecture consecuti6e days/ (he plays are A6ataram7 Caliamandana7 %asa ;rida7 ;amasa6adha7 S8ayam6aram7 3ana <udham7 *i6ida *adham7 and S8argarohana/ (he episodes are based on the theme of =ord Crishna - his birth7 childhood pran;s and 6arious deeds depicting 6ictory of good o6er e6il/ Mudiyettu -udiyettu7 traditional fol; theatre form of Cerala is celebrated in the month of *rischi;am ),o6ember-0ecember+/ It is usually performed only in the Cali temples of Cerala7 as an oblation to the Goddess/ It depicts the triumph of goddess 3hadra;ali o6er the asura 0ari;a/ (he se6en characters in -udiyettu-Shi6a7 ,arada7 0ari;a7 0ana6endra7 3hadra;ali7 Cooli and Coimbidar ),andi;esh6ara+ are all hea6ily made-up/ Theyyam (heyyam is a traditional and e9tremely popular fol; theatre form of Cerala/ (he 8ord Q(heyyamQ is deri6ed from the Sans;rit 8ord Q0ai6amQ meaning God/ Hence it is called GodQs dance/ (he tradition of 8orshipping of spirits of ancestors7 fol; heroes7 and deities of 6arious diseases and ailments can be traced bac; to ancient times in South India/ (heyyam is performed by 6arious castes to appease and 8orship these spirits/ Gne of the distinguishing features of (heyyam is the colourful costume and a8e-inspiring headgears )mudi+ nearly @ to 2 feet high made of arecanut splices7 bamboos7 leaf sheaths of arecanut and 8ooden plan;s and dyed into different strong colours using turmeric7 8a9 and arac/ %oodiyaattam Coodiyaattam7 one of the oldest traditional theatre forms of Cerala7 is based on Sans;rit theatre traditions/ (he characters of this theatre form are4 Cha;yaar or actor7 ,aambiyaar7 the instrumentalists and ,aangyaar7 those ta;ing on 8omenQs roles/ (he Sutradhar or narrator and the *idusha; or Desters are the protagonists/ It is the *idusha; alone 8ho deli6ers the dialogues/ &mphasis on hand gestures and eye mo6ements ma;es this dance and theatre form uni5ue/ 2akshagaana <a;shagaana7 traditional theatre form of Carnata;a7 is based on mythological stories and Puranas/ (he most popular episodes are from the -ahabharata i/e/ 0raupadi s8ayam6ar7 Subhadra 6i6ah7 Abhimanyu 6adh7 Carna-ArDun yuddh and from %amayana i/e/ %aaDyaabhishe;7 =a6-;ush <uddh7 3aali-Sugree6a yuddha and Pancha6ati/ Therukoothu (heru;oothu7 the most popular form of fol; drama of (amil ,adu7 literally means Pstreet playP/ It is mostly performed at the time of annual temple festi6als of -ariamman )%ain goddess+ to achie6e rich har6est/ At the core of the e9tensi6e repertoire of (heru;oothu there is a cycle of eight plays based on the life of 0raupadi/ Cattia;aran7 the Sutradhara of the (heru;oothu performance7 gi6es the gist of the play to the audience and Comali entertains the audience 8ith his buffoonery/

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Art Forms and Architecture

Chapter & : Indian !usic


Here 8e 8ill study the follo8ing topics !/ Grigin of Indian -usicology ),atyashatra73rihadeshi7Sangeetratna;ara+ '/ 0hrupad "/ Chayal ?/ (humri and (appa @/ -ale (rinity of the Carnatic music 2/ Female (rinity of the Carnatic music

1rigin o) 3ndian Musi#ology

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Art Forms and Architecture (he Indian music is basically medolic as compared to its 8estern counterpart 8hich is mainly harmonic/(he Indian music has no standard fre5uency and it can be chosen by the singer/ ,atya Shastra of 3harata is an important landmar; in the history of Indian music/ It is supposed to ha6e been 8ritten sometime bet8een the 'nd century 3/C/ and the 'nd century A/0/ Some scholars are e6en doubtful 8hether it is the 8or; of one author and the 8or; might 8ell ha6e been a compendium - at least7 the 6ersion 8hich is a6ailable to us/ (he ,atya Shastra is a comprehensi6e 8or; mainly dealing 8ith dramaturgy/ 3ut a fe8 chapters of this deal 8ith music/ (herein 8e get information on scales7 melodic forms7 tala and musical instruments/ (he then contemporary music recogniEed t8o standard scales/ (hese 8ere called gramas/ (he 8ord grama is itself perhaps deri6able from the idea of group or sect4 a 6illage7 for instance/ (his probably lead to a set of s6aras or notes being called grama/ (his could roughly be translated as scales/ (here 8ere then t8o gramas pre6alent/ Gne 8as called the ShadDa grama7 the other one 8as the -adhyama grama/ (he difference bet8een the t8o 8as only in one note7 the panchama/ (o spea; more accurately/ 8e say that the panchama in madhyama grama 8as one sruti lo8er than the panchama in shadDa grama/ (he sruti thus is the unit of measure or small difference bet8een the 6arious consecuti6e pitches 8ithin a grama or a scale/ For all practical purposes they are said to be t8enty t8o/ (his is only as far as practical enumeration is concerned/ Dust as 8e 8ould say that there are se6en notes in an octa6e or sapta; - from Sa to upper Sa/ 3ut in reality the number of srutis employed in Indian music is infinite/ Getting bac; to gramas in 3harataQs time7 there 8ere t8o7 8ith se6en notes each/ 3harata also mentions t8o other note4 these 8ere the antara gandhara and ;a;ali nishada/ ,o87 from each grama subsidiary scales are deri6ed/ (hese are called moorcchanas/ (he notes are played or sung in a descending manner/ (here are se6en basic notes in a scale7 hence there can be se6en moorcchanas/ (here 8ere t8o gramas and each had se6en standard notes and t8o au9iliary ones7 as 8as mentioned/ Since each note could gi6e a moorcchana7 numerous such subsidiary scales could be obtained/ It is possible to sho8 that there could be si9ty-four moorcchanas deri6able from t8o gramas/ (he process ga6e different tonal orders 8ithin 8hich could be grouped or from 8hich could be e6ol6ed7 all ;no8n classical melodies of those days/ (his condition remained for many centuries/ In appro9imately the !"th century A/0/ Sarangade6a - 8hose forefathers hailed from Cashmir - settled in South India and 8rote his monumental Sangeeta %atan;ara/ He also described technical terms such as gramas and moorcchanas/ (he standard scales 8ere still the same/ 3ut 8hereas 3harata mentions t8o au9iliary s6aras7 the number and definition of these 8ere 6ery different in medie6al times/From about the !!th century7 music from Central and West Asia began to influence our music tradition/ Gradually this influence too; a deeper root and many changes too; place/ Gf these7 an important one is the disappearance of gramas and moorcchanas/Sometime around about the !@th century7 this process of change became manifest7 the grama system became obsolete/ (he concept of mela or thata ta;es its place/ In this there is only one standard scale/ All ;no8n notes are referred to a common note Sa/3y about the !1th century e6en the standard or shuddha s6ara in Hindustani music becomes different/ So far 8e ha6e been spea;ing of scales4 the grama7 moorcchana and mela/ (hese are ob6iously concepts de6eloped after melodies 8ere born/ ,o fol; singer thin;s of a grama or a mela/ (he tribal and fol; songs e9isted and still e9ist 8ithout a conscious grammar/ It is the musicologist 8ho later classifies melodies or ragas into scales/ We shall no8 turn our attention to the melodic structures/ Again it is to the *edas that 8e must turn for the first codified melody/ In the ,atya Shastra of 3harata are found descriptions of melodic forms called Dati/ Ho8 they 8ere sung or played7 8e ha6e no ideaN but some salient points can be called from ,atya Shastra and later commentaries/ &6ery one of these Datis could be put in some moorcchana or the other/ (hey 8ere distinguished by characteristics li;e the graha )starting note+ nyasa )note on 8hich a phrase stops+/ the range of notes - from lo8 pitch to high - and so on/ -any scholars are of "# | P a g e

