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The History of the Devdasi the Temple Dance of Assam

Sanchayeeta Parashar
Sanchayeeta Parashar
Sanchayeeta is an aspiring writer from Assam who's passionate about exploring different tribes and sharing the beauty of their cultures with her readers. She is a resident writer for The Indegenous.

From Temples to Stages: The Historical Journey of Dev-Nati Dance in Assam

Northeast, the land of vibrant scenic beauty and a multicolored cultural fabric is highly enriched with various dance forms in the classical and folk genres. There are multiple pieces of literature and scriptures which mention the rich cultural dance forms of Assam. This article explores the history of Dev-nati or Nati nas a rare and ancient form of devotional dance of Assam.

In the ancient epics and scriptures such as Ramayana or Mahabharata, Assam has been referred to by the name Pragjyotish and it is known to be the land of mysterious tantric practices. The essence of an advanced Hindu civilization can be still felt in the sculptures of various ancient temples such as the Kamakhya Devi Temple(the greatest Shaktipeeth), Da Parbatiya, Madan Kamdeb Mandir, Haygrib Madhav Mandir, Tukreshwari Dewalaya and many more. The strong and rich cultural heritage echoes in these places of worship for ages. The Dev-Nati or Nati Nas is a devotional dance form of Assam which traces its history from ancient times.

The Bharatiya Natya Shastra has been divided into 4 folds or pravitti which are

  • Dakshinatya
  • Avanti
  • Panchalmadhyama
  • Odramagadhi

The last form represents the eastern region comprising Assam(erstwhile Pragjyotish). The three basic styles of Dance of Assam are

  • Devdasi
  • Oja pali
  • Satriya

HISTORICAL PIECES OF EVIDENCE OF THE DEVDASI DANCE FORM IN ASSAM

  • Banamala Barman, the king of Kamrup reconstructed the Hatakasulin temple in the ninth century and worshiped Lord Shiva with songs and dance performances. Lord Shiva, the Adidev is known to be the origin of every dance form and such performances were made in his praise. This information has been provided in an inscription recovered from the historic town of Tezpur and this dates back to the ninth century. It contains a keyword duluhangana meaning devdasi or deodhani. Dev means God or deity and Dasi refers to a female servant in devotion.
  • The Kalika Purana provides a reference to the tradition of music and dance in ancient Assam.
  • The Bargaon plates of King Ratna Pal also depict the action of paying homage to Natraj Shiva, the cosmic dancer.
  • The intricate carvings and stone sculptures of Maa Kamkahya temple, Da Parbatiya , the Natraj icon of Sivasagar and the Vishnu idol of Venugopala suggest that Assam can be proud of a history of traditional dance forms.

ORIGIN OF THE DEV-NATI 

Devdasi is a magnificent dance form with a glorious past. It is a devotional dance performed in the temple to please the deities and is considered to be very auspicious. This was performed ritualistically in the premises of the Shiva temple. Though it is said that the Devdasi dance form flourished in many parts of the state such as Dergaon, Hajo, Dubi, Biswanath and the districts of Kamrup and Darrang, the exact origin of the dance form is yet to be ascertained.

According to the eminent historian, Paban Bordoloi, the Devdasi dance evolved in the 4-5th centuries and has fully flourished in the 9th and 10th century.

  • In the year 1538, Raghudevnarayan reconstructed the Vaishnav temple of Haygrib-Madhab at Hajo and the Devdasi art form was introduced in the temple in the year of its reconstruction.
  • From ancient times the following temples had the tradition of worshiping the deity with the traditional and Indigenous Devdasi dance.
  1. Da Parbatiya(600 AD)
  2. Dergaon Siva temple(700 AD)
  3. Hatakasulin Siva temple(900 AD)
  4. Dubi's Parihareshwar temple(900 AD)

THE NATI COMMUNITY 

The Devdasis devote their entire life to the devotion towards the almighty and remain unmarried. They fully surrender their lives to the Lord and immerse themselves in His divine service. The Devnatis hail from the indigenous Nati community also known as Nat Kalita. The Natis lived with their parents in the temple premises and followed their daily routine according to the temple's schedule.

The Devdasis are basically divided into three categories

  • Devdasi: These dancers were selected to dance before the deities and please the Lord with their enchanting movements.
  • Beshyas: They were expert and proficient in both singing and dancing and pleased the deity with a decorative fan.
  • Ordinary dancers who entertained the common man.

Generally, they danced before the Lord during puja at noon and during the Sandhya Arti. The dances were also performed beyond the four walls of the temple during festivals and special occasions.

AN ENCHANTING DANCE THAT OPENS THE DOORS TO A SPIRITUAL WORLD

Devdasi has all the cultural elements. The various elements of Abhinay Darapana and Natya Shastra are used in a magnificent manner. The graceful and intricate movement of hands, feet, eyes, fingers, hips and neck makes Devnati an elegant dance form.

The various Yogic postures are also used to depict the glory of Lord Shiva, the cosmic dancer.

Instruments like mridanga, Khol, daba,taal and bahi are used to create enchanting beats and the devadasis dance to them to weave a divine atmosphere replicating heaven.

The accompanying instrumentalist is called Bayan and the singer is called Gayan.

The Mahari dance of Jagganath temple(Puri) is quite analogous to the Nati nas of Assam. Both are forms of Devdasi dance.

There is evidence that the Devdasi dance regained its lost prestige during the reign of Ahom Swargadeo Rudra Singha(1696-1714) and Siva Singha(1714-44).

Unfortunately, the Devdasi dance form cannot be sustained in any part of the country in the contemporary world. It has lost its age-old prestige and glory. Today, it is only performed on stage to showcase the art form.

REFERENCES

(Kandali, 278)

Book name: Assam- Land and People