Natyanjali festival begins in Lord Natarja temple

More than 1,000 dancers from all over the the country and abroad representing all classical forms like Bharatha Natyam, Kuchupudi, Mohini Attam, Kathak, Odissi, Chhau would offer their dance recitals to Lord Nataraja, who was believed to have performed the Cosmic Dance at the temple.

More than 1,000 dancers from all over the country besides from several other nations including USA, Sri Lanka, Singapore, France and Malaysia would dedicate their "Natya" (Dance) as "Anjali" (Offering) and worship to the Lord of Dance - Lord Nataraja.

An elaborately decorated stage imitating the marble structure of a North Indian temple provided the right backdrop for the performances.

Thillai Natyanjali Trust Secretary N.Navmani Dikshidhar told PTI that this year more than 1,000 dancers were taking part in the festival.

One Anush from Chennai, a third gender artist, would also perform , he said.

Each individual dancer or group would be given a time slot of 10-35 minutes, he said.