"Kamrupi dance" is group of dances originating in ancient Kamrup,1 forming one of the cultural norm of Kamrup region.
Phalguni, Gita, Karnarjuna and others are variants of Kamrupi dance.3 "Phalguni" depicts the story of how Arjuna, another name of Phalguni, was invited by the gods in heaven to slay the demons. He went there and found it difficult to overcome them. Eventually he took help of the "Pashupat" arrow which was presented to him by Shiva and thus became successful. "Gita" dance executes the theme that Arjuna is unwilling to fight against relations in the battle of Kurushetra. Krishna who acts as his charioteer, takes him aside from battlefield and divulges out his power as supreme god, and teaches him the doctrine of Karma whereby he preaches that Arjuna is the means and is not the actual killer. Thereafter Arjuna joins the fight and expresses from his movements that he is the meas employed by the gods. "Karnarjuna" is a duet dance showing the fight between the two heroes of Mahabharata, Arjuna and Karna. The Ojapali dance belongs to the Kamrup region, and it is therefore sometimes spoken of as Kamrupi dance.
Origin
Kamrupi dance originated from Bhaona dance.3Types
Phalguni, Gita, Karnarjuna and others are variants of Kamrupi dance.3 "Phalguni" depicts the story of how Arjuna, another name of Phalguni, was invited by the gods in heaven to slay the demons. He went there and found it difficult to overcome them. Eventually he took help of the "Pashupat" arrow which was presented to him by Shiva and thus became successful. "Gita" dance executes the theme that Arjuna is unwilling to fight against relations in the battle of Kurushetra. Krishna who acts as his charioteer, takes him aside from battlefield and divulges out his power as supreme god, and teaches him the doctrine of Karma whereby he preaches that Arjuna is the means and is not the actual killer. Thereafter Arjuna joins the fight and expresses from his movements that he is the meas employed by the gods. "Karnarjuna" is a duet dance showing the fight between the two heroes of Mahabharata, Arjuna and Karna. The Ojapali dance belongs to the Kamrup region, and it is therefore sometimes spoken of as Kamrupi dance.
Sources
- Banerji, Projesh (1959). The folk-dance of India. Kitabistan. p. 72. A new form of dance technique has been evolved from Bhaona which is a sophisticated type of dancing, known as "Kamrupi" dance.
- Bhavan's Journal, Volume 8, Issues 1-13. Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. 1961. p. 49. The devadasis who performed this dance, it may be mentioned, were attached to temples of Shiva as well as of Vishnu. The Ojapali dance belongs to the Kamrup district, and it is therefore sometimes spoken of as Kamrupi dance. There are two types of Ojapali, the Sakta and the Vaisnava
- Banerji, Projesh (1959). The folk-dance of India. Kitabistan. p. 72. Probably this nomenclature was attributed to give a provincial touch to the technique, because it had its birth from Assam. There is a district even now in the State by that name. The famous ""Kamrupi" dances are "Phalguni", "Gita", "Karnarjuna",etc.
