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Blessed with locales that are naturally
picturesque, Kerala truly deserves her title as
"God's own country", which does wonders in enriching the tourism
industry of Kerala. Coupled
with this, another important factor that draws tourists to Tamil
Nadu is its rich cultural
heritage, which dates back to times immemorial. Influenced
heavily by the Dravidian culture,
the culture of Kerala is unique in itself and still proudly
preserved amongst almost all the
households and families of Kerala.
Kathakali
A rich and flourishing tradition of dance drama can be witnessed
in the picturesque state of
Kerala, a narrow strip of beautiful land running along the west
coast of India. Here, in the
night, the drums roll, beckoning an audience to a most
magnificent spectacle. Kathakali, a
well-developed dance-drama, is a performance where the actors
depict characters from the
epics Ramayana and Mahabharata and from the Puranas (ancient
scriptures). The dancers adorn
themselves in huge skirts and head-dress, wearing a most
intricate style of make-up.
Kathakali draws heavily from drama and is danced with elaborate
masks and costumes.
Kathakali recitals are generally long and while other dance
forms are more emotive than
narrative, Kathakali is both. It combines dance with dialogue to
bring myth and legend to
life in the temple courtyards of Kerala. The dancers use their
stunning costumes and
make-up, with the accompaniment of drums and vocalists, to
create various moods and
emotions.
So strong is the identification of the dancers with the
characters they play and so absolute
their conviction, that they seem to surpass themselves, becoming
one with the legendary
heroes and heroines they depict.
Present day Kathakali is a dance drama tradition, which evolved
from centuries of highly
stylised theatrical traditions of Kerala, especially Kudiyattam.
Ritual traditions like
Theyyams, Mudiyattam and the martial arts of Kerala played a
major role in shaping the dance
into its present form. The great poet Vallathol rediscovered
Kathakali, establishing the
Kerala Kalamandalam in 1932 which lent a new dimension to the
art-form.
Thullal
Thullal, the dance form of Kerala is yet another gem in the vast
repertoire of Kerala's
performing arts. It has from its very inception, enjoyed a ready
appeal with both the
commoner and the connoisseur for unlike forms such as
Koodiyattam, Krishnanattam, Kathakali
and Mohiniyattam, it requires no initiation to intelligently
respond to it. One can easily
react and enjoy Thullal without any prior exposure or
sophisticated understanding. As this
is composed in the language of the layman, it is known as the 'poorman's
Kathakali'
The word Thullal belongs to the Dravidian family of languages
and literally means 'jumping',
this however can be extended to mean 'to leap about' or to 'cut
a caper'.
Belief prevails that Thullal, both as a form of dance and as an
evolved literary expression,
owes itself to the genius of one man. Kunchan Nambiar. The poet,
social critic and humorist
who lived two centuries ago was the pioneer behind this dance
form and he wrote the text of
Thullal and choreographed the play. He tried to bring out
through this dance form, the
social conditions of his time, the distinctions of class and
weaknesses and whims of the
rich and the great. Thullal often reflects the literary,
artistic and cultural life of the
medieval Kerala. Here, the stories from Epics are retold in
Malayalam poetry with the
sylised singing of the lines depicting the beauty of the
Dravidian metres.
In its presentation, Thullal is conceived as a solo dance. The
dance is supported by two
musicians, who stand a little behind them. One of them plays the
Maddalam, a drum and the
other small cymbals. Both musicians are also expected to sing
along with the dancer. No
stage or any other formal arrangement is required for the
performance. Unlike Kathakali or
Koodiyattam, Thullal uses no curtain for entries, exits or
scenes, nor is there a formal
seating arrangement. As is the practise with all the Kerala's
performing arts, a lighted
brass lamp is installed in front of the dancer, even if the
performance is held during the
day.
