PAPER 4

History of Kathak

The word 'Kathak' comes from the word ‘katha’, which means a story,
and the Kathaks were originally a caste of story-tellers who were
attached to temples in certain regions of North India. They used to
recite their stories orally, but later on, in order to make their
interpretation more effective, they added mime and gesture to their
recitation. Thus was evolved a simple form of expressional dance which
later developed into Kathak.

In the beginning, Kathak was used to communicate stories of

Mahabharat and Ramayana. As matter of fact, Mahabharat mentions
that Kathaks or story tellers accompanied Arjuna during his period of
stay in forest. Similarly in Ramayana, Luv and Kush the two sons of Lord
Rama are also mentioned as Kathaks who told the story of Rama and
Sita.

The next stage is the evolution of Kathak as a distinct mode of dance

came in the 15th and 16th centuries A. D. when, with the
popularisation of the Radha-Krishna legend and the consequent
emergence of the cult of prem bhakti, or devotion through love, a form
of operatic play known as Rasa Lila came into existence. The tradition of
the Rasa Lila developed mostly in Braj, and the plays to a large extent
took their inspiration from Braj poets like Surdas, Nandadas and
Krishnadas. In course of time, the Rasa Lila developed into a distinct
form of folk theatre, carrying a pleasing blend song, narrative, acting
and dancing. And the dancing in Rasa Lila consisted, for the most part,
of an extension and amplification of the simple, basic mime and gesture
of the Kathak storytellers combined with elements of whatever folk
dancing was then available in the region.
With the advent of Muslim rule, the Kathak dance was taken from the
temple to the court, and thenceforward it developed in two different
milieus, one represented by the Hindu courts of Rajasthan, particularly
the court of Jaipur, and the other by the Muslim courts of Delhi, Agra
and Lucknow. Under court patronage Kathak transformed itself into
highly technical and Stylised art for the delectation of the few. In both
Hindu and Muslim courts, Kathak came to be regarded as a
sophisticated form of entertainment, with the emphasis almost entirely
on the solo performer and his virtuosity.

As Kathak had moved from temple to court, its purpose was now
defined by its ultimate aim. The Court dance was aimed at pleasing the
patrons whereas the temple tradition aimed at the spirit of devotion.

In Rajasthan the nritta aspect of the dance received much importance,

and this resulted in making the Kathak there mostly a matter of
mechanical display and rhythmic movement. The Muslim patrons, on
the other hand, had no patience with mere technical virtuosity. They
wanted to see an art which mirrored life in all its moods, which
projected life with all its passions. Hence the Kathak which blossomed
under their aegis began to lay greater stress on nritya and bhava, and
eventually came to be characterised as a dance which was graceful,
decorative, expressive, sugges-tive and sensuous. 

Kathak thus came to be recognised as having two schools or gharanas:

the Jaipur gharana, famous for its layakari, and the Lucknow Gharana,
the forte of which was bhava, the exposition of moods and emotions.
The Lucknow Gharana came into existence in the time of Wajid Ali
Shah, the last Nawab of Oudh. The tradition of this gharana was started
by Thakur Prasad, and its technique was perfected by his two sons,
Kalka Prasad and Binda Din. All three served as court dancers of Wajid
Ali Shah, who was himself a dancer and composer of outstanding merit.
It is sometimes claimed that there is also a third school of Kathak called
the Benares gharana. It is said that Janki Prasad from Bikaner, in
Rajasthan, went to Benares, the present Varanasi, and founded this
gharana. His pupils spread to places as far apart as Jammu, Patiala,
Indore, Lahore and Nepal. The main features of the benares gharana is
that in rhythmic patterns, which constitute a vital part of the nritta of
Kathak, it uses bols, or syllables, of only dance.