Krishna legends in Kathak

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Kathak is a classical Indian dance that grew from Krishna legends. The word Kathak comes from katha, meaning story. In ancient times Kathak was a mime-like way of telling Puranic tales, performed by storytellers called Granthikas who spoke about Vishnu. When Krishna was seen as an incarnation of Vishnu, Krishna stories became central.

A rich musical theatre tradition developed in Mathura around Krishna plays. The earliest form, Katha-Vachan, mostly told Krishna legends. Devotion to Krishna, called bhakti, has a popular path called madhura bhakti, the idea of Krishna as the Supreme Lover. Eight poets known as the Ashtachhapkars—Surdas, Kumbhandas, Nandadas, Parmanandadas, Chaturbhujdas, Krishnadas, Govindswami, and Chitswami—wrote many songs about Krishna, which Kathak dancers often use. These works highlight Krishna’s childhood pranks and his loving nature (Vatsalyarasa). Even in romantic scenes (shringa rasa), Krishna is shown in bright colors.

Themes include Krishna and Radha’s love and the idea that the soul meets the supreme soul. The poets’ verses form a key part of a Kathak dancer’s repertoire. One famous Krishna story is Krishna dancing on Kaliya’s head; the sounds from his feet—ta, thai, tat—are said to be the building blocks of Kathak. Krishna is also called Natwar, so these sounds came to be known as Natwari.