Thullal presentation generally lasts two hours and are rendered
at a pitch and pace that
keep onlookers thoroughly gripped. The dancer dances and sings
simultaneously and this
entails a long period of rigorous training, an agile body and a
communicative voice. The
dancer must also be gifted with a sharp memory, for he must
remember long poems some of
which have over 1000 couplets. The emotions pertain mainly to
valour, humour, pathos, anger
and devotion. Sringara, the erotic element, is virtually absent,
but is rarely missed, for
the burden of the songs and the nature of the dance are hardly
conducive to tender passions.
In make-up and costumes, Thullal has the traces of colour and
the gorgeousness of Kathakali.
The face is painted with yellow arsenic mixed with blue. The
eyes are blackened and lips
reddened. The dancer wears a breast-plate adorned with golden
pearls, necklaces and
colourful tassels. The white waist clothes resemble skirts. The
head-gear is small, made of
light wood, studded with bright stones and decorated with golden
paper. The bracelets,
amulets and waistlets are almost the same as in Kathakali.
Thullal is of three kinds: Ottan, Parayan and Seethangan. The
distinction between them lies
mostly in the make-up and costumes and to some extend in metres
and ragas of the text. Of
these Ottan Thullal is the most popular.
In recent years, there have been many efforts to rejuvenate
interest in Thullal, both as a
literary form and as a performance. Some 30 years ago in
Malabar, Raman Nair, a gifted
performer, did much to improve the Thullal art. Kerala
Kalamandalam, a leading training
centre for Kathakali and related arts has for some years
included Thullal dance in its
curriculum. Time has effected improvements in the Thullal
performance. It has now become a
popular entertainment in the cultural programmes.
Koodiyattam
The only extant classical Sanskrit theatre in India is
Koodiyattam. This one thousand
year-old theatre is the traditional privilege of Chakyars and
Nambiars (temple-castes of
Kerala). Chakyars enact the male roles and the Nangiars (women
of Nambiar) take female
roles. The actors and actresses render verbal acting in stylised
Sanskrit and Prakrit (a
colloquial form of Sanskrit) respectively.
The make-up and dressing is less exuberant and more stylised.
Mizhavu and Edakka provide the
background music to Koodiyattam. Through sound modulation, the
percussion instruments
augment the effect of acting in this dance drama.Vidooshaka
(Royal clown) in Koodiyattam
tells the audience in the local language, Malayalam, with
running humour, the thematic
development of the text.
All the main characters in Koodiyattam customarily enact
Nirvahana; a recollection of past
events in the story, to form a background for stepping into the
present. This is always a
long drawn out affair and may take anywhere from a few days to a
number of weeks.
Mohiniyattam
Mohiniyattam, the female semi-classical dance form of Kerala is
said to be older than
Kathakali. Literally, the dance of the enchantress, Mohiniyattam
was mainly performed in the
temple precincts of Kerala. It is also the heir to Devadasi
dance heritage like Bharata
Natyam, Kuchipudi and Odissi. The word 'Mohini' means a maiden
who exerts desire or steals
the heart of the onlooker. There is a well known story of Lord
Vishnu taking on the guise of
a 'Mohini' to enthrall people, both in connection with the
churning of the milk ocean and
with the episode of slaying of Bhasmasura. Thus it is thought
that Vaishnava devotees gave
the name of Mohiniyattam to this dance form.
The first reference to Mohiniyattam is found in 'Vyavaharamala'
composed by Mazhamangalam
Narayanan Namboodiri, assigned to the 16th century AD. In the
19th century, Swati Thirunal,
the king of erstwhile Travancore, did much to encourage and
stabilise this art form. The
post Swati period however witnessed the downfall of this art
form. It somehow degenerated
into eroticism to satisfy the Epicurean life of some provincial
Satraps and landlords. It
was Poet Vallathol who again revived it and gave it a status in
modern times through Kerala
Kalamandalam, which he founded in 1930. Kalamandalam Kalyaniamma,
the first dance teacher of
Kalamandalam was instrumental in resuscitating this ancient art
form. Along with her,
Krishna Panicker, Madhavi Amma and Chinnammu Amma, the last
links of a disappearing
tradition, nurtured aspirants in the discipline at Kalamandalam.
