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Lavani: Maharashtra Tourism

Maharashtra tourism offers you the opportunity to learn the culture of Maharashtra through a world famous Indian dance Lavani.

Lavani dance of Maharashtra is the integral part of Maharashtra tourism. You can learn many things about the culture of Maharashtra through Lavani dance. Lavani is famous for its high beats and rhythm.

Lavani dance of Maharashtra is the dance of Sringara Rasa - a flavor of beauty, attraction and love. The word Lavani is derived from the Sanskrit word Lavanya which means beauty. Lavani is a popular dance and music genre of Maharashtra. It is believed that Lavani was originally performed to boost the morale and to entertain the tired soldiers in war time in Maharashtra.Lavani songs and many actions of Lavani dance are naughty, romantic and somehow erotic in nature.

According to K. Ayyappapanicker, "The main subject matter of the Lavani is the love between man and woman in various forms. Married wife's menstruation, sexual union between husband and Wife, their love, soldier's amorous exploits, the wife's bidding farewell to the husband who is going to join the war, pangs of separation, adulterous love - the intensity of adulterous passion, childbirth: these are all the different themes of the Lavani. The Lavani poet out-steps the limits of social decency and control when it comes to the depiction of sexual passion."^[1]

A female dancer of Lavani dance apply lot of makeup to look attractive and sensual so that she can depict the message of the dance in her face expressions perfectly. Lavani dancer wear a nine-yard Sari in traditional Marathi style. High beats of Dholak make Lavani dance very rhythmic and the audience become spellbind.

Lavani influenced Marathi films and Hindi Bollywood movies also. Pinjara and Natarang movies were known for presented Lavani. In 2012, Rani Mukherji also performed Lavani in Aiyaa movie.

Lavani Video:

References

1. Medieval Indian literature: an anthology, Volume 3 By K. Ayyappapanicker, Sahitya Akademi, p 375

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