Revival of Vilasini Natyam at the Ranganathaswamy Temple,

Hyderabad

Presentation by Pujita K Jyoti

May 13, 2010

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VILASINI NATYAM

It is the re-adapted dance of the Telugu speaking devadasis of yore.

Telugu is the language spoken in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh

Hyderabad is the capital of this state

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ANDHRA PRADESH

Hyderabad

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DEVADASIS Devadasis were

temple dancers who were dedicated to the temple. Their service included singing and dancing for the deity.

The system was abolished in 1947.

After 1947, ritual dancing in temples came to an end.Devadasis in 1920s in Chennai, India.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

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REVIVAL OF TEMPLE DANCE OF TELUGU DEVADASIS

• Swapnasundari is a leading dancer in India and is credited for reviving the dance of Telugu devadasis in its current form as Vilasini Natyam

Image copyright Swapnasundari.comused with permission

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DANCING AT THE RANGANATHASWAMY TEMPLE

• In 1996, for the first time since 1947, ritual dancing, rechristened as Vilasini Natyam, was revived at the Ranganathaswamy temple, at Hyderabad.

• Swapnasundari was the first to dance at the temple in 1996.

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RECONSTRUCTION

• The reconstruction of ritual dances at the Ranganathaswamy temple was made possible by the collective memories and recollections of Telugu devadasis.

• Swapnasundari met with these women in the early 90's.

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RECONSTRUCTION

• Chief among the many devadasis Swapnasundari met and consulted were Maddula Laxminarayana, Pottigari Ranganayakamma,Golukonda Bharatamma and Rajamani, daughter of Meenabai, the devadasi of the temple.

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RANGANATHASWAMY TEMPLE

The temple is about 350 years old.

• It is located in the outskirts of the main city.

• The chief deity of this temple is Ranganathaswamy, an avataar of Vishnu.

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ANNUAL TEMPLE FESTIVAL

• The annual temple festival known as Brahmotsavam takes place around Jan-Feb of the year for a period of seven to eight days.

• It is during the festival that ritual dancing takes place inside the temple

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REVIVAL OF RITUAL DANCE

• Ritual dancing in the form of Vilasini Natyam has been revived at the Ranganathaswamy temple since 1996. Today there are nine Vilasini Natyam dancers who dance at the temple during the festival.

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DANCING IN THE TEMPLE

• Ritual dancing by nature is prescriptive and the movements of the dancer are dictated by the unique demands of each ritual.

• At the same time, the dancer adapts to the peculiarities of the temple space and the surrounding throng of people, while dancing.

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• Baliharana: the dancer dances at eight different spots around the temple.

• Pallaki Seva: the dancer dances in a procession on the path leading out of the temple.

• Kumbha Harathi: dancer waves a pot of lamp at the processional idol at the entrance.

KEY RITUALS

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SIGNIFICANCE

• First such attempt to place the dance of the devadasis back into the original context of where it began in modern day India.

• The location, context and content of the performance dichotomises the dancer into a performer and a ritualist.