Kerala Kathakali

Kerala is a prominent state of South India and is famous for its heritage and culture. This state is opulent in arts, dance, drama, songs and in celebrating its festivals in the same ancient fervor.

Kerala has many forms of dances, but Kathakali is the most prominent and well known dance. Kathakali refers to a story play and is the typical drama and dance of the classical type.

This dates back to the 17th century and is widely accepted as one of the major dances as per Hindu mythology. Kathakali has a distinct combination of painting, music, dance, acting and literature.

Kathakali is a dance with heavy costumes and elaborate masks. Kathakali recitals are longer than the other forms of dance and are more narrative. Kathakali is a blend of dialogue and myth. This is mostly performed in the courtyards of the temple. The artists wear stunning costumes and bright make-ups.

Besides the costumes and makeups, Kathakali is an accompaniment of vocalists and drums creating emotions and feelings. Kathakali is the classical drama that has a harmonious blend of all five arts. The facial makeup is usually done by the artist and a unique headgear is worn during the performance.

The Makeup in Kathakali has many faces such as Kathi, Minukku, Pacha, Thadi, etc. the names and colors of this makeup depend on the nature of these characters. The make-up for Kathakali is more than any other dance and involves several hours as they are complicated.

The dancers show hand movements referred to as ‘Mudras’ with a distinct facial expression. Kathakali is associated with powerful vocal music. Kathakali is a dance that lasts throughout the night to dawn and usually is initiated with a note known as Thiranottam.

The basic hand gestures are 24. There are Mudras displayed by one hand and also in both the hands. Each Mudra signifies different sign and meaning. There are 470 symbols in Kathakali.

Some of the Mudras are the Sikharam (peak), Ardhachandram (half moon), Katakam (golden bangle), Sukathundam (parrot’s peak), and many more signs. The first Kathakali was written by one of the Rajas of Kottarakkara. This was based on the stories of Ramayana. However, each story of Kathakali was never designed to complete in six to eight hours.

This performance was referred to as Ramanattom and then acquired the name of Kathakali. Mostly the stories focused on Epics or Puranas. Some of the major Kathakali centers of Kerala are Kerala Kalamandalam in Thrissur district, Gandhi Seva Sadanam in Palakkad district, Cochin Cultural Centre in Ernakulam district, and many more.