SSC
Which classical dance style is depicted in the poses carved on the gopurams of the Chidambaram temple?
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Answer: Option D — Bharatanatyam
Detailed Solution
The correct answer is Bharatanatyam. The Thillai Nataraja temple at Chidambaram, in the Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu, is dedicated to Lord Shiva in his form as Nataraja, the King of Dance. Its gopurams (gateway towers) are carved with sculptures showing the 108 karanas, the basic units of dance movement described in the Natyashastra of Bharata Muni. These sculptures are closely linked with Bharatanatyam and are regarded as an important source for the history of the dance.
Each of the 108 karanas combines a particular position of the feet, legs, body and hands. The carvings at Chidambaram are usually accompanied by verses from the Natyashastra that describe each karana. These sculptures were made mainly during the Chola period (from about the 12th and 13th centuries), and they show the close link between temple architecture, religion and dance in South India. Many Bharatanatyam dancers and scholars, such as Padma Subrahmanyam, have studied these carvings to reconstruct the karanas and bring them back into dance. Every year, the Natyanjali dance festival is held at the Chidambaram temple around the time of Mahashivratri, where dancers from across India perform as an offering to Nataraja. The Brihadeeswara temple at Thanjavur, built by Rajaraja Chola I, also has carvings of karanas.
About the other options:
- Kathakali is the dance-drama of Kerala and is not linked with the Chidambaram carvings.
- Odissi is linked with the temple sculptures of Odisha, especially those of the Konark Sun Temple and the temples of Bhubaneswar.
- Kathak is the classical dance of North India, linked with storytelling and the Mughal courts.
💡 Exam tip
The Chidambaram temple appears in exams as the temple of Nataraja, the site of the 108 karanas, and the venue of the Natyanjali festival. All of these are linked with Bharatanatyam.💬 Discussions on this question
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Indian Dance Forms — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Indian Dance Forms, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
Indian dance forms are one of the most frequently tested areas of static GK. This topic covers the eight classical dances recognised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi (Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Odissi, Manipuri, Mohiniyattam and Sattriya), the folk and tribal dances of every state, and related terms such as mudra, abhinaya, lasya and tandava. Most questions ask which state a dance belongs to, which community performs it, or which feature identifies a classical style. Learn the classical dances with their state and one signature feature each, such as the face make-up of Kathakali or the brass plate of Kuchipudi. For folk dances, group them state by state, since exams often list three or four dances and ask for the common state. Watch for dances shared by more than one state, such as Chhau, which has three styles. Practise the Indian dance forms questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.