A pictorial tribute to Yamini Krishnamurthy, a pioneer in Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi

From learning Carnatic music and the Veena, to trying her hand at Odisi and ballet, Krishnamurthy's eventful life has been a dedicated worship of the fine arts.

1. 👁 yamini
   

   1 / 10

   Bharatanatyam and Kuchipudi veteran Yamini Krishnamurthy died at the age of 84 on August 2, at Apollo Hospitals in New Delhi. She is survived by two sisters. (Source: Express Archive Photo)

1. 👁 yamini
   

   2 / 10

   Ganesh, her manager and secretary, told PTI that “She was suffering from age-related issues and was in the ICU for the last seven months.” (Source: Express Archive Photo)

1. 👁 yamini
   

   3 / 10

   Krishnamurthy was born into a Telugu family in 1940 at Madanapalli, Andhra Pradesh. Yamini's father, M. Krishnamurthy, was a Sanskrit scholar and her grandfather was an expert in Urdu poetry. (Source: Express Archive Photo)

1. 👁 yamini
   

   4 / 10

   Her initial training in Bharatanatyam took place at Rukmini Devi Arundale's Kalakshetra, one of India's premier institutions for training in this art. (Source: Express Archive Photo)

1. 👁 yamini
   

   5 / 10

   Krishnamurthy made her debut performance in Chennai in 1957. (Source: Express Archive Photo)

1. 👁 yamini
   

   6 / 10

   Yamini Krishnamurthy was honoured with 'Asthana Nartaki' (resident dancer) of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam, one of the most sacrosanct temples of India. She was also given the 'Sangeet Natak Academy Award' in 1977. (Source: Express Archive Photo)

1. 👁 yamini
   

   7 / 10

   Krishnamurthy went on to pursue higher studies under renowned masters such as Kanchipuram Ellappa Pillai, Thanjavur Kittapa Pillai, Dhandayudhapani Pillai and Mylapore Gouri Amma. (Source: Express Archive Photo)

1. 👁 yamini
   

   8 / 10

   She also trained in Kuchipudi under illustrious gurus such as Vedantam Lakshmi Narayana Shastri, Chinta Krishnamurthi and Pasumarthy Venugopal Krishna Sharma. (Source: Express Archive Photo)

1. 👁 yamini
   

   9 / 10

   She was also bestowed with the Padma Shree in 1968 and the Padma Bhushan in 2001, which are among the highest civilian awards of India (Source: Express Archive Photo)

1. 👁 yamini
   

   10 / 10

   She has also learnt Odissi from Pankaj Charan Das and Kelucharan Mohapatra. Krishnamurthy was trained in Carnatic vocal music by M.D. Ramanathan and learnt the Veena from Kalpakam Swaminathan.  (Source: Express Archive Photo)