Bharatanatyam (Dances of India)

Bharatanatyam, one of the more popular classical dance forms, is a composite art. Widely practised in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, it is at once a sensual and divine experience. It was performed by dancers who were called devadasis in the temples as an integral part of the religious rituals. The erstwhile princely courts patronised the temples and hence its various traditions from where the dance form drew its sustenance.