Costume & Ornaments

Bharatanatyam costumes are very beautiful and colorful. In olden days the dance was performed on special occasions, at king’s courts and in the temples during the festival days. According to ancient texts and sculptures, the original costumes of the dance do not cover most of the dancer’s body. There are several varieties of Bharatanatyam costumes, worn according to the theme of the dance and comfort for the dancer movements. The style of the costumes was the same. Nowadays the eminent dancers changed the wearing of the costumes of the dancers.

Generally, the costumes of Bharatanatyam have two types. They are Pyjama style and another skirt style. These two styles of dresses are artistic and comfort to the dancer to perform the gestures according to the ‘Tala sounds’. The costumes of Bharatanatyam are prepared by stitching embroidery with different religious motifs and designs. Although, in olden days people used the threads of Gold and Silk to stitch the costumes of Bharatanatyam. The pleats of the sari stitched with zari work of beautiful designs and motifs. When the dancer performs the symbolic posture like Muzhu mandi, which is a sitting pose and a half sitting pose, the pleats of the sari opens out beautifully and brings the look of the dance to enrich.

Bharatanatyam costumes for women resemble Indian traditional sari. But the sari is not a single piece; it is the combination of many varieties of cloth pieces. Hence, the dresses are prepared to be worn easily and to give performance comfortably. While the dancer is performing various movements, the fan brings attention to the dancer and the audience to watch the dance. The color of the costumes is very bright and attractive. The border of the are costumes prepared with various pieces of sari and stitches it with various patterns to decorate the dancer’s form. The ‘choli’ seems very tight and the ‘dhoti’ is of the same colour.

The traditional Bharatanatyam costume for men is very simple. The dress covers the lower body of the dancer and the upper part is covered with simple jewelry. The jewelry which is worn by the male dancer is ‘Temple Jewelry’. The dhoti is stitched with rich embroidery, and the silk threads are used to stitch the designs on the dhoti. The male dancer uses very less jewelry than women. Makeup is the same to women and men. The makeup artist carefully applies makeup to the dancers before the performance.

The ankle bells are an essential item in Bharatanatyam dance. In response to the ‘Tala’ sounds, the dancer makes the right rhythmic footwork. The talent of the dancer judged according to their style and presentation. The judges depend on rhythmic sounds of anklet bells to give their judgment. The beginners wear 2-row bells, the intermediate dancers wear 3 rows and talented dancers wear 5 rows bells. The ankle bells treat sacred objects and worshipped on special occasions. The dancers never wear them casually.

Bharatanatyam dancers wear a unique set of a jeweler, very attractive in the focus. The set of Jeweler called ‘Temple Jewelers’, such are bangles, earrings, necklaces, and wristlets. The bun or plait of the hair decorated with a semi-circle of flowers. The forehead applied with an impressive ‘tika’ or ‘dot’. The important jewelry piece ‘thalai saman’, which is called ‘headpiece’ is worn just above the flowers in the hair. The ‘chandra surya’ kept on either side of the heads. The beautiful earrings hung to the ears, a longer chain hung to the neck. The chain was designed in peacock or floral designs, studded with red, green and pearl stones. ‘Vankies’ are tied to both sides of the upper arm. There is a broad ornament belt which is worn on the waist. This is to accentuate the hip movements of the dancer. Lastly, there is a snake decoration which is put on to the dancers long plait.

These bharatanatyam dance jewelry sets are made with dark green, dark maroon, and red quality called kempu stones, also known as temple jewelry. The traditional temple kempu or temple jewelry are the designs which were worn by Maharanis or Devadasis in ancient times. Nowadays they have become fashionable to be worn for wedding occasions and Indian dance forms like Bharatanatyam , and Kuchipudi. The stones used in the jewelry are uncut polished stones in red as well as green. The temple jewelry comes in different grades and is used in gold as well as imitation ornaments.

The passage of time, however, has brought some changes in the craftsmanship of this kind of jewellery. The original temple jewellery itself has undergone changes. The affordability factor has forced artisans to replace gold for silver. The precious stones are set on silver and then it is either dipped in gold, or gold leaf is used to cover the silver.

Nowadays the Bharatanatyam dancers also prefer to wear antique jewellery and ornaments with stones. The antique sets add an atmosphere of heritage and legacy. These traditional ornaments’ are a speciality of South India. And they were created to create an ambiance of the days of Maharanis and Dhurbars.

Makeup to a Bharatanatyam dancer is very unique, and should display the theme of the dance on face movements. Heavy lines are drawn around the eyes and darken and extended outwards the eyebrows. The total Bharatanatyam performance is mostly based on the movements of the eyes and eyebrows. So eyebrows decorate to visual the movements clearly, then the spectators easily attach to the dance. A red dye applied to the tips of the toes, fingertips, and soles of the feet. The color is also applied in the palm in a solid circle. The red color decoration to legs and hands emphasize the movements of hands and legs.