Bharatanatyam dance costumes: The most commonly used styles include the Skirt/Sari style or the Pyjama Style and a matching Blouse. The pleates fan which is knee length opens up enhancing the beauty and richness of the costume. Bedecked with ornaments, bells and flowers, the dancers hold us spellbound. Salangai or the anklets wore by the dancers while performing Bharat Natyam constitutes the most important part of the Bharat Natyam costume. Its role in the dance is immense, so much so that no enactment of Bharat Natyam is possible without them. Now the question that arises is that what is it that has made Salangai such an indispensible element of Bharat Natyam. Well, to understand this one would have to understand Indian culture.

Salangai, it must be understood, are blessings of the dance. No one can deny that Bharatnatyam is the most graceful, soulful and popular dance forms in the world. Its popularity can be understood from the fact that it is not confined to India alone but has transcended to other countries as well. Indeed, it would not be wrong to state that it has made the entire world a keen follower of its craft. However, it would not be a misnomer to state that quite a lot of the popularity that it enjoys is ...

Tags: Modern Bharatnatyam costume, Modern Bharatanatyam Dress, Leather, Ghungroo.


It must be understood that the most pure form of art, particularly the dance forms is the classical Indian dance forms. However, the joy of it is often robbed if it is not performed correctly. It should also be kept in mind that the display of dance does not mean the display of dance alone for music and stage also plays a major role in making any dance form a success. A guide towards ensuring a mastery over all of these would indeed be very handy in being able to give a lively performance. This is exactly what Natya Shastra is. A perfect and exhaustive guide on the performance of arts which encompasses such important topics like theatre, dance and music. Though the original work was composed by sage Bharata its date of conception is not clear.

The Natya Shastra is incredibly exhaustive in its scope and encompasses stage design, music, dance, makeup, and virtually every other aspect of stagecraft. It is very important to the history of Indian classical music because it is the only text which gives such mammoth detail about the music and instruments of the period.

Salangai or the anklets wore by the dancers while performing Bharat Natyam constitutes the most important part of the Bharat Natyam costume. Its role in the dance is immense, so much so that no enactment of Bharat Natyam is possible without them. Now the question that arises is that what is it that has made Salangai such an indispensible element of Bharat Natyam. Well, to understand this one would have to understand Indian culture.

Salangai, it must be understood, are blessings of the dancers teacher. Also, it is worshipped on special occasions and is never worn casually. As far as the utility of Salangai is concerned it should be noted that they make the rhythmic footwork of dance movements audible. Artists treat Salangai with great importance and take great care of them just as musicians take great care of their instruments. The importance of Salangai therefore gets firmly established. It would only be fair to say that if one does not get a proper Salangai then the joy of this most graceful dance looses its charm significantly.

It therefore is very important that one is able to purchase the very best Salangai. Remember it is on Salangai that hinges the success of dance. No one can deny that Bharatnatyam is the most graceful, soulful and popular dance forms in the world. Its popularity can be understood from the fact that it is not confined to India alone but has transcended to other countries as well. Indeed, it would not be wrong to state that it has made the entire world a keen follower of its craft. However, it would not be a misnomer to state that quite a lot of the popularity that it enjoys is majorly to do with the dress that the artists put on. Indeed, the role of modern Bharatnatyam dress in making Bharatnatyam popular cannot be ruled out. It is precisely for this reason that Bharatnatyam dress wields such great importance amongst all Bharatnatyam dancers.

It is because of the importance of modern Bharatnatyam dress that quite a few outlet which claim to produce flawless modern Bharatnatyam dress have come up in the market yet it would only be fair to state that when it comes to availing top class modern Bharatnatyam dress then there is just one name that people trust. After all the success or failure of dance performance hinges greatly on the dress of the artist. And if the dance performance is that of such a graceful form like Bharatnatyam then the dress deserves highest attention as any compromise here could lead to the failure of the performance.

Costume and Jewellery

Bharatanatyam is a dance form derived from the temples of South India and hence uses rich colorful costumes and jewellery. The costumes are mainly made out of pure Kancheepuram silk with dazzling jaris (gold laced borders). The jewellery used is called temple jewellery and mainly uses red stones and pearls with a dash of green and white for combination.