Bharatanatyam, a pre-eminent Indian classical dance form presumably the oldest classical dance heritage of India is regarded as mother of many other Indian classical dance forms.

The origin of this classical dance is associated with the 2000-year old Devdasi tradition in the temples of South India. Bharatanatyam is mythically believed to be introduced by Lord Brahma and documented by Sage Bharata in the Natya Shastra, a Sanskrit text. Devdasis or temple dancers who were dedicated in service to the presiding deities used to perform Bharatanatyam in temples. Mridangam, Veena, Flute, Violin and Talam are some of the instruments used in this dance performance.