Young budding bharatanatyam dancers from the Hawaiian island of Oahu, flew to Kauai with their teacher and parents so they could perform the Salangai Pooja at Iraivan Temple. Sarithra and Piyusha are fourth and fifth graders and officially received their bell anklets today from their teacher acharya, Dr. Janani Lakshmanan. They were accompanied by special guest dancer, Kavya Bhagawatula. The family prepared a beautiful pamphlet to commemorate the occasion. Below is a description of the Salangai Poojai from the pamphlet–
“A Salangai Poojai is a sacred milestone in classical Indian dance, Bharatanatyam. It is the auspicious ceremony where a student receives and wears their salangai (ankle bells) for the very first time, symbolizing their readiness to transition from a beginner to a practicing dancer. In Bharatanatyam, the salangai is treated as a divine instrument of the art which consists of small metallic bells tightly woven onto a cotton or leather strap. The ringing bells are said to awaken the divine energy within the dancer and connect their rhythm to the cosmic rhythm of Lord Nataraja (the Lord of Dance).
“The event usually takes place on an auspicious day at a temple or a dance studio, often in front of family, friends, and invited guests. The ceremony begins with an invocation (usually a pooja dedicated to Lord Ganesha) to remove obstacles from the dancer’s journey. The ankle bells are placed on the altar and blessed through sacred chants. The Guru (teacher) personally ties the salangai onto the student’s feet. This highly symbolic act represents the passing down of knowledge, tradition, and the Guru’s blessing. After the bells are tied and the Guru grants their final approval, the dancer gives their first performance indicating the dancers ability to match rhythm. The Salangai Poojai remains a soulful, spiritual celebration of the teacher-student bond and the dancer’s lifelong commitment to the art.”
Here is a short clip of their dancing today–
We also just received this short timelapse created by drone footage of the concrete path recently constructed around Iraivan Temple. It is best viewed as a visual representation of the process rather than a frame-by-frame record of the actual construction sequence.