Art Forms and Architecture the opinion that the concept of raga 8hich is so basic to our music7 8as born and de6eloped out of Dati/ (he maDor 8or; dealing 8ith the raga is the 3rihaddesi of -atanga/ (he 8or; is dated around the 2th century7 A/0/ 3y this time7 the idea of the raga as a melodic scheme had become clear and 8ell defined/ -atanga 8as from the southern areas of India7 to be specific he 8as from Carnatic/ (his sho8s that up to this era7 at least7 the grammar of Indian music 8as more or less one throughout the country/ Secondly7 8hat he deals 8ith is desi music/ (hat is 8hy he had titled the 8or; 3rihaddesi/ A characteristic contribution of India to musical rhythm is the tala/ (ala is a cyclic arrangement of time units/ (he basic units of time di6ision are laghu7 guru7 and pluta/ (hese are actually deri6ed from poetic prosody/ =aghu comprises one syllable7guru t8o7 and pluta three/ (here are also larger units/ 3harataQs ,atya Shastra gi6es details of construction of tala out of 6arious time units7 ho8 they should be played and so on/ =ater authors de6eloped a scheme of !#1 talas/ 3esides some ancient talas ne8 ones7 as for e9ample7 Firdost7 seem to ha6e entered Hindustani music/ (he most important aspect of playing the tala in the Hindustani system has been the de6elopment of the ideas of the;a/ (his techni5ue is characteristic of Hindustani music/ A the;a is the definition of a tala by the stro;e of a tabla/ &ach stro;e on the drum has a name called a bol or syllable/ For instance7 dha7 ta7 ghe/ etc/ In any language one can ha6e an epic7 a sonnet7 a lyric7 a short story and so on/ Similarly7 gi6en a raga and a tala7 6arious musical forms ha6e been created/ %ight from ancient times7 musical forms can be di6ided into t8o broad categories/ (hese 8ere the anibaddha and the nibaddha sangeeta/ (he first may be called the open or free form and the second as the closed or bound form/ Anibaddha sangeeta is one 8hich is not restricted by meaningful 8ords and tala/ It is a free impro6isation/ (he finest form is the alap/ Gf the nibaddha 6ariety7 there are many/ (he earliest about 8hich some ;no8ledge is a6ailable is the prabandha giti/ Indeed7prabandha is often used as a generic term to indicate any nibaddha song or musical composition/ We ha6e little e6idence of these closed forms7 e9cept that they 8ere set to definite ragas and talas/ Gf all ;no8n prabandhas those of Fayade6a are the best ;no8n/ (his poet li6ed in 3engal in the !'th century and composed his Gita Go6inda7 a Sans;rit 8or; 8ith songs and 6erses/ (he songs are ashtapadis4 that is7 each song has eight couplets/ (oday7 the songs ha6e spread throughout the country and each region has its o8n style/ As a matter of fact7 singers ha6e ta;en the liberty of gi6ing the prabandhas their o8n tunes/ In the face of this7 it is impossible to determine the original tunes of the ashtapadis/ (he popularity of Fayade6aQs Gita Go6inda is due to many reasons/ (he first7 naturally is the intrinsic poetic beauty of the 8or; almost une5ualled/ It also lent itself to dance and any concei6able style of music/ Again7 it 8as in Sans;rit7 thus transcending many linguistic barriers/ 3esides all this7 the greatest significant force sustaining it is bha;ti/ 3ha;ti or adoration is as old as man/ It really is a state of mind beseeching the =ord/ 'hrupad !/ 0hrupad is a type of nibaddha sangeeta/ '/ It is belie6ed to ha6e been a further elaboration of the prabandha structure/

"/ While it might ha6e had an impetus for popularity e6en by the !?th century7 it finds a blossoming period from !@th century on8ards to about the !1th century/ 0uring these centuries 8e meet the most respected and reno8ned singers and patrons of this form/ (here 8as -an Singh (omar7 the -aharaDa of G8alior/ It 8as he 8ho 8as mainly responsible for the enormous 6ogue of dhrupad/ (here 8ere 3aiDu7 3a;shu and others/ S8ami Haridasa a hermit of 3rinda6an 8as not only a dhrupadiya7 but one of the most central figures in the 3ha;ti cult in the ,orthern areas of India/ 3y tradition he 8as the guru of (ansen7 one of the best ;no8n dhrupad singers and one of the nine De8els of &mperor A;barQs court/ "! | P a g e

Art Forms and Architecture ?/ In structure dhrupad has t8o parts7 the anibaddha section and the sanchari dhrupad proper/ @/ (he first is free alap/ (he dhrupad proper is a song in four parts4 the asthayee7 the antara7 the Sanchari and the abhoga/ 2/ (he essential 5uality of the dhrupadic approach is its sombre atmosphere and emphasis on rhythm/ B/ (here 8ere four schools or 6anis of singing the dhrupad/ a/ (he Gauhar 6ani de6eloped the raga or unadorned melodic figures/ b/ (he 0agar 6ani emphasiEed melodic cur6es and graces/ c/ (he Chandar 6ani specialised in 5uic; ornamentation of the notes/ d/ ,auhar 6ani 8as ;no8n for its broad musical leaps and Dumps/ 1/ (hese 6anis Qare no8 indistinguishable/ A/ (he dhrupad is e6en no8 highly respected and can be heard on the concert platform but more often in temples of ,orth India/ !#/ (he dhrupad has some8hat receded to the bac;ground and is not so popular 8ith the masses/ (he 3een and Pa;ha8aD 8hich 8ere closely associated 8ith the dhrupad also do not find much patronage these days/

%hayal !/ (oday the pride of place in classical Hindustani -usic is occupied by the Chyal/ '/ We are really not sure about the beginning of the Chyal/ (he 8ord is alien and means QimaginationQ/ And as you 8ill find 8hen you hear it is more lyrical than the dhrupad/ "/ 3ut 8hether the musical form itself is foreign/ is a matter of doubt/ ?/ Some scholars are of the opinion that in fact7 it has its roots in the ancient Indian roopa;a alaps/ It is also said that Amir Chusrou of the !"th century ga6e it an impetus/ @/ Sultan -ohammed Shar;hi of the !@th century is credited 8ith encouraging this form/ 2/ Ho8e6er7 it attained its maturity at the hands of ,iyamat Chan Sadarang and Adarang of the !1th century/ B/ As sung today7 the ;hyal has t8o 6arieties4 the slo8 or 6ilambit ;hyal and the fast or drut ;hyal/ 1/ In form both are similar7 they ha6e t8o sections - the asthayee and the antara/ (he 6ilambit is sung in slo8 tempo and the drut at a faster speed/ A/ In techni5ue/ the e9position is less gra6e than the dhrupad/ (here are more delicate gam;as and ornamentations/

