The Department of Tourism organizes the Mamallapuram Dance Festival

Mamallapuram aka Mahabalipuram which is about 55 Km from Chennai was renowned for the art and culture of the Pallava Dynasty during the AD 7th and 8th Centuries. The Mamallapuram Dance Festival organized by the Tamil Nadu Tourism Department is a fitting tribute to this great tradition. The dance festival of over 3 weeks will see performances in Bharathanatyam, Mohiniyattam, Kuchipudi, Kathak, Odissi, Kathakali and other Indian classical dance forms.

Mamallapuram is actually a beach resort that portrays the richness of the Indian heritage and culture, especially to the tourists who come to India from different parts of the world, to gain knowledge about various culture and traditions. The Mamallapuram beach town is full of heritage buildings, caves, monolithic temples, sculptures. The Shore Temple in Mamallapuram resonates with the music and dance rhythms, during the dance festival.

The classical dance and art forms of India are the main attraction of this festival.Organised by the Tamil Nadu government, department of tourism, the four-week long dance festivals attracts all other rising dancers, troupes, artists, and famous dance gurus here in the city. Over the years, the dance festival has become so popular it has evolved itself into a grand festival of the city. Here many dance forms like, Bharatnatyam, Kathakali, and Kathak dancers perform with great enthusiasm and love and passion for dance. Graceful dancers perform the majestic Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi dances or enacting the romantic tales of Radha and Krishna through the delicate hand movements of the Manipuri dance form. Kathak – the dance form that was once under the patronage of the Nawabs of Avadh – competes with the stately bhangas (stance) of Odissi, while other Indian dances like MohiniAttam and the expressive Kathakali beckon you. What makes the festival even more interesting is that here you not only get to see the traditional Indian dances but also some rare folk dance forms like Karagam, Kavadi and Kokkali Attam. The brilliant confluence of international and Indian dance and Indian traditional music can be witnessed at the open-air auditorium at the dance festival in Mamallapuram.

Mamallapuram Dance Festival 2019 is from December 25th, 2019 to January 15th, 2020.

The dance festival of over 3 weeks will see performances in Bharathanatyam, Mohiniyattam, Kuchipudi, Kathak, Odissi, Kathakali and other Indian classical dance forms. The main stage is the famous Arjuna's Penance, the famous monument carved on rock, which is an amazing sight in itself. Performed in the backdrop of the famous Pallava Rock sculptures, it is a fitting ambiance to match the classical dance art forms.According to the release of the Indian Tourism Department,they will be featuring 60 dance forms, this year. First introduced in 1992 it was originally named as Mamallapuram Dance Festival later renamed as Indian Dance Festival. It was organized by the Tamil Nadu Tourism department with the support of the Union Ministry of Tourism in the month of December-January every year. The important folk dance forms like theKaragam, Kavadi, Oyilattam, Thappatam, and other classical dance forms are brought upon by this dance festival. Around 559 lakh tourists visited Mamallapuram during this festival in the years of 2014 to 2017.

During this festival, you may go by booking your hotels through the tour guides from your respective city. Orelse you may directly contact the hotels when you arrive in the city. There are several hotels, and resorts available in the city to choose whichever you feel is affordable for you.

For all the dance lovers and others who are seeking for great enthusiastic festivals out there, don’t miss out the chance of this free-spirited fun-filled performances. This takes place once a year that displays the true South Indian culture and rich heritage. Why wait and delay to miss such a rare chance, pack your bags and book your tickets and run to enjoy this festival. The tourist is true to get mesmerized by the festival and the great performance they are going to experience.