Foundations
Natya Shastra
The ancient Sanskrit treatise on performance attributed to the sage Bharata Muni (dated broadly c. 200 BCE – 200 CE). The theoretical root of Indian dance, drama and music.
Rasa
Literally "juice" or "essence" — the aesthetic emotion a performance awakens in the viewer. Classical theory names eight (later nine) rasas, from shringara (love) to shanta (peace). This site is named for it.
Bhava
The expressive state or feeling the performer embodies; bhava in the artist gives rise to rasa in the audience.
Abhinaya
The art of expression — conveying meaning and emotion through face, eyes, gesture and body. The heart of forms like Bharatanatyam, Odissi and Koodiyattam.
Mudra / Hasta
Codified hand gestures, each with defined meanings — a deer, a lotus, a king, a question. Combined in sequence, they let a dancer "speak" entire stories.
Nritta · Nritya · Natya
The classical triad: nritta is pure, abstract dance (rhythm and pattern); nritya is expressive dance conveying meaning; natya is full drama with characters and story.
Guru–Shishya Parampara
The teacher-to-student lineage through which the classical arts have been transmitted for centuries — often living with or closely serving the guru, learning by demonstration, correction and devotion.
Gharana
Literally "household" — a stylistic lineage or school in Hindustani music and Kathak, each with its own repertoire, technique and aesthetics, passed through family or teaching lines. Examples: Lucknow, Jaipur and Banaras gharanas in Kathak; Gwalior, Kirana, Patiala and Jaipur-Atrauli in vocal music.
Lasya & Tandava
The two poles of dance energy: lasya, the graceful, lyrical, traditionally feminine mode (central to Mohiniyattam); tandava, the vigorous, powerful mode associated with Shiva's cosmic dance.
Dance-drama
A form where dance, music, costume and acting combine to stage full stories — Kathakali, Yakshagana, Kuchipudi's older repertoire, Sattriya's Ankiya Naat.
Dance Terms
Adavu
The basic rhythmic footwork-and-posture units of Bharatanatyam — the "alphabet" combined into longer sequences.
Araimandi
The half-sitting, bent-knee stance with turned-out knees that is Bharatanatyam's foundational position.
Tatkar
Kathak's rhythmic footwork, struck flat-footed with ankle bells — capable of extraordinary speed and mathematical play against the tabla.
Chakkar
The spins of Kathak — fast pirouettes, sometimes dozens in sequence, ending precisely on the beat.
Tribhangi & Chauka
Odissi's two signature stances: tribhangi, the sinuous three-bend posture (head, torso, hip); chauka, the wide square stance associated with Lord Jagannath.
Ghungroo
The ankle bells worn by dancers — a hundred or more per ankle in Kathak — turning footwork into audible music. Receiving one's first ghungroos is a rite of passage.
Devadasi & Gotipua
Historical temple-performer traditions: devadasis, women dedicated to temple service who carried the ancestor of Bharatanatyam; gotipuas, boys of Odisha dancing in female costume, a living bridge to Odissi.
Margam
"The path" — the traditional sequence of items in a Bharatanatyam recital, from invocatory alarippu through the expansive varnam to the sparkling tillana.
Music Terms
Raga
The melodic framework of Indian music — a defined set of notes with characteristic phrases, ornaments and mood, often linked to a time of day or season. Not a scale, not a tune: a melodic personality.
Tala
The rhythmic cycle — a repeating pattern of beats (teentaal has 16, adi tala 8) within which composition and improvisation unfold.
Hindustani Music
The classical system of North India, shaped by Persian–Central Asian contact, organised in gharanas and centred on improvisation. Read the full entry →
Carnatic Music
The classical system of South India, centred on composed devotional kritis and the 72 melakarta scale system. Read the full entry →
Alap
The unmetered, meditative opening of a raga performance — the melody explored slowly, without rhythm, note by note.
Bandish & Kriti
Composed pieces: the bandish is Hindustani music's set composition within a raga and tala; the kriti is Carnatic music's devotional composition, typically in three sections (pallavi, anupallavi, charanam).
Kutcheri
The Carnatic concert format — typically voice or a melody instrument with violin, mridangam and other percussion, mixing composed kritis with improvisation, crowned by the percussion dialogue (tani avartanam).
Melakarta
Carnatic music's system of 72 "parent" scales from which ragas are derived — a complete mathematical map of melodic possibility, codified in the 17th century.
Swara & Sargam
The seven notes — sa, ri/re, ga, ma, pa, dha, ni — and the practice of singing melodies by their names, Indian music's ancient solfège.
Gamaka & Meend
Ornamentation — the oscillations, slides and graces that give Indian melody its curved, vocal quality. Meend is the smooth glide between notes.
Taan
Fast melodic runs in Hindustani vocal and instrumental music — virtuosic cascades improvised within the raga.
Bol & Solkattu
The spoken syllables of Indian drumming (dha, dhin, ta, ka…) — every stroke has a name, so rhythm can be recited before it is played. The southern practice is called solkattu.
Craft & Painting Terms
Zari
Metallic thread — traditionally silver or gold-wrapped silk — woven into brocades like Banarasi silk or embroidered in zardozi work.
Ikat
A technique where the pattern is dyed onto the yarns before weaving; double ikat (like Patan's Patola) patterns both warp and weft so the design emerges perfectly aligned on the loom.
Resist Dyeing
Any technique that blocks dye from parts of the cloth to form patterns — tying (bandhani), wax or mud (dabu, batik), or stitched folds. India's resist traditions are among the world's oldest.
Gesso Work
Raised relief made from a plaster-like paste, later gilded — the technique behind Tanjore painting's embossed gold ornaments.
Lost-Wax Casting (Cire Perdue)
Metal casting in which a wax model is encased in clay and melted out, leaving a mould for molten metal — the ancient technique behind Dhokra bronzes and the Mohenjo-daro "Dancing Girl".
Natural Pigments & Dyes
Colours from minerals and plants — indigo blue, madder red, turmeric yellow, lamp-black — used in traditions from Ajanta's murals to Kalamkari and Pattachitra.
Recognition & Status Terms
UNESCO ICH
UNESCO's lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage — global recognition for living traditions rather than monuments. Indian inscriptions include Koodiyattam, Ramlila, Vedic chanting, Kalbelia, Chhau, Sankirtana, Yoga, Durga Puja and Garba. Inscription supports safeguarding but the tradition remains in its community's hands.
GI Tag (Geographical Indication)
A legal protection registered in India tying a product's name to its home region and traditional method — like Banarasi brocade, Thanjavur paintings, Kashmir pashmina or Channapatna toys. It helps genuine artisan communities against imitations.
The National Akademis
India's national academies of the arts, founded in the 1950s: the Sangeet Natak Akademi (music, dance, drama), Lalit Kala Akademi (visual arts) and Sahitya Akademi (literature) — recognition, fellowships and archives for the traditions on this site.
Bharat Ratna & Padma Awards
India's highest civilian honours — the Bharat Ratna, followed by the Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri — awarded to many of the artists on the Personalities page.