Kuchipudi – An Andhra Heritage

Kuchipudi, is one of the eminent Indian classical dance forms hailing from the region of Andhra Pradesh. The theoretical foundation of Kuchipudi is rooted back to the ancient Sanskrit text Natya Shastra by Bharat Muni, dating back to 500 BC to 200 BC approximately. Bharata Muni not only mentions the Andhra region in his text, but also attributes an elegant movement called ‘Kaishiki Vritti’ and a Raga called ‘Andhri’ to this region.

The 10th century copper inscriptions and the 15th century text Machupalli Kaifiat, validate the existence of a dance drama performance act in South India among the Telugu populace. Vaishnavism, that evolved during the 2nd millennium, presumably embraced this art form and it came to be known as Bhagavata Mela Natakam in the Tamil region and Kuchipudi in Andhra. This form of dance was performed by traveling male dancers called Bhagavatulu.

During the 17th Century, Tirtha Narayanayati, a saint of the Advaita Vedanta Sect, and his disciple, an orphan Telugu boy called Siddhendra Yogi, are credited with initiating, methodizing and arranging the present day version of Kuchipudi. Siddhendra Yogi taught this dance form, or Kalapam, to the Brahmin men only, from the village of Kuchipudi, to maintain the sanctity of the Fifth Veda. These Brahmin men, now came to be known as the Kuchipudi Bhagavatulu. These performers received patronage from the rulers of the Vijaynagar Empire. With the Islamic invasions of the country and demolition of Hindu temples, the art of Kuchipudi started declining too. However in 1678, Abu Hasan Qutb Shah, the last nawab of Golconda, impressed by the performance of the Kuchipudi dancers, granted them land near the village of Kuchipudi, so they could take forward this ancient artform. Kuchipudi and all other classical dance forms of India received a massive blow with the coming of the Mughals and subsequently the final nail in the coffin was when the British East India Company banned all forms of temple dancing in 1910.

The Indian community disapproved of the ban, believing that Indian art and culture were being persecuted under the pretext of social reform. As the freedom movement gained momentum, many art revivalists joined hands between 1920-1950 to revive the classical dance forms. Guru Lakshminarayana Shastri was a pioneer among them. He reconstructed Kuchipudi, choreographing many solo compositions, so that, it would not be restricted to only being a dance drama performance art. Unfortunately, most of his compositions were lost due to lack of proper documentation. He was also instrumental in inspiring women to take up the art form.

Today Kuchipudi enjoys proper classical status due to the efforts of a legendary personality, Padma Bhushan, Guru Dr. Vempati Chinna Satyam, who was a disciple of Guru Lakshminarayana Shastri. He took Kuchipudi from a small village in Andhra and presented it on the global stage. His contribution to Kuchipudi is unparalleled. With his intensive research, he reformed, refined and rejuvenated the rich tradition and brought it closer to the standards of Natya Shastra. He gave Kuchipudi a fresh perspective by introducing new elements while still retaining it’s purity. He was instrumental in putting Kuchipudi at par with Bharatnatyam and other classical styles of dance. He established the Kuchipudi Art Academy in Chennai in the year 1963. He choreographed over 180 solo items and 15 dance dramas. He received innumerable awards both in India and abroad and is considered the Father of modern day Kuchipudi.