The theme of Mohiniyattam is love and devotion to god. Vishnu or
Krishna is more often the
hero. The spectators could feel his invisible presence when the
heroine or her maid details
dreams and ambitions through the circular movements, delicate
footsteps and subtle
expressions. The dancer in the slow and medium tempos is able to
find adequate space for
improvisations and suggestive bhavas. In format, this is similar
to Bharatanatyam. The
movements are graceful like Odissi and the costumes sober and
attractive. It is essentially
a solo dance, but in present times it is performed in groups
also. The repertoire of
Mohiniyattam follows closely that of Bharatanatyam. Beginning
with Cholkettu, the dancer
performs Jathiswaram, Varnam, Padam and Thillana in a concert.
Varnam combines pure and
expressional dance, while Padam tests the histrionic talent of a
dancer and Thillana exposes
her technical artistry.
The basic dance steps are the Adavus which are of four kinds:
Taganam, Jaganam, Dhaganam and
Sammisram. These names are derived from the nomenclature called
vaittari.
Mohiniyattam maintains a realistic makeup and simple dressing.
The dancer is attired in the
beautiful white and gold bordered Kasavu saree of Kerala.
Mohiniyattam like many other forms follows the Hastha
Lakshanadeepika, as a text book for
Mudras, or hand gestures. The style of vocal music for
Mohiniyattam as is generally seen, is
classical Carnatic. The lyrics composed by Maharaja Swati
Tirunal and Irayimman Thampi are
in Manipravala (a mixture of Sanskrit and Malayalam). Till
recently, Thoppi Maddalam and
Veena provided the background music of Mohiniyattam. These have
been replaced in recent
years by Mridangam and Violin.
Thiruvathirakali
Thiruvathirakkali or Kaikottikkali is a popular dance form of
the women folk of Kerala. In
this, eight to ten girls perform forming a circle by themselves.
They sing and dance to the
rhythm of clapping hands. Well-versed padams of Kathakali and
Mohiniyatttam come alive in
Thiruvathirakkali with a folk accent. The music and movements of
Thiruvathirakkali has a
native simplicity and lyrical grace. This graceful systematic
group dance is performed on
festivals like Onam and Thiruvathira.
Legend says that Parvati performed severe mortificatory penance
to win Shiva as her husband.
Very much pleased with her penance, Shiva appeared before her
and promises to take her as
his wife. This promise was made on the day of Thiruvathira star
of the month of Dhanu.
Therefore on this day, married and unmarried woman perform dance
as a ritual. The married,
for the well being of their husband and the unmarried, for
acquiring a good husband. Also
known as Kaikottikkali, this dance has a semi-religious
significance, it's a kind of ritual
performed to ensure happy and harmonious marital life.
On the day of Thiruvathira, the women folk takes an early bath
and gets dressed in their
traditional attire. They take noyambu (fast) on that day by
having only non-rice food. In
the evening they perform the dance and adorn their hair with
Pathirapoovu.
Essentially a Kerala dance, hence the danseuse wear the typical
dress of Kerala (Mundu and
Veshti) with their hair bedecked with jasmine flowers. The
dominant sentiment of this rustic
dance is unalloyed joy. The footwork and movements of this form
have grown naturally from
the grace, simplicity, dignity, boldness, sense of beauty and
such other qualities that are
abundant in the woman of Kerala. This dance form has an amazing
lasya charm redolent of
devotion and erotic sentiment. Moving in circle, clock wise and
anti clock wise, the dancers
bend side ways also for clapping together in beautiful gestures.
The songs of the dance have
sprung up from the everyday life of rustic generation,
particularly from the simple
amusement of women folk. For this reason, their tunes and rhythm
are closely associated with
the social life and natural beauty of Kerala. Some other forms
are also prevalent of this
folk dance known as kolattam and Kummi.
Kerala Kalamandalam is one of the institution which imparts
training in Kaikottikkali in
order to preserve the rare traits of a village dance despite its
narrow range. Amidst the
sophisticated classical dances, Kaikottikkali strives to save
its identity.
