Bharatanatyam
a) - sk भरत bharata, 1) 'who sings the exploits of the Bharata race' [ie India] 2) name of an expert in natyam, the art of dance and theater; 3) name of Rama's younger brother. b) - sk नाट्य nāṭyam and tamil naadanam, "drama", "form of classical dance".
Bharatanatyam is said to be the dance of Bhārat, meaning the dance of India.
The word “Bharata” has been interpreted as a) the name of the very first emperor of Bharata (India) in the epic Mahabharata; b) the name of the younger half-brother of Rama in the Ramayana [along with twins Lakshmana and Shatrughna]; c) the composit of bhā (for bhāva, "expressions"), rā (for rāga, "melody"), tā (for tāla,"rhythm") and m (shruti, "smallest interval of pitch"); d) the namre of the author of the Natyashastra, Treatise on Dance.
The Pañcamarapu (“five-fold traditional usage”) represents an important piece of Tamil literature and was composed by Cerai Aṟivanār in the 9th century AD during the time of Pandyan Tirumaran of the last Caṅkam Period.
Bharatanatyam is held as the main form of classical dance in the South of India, particularly Tamil Nadu where the word nāṭyam originated from. Natyashastra (नाट्यशास्त्र, nāṭyaśāstra) refers to both the ancient Indian tradition (shastra) of performing arts (natya—theatrics, drama, dance, music), as well as the name of a Sanskrit work dealing with these subjects. It also teaches the rules for composing dramatic plays (nataka), construction and performance of theater, and poetic works (kavya).
Source
- ADB research team.
- Wisdom Library.
- Natyashastra.