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Art Forms and Architecture !#/ 3oth types of ;hyals ha6e t8o sections/ (he asthayee and the antara/ (he asthayee mostly confines itself to the lo8 and middle octa6es/ (he antara generally mo6es in the middle and upper octa6es/ !!/ (ogether asthayee and antara ma;e one song7 a composition7 or bandish7 QcheeEQ as it is called/ As a total 8or; it re6eals the essence of the raga in 8hich it is set/ !'/ Comparable to the 6anis of the dhrupads7 8e ha6e gharanas7 in the ;hyal/ (hese are schools of singing founded or de6eloped by 6arious indi6iduals or patrons such as ;ings or noblemen/ !"/ (he oldest of these is the G8alior gharana/ (he father of this school 8as one ,athan Peerba;sh7 8ho settled do8n in G8alior7 and hence the name/ !?/ He had t8o grandsons Haddu Chan and Hassu Chan 8ho li6ed in the !Ath century and 8ere regarded as great masters of this style/ (he 5ualities of this gharana are an open 6oice clear enunciation of 8ords7 a comprehensi6e attention to raga/ s6ara and tala/ Some of the prominent musicians of this gharana are Crishna %ao Shan;ar Pandit7 %aDa 3haiya Poonch8ale etc/ !@/ (he Agra Gharana is said to ha6e been founded by one Chuda 3a;sh of Agra/ He had studied 8ith ,athan Peerba;sh of G8alior7 but de6eloped his o8n style/ Here again the 6oice is open and clear7 a speciality of this gharana is its bol taan4 that is7 a fast or medium laya;ari passage using the bols or 8ords of the song/ (he song itself is rendered in medium tempo/ Gf the most 8ell ;no8n musicians of this gharana in recent times are *ilayat Hussain Chan and FayyaE Chan/ !2/ (he Faipur Atroli gharana is said to ta;e off directly from dhrupad/ It is associated 8ith Alladiya Chan of the !Ath-'#th century/ (he ;hyal is al8ays in medium speed/ (he 8ords are pronounced clearly and in an open and clear 6oice/ (he distinguishing characters are the passages 8hich are primarily based on alan;ars - that is/ repetiti6e melodic motifs - and an almost metronomic insistence of tala di6ision/ Some of the prominent musicians of recent times are -alli;arDun -ansur7 Cishori Amon;ar etc/ !B/ Finally 8e come to the %ampur Sahes8an gharana/ Since the earlier singers came from %ampur in ttar Pradesh7 this school has come to be called so/ (he slo8 and fast Chayals usually are follo8ed by a (arana/ (he style is 6ery lyrical and full of finer tonal embroidery/ ,isar Hussain Chan7 %ashid Chan are the t8o prominent musicians of recent times belonging to this gharana/

Thumri and Tappa !/ (hey are popular types heard in concerts/ '/ (he thumri is 6ery lyrical in its structure and presentation/ (hese forms are termed as QsemiQ or QlightQ classical/ "/ (humri is a lo6e song and hence the te9tual beauty is 6ery important/ (his is closely coordinated 8ith the musical rendition/ And ;eeping in mind its mood a thumri is usually set to ragas li;e ChamaD7 Caphi7 3haira6i and so on and the musical grammar is not strictly adered to/

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Art Forms and Architecture ?/ (here are t8o styles of thumri singing4 the Poorab or 3anaras 8hich is fairly slo8 and staid and the PunDab style 8hich is more mercurial/ %asoolan 0e6i7 Siddhesh8ari 0e6i are prominent musicians of this style/ @/ (he (appa consists of the song uttered in fast note patterns/ 2/ It is a difficult composition and needs much practice/

B/ 3oth the (humri and (appa re5uire special training/ 1/ %agas in 8hich (appa compositions are set remain same as in (humri style/ A/ Pt/ =/C/ Pandit7 -alini %aDur;ar are names 8ho specialiEe this form of singing/

Male Trinity o) (arnati# Musi# !/ (he (rinity of Carnatic music refer to the outstanding trio of composer-musicians of Carnatic music in the !1th century7 being (yRgarRDa7 -uthus8ami 0i;shitar and Syama Sastri '/ Prolific in composition7 the (rinity of Carnatic music are ;no8n for creating a ne8 era in the history of Carnatic music by bringing about a noticeable change in 8hat 8as the e9isting Carnatic music tradition/ "/ Compositions of the (rinity of Carnatic music are recognised as being distinct in style7 and original in handling ragas/

?/ -uthus8ami 0i;shitar mainly composed in Sans;rit7 8hile (yagaraDa and Syama Sastri mainly composed in (elugu/ @/ (he (rinity of Carnatic music composed ne8 ragas and talas7 and had a remar;able ability to introduce inno6ations 8ithin the same raga/ 2/ Compositions of Syama Sastri in Qapoor6aQ ragas li;e Chinthamani7 and Calagada e6idence his originality and genius in disco6ering ne8 forms in Carnatic music/ B/ (he creati6e ability of Syama Sastri is possibly best e9ampled in his concert-contest against Cesa66aya7 a great Carnatic musician from 3obbili/ 0uring this contest 8hich too; place at the court of the ;ing of (hanDa6ur7 although Cesa6ayya sang a rare raga follo8ed by a tana in different Dathis and gathis7 Syama Sastri reproduced similar tana 6arieties7 and to the delight of the audience7 8ent further to introduce other 6arieties 8hich 8ere not ;no8n to Cesa66aya/

Female Trinity o) (arnati# Musi# !/ 0amal Crishnas8amy Pattammal7 -/ S/ Subbula;shmi and -/ =/ *asantha;umari 8ere )and still are+ popularly referred to as the Female trinity of Carnatic -usic/ (his trio initiated the entry of 8omen into mainstream Carnatic -usic '/ Pattammal started a fe8 re6olutionary trends in Carnatic music/ She 8as the first 3rahmin 8oman to ha6e performed this genre of music publicly/ 3rahmins ran;ed as the highest in the caste hierarchy pre6alent in India in the early '#th century7 and society considered it taboo for a 3rahmin 8oman to perform on stage/ "/ Pattammal 8as also the first 8oman to ha6e performed %agam (hanam Palla6i in concerts/

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Art Forms and Architecture ?/ %agam (hanam Palla6i7 8hich 8as classed as a male stronghold7 is the most difficult concert item in Carnatic music7 as it calls for great s;ill and a high degree of concentration to handle the rhythmic comple9ities in6ol6ed/ @/ Pattammal 8ent further to perform 6ery comple9 Palla6is in intricate talas )rhythmic cycles+N impressing and earning the respect of her male peers7 connoisseurs and fello8-musicians/ 2/ Her singing of palla6is 8as technically perfect7 and aesthetically pleasing/ For this reason7 she became dubbed SPalla6i PattammalT/

B/ She is also remembered for populariEing patriotic compositions of poet subramanyam bharati 1/ -adurai Shanmu;ha6adi6u 8as a reno8ned Carnatic 6ocalist/ A/ She 8as the first musician e6er to be a8arded the 3harat %atna7 IndiaQs highest ci6ilian honor/ !#/ She is the first Indian musician to recei6e the %amon -agsaysay a8ard7 often considered AsiaQs ,obel PriEe !!/ -/ =/ *asantha;umari 8as the youngest female a8ardee of the Sangita Calanidhi a8ard !'/ As 8ell as being a much sought-after playbac; singer for films7 -=* popularised unfamiliar ragas and her %agam (hanam Palla6is 8ere considered cerebral/ !"/ Additionally7 she popularised the compositions of Purandara 0asa and 8as responsible for populariEing his compositions 3aaro;rishnayya7 Innu daya barade7 among others

Chapter ' : Indian Classical (ance Forms


,andi;es6ara and 3harata are the authorities on Indian dances/(he Indian classical dancer should be properly trained in ,atya7,ritya and ,ritta ,o8 8hat is ,atya7,ritya and ,ritta J ,atya is 0rama 7 ,ritya is con6eying of emotions and feelings through hand gestures7body postures and facial e9pression and ,ritta is pure dance de6oid of any feelings/ (he Indian Classical dancer should be able to e9press the ,a6rasas/ ,o8 "hat are avrasas 4 (hey are 6arious moods and emotions of human beings/ (hey are as follo8s !/ Shringara '/ Caruna "/ *eer ?/ *ibhatsa "@ | P a g e

Art Forms and Architecture @/ %oudra 2/ 3hayana; B/ Shant 1/ Hasya A/ Adbhuta (he Ancient te9ts classifies dances in t8o forms !/ (anda6a Lmasculine '/ =asya L feminine &hat is a$hinay 4 Abhinay broadly means e9pression/It is con6eyed through !/ Angi;a L 3ody '/ *aschi;a L Speech "/ Aharya L ma;eup and coustume ?/ Sat6i;a L mood and emotions

We 8ill study follo8ing classical dances !/ 3harat ,atyam '/ Catha;ali "/ Catha; ?/ -anipuri @/ Gddisi 2/ Cuchipudi B/ Sattriya Bharat atyam !/ 3harat ,atyam is one of the oldest dance forms '/ (he Abhinaya Darpana by Nandikesvara is one of the main sources of te9tual material7 for the study of the techni5ue and grammar of body mo6ement in 3haratnatyam 0ance "/ It has a huge repertoire ?/ It has been ;ept ali6e till today because of the 0e6adasi tradition @/ (he repertoire 8as mainly built up by the (anDore 5uartete under -aharaD SerfoDi "2 | P a g e

