About Veeranatyam
Veeranatyam, which means the "Dance of the Brave", is a traditional form of dance, which belongs to Andhra Pradesh, a state located at the south eastern coastal areas of India. This dance form is associated with religious significance. Like any other dance form of this state of the country, Veeranatyam even includes a variety of colorful costumes as well as different kinds of musical instruments. The main characteristic features of this dance pattern are the dexterous movements of hands and other skillful steps.
History behind Veeranatyam
The name of this form of dance is found in the mythology of the Hindu religion. As per that mythological belief, God Shiva got furious after Sati Devi, His wife was humiliated. Outraged at that humiliation, God Shiva picked out "Jatajuta", a relic from His hair that created Veerabhadra. The extreme anger of Him was portrayed by the performance of a vigorous dance, which is believed to be the cause of destruction of the "Dakshayagna Vatika", which was the location of the function, where the wife of God Shiva was humiliated. To justify the reason, it was named as "Veeranatyam". However, it is called the "Dance of Destruction or Pralayam" as well.
In this Indian state, initially, this dance form originated as one of the rituals that were performed in the honor of God Shiva in the different Shiva temples located there. Veerabhadra’s followers, in particular the community of Veeramusti or Veerabhadriya residing in the state, are famous for performing Veeranatyam. Veerabhadriyas or Veeramustis claim themselves to be the Veerabhadra’s descendant. Thus, this dancing style is even called Veerabhadra Natyam, which is performed by people from Draksharama, which is located at the eastern bank of the Godavari River. Apart from that, the other areas known for performing this style of dance are the western side of the river Godavari, Kurnool, Anantapur, Khammam and Warangal.
Stages of Veeranatyam
This dance pattern, mainly performed by male dancers, has got 3 distinctive stages that are mentioned below:
1st Stage: The dance starts with holding a big plate, named as "Veerabhadra Pallem", which bears camphor fire and is being carried to the elbows from the palms. Till the fire gets extinguished, the dance is performed vigorously to the rhythm of the percussion instruments. A part of this stage is even occupied by a recital called ‘Khadgalu’, where a priest brandishes a huge sword that represents Veerabhadra.
2nd Stage: This stage is featured with the holding of a long holy pole, which is marked with sacred ash or Vibhuti that symbolizes the ‘Dhwaja Sthamba’. Bells are tied to the top most part of those sacred poles.
3rd Stage: In this stage, the performers dance with tridents and spears into their tongue, hands and ankles. This is known as ‘Narasam’. Dressed in knee length colorful dhotis along with waist sashes and smeared with sacred ash, these performers end the dance. The main instrument used here is the war drum or "Veeranam". The other musical instruments accompanying this one are Dolu, Soolam, Thambura and Thasha.
Last Updated on 01 February 2012
