Kathak

This dance began with wandering storytellers in temple courtyards. It ended up performed in Mughal royal courts, fused from two different traditions. This article covers Kathak: its origins, its royal-court transformation, and its three gharanas.

From Temple Courtyard to Royal Court

ArtnCulture0087

c. 2nd c. BCE

Kathakars Emerge

Storyteller-bards perform in North Indian temples

16th-18th c.

Mughal Court Patronage

The dance shifts from temples to royal courts, fusing traditions

19th c.

Lucknow Gharana Forms

Nawab Wajid Ali Shah‘s court shapes a new, expressive style

20th c.

Birju Maharaj’s Era

The Lucknow gharana’s best-known exponent takes Kathak worldwide

The long arc: Kathak’s storytelling core never changed. What changed was its setting, from temple courtyards to Mughal courts, and later to concert stages worldwide.

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Timeline

• c. 2nd century BCE: Kathakars, wandering storyteller-bards, perform in North Indian temples.
• 16th-18th century: Under Mughal patronage, the dance moves from temples to royal courts, fusing Hindu and Islamic traditions.
• 19th century: The Lucknow gharana develops under the patronage of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah.
• 20th century: Pandit Birju Maharaj, of the Lucknow gharana, becomes Kathak’s best-known global exponent.

Must Know

• Kathak takes its name from “Katha” (story) and “Kathakar” (storyteller). It began as a temple storytelling tradition in North India.
• Kathak has three major gharanas (stylistic schools): Jaipur, Lucknow, and Banaras.
• The Jaipur gharana is known for forceful, intricate footwork and rapid, continuous spins.
• The Lucknow gharana, which developed under Nawab Wajid Ali Shah’s court, is known for grace and expressive storytelling (abhinaya).
• The Banaras gharana stays closest to temple devotion. It focuses on stories of Krishna, and uses distinctive “natwari” rhythmic syllables.

Good to Know

• Kathak’s basic footwork is called tatkar. Dancers strike the floor with the heel, ball, and toes of the foot, in precise rhythmic patterns.
• Fast, continuous spins, called chakkars, are one of Kathak’s most recognisable techniques.
• Dancers wear strings of ankle bells called ghungroo. A single string can carry anywhere from 50 to over 200 bells.
• Rhythmic footwork is set to spoken syllables called bols, performed across fixed rhythmic cycles called taals, such as the 16-beat Teentaal.
• Pandit Birju Maharaj (1938-2022), of the Kalka-Bindadin lineage within the Lucknow gharana, was awarded the Padma Vibhushan for his contribution to the dance.

Test Yourself

Please wait…

1. Kathak takes its name from which Sanskrit words?

Katha (story) and Kathakar (storyteller)

Kala (art) and Kathan (narration)

Kavya (poetry) and Kartan (dance)

Kanth (throat) and Kalakar (artist)

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Great to Know

• Kathak’s Mughal-court period is a rare, clear example of one dance form absorbing two distinct traditions at once. Hindu storytelling content met Persian-influenced court aesthetics, without either side simply replacing the other.
• The three gharanas didn’t just develop different steps. Each reflects a different patron and setting: Rajput royal courts, a Nawab’s court, and Hindu temples, respectively.
• Kathak’s continued relevance rests on a single structural feature. Its footwork and spins reward technical virtuosity, while its abhinaya still carries the dance’s original storytelling purpose.
• For Odissi, a classical dance form of Odisha, see ArtnCulture0090 — Odissi.

Kathak is one of eight classical dance forms recognised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi. See ArtnCulture0006 — Classical and Folk Dances of India for the full list. Two related forms covered on this site are Bharatanatyam, Tamil Nadu’s temple tradition, and Odissi, Odisha‘s own temple tradition.