How many mudras are there in bharatanatyam?

Answer 1

There are different mudras, depending on the source. In Natya Shastra there are more than are described in Abhinaya Darpanam.

Prof.Raghuraman of Kalakshetra is working on translation of Koothanool which contains over 300 hastas/mudras.

Answer 2

Mudras or Nritta hastas are a very integral part of any classical Indian dance. These hastas are more or less common for all the classical dances. In Bharatanatyam, hand gestures are used both in Nritta and Nritya.

In Bharatanatyam, hand gestures are divided into two categories:

1. Asamyukta Hasta - That which is done with one hand or single hand gestures. They are 28 in number.

2. Samyukta Hasta - That which is done using both hands or double hand gestures. They are 23 in number.

Each hand gestures has many applications or Viniyogas which are described in Sanskrit Slokas of the natayashastra. For eg. Tripataka used in the Nattu Adavu is used to represent a crown, tree, thunder, applying Tilak etc. The interpretation of the gesture is based on the context in which it is used.

Most of the hand gestures and Viniyogas in Bharatanatyam are described on the site onlinebharatanatyam.com. The mudras signifies & hence look like some substances present in nature,e.g. addha chanda signifies half moon,mayur the peacock,mukul flower etc. if is agninattya(dance of fire) so mudras symbolizes power,joy,determination,devotion & spirit; e.g.musti mudra,suklatundra,anjali etc.

Answer 3

In Bharatanatyam, the Classical Dance of India performed by Lord Nataraja, approximately fifty-five root mudras (hand/finger gestures) are used to clearly communicate specific ideas, events, actions, or creatures in which thirty-two require only one hand, and are classified as `Asamyuktanamasa Hasta', along with twenty-three other primary mudras which require both hands and are classified as 'Samyukta Hasta'; these fifty-five are the roots but the branches permit of many more mudra, some of which are used primarily as aesthetic or decorative.