Folk dance and music of tamil nadu

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Folk dance and music of tamil nadu

Karakattam

Karagam is a folk dance with musical accompaniment performed balancing a pot on the head. Traditionally, this dance was performed by the villagers in praise of the rain goddess Mari Amman and river goddess, Gangai Amman. In Sangam literature, It is mentioned as ‘Kudakoothu’. This dance has two divisions- one, Aatta Karagam and the other Sakthi Karagam performed with a fire pot on the head. In Mariamman or Durga temple as ritual dance, It is called ‘Sakthi Karagam’. More often it is danced with decorated pot on the head and is known as ‘Aatta Karagam’ and symbolises joy and merriment.

The dance is performed in temples and on festival occasions as entertainment. This is one of the more popular rural dances today. Earlier it was performed only to the accompaniment of Naiyandi Melam but now it includes songs also. Today, the pots have transformed from mud pots to bronzeware and even stainless steel in modern times. The pots are decorated with a cone of flower arrangements, topped by a paper parrot. The parrot rotates as the dancer swings along. This dance is very popular all over Tamilnadu, though its birth place is said to be Thanjavur. Both male and female performers participate in this. Acrobatics similar to circus are included such as, dancing on a rolling block of wood, up and down a ladder, threading a needle while bending backwards and so on.

Kavadi Aattam

The festival of Kavadi Attam is a religious folk dance which is celebrated by the Hindus of Tamil Nadu. The name Kavadi Attam, literally means ‘Burden dance’. In this festival, Lord Murugan, the God of War is worshipped.

The word, ‘Kavadi’ means ‘burden’. Lord Murugan is worshipped by making ceremonial sacrifices and offerings to pray to him to help them ward off their debts and to be saved from any kind of calamity. The Kavadi may vary in shape and size and it has rice, milk or anything that the devotee would like to offer to Lord Murugan.

Devotees start preparing for the festival 48 days before the Thaipusam. To keep both their mental and physical purity intact, they consume only one vegetarian meal per day and observe complete fast a day before Thaipusam. During this, they strictly follow certain things, for example, they pray most of the time, sleep on the floor, bath in cold water, abstain from drinking, etc. to stay away from the worldly desires.

Bommalaattam or Puppetry

Puppet shows are held in every village during festivals and fairs. Many kinds of puppets are used for the show. They are manipulated through strings or wires. The persons stand behind a screen and the puppets are held in front. The stories enacted in the puppet shows are from puranas, epics and folklore. These shows are very entertaining and hold both adults and children enthralled for many hours.

Therukoothu (street theatre)

Therukoothu is a form of street theatre especially in Tamil language. It is a form of entertainment, ritual and social instruction. This form of street theatre mainly focuses on epics like Mahabharata. In the text Mahabharata it mainly focuses on the character of Draupadi. Also, the plays are performed on the stories of Ramayana at Mariamman festivals.

Therukoothu has a mass appeal of its own. Since, it is performed on the streets, people are able to relate to it more as compared to the other forms of dance which are performed on the stage. The Therukoothu plays are a combination of song, music, dance and drama. The actors wear colourful costumes. The musical instruments used by the Therukoothu musicians include harmonium, drums and cymbals.

There are efforts being made to spread this form of art from the base of its origin to other parts of the country. Recently, “Therukoothu” was organized at Bharat Rang Mahotsav by National School of Drama under the direction of Kalaimamani P.K. of the Sambandan group. At the festival many were left in awe by the mesmerising performances put up by the artistes. Such performances are required at regular intervals to keep the people hooked to this form of theatre which is a mix of songs, dance and music.

Poikkaal Kuthirai Aattam

This dance is one of the most ancient folk dances of Tamilnadu. This dance got other names such as Puravi attam (Horse dance) and Marakkaladal (wooden leg dance. As per the name, the dancer, dances with upper half body of the horse tied to his/ her waist. This dance is performed only for happy occasions like temple processions, festivals, celebrations, and village gatherings. This dance is the pioneer for many dances in India including Saithikoda in Orissa, Theelu Gurram in Andhra Pradesh, Kachikoti in Rajasthan and Kuthikali in Kerala. It’s a joyful experience to see the Poikal Kuthirai dancer dance for drum beats (Melam, Kottu), their spirit will tend the onlookers to join them and dance along with them.

Oyilattam

Folk dance of Tamil Nadu had begun its journey as a sacred art form from the ancient temples as part of worshipping Hindu gods and goddesses. Divine songs and dances were performed and acted as a source of devotion to their deities. The dances evolved gradually and later were performed in the king’s court as ‘Thevara Nayakams’ or the leaders were responsible for arranging the worship in king’s court or palace. Many folk dance forms have kept their unique heritage, ritual and rich culture through the ages. They are still resplendent with their grace and beauty preserved through centuries and carried over by skillful practitioners of traditional southern dances.

