Kalakshetra

Description:

• Occupying 40 hectares (99 acres), Kalakshetra ("the Temple of Art") is a school for traditional music and dance. It has produced some of the country's most revered modern-day dancers. It was set up in 1936 by Rukmani Devi Arundale, a follower of Annie Besant (who co-founded the Theosophical Society). Devi studied ballet under Anna Pavlova, Russia's great ballerina; back in Madras, she studied dasi attam, traditionally restricted to temple dancers. She later set up the International Centre for the Arts, which was specifically concerned with reviving dasi attam, also known as Bharatnatyam. Visitors interested in observing day classes are welcome, and performances are staged in the school's auditorium.

• © Frommer's 2013

Awards:

Frommer's

•  Recommended 2010