- Region: Tamil Nadu, Madurai district
- Mixture of: Pintherkuruvai & Muntherkuruvai
- Stored By: Generation of Dynasty Veerapandiya Kattabomman
- Practiced By: women & men
Devarattam dance form of Tamil Nadu state is one of the popular folk dances. This is ritual and social folk dance, which is majorly practiced by the community called Kambala Nayaka residing at Silavaar section. This is an oldest dance form that has been respectfully preserved through the Veerapandiya Kattabomman Empire’s generation, this dynasty was situated in Madurai district’s Kodangipatti. Veerapandiya dynasty considered themselves as a certain generation of the god or devas due to that this folk dance got the name Devarattam. The performance of this folk dance form is annually practiced within the temple’s courtyard area by particular Kambala Nayaka community’s artists. As per the Research, it is a mixture of historical Pintherkuruvai & Muntherkuruvai of Tamil Kings. They used to perform this dance on happy moment like when King used to come from the war with victory, to praise the power and courage of the King the dancers used to practice Devarattam.
The dancers were wearing the multi-coloured costumes and they were holding the handkerchief in every hand, because they were performing the Devarattam dance, through the dance they tried to showcase the each and every moment of daily life in Madurai. The dancing movement of the Devarattam dance is fluent; the pace is very fast, it goes with the music bests. The musical instrument like percussion instrument of drum shape is majorly used by the music players. Watching the Devarattam dance is always real pleasure for the Tamil Nadu’s audience. This dance is generally practiced by the women and men on the festive occasion, weddings and many more social occasions. This dance form does not require any song, the dancers perform the dance only on the rhythmic musical beats of Thappu Melam, Urumi Melam and few times, they majorly use the long size flute for music. The main dancer dresses a mask and fake beard along with shells as fake teeth.
Many film makers had put efforts to practice the Devarattam dance form in the current movies, to create new taste to the audience but still this dance form is having faith in oldest tradition. The primary eighteen dancing steps of Devarattam have generated the few combinations and permutations, around seventy two steps are standardized. The dancing troupes are also practicing this folk dance like street play to spread any issue of religion and social within the large number of People. Tamil Nadu state’s Thanjavur University is too providing the Devarattam dance form, they are handing this as a research subject, they putting lots of efforts to keep the pure and oldest original form of Devarattam dance.
