Mohiniyattam

1.1 What is Mohiniyattam?

This classical dance comes from Kerala. It is a graceful, feminine dance. The name means “dance of the enchantress”.

Mohini is the enchantress. Attam is dance.

1.2 What is a lasya dance?

The Natyashastra, an old Sanskrit book on the performing arts, uses lasya for soft, graceful movement. Mohiniyattam is a lasya dance.

The body sways gently. The steps are soft. Hip movements, high leg lifts, leaps and jumps are avoided.

2.1 What does the dancer wear?

The classic costume is a white sari with a gold border. The gold border is called kasavu. Gold jewellery and jasmine flowers in the hair complete the look.

2.2 How do the hands speak?

Hand gestures are called mudras. The dance follows a text called Hastalakshana Deepika. The text lists 24 mudras.

2.3 What is the music like?

Songs are in Manipravalam, a mix of Sanskrit and Malayalam. Two music styles are used: Carnatic and Sopanam.

The usual players are on the mridangam or maddalam, the violin, veena or flute, and the edakka.

3.1 Is the name linked to Vishnu’s Mohini avatar?

Many people link the name to the Mohini form of Vishnu. This is a popular belief. Kerala Tourism says there is no clear evidence for it.

The Kerala Kalamandalam calls the link a common misunderstanding. So the safe meaning is simply “enchantress”.

3.2 Where did the dance come from?

Sources give two versions. One traces it to the temple dance of the devadasis, women who danced in temples. It names dancers called Thevadichi and Thali Naga.

The other says Kerala had no temple dance culture like Tamil Nadu. So the temple origin is debated.

3.3 What is the earliest mention?

The text Vyavaharamala of 1709 mentions the dance. The dance already existed before the time of Swati Tirunal.

4.1 Who was Swati Tirunal?

Swati Tirunal ruled Travancore. He lived from 1813 to 1846. He was a king, a poet and a musician.

4.2 What did he do for the dance?

His rule in the 19th century brought Mohiniyattam centre-stage. The dance took a clear, structured form. Tamil dance masters helped.

The Carnatic music system of his court stayed with the dance.

4.3 What happened after him?

After his early death, the dance declined. Later, the court musician Palakkad Parameshwara Bhagavathar trained young girls in it.

5.1 How did Kalamandalam help?

Kerala Kalamandalam was founded in 1930. The poet Vallathol and Manakkulam Mukundaraja founded it. At first it taught only Kathakali.

A Mohiniyattam course began in the early 1930s. The anti-nautch movement had hurt the dance, so this was a fresh start.

5.2 Who is the Mother of Mohiniattam?

Kalyanikutty Amma was born in 1915 at Tirunavaya. She had her arangettam, or debut, in 1939. Vallathol trusted her with his vision for the dance.

She is called the “Mother of Mohiniattam”. She grouped adavus, or basic steps, into four groups. She received an SNA fellowship in 1974.

5.3 Who are the other names to know?

Four schools, called banis, are named: Kalamandalam, Kalyanikutty Amma, Bharati Shivaji and Kanak Rele.

• Kalamandalam Sathyabhama codified about 65 adavus.
• Bharati Shivaji was born in 1948 at Kumbakonam. She holds a Sangeet Natak Akademi Award in Mohiniattam.
• Kanak Rele founded the Nalanda Dance Research Centre in 1966. Her Ph.D. was on Mohiniattam. She got the Padma Shri in 1990 and the Padma Bhushan in 2013.
• Rele’s name became tied to Sopanam singing, which Kavalam Narayana Panikkar helped revive.

6.1 Which facts do students mix up?

• The costume edge is kasavu. The hand text is Hastalakshana Deepika, with 24 mudras.
• Swati Tirunal is credited with the revival. His life was 1813 to 1846.
• Kalamandalam opened in 1930 and first taught only Kathakali.
• Kalyanikutty Amma used four groups of adavus.

6.2 Which claims should you avoid?

Do not state that the name comes from Vishnu’s Mohini avatar. Do not say the dance began in the 16th century. Sources differ on its origin.