Art Forms and Architecture 2/ (he 6arious dance poses of the 3haratnatyam can be seen from the sculptures such as the one on the Gopurams of the -adurai temple/ B/ 3harat ,atyam dance is ;no8n as &;aharya as one dancer ta;e many roles/ 1/ (here is a great emphasis on abhinaya in 3harat ,atyam/ A/ 3harat ,atyam begins 8ith alla ripu )offering of flo8ers by the dancer+ !#/ ,e9t part is Datis8aram /It has no sahitya and is performed on any of the famous Carnatic %agas/ !!/ (his part is follo8ed by Shapdam/the song is in the praise of supreme being !'/ (his is follo8ed by 6arnam 8hich is the most comple9 part of 3harat ,atyam /Common pieces in 6arnam are ;irtanam7padam7Da6alis and ;ritis/In ;eertanam 7the te9t is more important and music is more important /they are normally based on mythological themes li;e %amayana and -ahabharata/ !"/ Padams and Fa6alis are based on lo6e themes and are mostly de6ine in nature/ !?/ (he dance reaches its clima9 8ith tillana 8hich is a fast and 6igourous nritta and has its origin in the tarana tradition of Hindustani classical music/ !@/ (he dance ends 8ith mangalam that is in6o;ing the blessings of God/ !2/ (he person 8ho performs the dance recitation is called nattu6anar/

%athakali !/ It is based on other traditional dance Cha;iar;oothu7Codiyattam7Crishnattam and %amnattam forms of Cerela namely

'/ (he te9tual basis of Catha;ali is 3alaram 3harata and Hastla;shana 0eepi;a/ "/ (he Catha;ali dancer has to employ angi;a 7 6aschi;a 7 aharya and sat6i;a techni5ue in a 6ery synchroniEed manner in order to properly render the natya7nritya and nritta aspects of Catha;ali dance/ ?/ (he ata;;athasor stories are selected from %amyana and -ahabharata and 8ritten in highly sans;ritised 6erse form in malyalam @/ (he Catha;ali dance consists of 6arious types of character and are grouped into categories sat6i;a )good+ 7 raDasi;a)a good 8arrior but not a good person necessarily+ 7 tamsi;a a/ Pacha b/ Cathi c/ Cari d/ (hadi e/ -inu;;u

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Art Forms and Architecture 2/ Pacha characters are good and they belong to sat6i;a categories/ Green colour dominates in the facial ma;eup of pacha characters/(he chief pacha characters are %am and *ishnu/(hey are characteriEed by a cro8n ;no8n as ;irata and a peacoc; feather in the cro8n/ B/ (he Cathi characters li;e %a6ana belong to the raDsi;a type/(hey are great 8arriors but are generally anti hero/they are characteriEed by a small ball called chutippu placed on their nose or forehead/ 1/ (he thadi character are bearded characters/there are three types a/ Chahu6anna thadi L %ed 3eard b/ *ella thadi L 8hite beard L this is generally hanuman and also dons the ma;eup of mon;ey c/ Carutha thadi L blac; beard A/ (he ;ari characters ha6e a blac; base for their ma;eup and they are generally forest d8ellers and hunter gatherers/ !#/ (he -inu;;u are minor characters li;e 8omen and sages/ !!/ (he Costume and -a;eup of Catha;ali is done in three stages a/ (eppu L (his is the ma;eup that is done by artist himself b/ Chutti;uthu L (his is the ma;eup done by specially trained artists c/ dutha;ettu L (his is the donning of bello8ing s;irts by the artist

!'/ (he stage setup of Catha;ali is 6ery simple/It consists of t8o huge oil lamps ;ept in from of the stage/A curtain called tirasseela hides the artists from the audience before the start of the performance/ !"/ (he Catha ;ali dance consists of follo8ing stages a/ Celi;otu L this is the announcement of the beginning of sho8 by beating of drums and cymbals b/ (odayam L it is a de6otional number performed by one of the characters to in6o;e the blessings of god c/ Purapddu L 0ancer enthralls the audience 8ith is nritta by performing ;alamsas/ Calamsas are pure dance numbers 8ere the dancer is free to enthrall the audience 8ith his nritta and is not re5uired to follo8 the padams/ d/ -elapadda L (he musicians enthrall the audience 8ith their s;ills e/ (irano;;u L entry of all the characters on the screen other than pacha or minu;;u f/ Start of the play

!?/ Catha;ali music follo8s the traditional sopana sangeet of Cerala/ It is said to be the ritual singing of the Ashtapadis on the flight of steps leading to the sanctum sanctorum !@/ (he orchestra 8hich is also used in other traditional performing arts of Cerala7 normally comprises the Chenda7 -addalam7 Chengila7 Ilathalam7 Ida;;a and Shan;hu/ !2/ Ila;iattam is that part of the performance 8hen the characters get an opportunity to demonstrate their e9cellence in abhinaya/ For the most part of the performance the dancers "1 | P a g e

Art Forms and Architecture engage themsel6es in chodiattam 8hich means acting in strict conformity to the 8ords in the padams sung by the accompanying musicians/ !B/ (han;s to the ser6ice done by the poet *allathol7 this classical dance form recei6ed a ne8 impetus and today many inno6ations are also being made to suit the needs of a changing society

%athak !/ (he importance of Catha; lies in the fact that it is the only dance form associated 8ith the muslim culture and to the ,orth Indian Classical music both feeding and sustaining each other '/ Catha; has its origins in the Cahtha;ars )story tellers+ and recei6ed a great impetus during the bha;ti dradition and de6eloped on the performances li;e ras leela "/ (he golden era of ;atha; 8as during the reign of na8ab WaDid Ali Shah of oudh / He established the =uc;no8 gharana 8ith its strong accent on bha6a7 the e9pression of moods and emotions/ (he Faipur gharana ;no8n for its laya;ari or rhythmic 6irtuosity and the 3enaras gharana are other prominent schools of Catha; dance/ ?/ (he techni5ue of mo6ement in Catha; is uni5ue to it/(he 8eight of the body is e5ually distributed along the horiEontal and 6ertical a9is/ (he full foot contact is of prime importance 8here only the toe or the ball of the foot are used7 their function is limited/ (here are no deflections and no use of sharp bends or cur6es of the upper or lo8er part of the body/ (orso mo6ements emerge from the change of the shoulder line rather than through the manipulations of the bac;bone or upper chest and lo8er 8aist muscles/ In the basic stance7 the dancer stands straight7 holds one hand at a le6el higher than the head and the other is e9tended out on the le6el of the shoulder/ @/ (he techni5ue is built by the use of an intricate system of foot-8or;/ Pure dance )nritta+ is all important 8here comple9 rhythmic patterns are created through the use of the flat feet and the control of sound of the an;le bells 8orn by the dancer/ 2/ B/ As in 3haratnatyam7 Gdissi and -anipuri7 Catha; also builds its pure dance se5uences by combining units of mo6ement/ (he cadences are called differently by the names tu;ra7 tora7 and parana7 all indicati6e of the nature of rhythmic patterns used and the percussion instrument accompanying the dance/

1/ (he dancer commences 8ith a se5uence called (hat 8here soft gliding mo6ements of the nec;7 eyebro8s and the 8rists7 are introduced/ A/ (his is follo8ed by a con6entional formal entry ;no8n as the Amad )entry+ and the Salami )salutation+/ !#/ (hen follo8 the 6arious combinations of rhythmic passages all punctuated 8ith and culminating in a number of pirouettes)circular mo6ements+/ !!/ (he pirouettes are the most characteristic feature of the dance style in nritta portions/ %ecitation of the rhythmic syllables is commonN the dancer often pauses to recite these to a specified metrical cycle follo8ed by e9ecution through mo6ement/