Chakyarkoothu
Chakyarkoothu, also called Koothu, is one of the oldest
classical theatre arts of Kerala.
This solo dance is usually presented by members of the Chakyar
community in the
Koothambalams (temple theatres) of temples to the accompaniment
of the mizhavu (drum in the
shape of a large spherical copper pot) and elathalam. The
Chakyar is an ideal satirist who
uses narrative, mime, wit and innuendo to communicate with the
audience, often cutting jokes
even at the expense of the people present there. It is his
prerogative, and custom has
conferred upon him immunity from interruption during a
performance. Themes are usually from
the epics.
Krishnanattam
Krishnanattam as the name suggest, originated as a votive
offering to Sree Krishna. The
Performance, bases on the Sanskrit text Krishna Geethi, is
presented across eight nights.
The costume and make-up of Krishnanattam bear traces of
resemblance to Kathakali and folk
arts like Mudiyettu and Theyyam. Musical instruments used are
maddalam, elathalam and
chengila. All three elements of performance recognized by the
classical Indian tradition,
viz., acting, singing and dancing is important in Krishnanattam.
The language is Sanskrit
and the singing is done in sopanam style. A distinctive feature
of Krishnanattam is the use
of masks by some of the characters. Krishnanattam performances
begin at night after the
ritual closing of the temples' sandum sandorum. Krishnanattam is
most commonly performed in
the Guruvayoor temple, Thrissur.
Patakam
Patakam (literally, dissertation) is similar to Koothu in
technical content, gestures and
movements. However, the narration is through prose and song
sequences. The costume is
predominated by the red color - a red headdress and a red silk
wrist band. The performer
also wears heavy garlands around the neck and thick lines of
sandal paste across the
forehead. Patakam is also performed outside the temples.
Theyyam
Theyyam Said to be the corrupt form of Deivam or God, Theyyam is
one of the most outstanding folk
arts of Kerala and has its origin in the northern parts of the
State. Also called
Thirayattam, (because every Thira or village performed this
ritualistic art at the village
temple) this primitive ritualistic art reflects features of a
tribal culture. It is
performed in temples and kavus (sacred groves) to propitiate the
deities and a Theyyam acts
as a medium between the deity and the devotee.
Kalampattu
Kalampattu or Kalamezhuthu pattu is another folk art form that
belongs to the northern
regions of Kerala. This art form which is over 600 years old is
performed by a group of five
to fifteen people in Bhadrakali and Ayyappa temples. The ritual
is performed around the
kollam - an elaborate picture, usually of Bhadrakali, drawn on
the floor, using five
colours. The performance in the light of temple torches lasts
through the night. The singers
are neatly dressed with women wearing their hair on the side of
the head. A series of songs
(kalampattu) are sung to the accompaniment of nanthuni (stringed
instrument) and elathalam.
Kaliyoottu
Kaliyoottu is an eight day long colorful folk ritual which
reenacts the combat between
goddess Durga and the demon Darika. The ritual is performed in
different stages. The climax
of the play - the ritual called Paranettu - is performed on a
specially constructed 100 feet
high stage on the eighth day.
Kanniyarkali
Kanniyarkali or Deshathukali which is a ritual art and a swift
dance form performed to the
accompaniment of devotional folk songs and the resounding drum
beats is usually staged in
Bhagavathy temples.
Kavadiyattam
Kavadiyattam is a ritual dance offering in Subramanya temples.
The group of devotees wearing
bright yellow or saffron costumes with ash smeared all over the
body, dance in a frenzy
carrying kavadis on their shoulders. Kavadis are colourful bow
shaped wooden structures
raising six to ten feet high. The ambalakavadi is structured and
decorated like a temple.
The pookavadi has clusters of colourful paper, cloth or plastic
flowers arraigned on it. The
resounding beats of percussion instruments like udukku and
chenda and the nadaswaram (a wind
instrument) are characteristic of the kavadi procession.
Kummatti
Kummatti is a ritualistic ceremony to propitiate the Devi
(Goddess) where performers wearing
masks and adorning garbs made of grass, dry leaves etc. go from
house to house singing and
dancing.
