A ''Mudra'' is a symbolic or ritual gesture or pose in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. The word ''Mudra'' has Sanskrit roots. While some mudras involve the entire body, most are performed with the hands and fingers. Mudras have meaning in many forms of Indian dance and yoga.
The tradition of classical dance in India can be traced back to the Indus Valley Civilization. The innumerable dance forms gave birth to one of the major Indian classical dance forms called Bharatnatyam. The evidence of these dance forms can be seen in iconography and literature, but most of these styles are drawn from the '' Natyashastra'' (2nd century BC) written by ''Bharata Muni". Bharatnatyam got its name derived from Bharata Muni. All these dances are the division of two pure dance forms called ''Tandava" and ''Lasya''.
Bharatnatyam originated from Tamil Nadu around 3000 years ago. The form is a mastery of grace, balance, endurance and a sense of rhythm. For a dancer Bharatnatyam is an icon of beauty and perfection. As a philosophy, it is the search of the human soul. As a religion, it is the quest of Nirvana and as poetry a rhythmic lyricism.
One of the most striking aspects of the dance is the use of hand gestures, also known as Hasta Mudra. This form is used in Thai dances as well. So vast is the hand gestures that it covers almost all aspects of human life and the entire universe. There is a hand gesture for every single thing in the universe. Some are performed with a single hand while others with both hands. Hence, ''Mudras'' bring a unique poetic element while performing Abhinaya (expression) and thus the language of the mudras enables the dancer to express practically everything. Hasta Mudras assists in guiding energy flow to particular parts of your brain. The ''Abhinaya Darpana'' of ''Nandikeshvara'' (a 5th century BC theatrologist of ancient India and the author of Abhinaya Darpana meaning the mirror of gesture) says that there are 28 (or 32) root mudras in Bharatnatyam, 24 in Kathakali and 20 in Odissi.
In 2007, the National Institute of Design (NID) used the hasta-mudra form for denomination of 50 paise, 1 Rupee and 2 Rupee coins in India.
The Mushti Mudra is depicted on a 50 paise coin. In simple words, it is a closed fist position of the palm. ''When four fingers are pressed closely against the palm while the thumb is held tightly between the palm and the other four fingers, you are performing the Mushti Mudra''. The thumb can also be placed on the four fingers. The Mushti hasta is the ninth hasta of the 28 Single Hand Mudras (asamyukta hasta) as described in the Abhinaya Darpana. According to ancient sources, this Mudra originated from Vishnu, who used this while he was fighting with Madhu.
The second Hasta Mudra depicted on a 1 Rupee coin is the Shikhara Mudra. Here all the fingers are bent and pressed against the palm except the thumb. The thumb is raised and held up. The Shikhara Hasta is the tenth mudra of the 28 Single Hand Mudras. ''Make the hand into a fist. Then lift the thumb up, holding it at an angle of 90 degrees to the fist. You have made the shikhara Hasta. This asamyukta hasta originated from Shiva when he held Mt Meru as his bow.
The third of the Hasta Mudras depicted on a 2 Rupee coin is the Kartari Mukh Mudra. This is performed when the little finger and the ring finger are bent and pressed against the thumb. While the index finger and the middle finger are stretched to show a scissor. Kartari Mukha is the fourth Mudra of the 28 Single Hand Mudras. The name literally means ''scissors'' and the hand is held in that shape. Use the thumb to hold down the ring finger and little finger. Keep the Index and middle finger straight, stretching and separating them so that the middle finger comes forward towards the thumb and this is Kartar Mukha Hasta. In dance, this mudra symbolizes things like separation, distress, disagreement or death.
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