"A | P a g e

Art Forms and Architecture !'/ (he nritta portion of Catha; is performed to the nagma/ 3oth the drummer )here the drum is either a pa;ha8aD7 a type of mridangam7 or a pair of tabla+ and the dancer 8ea6e endless combinations on a repetiti6e melodic line/ !"/ (he metrical cycle )tala+ of !27 !#7 !? beats pro6ides the foundation on 8hich the 8hole edifice of dance is built/ !?/ In the mime portions )nritya or abhinaya+7 8ords are not used in simple numbers called the gata7 8hich is performed in a lyrical manner to gentle rhythm/ (hese are short narrati6e pieces 8hich portray a brief episode from CrishnaQs life/ A poetic line set to music is interpreted 8ith gestures in other numbers7 such as the tumri7 bhaDan7 dadra - all lyrical musical compositions/ !@/ In these sections7 there is a 8ord to 8ord or line to line synchronisation in the same fashion as in 3haratnatyam or Gdissi/ !2/ 3oth in nritta )pure dance+ and the abhinaya )mime+ there is immense scope for impro6isation of presenting 6ariations on a theme/ !B/ (he interpretati6e and the abstract dance techni5ues are inter8o6en into each other7 and the dancerQs greatness lies in his capacity for impro6isation on the melodic and metric line on the one hand and the poetic line on the other/

Manipuri !/ -anipuri7 one of the main styles of Indian Art or Classical 0ances originated in the pictures5ue and secluded state of -anipur in the north-eastern corner of India/ '/ 3ecause of its geographical location7 the people of -anipur ha6e been protected from outside influences7 and this region has been able to retain its uni5ue traditional culture/

"/ (he origin of -anipuri dance can be traced bac; to ancient times that go beyond recorded history/ ?/ (he dance in -anipur is associated 8ith rituals and traditional festi6als7 there are legendary references to the dances of Shi6a and Par6ati and other gods and goddesses 8ho created the uni6erse/ @/ =ai Haraoba is one of the main festi6als still performed in -anipur 8hich has its roots in the pre-*aishna6ite period/ 2/ =ai Haraoba is the earliest form of dance 8hich forms the basis of all stylised dances in -anipur/

B/ =iterally meaning - the merryma;ing of the gods7 it is performed as a ceremonial offering of song and dance/ 1/ (he principal performers are the maibas and maibis )priests and priestesses+ 8ho re-enact the theme of the creation of the 8orld/

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Art Forms and Architecture A/ With the arri6al of *aishna6ism in the !@th century A/0/7 ne8 compositions based on episodes from the life of %adha and Crishna 8ere gradually introduced/ !#/ It 8as in the reign of Cing 3hagyachandra that the popular %asleela dances of -anipur originated/ !!/ It is said7 that this !1th century philosopher ;ing concei6ed this complete dance form along 8ith its uni5ue costume and music in a dream/ !'/ nder successi6e rulers7 ne8 leelas7 and rhythmic and melodic compositions 8ere introduced/

!"/ -anipur dance has a large repertoire7 ho8e6er7 the most popular forms are the %as7 the San;irtana and the (hang-(a/ !?/ (here are fi6e principal %as dances of 8hich four are lin;ed 8ith specific seasons7 8hile the fifth can be presented at any time of the year/ In -anipuri %as7 the main characters are %adha7 Crishna and the gopis/ !@/ (he themes often depict the pangs of separation of the gopis and %adha from Crishna/ !2/ (he parengs or pure dance se5uences performed in the %asleela dances follo8 the specific rhythmic patterns and body mo6ements7 8hich are traditionally handed do8n/ !B/ (he %as costume consists of a richly embroidered stiff s;irt 8hich e9tends to the feet/ !1/ A short fine 8hite muslin s;irt is 8orn o6er it/ A dar; coloured 6el6et blouse co6ers the upper part of the body and a traditional 8hite 6eil is 8orn o6er a special hair-do 8hich falls gracefully o6er the face/ !A/ Crishna 8ears a yello8 dhoti7 a dar; 6el6et Dac;et and a cro8n of peacoc; feathers/ (he De8ellery is 6ery delicate and the designs are uni5ue to the region/ '#/ (he Cirtan form of congregational singing accompanies the dance 8hich is ;no8n as San;irtana in -anipur/ '!/ (he male dancers play the Pung and Cartal 8hile dancing/ ''/ (he masculine aspect of dance - the Choloms are a part of the San;irtana tradition/ '"/ (he Pung and Cartal choloms are performed at all social and religious festi6als/ '?/ (he martial dancers of -anipur - the (hang-ta - ha6e their origins in the days 8hen manQs sur6i6al depended on his ability to defend himself from 8ild animals/ '@/ (oday7 -anipur has an e6ol6ed and sophisticated repertoire of martial dances7 the dancers use s8ords7 spears and shields/ %eal fight scenes bet8een the dancers sho8 an e9tensi6e training and control of the body/ '2/ -anipuri dance incorporates both the tanda6a and lasya and ranges from the most 6igorous masculine to the subdued and graceful feminine/ 'B/ Generally ;no8n for its lyrical and graceful mo6ements7 -anipuri dance has an elusi6e 5uality/ '1/ In ;eeping 8ith the subtleness of the style7 -anipuri abhinaya does not play up the mu;habhinaya 6ery much - the facial e9pressions are natural and not e9aggerated sar6angabhinaya7 or the use of the 8hole body to con6ey a certain rasa7 is its forte/

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Art Forms and Architecture 'A/ (he rhythmic comple9ities are usually o6erloo;ed as the dancers do not 8ear an;le bells to stamp out the rhythms in a theatrical display7 as this interferes 8ith the delicate body mo6ements/ "#/ Ho8e6er7 -anipuri dance and music has a highly e6ol6ed tala system/ "!/ (he -anipuri classical style of singing is called ,at - 6ery different from both north and south Indian music7 this style is immediately recogniEable 8ith its high pitched open throated rendering 8ith particular type of trills and modulations/ "'/ (he main musical instrument is the Pung or the -anipuri classical drum/ (here are also many other ;inds of drums used in -anipuri dance and music/ ""/ (he Pena7 a stringed instrument is used in =ai Haraoba and Pena singing/ *arious ;inds of cymbals are used in San;irtana and %as/ (he flute is also used to accompany 6ocal singing/ "?/ (he Ashtapadis of Fayade6aQs Geeta Go6inda are 6ery popular and are sung and danced in -anipur 8ith great religious fer6our/ "@/ 3esides the %as and other leelas7 each stage in oneQs life is celebrated 8ith San;irtana performances - child birth7 upanayanam7 8edding and shradha are all occasions for singing and dancing in -anipur/ (he 8hole community participates as song and dance form part of daily life e9pressions/

1dissi !/ Grissa7 on the eastern sea coast7 is the home of Gdissi7 one of the many forms of Indian classical dance/ '/ Sensuous and lyrical7 Gdissi is a dance of lo6e and passion touching on the di6ine and the human7 the sublime and the mundane/ "/ (he ,atya Shastra mentions many regional 6arieties7 such as the south-eastern style ;no8n as the Gdhra -agadha 8hich can be identified as the earliest precursor of present day Gdissi/ ?/ Archaeological e6idence of this dance form dating bac; to the 'nd century 3/C/ is found in the ca6es of dayagiri and Chandagiri near 3hubanesh8ar/ @/ =ater7 innumerable e9amples of the 3uddhist sculptures7 the tantric images of dancing <oginis7 the ,ataraDa7 and other celestial musicians and dancers of early Shai6ite temples bear testimony to a continuing tradition of dance from the 'nd century 3/C/& to the !#th century C/&/ 2/ (hese influences found synthesis in an uni5ue philosophy - the dharma or faith of Fagannath/ With Hinduism ta;ing roots in Grissa by about the Bth century A/0/7 many imposing temples 8ere erected/ B/ (he magnificent Sun (emple at Conara;7 built in the !"th century7 8ith its ,atya mandap or Hall of dance7 mar;s the culmination of the temple building acti6ity in Grissa/ ?' | P a g e

