Every dance form has its mode of communication. In Bharathanatyam one of the
important means to communicate the meaning of the song is through hand gestures
“mudras”. The hand become a vehicle of “Dance Speech”. Each mudra has a specific
significance and is used to express an emotion or picture.
Some conventionally used mudras to communicate a scene or story are as follows.
Sikhara – The mudra can be held by bending the four fingers are bent into the
palm and making a fist. The thumb is held straight up. (For a better mental
picture, it can be understood as showing a thumbs up)
Uses – to show a bow, ringing a bell, embrace (using both hands), show a hero,
pillar and many more.
Kartari – This mudra is held by joining the thumb with the ring finger and little
finger, and the index finger, centre finger symbolizes the number two.
Uses – show a creeper, lightning, parting of a couple(using both hands),
different, hill top, etc.
Tripataka – The mudra can be held by bending only the ring finger and holding
the other fingers straight.
Uses – to show a tree(running both the hands parallelly), crown (using both
hands, kept above head and crossing them), showing light, stroking of hair, etc.
Anjali – This mudra is shown using two hands. Both the palms are joint
together and held.
Uses – Salutations to God, Guru, Elders, Greetings.
The above mentioned are just few examples of the many many mudras used in
Bharathanatyam. They have also been categorized into various divisions.
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