Kumbhamkali
Kumbhamkali or Kumbhamthullal (pot dance) is a folk ritual dance
of devotees carrying pots
on the head.
Kuthiyottam
Kuthiyottam is a ritual art exclusive to the Devi temples of
South Kerala. A team of artists
perform this song and dance ritual. The songs include those in
praise of Durga and other
deities, padapattu (war songs) and kalaripattu (martial art
songs). Instrumental
accompaniments are mainly percussions, ganjira, bells and
chaplankatta. Faces are painted
and red curtains are used as partitions on the stage.
Thattumelkoothu
Thattumelkoothu is a devotional folk art. The dance is performed
on a special platform which
is carried around the temple by devotees even as the performance
goes on.
Poothamkali
Poothamkali is a folk art performed in the Bhagavathy temples of
Malappuram. Pootham is a
character who accompanied Durga in her combat with Darika Asura.
The performers, usually
three in number, undergo a week of austerity before
presentation. Colourful and intricately
designed masks carved out of the pala and murukku trees are the
highlights of the attire.
The fifteen minute performance starts slowly and works up to
frenzy towards the end. The
thudi provides rhythm to the dance which is usually rendered at
night.
Sarpa pattu
Sarpa pattu or Sarpam thullal or snake dance is a ritual art
performed in shrines and
temples devoted to Nagaraja, the king of serpents. It is
performed by women who belong to
the Pulluvar caste, in a specially decorated pandal, before the
sarpakalam (snake designs on
the floor). The women dance in a frenzy to the rhythm of the
sarpa pattu, until they fall
down exhausted. The sarpa pattu is performed to the
accompaniment of pulluvakudom, a
stringed instrument.
Thidampu nrittam
Thidampu nrittam which is over 700 years old is a ritualistic
art form of North Kerala. The
dancer moves to the rhythmic beats of the chenda carrying the
thidampu (the symbolic image
of the deity) on his head. Seven artists accompany him on
percussion instruments while two
others hold aloft the ritualistic lamps. The artist wears much
jewellery and a decorated
turban known as Ushnipeetam.
Mayilnrittam
Mayilnrittam or Mayilattam is a ritual art performed by artists
in peacock costume. It is
performed in Subramanya temples in South Kerala.
Padayani
Padayani (literally, a column of army) is a colourful ritual art
which is symbolic of the
victory march of goddess Kali after defeating the demon Darika.
The elaborate costume of
this art form bears slight resemblance to Theyyam.
Thiyattu
Thiyattu is a devotional offering to goddess Bhadrakali and Sree
Ayyappa. This ritual art is
performed in a specially decorated pandal, before the kalam
(five colour design on the
floor), nilavilakku (the traditional lamp) and peetam (stool).
The performance usually
starts at dusk. The artists sing and dance to the rhythmic music
of the chenda, elathalam
and chengila. The costumes bear resemblances to that of
Ottamthullal and Kathakali. The
distinctive features are huge jingling anklets and face make-up
with tiny dots.
Chavittunatakam
Chavittunatakam is an art form which evolved due to Portuguese
influence. It developed under
the auspices of the church in Kerala with the object of
presenting Biblical themes. The
actors stamp with their feet on wooden platforms to the tune of
songs and drums. Music is
important in Chavittunatakam. Stories include that of Christian
saints, Charlemagne and
Napoleon.
Pulikali
Pulikali also known as Kaduvakali is a common sight in Kerala
during festive seasons.
Performers painted like tigers in bright yellow, red and black,
dance to the loud beats of
percussion instruments like the udukku and thakil.
Thiruvathirakali
Thiruvathirakali is a dance form which is a pointer to the old
customs followed in Nair
tharawads (joint families) where the women of the house dance
elegantly around the
ceremonial lamp or floral decoration on festive occasions to the
accompaniment of the
thiruvathira pattu (song). Kummi is another form of
Thiruvathirakali.
