Somewhere off the coast of Cambodia, an ancient ship from Mamallapuram lands on a beautiful beach after several weeks of travelling. The vassals of Mahendravarman I brought the aroma of Tamil and Sanskrit scripts, spices from South India and arts originating from the banks of the Kaveri. While many vassals and rulers have come and gone before them, their arrival in Southeast Asia was a turning point in the history of art and culture.
The influence of Hinduism and Indian culture in Southeast Asia is commonly understood as an act of conquest and trade. Yet the story of Indian dance is a bit more complicated. Could the movements be traded? Can the repertoire be acquired? As is often the case with embodied forms, their practice develops into separate bodies of practitioners. Such was the case for the Indian vassals who came to Java, Sumatra, Bali, Siam Annam, Borneo and Cambodia.
Padma Subrahmanyam and Kapila Vatsyayan identified the earliest links between Indian dance and Southeast Asia. Both prolific scholars observed that the sculptural arts of Southeast Asia reflected a deep understanding of the code within the Natyashastra. This is particularly reflected in the 9th-century temple complex of Prambanan in Indonesia, where we find 62 dance sculptures, labeled according to the postures depicted in the fourth chapter of the Natyashastra titled ‘Tandava Lakshnam’. This dance catalog is the oldest of its kind, pre-dating the dance visual catalogs that we find in Thanjavur, Chidambaram, Kumbakonam and other sites across Tamil Nadu. It is interesting to note that the idea of visually documenting a sequence of dance postures in stone as they appear in the text may have originated in Southeast Asia.
Angkor Wat Temple in Cambodia | photo credit: AFP
As a deeper exploration of this idea, Alessandra López y Royo spent several decades involved with the dance archeology of the site, attempting to record and put into practice the sculptures of Karan. Javanese scholar Adi Sedyavati explores the relationship between India and Indonesia and how it has influenced Balinese and Javanese dance repertoire. Several other scholars have examined this connection in other parts of Southeast Asia, including Thailand, Cambodia, and Myanmar.
common link
This research, though varied in expression, converges into a single, powerful realization—the Natyashastra was a text that found resonance in the art forms of South and Southeast Asia. It is this similarity, says Arvind Kumarasamy, art director at Singapore-based Apsaras Arts Dance Company, that allows the forms of the two cultures to collaborate fruitfully. A pioneer in furthering the embodied dialogue between Bharatanatyam and Southeast Asia, Aravinth has worked with Javanese, Balinese and Cambodian dancers during his influential productions. He says that Padma Subrahmanyam has been a guide, and one of the driving forces behind the discovery of these similarities.
“It is easy to put these artworks together systematically. While the manifestations of Natyashastra may be completely different, there is a shared body of knowledge that allows us to engage in the same context. Kumarasamy from his production ‘Anjaneyam’ Recalls an example, where Sita’s character had to be a communicator.” It is difficult for Javanese dancers to explain the concept of a communicator, especially with a language barrier. But once seeing it in rehearsal, they instinctively understood what we were doing and made a counterpoint in Javanese style.
Over the years, Aravinth’s works such as ‘Amara’ (Banteya Srei’s dance stories), ‘Angkor’ (inspired by the beautiful bas reliefs on the walls of Angkor Wat), and ‘Anjasa’ (on Buddhist temple architecture) have celebrated. History and culture of both India and Southeast Asia. “With every production I get more excited to uncover this strong association.”
Latest Books by Mohanapriya Thawarjah | Photo Credit: Apsara Arts Dance Company
The temple complex of Angkor Wat has beautiful, intricate panels depicting scenes from the Ramayana and Mahabharata. The latest book by Mohanapriya Thavarjah, the lead dancer of Apsaraon Kala Nritya Company, Temple Dance of Apsaras: View of a Dancer at Angkor Wat, is an extension of his research on the famous temple complex and explores the Angika acting of Cambodian tradition. Mohanapriyan notes that the development of the form resonates with Bharatanatyam, with a similar change in patronage, from temples to court, and the comparable prominence of devadasi dancers. “There are only five postures popularly used in Cambodian dance,” he explains, “some characters wear masks”. This is one of many differences he has discovered in his practice and interaction with Southeast Asian forms.
Aravinth takes these observations further by noting that Southeast Asian dance forms are far more cooperative than Indian ones. “In Bharatnatyam, we are all trained to be soloists, while the Southeast Asian dance tradition and training prepares them for the ensemble. Every dancer has a specific role.”
When asked about the audience reception to these collaborative productions, Arvind is particularly emotional. “As Indian traditional artists, we are passionate about the diaspora. it’s about forever [performing at] Carnegie Hall. We have an already discerning audience of Rasiks in Southeast Asia who really understand the nuances of our work. More dancers need to accept this and perform wider in these areas.”
The author, based in Bangalore, is a dancer and research scholar.