Bharata Chudamani is a treatise on Indian classical dance, the dates of which are not available. Also known as Maha Bharata Chudamani, the work deals elaborately with angika abhinaya (bodily expressions through limbs), such as gestures, postures and footwork. Details about the methods of expressing various emotions are also given. The book provides deep insights into other aspects of dance which are not mentioned in Natyashastra. For instance, specific mudras (hand gestures) to depict the solar movements, uttarayana (north-bound) and dakshinayana (south-bound), are mentioned in this text. Hand gestures that depict the six seasons of the year, various kinds of flora and fauna and different types of nayakas (heroes) and nayikas (heroines) are also discussed.
The present available edition is the one published in 1955
by the Adyar Swaminatha Iyer Library of Chennai, which appears to be a
compilation of various works including Natyashastra and Abhinayadarpana. There
is a Tamil version of the book called Abhinayadarpana Vilasam by one
Vishwanatha. Nandikeshwara’s Abhinayadarpana is said to be an abridged version
of Bharata Chudamani, though there is no conclusive evidence regarding the date
of the work.