DANCE AND RELIGION BY:- KAVITA

DANCE AND RELIGION Art is looked upon with respect in india.in our culture art is not only a means of entertainment but a means of workshiping. India is a country of religious consciousness.art is used for devotion.each individual is a skilled dancer of his life stage.from birth till death he has to dance.his instructor,god,too is a great dancer.on the stage of world,shiva and parvati are the prime dancers.shiva created tandava and parvati created lasya. During rigveda period,dance was used as a partner of religion.man has been worshiping nature and its different aspects for this reason he is afraid of anger and respectful to kindness.the primitive man was afraid of the fury of sun,winds,rains etc and began to worship them.

Gestures were used to please different gods and goddesses Gestures were used to please different gods and goddesses.means were searched to please the gods and this is how mudras or gestures came into being.dance was only a means of worshiping gods.dances were used to be performed for yagnas which had bhakti,karuna and shringar rasa. Old tales related to dance prove that dance was a means of expression of religious feelings.even today tandava is done for shiva, ras leelas enacts life of lord krishna and radha. For centuries dance and piety of religious grew simultaneously hence dance often devotion and purity to human life.dance also educates human beings in religion,history,moral and social values.

Devotees and devdasis,who used to dance in temples had a higher status in society, they led a life of piety,wore simple clothes and spent time in devotion of god.hence,dance has been an integral and practical part of religion. It is believed according to myths that shiva dances in evening in his joy,bramha accompanies on taal,vishnu plays the mridanga,saraswati plays the veena and moon plays flute,angles and divine singers play the music,nandi and bhringi play the damroo and madal with them narad also plays music.with the footwork of shiva earth moves and his hands control the galaxy ,therefore we say that the entire world dances.