Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v2.c11.s1.t6.2

v2.c11.s1.t6.2

Indian dance can be traced to the historical period of the Indus Valley Civilisation. The bronze dancing girl of Mohenjo-Daro and the plaster male dancer of Harappa clearly indicated that ancient Indians loved to dance in life. According to Indian mythology, Siva the cosmic dancer is the Lord of Dance (Nataraja) being able to perform 108 types of divine dance. The universe evolves from destruction to recreation again and again in his dance. His image of Nataraja is well-known throughout the world. In fact, Indian dance is very likely to come into being through religious sacrificial rituals. The earliest professional dancers needed to show their dancing skill to please their gods during the process of sacrificial services. As an art form, dance in India has a history of at least 3,000 years. Dance is considered as a basic part of theater. The *Visnu Purana* created in the 2^nd century CE mentioned the title of a dance drama. Obviously, Indian dance had become much flourishing and mature before Bharatamuni wrote his *Natyasastra*. According to his work, dance was already an indispensable part then on all occasions of important celebrations. *Natyasastra* laid down rules and regulations for Indian classical dance, and is still the theoretical source of all types of classical dance in India now.