Mudras in Bharatnatyam

Mudras are hand gestures that used in Bharatnatyam. The hand gestures are major part of Angika Abhinaya. Dancers speak via body movements rather than orally , in this way mudra is the main tool of dancers to convey their inner feelings or some activities they want to express.  There are two classifications in Indian traditional dance –
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  1.  Asamyukta hasta

Asamyukta hastas are done using single hand. Natyasatra mentioned 24 asamyukta hastas in this sloka. Four new mudras are added to the list later which are Kataka, Vyagraha, Ardhasuchi and Palli.
Patakas tripatakascha tathavai kartarimukhaha
Ardhachandra haralashcha sukhatundaka tathaivacha
Mushtischa shikharakhyascha kapitha katakamukhaha
Suchasya padmakosha sarpashira mrigashirshaka
Kangulo alapadmascha chatura bhramarastatha
Hansasya hansapakhsashcha sandamso mukulastatha
Urnanavas tamrachuras chaturvingshatiririta.




 
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   Samyukta hasta

Samyukta hastas are known as double hand gestures or combine hand gestures. Both hands are used to convey the message to the audience. Double hand gestures are formed on the basis of asamyukta hastas. Natya Shastra mentioned only thirteen samyukta hastas but it has increased in Abhinay darpana. They refers twenty three samyukta hastas.


Bharatnatyam dancers have to learn a thorough lesson of mudras. They can convey their messages easily if they know how to apply the mudras into the dance and make audience understood the performance even they saw that performance for first time. With the help of mudras dancers express infinite truth, divine wisdom and infinite divine beauty. 

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