Essay name: Hastalaksanadipika a critical edition and study
Author:
E. K. Sudha
Affiliation: Government Sanskrit College (Tripunithura) / Department of Sanskrit
This is an English study on the Hastalaksanadipika—a manual depicting the Mudras (gestures) of the Kerala theatre. It is a very popular text supposedly dating to the 10th century A.D. This study also touches the subject of Krsnanattam, Kathakali and Kutiyattam—some of India's oldest theatrical traditions in Kerala.
Chapter 3 - Later developments of dramatic techniques
9 (of 22)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
The BRB brings forward a general accent on the various topics relating to the science of Nāṭya in the introductory portion of the work and then presents a detailed analysis of the various techniques of the Ángikābhinaya. THE AUTHOR AND HIS WORK After Bharata's NS several works on dance and dramaturgy appeared in different parts of India and at different times. The AD of Nandikeśvara (6th or 7th century A.D.), the SR of Sárngadeva (1210 1247 A.D.) the Nṛttaratnavali of Jayasenapati (13th Century A.D.) the Sangitaraja of Kumbhakarna Rājā (15th Century A.D.) the Sangitamakaranda of Ṣāhaji Rāja etc. are some of the major works on Nāṭya from different regions. The BRB of Kārtika Tirunāl Rāma Varma Mahārāja of Travancore is a valuable contribution to the important subject of Natya, from Kerala. The work is the result not only of the study of numerous previous works but also of the practical knowledge of the author about the subject. The work is, therefore, all the more important for those interested in the scientific studies on Indian theatre techniques. The work bears the significance with the title Balaramabharata (a treatise on dance by Bālarāma as it was composed by King Balarama Varma) The prefix Bala in the Bālarāma, the name of the author, was the hereditary epithet denoting submission to Lord Sri Padmanabha, the tutelary deity of Travancore Royal Family, in whom the ruling power of the state was vested. 97
