A frowned upon dace form

Sadir is a very ancient dance form of India with no exact date of origination. Some say that sculptural evidence points it's roots back to the fifth century AD.It is said to be artistic yoga as said in the scriptures, because it requires pure dedication.

During the Palava and Chola Dynasty (4Ad -12AD) the art of dancing flourished due to its immense patronage. The intimate association of dance with religion as ritual was established in the temples, and the institution of Devadasi was created

Local kings often invited temple dancers (devadasi) to dance in their courts, the occurrence of which created a new category of dancers -- rajanarthakis By the 18th century, the dance form of Tamil Nadu had crystallised into a distinct and separate style, called Dasiattam, because it was performed by the devadasis in temples.

The conquest of India by the British took its toll on the art as it did on everything else Indian. In the westerners eyes, the devadasi tradition was considered little better than prostitution and fell into disrepute.Under such a puritanical atmosphere, the classical science of dance was ignored, and a dancer was considered a woman of ill repute. An Act of the Madras Presidency banning temple dancing sounded the death knell for dance.

In the early 1930s, the rising national consciousness that had awaked across India led to reformation in the cultural spheres. A meeting was convened at the Music Academy at Alwarpet, Chennai, to save this art form. The first step taken was to give it a new name so as to give it a new lease of life. It was re-christened as "BHARATA NATYAM".


Mohan Rao.

The reverse side also has a reverse side
- Zen Proverb