The elegant dance Oyilattam is said to have originated from the Southern districts of Tamil Nadu such as, Tirunelveli, Trichy, Madurai and prevalently practiced in Kongu Nadu in particular. The Southern part of the state was once a regal territory and many kings have ruled Madurai and other regions where devotional dances hailed from. The dance gradually got popularized in Trichy, Tirunelveli and the entire state of Tamil Nadu.

Initially men were the sole performers of Oyilattam dance as they practiced standing in line performing steps of the dance along with the rhythm of the music. Gradually women started participating in this folk performance since the number of Oyilattam dancers started rising. Thavil is the main musical instrument used in this dance.

Urumi Aattam

The whirring sounds of ‘urumi’ (Percussion instrument) providing the melody and the rhythmically beat of the Thappu accompany the dance sequence in this kind of temple art form. This is conducted on the occasion of temple festivals. The sound in mellifluous tone keeps one spell bound during the festival of rural community.

Silambattam dance

The History of Silambattam dates back to Pandya kings.During their reign in Tamil Nadu they promoted Silambattam along side their Chola and Chera counterparts. Silapathiharam of Tamil literature, dating back to 2nd century A.D., refers to the sale of silamabam staves, swords, pearls and armour to foreign traders. The ancient trading centre at Madurai was said to be populated largely by Romans, Greeks, Egyptians among others who had trade relations with the ancient Dravidian kings. The silambattam was one of the best entertainment for visitors at that time.

Some records trace the origin of Silambattam art to Gods and sages. Lord Muruga, and sage Agasthya have been credited with the genesis of Silambattam. Silambattam was not only used for entertainment but also for defence. The soldiers of King Veerapandiya Kattabomman relied mainly on silambattam skills to win their war against the British Army.

 

Devaraatham

Devarattam is a pure folk dance still preserved by the descendants of Veerapandiya Kattabomman dynasty at Kodangipatti in Madurai District. It was actually performed once a year near the temple and that too restricted to that community alone. Folklore research scholars have found that Devaraattam is a combination of ancient muntherkuravai and pintherkuravai.

Melody of the Kulavai 

The Kulavai sound is made by the women engaged in agricultural work with a turn of the tongue which they move swiftly side ward. The Kulavai song is sung in beautiful melody, particularly in Thanjavur where agricultural prosperity and music tradition alike have been kept up. Women stand in knee-deep slush, planting the seedlings and they raise the Kulavai sound to expedite work and to honour visitors. Anyone passing between paddy fields has to make token payments or tips to these women, if they greet him in chorus.

Nayyandi Melam 

Nayyandi Melam or Chinna Melam is a rustic imitation of the classical melam or Nadaswaram and is intended purely as an accompaniment to folk-dance-drama to cater to the tastes of the unlettered audience. This orchestra consists of two Nadaswarams, two tavels, a Pambai, a Thammukku, and a pair of cymbals. The peculiarity of Nayyandi melam is that the instrumentalists also dance while playing the instrument. The troupe is in demand as an accompaniment to Karagam, Kavadi, Dummy-horse show, and gypsy-dance, popularly known as the dance of the Kuravan and Kurathi.

Villu Paattu

The main singer here is accompanied by a chorus, musical instrument and a main instrument, the Villu or Bow, fixed with bells. The Villu is struck rhythmically when the bells jingle in tune. The main singer narrates a tale, interspersed with lively songs. This is a popular folk art form which has appeal to village community and the urban section as well.

 

Tamil nadu classical music and dance

Bharatanatyam

Bharatnatyam Dance is considered to be over 2000 years old. Several texts beginning with Bharata Muni’s Natya Shastra (200 B.C.E. to 200 C.E.) provide information on this dance form. The Abhinaya Darpana by Nandikesvara is one of the main sources of textual material, for the study of the technique and grammar of body movement in Bharatnatyam Dance. There is also a great deal of visual evidence of this dance form in paintings and stone and metal sculptures of ancient times. On the gopurams of the Chidambaram temple, one can see a series of Bharatnatyam poses, frozen in stone as it were, by the sculptor. In many other temples, the charis and karanas of the dance are represented in sculpture and one can make a study of the dance form.

Theoretical base of this form traces back to ‘Natya Shastra’, the ancient Sanskrit Hindu text on the performing arts. A form of illustrative anecdote of Hindu religious themes and spiritual ideas emoted by dancer with excellent footwork and impressive gestures its performance repertoire includes nrita, nritya and natya. Accompanists include a singer, music and particularly the guru who directs and conducts the performance. It also continues to inspire several art forms including paintings and sculptures starting from the spectacular 6th to 9th century CE temple sculptures.

 

 

Pann

Pann, which is the classical music form of Southern India, has a long history in Tamil Nadu. Later the name was mistakenly changed as Carnatic music. Even today Pannisai is sung in temple festivals. Tamil Nadu has produced a number of famous performers, as well as a closely related classical dance form Bharatha Natyam. Chennai hosts a large cultural event, the annual Madras Music Season, which includes performances by hundreds of artists.

 

 

 

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