Art Forms and Architecture 1/ (hese dance mo6ements7 froEen in stone7 continue to inspire Gdissi dancers e6en today/

A/ For centuries maharis 8ere the chief repositories of this dance/ !#/ (he maharis7 8ho 8ere originally temple dancers came to be employed in royal courts 8hich resulted in the degeneration of the art form/ !!/ Around this time7 a class of boys called gotipuas 8ere trained in the art7 they danced in the temples and also for general entertainment/ -any of todayQs gurus of this style belong to the gotipua tradition/ !'/ Gdissi is a highly stylised dance and to some e9tent is based on the classical ,atya Shastra and the Abhinaya 0arpana/ !"/ As in other parts of India7 creati6e literature inspired the Gdissi dancer also and pro6ided the themes for dance/ (his is especially true of the !'th century Gita Go6inda by Fayade6a/ It is a profound e9ample of the naya;a-nayi;a bha6a and surpasses other poems in its poetic and stylistic content/ (he de6otion of the poet for Crishna permeates through the 8or;/ !?/ Gdissi closely follo8s the tenets laid do8n by the ,atya Shastra/ !@/ Facial e9pressions7 hand gestures and body mo6ements are used to suggest a certain feeling7 an emotion or one of the nine rasas/ !2/ (he techni5ues of mo6ement are built around the t8o basic postures of the Cho8; and the (ribhanga/ !B/ (he cho8; is a position imitating a s5uare - a 6ery masculine stance 8ith the 8eight of the body e5ually balanced/ (he tribhanga is a 6ery feminine stance 8here the body is deflected at the nec;7 torso and the ;nees/ !1/ (he torso mo6ement is 6ery important and is an uni5ue feature of the Gdissi style/ With the lo8er half of the body remaining static7 the torso mo6es from one side to the other along the a9is passing through the centre of the upper half of the body/ !A/ Great training is re5uired for this control so as to a6oid any shoulder or hip mo6ement/ '#/ (here are certain foot positions 8ith flat7 toe or heel contact/ (hese are used in a 6ariety of intricate combinations/ (here are also numerous possibilities of leg mo6ements/ Almost all leg mo6ements are spiral or circular7 8hether in space or on the ground/ '!/ In addition to the leg mo6ement7 there are a 6ariety of gaits for doing pirouettes and Dumps and also certain postures inspired by the sculptures/ ''/ (hese bhangis7 as they are called are really units of mo6ement ending in one particular stance/ '"/ Hand gestures play an important role both in nritta 8here they are used only as decorati6e embellishments and in nritya 8here they are used for communication/ '?/ (he formal repertoire of Gdissi has a certain order of presentation7 8here each successi6e item is systematically put together to produce the desired rasa/ '@/ (he opening item is -angalacharan 8here the dancer slo8ly enters the stage 8ith flo8ers in her hands and ma;es an offering to mother earth/ (his is follo8ed by an in6ocation to the deity of the dancerQs choice/ Generally7 Ganesha is called upon to grant an auspicious beginning/ (he item ends 8ith a nritta se5uence 8ith salutations to God7 the Guru and the audience/

?" | P a g e

Art Forms and Architecture '2/ (he ne9t item is called 3atu 8here the basic concepts of the Gdissi nritta techni5ue are highlighted bringing out the duality of the masculine and the feminine through the basic stance of the chau; and tribhanga/ 'B/ (his is danced in praise of 3atu;esh8ar 3haira6 or Shi6a/ (he accompanying music is 6ery simple -only a refrain of dance syllables/ '1/ After the 6ery basic e9position of nritta in 3atu7 comes the flo8ering and ornamentation of music and mo6ements in Palla6i/ A musical composition in a particular raga is 6isually represented by the dancer 8ith slo8 and subtle mo6ements7 building up into comple9 patterns highlighting rhythmic 6ariations 8ithin the tala structure/ 'A/ (his is follo8ed by the rendering of abhinaya/ "#/ Grissa has a continuing tradition of dancing of the Ashtapadis of Fayade6aQs Gita Go6inda since the !'th century/ "!/ An Gdissi orchestra essentially consists of a pa;ha8aD player )usually the Guru himself+7 a singer7 a flutist7 a sitar or 6iolin player and a manDira player/ "'/ (he dancer is adorned in elaborate Griya sil6er De8ellery and a special hair-do/ (he sari7 usually stitched no8adays7 is uni5ue to the style/ ""/ In each performance7 e6en a modern Gdissi dancer still reaffirms the faith of the de6adasis or maharis 8here they sought liberation or mo;sha through the medium of dance/

%u#hipudi !/ Cuchipudi is one of the classical styles of Indian dance/ Around the third and fourth decade of '/ In fact7 Cuchipudi is the name of a 6illage in the Crishna district of Andhra Pradesh/ It is about "@ ;m/ from *iDaya8ada/ "/ Andhra has a 6ery long tradition of dance-drama 8hich 8as ;no8n under the generic name of <a;shagaana/ ?/ In !Bth century Cuchipudi style of <a;shagaana 8as concei6ed by Siddhendra <ogi a talented *aishna6a poet and 6isionary 8ho had the capacity to gi6e concrete shape to some of his 6isions/ @/ He 8as steeped in the literary <a;shagaana tradition being guided by his guru (eerthanaaraayana <ogi 8ho composed the Crishna-=eelatarangini/ a ;aa6ya in Sans;rit/ 2/ It is said that Siddhendra <ogi had a dream in 8hich =ord Crishna as;ed him to compose a dancedrama based on the myth of the bringing of paariDaata flo8er for Sathyabhaama7 the most belo6ed 5ueen of Crishna/ B/ In compliance 8ith this command Siddhendra <ogi composed the 3haamaa;alaapam 8hich is till no8 considered the piece-deresistance of the Cuchipudi repertoire/ S 1/ iddhendra <ogi initiated young 3rahmin boys of Cuchipudi 6illage to practice and perform his compositions particularly 3haamaa;alaapam/

?? | P a g e

Art Forms and Architecture A/ (he presentation of 3haamaa;alaapam 8as a stupendous success/ Its aesthetic appeal 8as so great that the then ,a8ab of Golconda7 Abdul Hasan (anishah issued a copper plate in !2B@ A/0/ granting the 6illage Cuchipudi as an Agrahaarama to the families of 3rahmins 8ho pursued this art/ !#/ At that time all the actors 8ere male and the female impersonation 8as of a superb 5uality/ !!/ (o ha6e an idea of the high standard of female impersonation one should see *edaantam Satyanarayana Sharma7 a great Cuchipudi dancer7 e6en today doing the role of Satyabhaama/ !'/ (he follo8ers of Siddhendra <ogi 8rote se6eral plays and the tradition of Cuchipudi dancedrama continues till today/ !"/ It 8as =a;shminarayan Shastry )!112-!A@2+ 8ho introduced many ne8 elements including solo dancing and training of female dancers in this dance style/ !?/ (o sho8 the de9terity of the dancers in foot8or; and their control and balance o6er their bodies7 techni5ues li;e dancing on the rim of a brass plate and 8ith a pitcher full of 8ater on the head 8as introduced/ !@/ Acrobatic dancing became part of the repertoire/ 3y the middle of this century7 Cuchipudi fully crystalliEed as a separate classical solo dance style/ !2/ (hus there are no8 t8o forms of CuchipudiN the traditional musical dance-drama and the solo dance/ !B/ From the later part of the fourth decade of this century a se5uence of the presentation of the solo recital has been 8idely accepted/ !1/ A recital of Cuchipudi begins 8ith an in6ocatory number7 as is done in some other classical dance styles/ &arlier the in6ocation 8as limited to Ganesha *andana/ ,o8 other gods are also in6o;ed/ !A/ It is follo8ed by nritta7 that is7 non-narrati6e and abstract dancing/ sually Datis8aram is performed as the nritta number/ ,e9t is presented a narrati6e number called shabdam/ Gne of the fa6ourite traditional shabdam number is the 0ashaa6ataara/ (he Shabdam is follo8ed by a natya number called Calaapam/ -any Cuchipudi dancers prefer to perform entry of Satyabhama from the traditional dance-drama 3haamaa;alaapam/ (he song Pbhamane7 satyabhamane7 the traditional pra6eshadaaru )the song that is rendered at the time of the entry of a character+ is so tuneful that its appeal is uni6ersal and e6er fresh/ ,e9t in the se5uence comes a pure nrityaabhinaya number based on literary-cum musical forms li;e padam7 Daa6li7 shlo;am7 etc/ In such a number each of the sung 8ords is delineated in space through dance7 drishya-;a6ita )6isual poetry+/ A Cuchipudi recital is usually concluded 8ith tarangam/ &9cerpts of Crishna-leela-tarangini are sung 8ith this number/ In this the dancer usually stands on a brass plate loc;ing the feet in sha;ata6adanam paada and mo6es the plate rhythmically 8ith great de9terity/ '#/ (he music that accompanies the dance is according to the classical school of Carnatic music/ (he accompanying musicians7 besides the 6ocalist are4 a mridangam player to pro6ide percussion music7 a 6iolin or 6eena player or both for pro6iding instrumental melodic music7 and a cymbal player 8ho usually conducts the orchestra and recites the sollukattus )mnemonic rhythm syllables+/

