Arangetram in Tamil (araá¹ kÃÂá¹Âá¹Âam, à ® à ®°à ®Âà ¯Âà ®Âà ¯Âà ®±à ¯Âà ®±à ®®à ¯Â) and Malayalam (araá¹ gÃÂá¹Âá¹Âaá¹Â, à ´ à ´°à ´Âà µÂà ´Âà µÂà ´±à µÂà ´±à ´Â), known as "raá¹ÂgapravÃÂà Âa" (à ²°à ²Âà ²Âà ²ªà ³Âà ²°à ²µà ³Âà ²¶) in Kannada and "raá¹ÂgapravÃÂà Âaá¹Â" (à °°à °Âà °Âà °ªà ±Âà °°à °µà ±Âà °¶à °Â) in Telugu is the on-stage performance of a former student of Indian classical dance and music that follows years of training in classical music and dancing. Many Indian classical dance forms require their followers to perform an arangetram. Once a student has done so, they are thereafter allowed to perform dances on their own and to teach aspiring dancers.
Arangetram is a compound of the Tamil words for stage ("araá¹ ku") and ascent ("ÃÂá¹Âá¹Âam") and its literal translation is "climbing or ascending the stage". In the context of dance, the word refers to the graduation ceremony in which the guru presents his or her pupil to the public. Its origins can be traced to the devdasi (temple dancer) tradition. Arangetram can be performed for other Indian classical dance styles such as Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Kathakali, Bharatanatyam, and Mohiniattam as well as vocal and instrument recitals like Mridangam, ghatam, and violin.