![]() The technique of the Kannada theatre - Bayalata, the Tamil theatre - Terukkuttu, and the Telugu thetre - Veethi nataka, very closely resemble the modes and technique elaborated by Natyashastra. Looking at the variety and originality of the Dravidian metres, music and dance, one would feel that they had a richer wealth of the art of dance and drama than the Aryans. In the Aryan and non-Aryan process of mutual exchange, many a non-Aryan God and Rishi found a place in the Aryan hierarchy and so, it is not improbable that the Aryans borrowed the great theatrical traditions of the Dravidians. Once taken, they made it their own by moulding it into a new shape. In other words, the so called marga should have been evolved out of the contact with the desya. Among the significant contributions possibly made by the ancient Dravidian theatre to Sanskrit theatre or Dramaturgy are perhaps modes of dancing and music, devotional themes and important characters like Sutradhara and Vidhusaka. South India, and particularly Karnataka is the home of the Bhakti movement and the soil always had the seed of this movement centuries before the Dasas came up to preach. It is not improbable that the Aryans inculcated the Bhakti marga and based their plays on themes of bhakti after their close contact with the Dravidians. The folk theatre of Karnataka has still preserved some relics of such ancient performances of the Dasas. This article is a stub. You can enrich by adding more information to it. Send your Write Up to content@indianetzone.com |