Sattriya ?@ | P a g e

Art Forms and Architecture !/ (he Sattriya dance form 8as introduced in the !@th century A/0 by the great *aishna6a saint and reformer of Assam7 -ahapurusha San;arade6a as a po8erful medium for propagation of the *aishna6a faith/ '/ (he dance form e6ol6ed and e9panded as a distincti6e style of dance later on/ (his neo*aishna6a treasure of Assamese dance and drama has been7 for centuries7 nurtured and preser6ed 8ith great commitment by the Sattras i/e/ *aishna6a maths or monasteries/ "/ 3ecause of its religious character and association 8ith the Sattras7 this dance style has been aptly named Sattriya/

?/ San;arade6a introduced this dance form by incorporating different elements from 6arious treatises7 local fol; dances 8ith his o8n rare outloo;/ (here 8ere t8o dance forms pre6alent in Assam before the neo-*aishna6a mo6ement such as GDapali and 0e6adasi 8ith many classical elements/-any of the elements of these dance forms 8ere incorporated in the sattriya dance tradition/ Gther 6isible influences on Sattriya dance are those from Assamese fol; dances namely 3ihu7 3odos etc/ -any hand gestures and rhythmic syllables are stri;ingly similar in these dance forms @/ Sattriya dance tradition is go6erned by strictly laid do8n principles in respect of hastamudras7 foot8or;s7 aharyas7 music etc/

Chapter ) : Folk (ances of India


(he Fol; dance of India can be characteriEed in t8o forms !/ (he one de6eloped from the traditions of Har6est celebration/ '/ Gne de6eloped from the tradition of 0isplay of martial arts -arvest Tradition (he fol; music and dances of agricultural communities celebrate the rhythms of daily life7 the turn of the seasons7 the highlights of the agricultural calendar7 religious festi6als and important e6ents that punctuate the flo8 of life7 such as births and marriages/ While fol; music and dance share common themes and concerns7 there is a 8ide 6ariety of forms/ Along the entire Himalayan region7 from Cashmir to 0arDeeling7 fol; dancers lin; arms and s8ay gracefully in undulating mo6ements7 celebrate the so8ing of the 8heat cropN fe8 can resist the infectious beat of the dhola;7 the t8o-sided drum7 and pairs of dancers ta;e turns to e9ecute comple9 acrobatic mo6ements in the centre of a circle of abandoned dancers/follo8ing are the regional fol; har6est dances a/ Giddha - Women of PunDab perform the Giddha7 8hich is characterised by its spontaneous energy/ b/ Ghoomar L this is performed by the 8omen of %aDasthan/(hey are dressed in colorful attires 8ith their faces co6ered in 6eil and they s8irl repeatedly during the dance performance c/ Garba - Garba is a dance performed by the 8omen of GuDrat 8here the mo6e in circles 8ith batons in their hands ?2 | P a g e

Art Forms and Architecture d/ 0andia %as- GuDarati men perform the 0andiya %as7 a 6igorous 6ersion of the Garba dance7 leaping and crouching in t8irling patterns/ =a6ani - (he 8omen *s =a6ani dance from maharashtra is notable for its unabashed sensuality/ e/ (here are also se6eral forms of dance-drama or fol; theatre7 such as the ,autan;i of %aDasthan7 ttar Pradesh and 3ihar7 the 3ha6ai of GuDarat7 the irre6erent (amasha of -aharashtra 7 the 3engali Fatra7 the spectacular <a;shagana of Carnata;a and (heyyam of Cerala7 all of 8hich narrate legends of local heroes7 ;ings and deities/ 'isplay o) martial arts -artial art forms throughout the country ha6e been styliEed to 5uasi dance forms7 notable among 8hich are the martial dances of the ,orth-eastern hill tribes7 the =aEim dances of -aharashtra7 the Calaripayattu of Cerala7 and the highly styliEed mas;ed Chhau dances of Grissa7 West 3engal and 3ihar/

Chapter + : Indian !asks


!/ India has a 6ery old tradition of mas;ed dances/(hey are used in religious festi6als 7 har6est celebration and other traditional gatherings/ '/ (he 0urga mas;s used during the durga pooDa representing the three eyed sha;ti are famous in West 3engal "/ (he =ion and Fac;al mas;s used by the tribals of purulia and gambhira respecti6ely in 8est bengal are 6ery bright and colourful/ ?/ (he ,arsimha mas;s are used in 3hag6at--ela-,ata;am in (amil ,adu and Andhra Pradesh/ @/ (he 3aiga and -aria tribals of -adhya Pradesh use mas;s ;no8n as -u;hadas/(hey are big 7hea6y and fearful 2/ A Horse mas; is used in the Chaiti Ghoda dance 8hich is performed by the people of ;aibarta caste of Grissa during the moth of chaitra B/ Cucchhi Ghodi is a mas; dance performed during Holi - the festi6al of colors - in 3raD7 ttar Pradesh and %aDasthan/ -en in elaborate costumes ride 8ell-decorated dummy horses7 holding na;ed s8ords and dance to the rhythm of drumbeats/ 1/ (he 3hand Pather form of theatre in Shi;argah7 Cashmir7 uses mas;s for deer7 gods and tigers7 8ith a costume incorporating the mas;/ A/ (he Chittoor7 ,ellore7 Pra;asam and Guntur districts of Andhra Pradesh boast of the Ceelugurram7 8hich is the imitation of the dance mo6ements of a horse by men and 8omen ?B | P a g e

Art Forms and Architecture !#/ &astern India boasts of the famous Chhau mas; dances/ (he tribal belt 8here the tribals and other common people perform Chhau dances is distributed into three adDoining states7 West 3engal7 3ihar and Grissa/ &tymologically7 Chhau is deri6ed from the Sans;rit 8ord QchhayaQ7 8hich connotes a mas; but some scholars are of opinion that Chhau is an independent collo5uial Gdissi 8ord7 meaning7 to attac; or hunt stealthily/ Chhau is e6idently a 8ar dance and has three schools as such7 coming from Serai;ella in 3ihar7 Purulia in West 3engal and -ayurbhanD in Grissa/ !!/ -u;ha Cheil )mas; play+ is pre6alent in the Falpaiguri district of West 3engal among local %aD6amshis )royals+/ (he dance is thematic and is based on the Hindu epic7 %amayana/ (he mas;s are made of 8ood in (ibetan style/ !'/ Some of the best e9amples of mas;s from 3engal come from the Dungle %abhas in Falpaiguri district/ (here are three types of mas;s - each has a distinct name7 is made of a different material7 and represents a particular character4 a/ Char-gog - the mas; of the goddess Chandi7 is made of bamboo strips/ (he mas; is used in the religious dance performed follo8ing Cali PuDa/ After the performance7 the mas; is cut into pieces and thro8n in the ri6er for fear of incurring the displeasure of the goddess/ b/ Char-pagal is made of 8ood in the form of a human face and is also used during Cali PuDa/ c/ -aper-char is made of gourd shell7 8ith the face of a bear painted on the upper surface/

