Kathak is the classical dance of Northern India and there are three main gharanas of Kathak at Jaipur, Lucknow, Benaras and Raigarh. The gharanas developed under the rule of different rulers e.g. Jaipur gharana under the Kachchwaha rulers of Jaipur, Lucknow under the Nawab of Oudh, Benaras under Jankiprasad and Raigarh under Maharaja Chakradhar Singh.

Kathakali is a combination of dance and theatre that originates from Kerala and theme for performance is taken from two epics, Mahabharata, Ramayana and the Puranas . It is known for its elaborate costume and make up worn by the artists.

Sattriya is a living tradition of dance, music and theatre which is performed in the Vaishnavite monasteries of eastern India. It was started by Sankradeva and later on carried forward by his disciples.

Natyashastra primarily deals with the various aspects of dance, drama and music. It is supposed to have been composed by sage Bharata from 200 BCE-200CE. A commentary on Natyashastra was written by Abhinavgupta in 11^th century CE.

Gwalior gharana is one of the oldest schools of North Indian classical music. The Gwalior gharana gayaki is lucid and simple. The gharana was patronized by the Mughal emperor Akbar.

Pandit Ravi Shankar is known for playing the plucked string instrument sitar. He is an eminent Indian musician and composer and was awarded the Bharat Ratna, in 1999.

In Bharatnatyam is the classical dance of Tamil Nadu. The dancers adorn themselves with saris made of silk having gold zari embroidery designs on its border. Silk was first produced in China and was exported to different parts of the world.

Flute is a reedless wind instrument made of bamboo or bass. The origin of flute dates back to prehistoric time. The famous flute player in India is Hariprasad Chaurasia and he was awarded Padma Bhushan in the year 1992.

Nataraj images of Shiva depict him as lord of dance and the form of dance most often associated with him is known as Tandava. The best specimens of Nataraja were made in bronze during the Chola period.