Arrange the following classical dances in chronological order of earliest historical references (oldest to newest):

Question

Arrange the following classical dances in chronological order of earliest historical references (oldest to newest):

1. Bharatanatyam

2. Mohiniyattam

3. Kathak

4. Manipuri

1. A. 1 - 3 - 2 - 4
2. B. 1 - 2 - 4 - 3
3. C. 1 - 3 - 4 - 2 (Correct answer)
4. D. 1 - 4 - 3 - 2

Correct Answer

Option C — 1 - 3 - 4 - 2

Detailed Solution & Explanation

The correct answer is 1 - 3 - 4 - 2.

Key Points

• Bharatanatyam is the oldest, its grammar traceable to Bharata Muni's Natya Shastra and to the temple *devadasi* tradition of Tamil Nadu.
• Kathak follows, growing from the *kathakars* (story-tellers) of North India and later refined in Mughal courts.
• Manipuri emerged as a temple dance of the Vaishnava tradition in Manipur, tied to the Ras Leela.
• Mohiniyattam is the most recent, taking its present form in Kerala around the 16th-18th centuries and codified in the 19th under the Travancore rulers.
• India recognises eight classical dances — Bharatanatyam, Kathak, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Mohiniyattam, Odissi and Sattriya — and their state pairing is asked every year.

Additional Information

• The eight classical dances and their states: Bharatanatyam (Tamil Nadu), Kathak (Uttar Pradesh), Kathakali and Mohiniyattam (Kerala), Kuchipudi (Andhra Pradesh), Manipuri (Manipur), Odissi (Odisha) and Sattriya (Assam).
• Sattriya is the most recent addition, recognised by the Sangeet Natak Akademi in 2000; it was founded by the Vaishnava saint Srimanta Sankardeva.
• The Natya Shastra, attributed to Bharata Muni, is the foundational treatise for all of them and introduces the concept of rasa.

प्रश्न (हिन्दी में)

निम्नलिखित शास्त्रीय नृत्यों को आरंभिक ऐतिहासिक संदर्भों (सबसे पुराने से नवीनतम) के कालानुक्रमिक क्रम में व्यवस्थित करें: 1. भरतनाट्यम 2. मोहिनीअट्टम 3. कथक 4. मणिपुरी

1. A. 1 - 3 - 2 - 4
2. B. 1 - 2 - 4 - 3
3. C. 1 - 3 - 4 - 2
4. D. 1 - 4 - 3 - 2