One of the most important aspects of Bharatanatyam is the dancer's use of expressive hand gestures to communicate a story to the audience. The name, Hasta Mudras, is given to these specific gestures. There are two types of gestures, Asamyuta, which use one hand, and Samyuta, which combine both hands. There are 28 Asamyuta Mudras, which are depicted below. The names of each of the Mudras can be found next to the image. However, it is important to note that these names are the English translation of the actual name given in the ancient language of Sanskrit. There are 24 Samyuta Mudras, which are also named in Sanskrit.

Each Mudra has its own origin, use and patron diety and the Mudras are generally used in conjunction with one another based on the dancer's preference. Depending on the story the dancer is trying to portray to the audience through the music, a variety of Mudras can be used as they each have their own meaning.

	1 -  Pataka 2 - Tripataka 3 - Ardha - Pataka 4 - Kartari - Mukha
5 - Mayura 6 - Ardha - Chandra 7 - Arala 8 - Suk - Tundaka
	9 - Mushti 10 - Sikhara 11 - Kapittha 12 - Kataka - Mukha
13 - Suci 14 - Chandra - Kala 15 - Padma - Kosha 16 - Sarpa - Sirsa
	17 - Mrga - Sirsa 18 - Simha - Mukha 19 - Langula 20 - Sola - Padma
21 - Chatura 22 - Bhramara 23 - Hamsasya 24 - Hamsa - Paksa
	25 - Samdamsa 26 - Mukula 27 - Tamra - Chuda 28 - Trishula