!"/ (he mas;s used in sattriya dance are also 6ery famous/ (he mas;s ha6e the inner core in bamboo strips co6ered by threads of cane 8ith the coating of co8 dung7 clay7 cloth and paper/ (he images are then painted 8ith 6egetable pigments/ !?/ An;ia ,at is a type of one act fol; play of Assam7 using big mas;s of demons7 animals7 gods and goddesses made of bamboo/ !@/ Padayani or Padeni7 is one of the most colorful and spectacular fol; arts associated 8ith the festi6als of certain temples in southern Cerala/ this fol; art mainly in6ol6es a series of di6ine and semi-di6ine impersonations 8earing huge mas;s or ;olams of different shapes7 colors and designs7 painted on the stal;s of areca nut fronds/ (he most important of the ;olams usually presented in a Padayani performance are 3haira6i )Cali+7 Calan )god of death+7 <a;shi )fairy+ and Pa;shi )bird+7 among others/ (he Colam )mas;+ consists primarily of a huge headgear 8ith many proDections and de6ices 8ith a mas; for the face or a chest piece to co6er the breast and abdomen of the performer/ !2/ Crishnattam7 the ritualistic dance-drama of Cerala7 is a cycle of eight plays7 depicting the tales of Crishna from his birth to his death/ It in6ol6es the use of 6aried and colorful facial ma;e-up and larger-than-life mas;s7 made of light8ood and cloth padding/ !B/ Cummatti;;ali is a popular dance form in the northern districts of Cerala/ (he dancers mo6e from house to house in painted 8ooden mas;s and sport springs of lea6es and grass/ (his form has a popular mas;ed character (hulla )8itch+7 besides 6arious Hindu gods and goddesses/ !1/ (he (irayattam and 3hoota dance forms of Cerala use beautiful 8ooden mas;s for deitycharacters/

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Art Forms and Architecture !A/ Among the older mas; traditions of south India those of the 3huta tribe of Carnata;a are notable/ So also is the Catha;ali7 from Cerala7 8hich7 though is not a mas; dance7 does in6ol6e distincti6e dramatic facial coloring meant for the transformation of human danceractors into suras )gods+ and asuras )demons+ and other mythological characters/ (he hea6y facial coloring almost ma;es the performers loo; as if they are 8earing mas;s/ '#/ In GuDarat and -aharashtra7 mas;s are 6ery popular among the Cu;ana and Warli tribes/ (hey usually portray animals7 birds7 gods and goddesses7 as 8ell as demons and ghosts7 and are generally employed in dances and dramas on religious or mythological themes/ '!/ (he mas;s used in the hemis and other 3uddhist festi6als of the Himalayan region are 6ery brigh 7colourful and larger than life ''/ (he =ion and peacoc; dances are performed by -onpas7 and all the animal dances7 depicting a story7 capture gait and mo6ements of animals/ '"/ 3ronEe -as; from Himachal Pradesh in -ohra (radition are 6ery famous '?/ (hutotdam is the dance of the Sherdu;pens and the -onpas of Arunachal Pradesh7 representing s;ulls and costumes designed as s;eletons/ It depicts ho8 the souls after death are recei6ed in the other 8orld/ '@/ ,ong;rem 0ance is the most important mas; dance of the Chasis in -eghalaya and is celebrated during autumn7 essentially as a than;s-gi6ing ceremony to God for the har6est and to pray for peace and prosperity/

Chapter ,: "raditional -ports of India


Malla %ham$a It is a sport in 8hich 6arious types of e9ercises are performed on a 8ooden pillar/it re5uires great amount of training and dedication/%ecently it has been declared the state sport of -adhya Pradesh/ Bharashram and Bharamanshram (hese are san;rit 8ords related to 8eight lifting and 8al;ing/from this 8e come to ;no8 that 8eight lifting is an ancient Indian traditional sport (haturanga It is a traditional Indian game similar to modern chess Asol Aap and Asol Tale Aap It is the canoe racing of ,icobarese people on 8ater and sand respecti6ely *allam %alli It is the boat racing of Cerela performed traditionally as part of Gnam festi6ities/ %alaraipattu It is the traditional martial art of Cerela /It re5uires great amount of s;ill and training/ 'hopkhel ?A | P a g e

Art Forms and Architecture It is the traditional ball game of Assam played bet8een t8o teams of ele6en members each Musti 2uddha It is an ancient Indian sport of fist fighting/It is a type of bo9ing /It is also ;no8n as niyudhham and finds reference in -ahabharata and %ig6eda 2u$i 5akpi It is traditional football game of -anipur played 8ith coconut shells +alli %attu It is the traditional bull fighting of (amil ,adu performed during mattu Pongal/Falli is the breed of the 3ull/ Mokshapat It is the traditional sna;es and ladder game of India/

-ummar.
I belie6e that the art and culture portion is full of terms and definition/ I donHt thin; that a summary 8ill help as it 8ill miss important ' and " mar;ers as each line is important/

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Art Forms and Architecture

/uestion 0ank
!/ (he tradition 8hich 8as started by sanchi 8as completed by ADanta-comment/ '/ State the contribution of Fapanese artists to the de6elopment of 3engal school of art/ "/ Was the art of %aDa %a6i *erma a national art J ?/ What is cubism 8ith reference to paintingsJ ho8 it de6eloped in Indian paintings J @/ What does the paintings of the 8arli tribes symboliEeJ 2/ (he decline in -ughal painting ga6e a ne8 life to the pahari tradition B/ Why the Piano and Harmonium are not suitable to play Indian classical music J 1/ &9plain the terms pung cholam 7;alamsas and 6arnam 8ith refrence to Indian classical dances/0o you find any connection bet8een them J A/ (here arenHt many traditional sports in India - comment

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Art Forms and Architecture

-keletal structure for answer writing


!/ Here 8e ha6e to describe the similarity bet8een subDects of the sculptures of Sanchi and the paintings of ADanta/We also need to mention that the paintings at ADanta 8ere much more de6eloped and mature/)Sculptures at Sanchi 8ill be co6ered in sculpture and architecture portion+ '/ Here 8e ha6e to mention the contribution of Ca;uEo G;a;ura (enshin7<o;oyama (ai;an and Hishido Shinso/Also mention the contribution of the Indian artists yo Fapanese art magaEine Co;a/ "/ Gi6e the details about the art and state that as it 8as only confined to (anDore and adDoining areas and did not influence artists of the contemporary and future generations7hence art of %aDa %a6i 6erma cannot be called a national art/ ?/ Gi6e details about the 8or; of ganganendranath (agore/ @/ 0escribe the 8arli painting and gi6e the analogy of Indira ;illing tribal godess as thebasic theme of 8arli paintings/ 2/ -ention ho8 8ith the decline of -ughals the painters of the -ughal court migrated to the pahari areas and ga6e a ne8 lease of life to painting in those areas/ B/ Piano and harmonium 8or; on standard notes on fi9ed fre5uency/Indian music can be set to 6arious fre5uencies/Hence piano and Harmonium not suitable for Playing Indian classical music/ 1/ (hese are the pure nritta sections of -anipuri7;atha;ali and bharatnatyam dances/ A/ (his statement is false /elaborate gi6ing names of 6arious traditional sports/

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Art Forms and Architecture

0ibliograph.
!/ Indian Art 3y Partha -itter )G9ford History Gf Art series+ '/ (he Illustrated cultural history of India )A = 3asham+ "/ GaEetteer of India *G= -& II ?/ http4MM888/ccrtindia/go6/inM @/ http4MM888/dollsofindia/comMlibraryMmas;M )for Indian mas;s+ 2/ http4MM888/mapsofindia/comMguDaratMte9tiles/html )for GuDrati te9tiles+ B/ http4MM888/cottageemporium/inMcrafts-of-india/html

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