Nearly a thousand years ago in the Kakateeya Kingdom of Andhra Pradesh, a devadasi — a servant of god — ‘married’ a deity and dedicated her life to its worship and service.

Thus began the tryst between the temple and court dancers. After India gained independence from the colonial rule, the Bharatham, or formal dance of the Telugu hereditary female temple-court dancers, did not receive adequate attention. Therefore, critical historical facts about this tradition remained unknown to the general public.