The Mughals carried on this tradition with their beautiful mosques and tombs, butalso introduced a purely secular art in palaces and gardens as well as in their portrayal of scenes from court and country life and of contemporary personalities, animals .and birds-soon to be absorbed by local artists. This can be seen in the masterpieces of first the Mughal and later the Rajput and Hill schools of miniature painting.

     Modern Iridian art, coming vigorously into flower after Independence, has considerable virility and a multitude of styles-old themes and techniues still inspire some young artists, while others strike out to discover new methods and modes to capture and assimilate new ideas, both from their own country and from outside-and often successfully combine the old and the new.

 CLASSICAL DANCE

Indian dancing, colourful and fascinating, is also largely religious in concept, at any rate in its oldest forms. The most famous Bharatanatyam was born and nurtured in the temples of the South and, is a highly stylized expression. It still takes over ten years of intensive training to producer a dancer accomplished in the traditional gestures and footwork.

Kathakali is an ancient dance-drama of Kerala which is characterised by elaborate make-up, rich and fantastic costumes and headdresses. The brilliantly attired dancers take their theme from the great epic stories and portray them in a mime which needs minute facial expression and elaborate hand movements

     Kathak, confined to Northern India, was developed under Mughal patronage from the ancient traditional form into a highly elegant and sophisticated dance. Lightning footwork and an unerring rhythm are its outstanding characteristics.

FOLK DANCES
     There is a rich field of diversity and enjoyment to be found in the folk dances-the most famous being Manipuri for which very beautiful and distinctive clothes are worn. 

     In all, Indian dancing is a very highly developed art of pantomime. The dancer is, esseritially, a story teller and, therefore, each gesture of eye or eyebrow, hand and finger, neck, foot-in fact, of the whole body-has its traditional unalterable meaning. This, however, does not mean. that it is necessary to know the 'language' of Indian dancing in order to enjoy it. The colour, drama, rhythm and the magic of the story that is unfolded soon draws the onlooker into an enchanted world of mythology and drama.

    Music Indian music, as old and as developed as the other classical arts, is not so easy for the ordinary Western visitor to understand, or even appreciate. The large number of rhythmic patterns, most of them of great intricacy, in which the performer moves with ease and marvellous ingenuity, caused Yehudi Menuhin to say of Indian music : "The mathematical exercise becomes an ecstatic kind of astronomy." This may give some idea of the impossibility of any intelligible explanation in a few words. The listener who becomes interested will always find an expert musician willing to explain or to recommend reading matter on the subject.