In news- A group of artists performed Perini dance in a cultural event, held at Gudi Cheruvu area in Vemulawada town in Telangana recently.
About Perini dance-
- Perini Shivatandavam or Perini Tandavam is one of the ancient dance forms of Telangana.
- This dance form originated and flourished during the Kakatiya Dynasty who ruled over the region or Warangal for about two centuries.
- It is the ‘dance of the warriors’ performed by the males in front of the idol of Lord Shiva, dedicated to the Supreme dancer before going to the battlefield.
- It is enacted on the loud roaring beats of the drums, matching the postures with its rhythm.
- It was believed that Perini Shivatandavam raises ‘prerana’ or inspiration among the soldiers.
- Evidence of this dance form can be viewed on the walls and pillars of the Ramappa Temple in Warangal where sculptures of various postures of Perini Shiva Thandavam dance are still intact.
- The dance finds mention in the early medieval work Bharataarnavam by Nandikeshwara.
- Based on this work, Padma Shri awardee Late Dr. Nataraja Ramakrishna first made mention of Perini in his award-winning book Daakshinaatyula Natyakala Charithra (1968).
About Kakatiya dynasty-
- It is a South Indian dynasty that ruled most of eastern Deccan region comprising present day Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and parts of eastern Karnataka and southern Odisha between 12th and 14th centuries.
- Their capital was Orugallu, now known as Warangal.
- Early Kakatiya rulers served as feudatories to Rashtrakutas and Western Chalukyas for more than two centuries.
- They assumed sovereignty under Prataparudra I in 1163 CE by suppressing other Chalukya subordinates in the Telangana region.
- Ganapati Deva (1199–1262) significantly expanded Kakatiya lands during the 1230s and brought under Kakatiya control the Telugu-speaking lowland delta areas around the Godavari and Krishna rivers.
Further reading: https://journalsofindia.com/kakatiya-ramappa-temple-declared-a-world-heritage-site/
Source: The Hindu