Margamkali
Margamkali is an art form popular among the Syrian Christians of
Kerala, where twelve
persons sing and dance around a nilavilakku (lamp) with eleven
burning wicks. The lamp is
believed to represent Christ, and the performers, His twelve
disciples.
Cherumarkali
Cherumarkali is a harvest dance in which the dancers, both men
and women move in a swift
rhythm, linked in a back lock or holding arms. The costumes are
in striking red and white.
Kolkali
Kolkali is a group dance form of the farming community in
Kerala. Twelve to twenty four
dancers move rhythmically in a circle around the ceremonial
lamp, tapping the two feet long
wooden sticks held in their hands.
Vadithallu
Vadithallu is almost similar to Kolkali and is a folk dance in
which artists tap the short
sticks held in both hands.
Oppana
Oppana is a Muslim bridal group dance where the bride dressed in
all her finery sits in the
centre while the others move around her singing and clapping
their hands rhythmically.
Martial Art Forms of Kerala
Kalaripayattu
This comprehensive system of martial arts, regarded as one of
the oldest and most scientific
in the world, evolved in North Kerala. The State has produced
many a hero whose exploits
find expression in folk songs and legends. One of them, Thacholi
Meppayil Kunhi Othenan has
been immortalized in vadakkan pattukal (northern ballads) as one
of its greatest exponents.
Velakali
Velakali is a ritual art where fifty or more performers in the
traditional attire of
soldiers, bearing colourful shields and swords, dance with war
like steps in perfect
orchestration to the thakil, suddha maddalam, elathalam and
kuzhal. It is called thirumumbil
vela when performed before the deity and kulathilvela when
performed near the temple pond. A
few fighting techniques of Kalaripayattu are also included in
the performance.
Parisakali
Parisakali was developed by the Mappilas of North Kerala as a
folk art. It is a game played
in the form of a mock fight by boys holding short sticks in one
hand and a red straw-board
shield in the other.
Music of Kerala
Sopana sangeetham
This is sung in front of sopana (steps in front of the sanctum
sanctorum). Sopana sangeetbam
has a distinct style. Bhakti movement in Kerala influenced
sopana sangeetham and most of the
lyrics (asthapathi) are based on Jayadeva's (thirteenth century
poet) immortal work, 'Geeta
Govinda'. The song varies according to the time of performance
and the deity. Musicians
always stand on the left side of the sopana and singing stops
once the shrine opens.
Instruments used are edakka and chengila.
Panchavadyam
Suddha-maddalam, komb, edakka, elathalam, timila are the five
instruments used besides sankh
(conch) for Panchavadyam. The Panchavadyam can have different
types depending on the number
of instruments. The minimum requirement is three thimilas, one
suddha-maddalam, two
elathalams, two kombs and one edakka, besides the sankh. The
positioning of an artist in
apanchavadyam mela (concert) is also important. Timila and
suddha-maddalam artists face each
other. Elathalam artists stand behind the timila artists and
komb artists stand behind
suddha-maddalam artists. Edakka drummers face each other and the
sankh blower stands in
front, next to them. Panchavadyam starts with the blowing of
sankhs. The famous Thrissur
Pooram gives an opportunity to witness playing of a full
complement of Panchavadyam.
Pancharimelam
This is mainly confined to temples. Chenda, komb, kuzhal and
elathalam are the main
instruments used. For a complete performance, the minimum
requirements are 33 veekuchendas,
33 elathalams and 11 each of komb, kuzhal and muttuchenda.
Pandimelam
This differs from Pancharimelam slightly, though the instruments
used are the same. While
the beating of chenda in Pancharimelam is done with two sticks,
only one is used for
drumming in Pandimelam. Another difference lies in the blowing
of kuzhal, which in
Pandimelam is done in Bhairav Raaga.Pandimelam can be seen in
its full splendor during
Pooram at the Sri Vadakkumnathan Temple compound in Thrissur.
Thayambakam
This can be seen during festival days, especially when the
temple deity is taken out in
procession. Only chendas and elathalams are used. The artist
uses his palm and stick for
drumming.
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