Impact of Religion on Kathak

From the origins to present day Kathak, there is a major influence of Hinduism on Kathak, particularly the Hindu God Krishna. Lord Krishna is known as an incarnation or avtaar of the God Vishnu, the preserve. Granthikas of Vishnu were the origin of Kathak, they are stories based on Vishnu. The Granthikas started to take Krishna's name as their model once it was established that Krishna was Vishnu's avatar. The two earliest known textual references to this can be found in the Mahabharat, where the dance style first gained popularity thanks to Arjun's vanvas (his exile, specifically talking about the one year he spent in the disguise of a Kathak dancer) and the stories about Krishna. Krishna's early impact influences Kathak's bols, Gat Nikas and Bhavs, the Kavitta (Parans), Thumris, and Bhajans that make up Kathak also show the enduring influence of Krishna's tales. Essentially, Krishna's stories can be seen throughout Kathak, portraying the dance form's historical origins as well as its continuing religious and cultural heritage, which continues to influence it in a variety of ways.

The legend of Krishna destroying the evil Kaliya explains that as Krishna and his friends were having fun beside a river, the ball fell into the river. The snake Kaliya attacks Krishna as he attempts to get the ball. The snake tried several times to surround Krishna and crush him, but Krishna was able to get away with it. At last, Krishna pulled Kaliya up to the surface and began to dance. And suddenly the sounds of the Kathak bols appeared like Ta, Thei/Thai, and Tat. These sounds coming from his feet formed the foundation of Kathak bols, which served as the framework for the majority of Kathak. These bols are commonly referred to as Natwari in honor of Krishna, who was also known by the name Natwar. Although there are many variations to certain parts of the story, the fact remains that through Krishna’s Kathak dance on Kaliya's head, Krishna defeats Kaliya, and lays out the framework for Kathak. 

One major element of Kathak that Krishna has great influence over is Gats. There are two types of Gats, Gat nikas and Gat bhavs. When performing Gat nikas, a pose is taken, most often related to Krishna which portrays his symbols like mor-mukut and bansuri/ murli. Symbols of Radha, his childhood love, are represented by gungaats or matkis. Once this pose is taken, there is a chaal, or footwork that is performed. While these are short stories representing Radha and Krishna, longer, more complicated stories are shown through Gat bhavs. These stories include Krishna Daman, in which the god Krishna vanquishes the serpent Kaliya; Govardhan Leela, in which the god Krishna lifts the Govardhan mountain with his finger to save his villagers; Kans Vadh, in which the god kills his evil uncle Kans and saves the village; Makhan Chori, in which the god Krishna steals makhan from his mother at the time, Maa Yashoda; Vision of the Universe, in which the god Krishna shows Maa Yashoda the entire universe in his mouth while eating sand; and Chedkhan with the gopis, in which the god Krishna teases, plays around, flirts, breaks the gopis' pots, especially Rahdha's, when they were filling or carrying around pots of water on their heads.). The tales of Krishna, particularly those from his early years, served as the basis for the majority, if not all, of the classic Gat Bhavs and Gat Nikas. 

Another significant component of Krishna in Kathak are Thumris. Thumris are songs that tell a tale by repeating a single line over and over. They highlight feelings and facial expressions in different settings. Various Thumris depict Radha and Krishna swinging, on a boat, or in their sorrow during their separation, in order to highlight their love. In a lot of these stories, they also show Radha and Krishna playing Holi, or him playing the bansuri for her or attempting to annoy her when she is filling or carrying water with other gopis. Throughout Hindu mythology, Radha and Krishna are shown as the definition of true love and thumris express it by showing them flirting and teasing each other, and overall just them falling in love. Several well-known Krishna thumris include "Kanha Mein Tose Haari'',"Sab Ban Thaan Aayi Shyam Pyaari Re", and "Kahe Rokat Dagar Pyaare." All three of these popular thumris describe the love between Radha and Krishna in various ways. 

Kavitta Parans, are the next aspect of Kathak over which Krishna has significant influence. The poems contain mythological stories of Krishna, like  include Krishna Daman, in which Krishna vanquishes the serpent Kaliya; Govardhan Leela, wherein Krishna lifts the Govardhan mountain with his finger to save his villagers; and chedkhan with the gopis, in which Krishna is teasing, playing, flirting, and smashing the pots of the gopis when they were filling or carrying pots of water on their heads. Kavitta Parans are another way of depicting the love between Radha and Krishna. 

The focus of many Bhajans in Kathak are on Krishna. Love and dedication are often present in the performances of well-known Indian classical artists, such Pandit Jasraj, whose music is based on Lord Krishna. According to mythology, Mira, one of Krishna’s biggest devotees, has written and sung many popular Krishna bhajans. These stories claim that she escaped many near death situations by singing different bhajans as a show of dedication. 

In conclusion, there is no denying the significant impact that Krishna and Hinduism had on the origins of Kathak and the different elements of modern day Kathak. Important dance elements like Gat Nikas and Bhav highlight the effects of Krishna even more as dancers try to imitate his expressions from his many roles and emotions. Furthermore, Krishna's continuing influence in Kathak's dance items is the use of Thumris, Kavitta (Parans), and Bhajans in Kathak performances. Krishna's stories and features have grown to be a source of inspiration for Kathak performers, providing dancers with a lot of material for dancing. Krishna's lasting impact is still very much evident in Kathak’s evolution, helping to shape and direct the dance form in its traditiona and modern form.