Kathakali Tour - Kathakali Tourism in India

The picturesque state of Kerala on the west coast of India is the home of Kathakali, dance-drama based upon Indian epics such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata, and ancient scriptures like the Puranas. Kathakali, which emerged in its present form about 300 years back, means story play.

There are 3 groups - actor-dancers, vocalists and percussionists, in a Kathakali performance. The actor-dancers play a variety of roles including kings, gods, demons, heroines, animals, and priests. Each role has a particular style of makeup and costume as its code. Hand gestures, or mudras, along with extensive use of facial expressions and eye movements, are used by the actors to convey their emotions to the audience. The instruments consist of cymbals and 3 types of drums - cena, edakka and maddalam. Each of the drums produces a distinct sound.

While other dance forms are more emotive than narrative, Kathakali is both. It draws heavily from drama and combines dance with dialogue to bring myth and legend to life in the temple courtyards of Kerala. This dance form demands complete control over every part of the body. The dancers adorn themselves in huge skirts and elaborate masks and headdress, wearing a most intricate style of make-up that can take as long as six hours to put on. Green is the face color used for heroic characters like Rama and Krishna, black for evil characters like Putana and a beard for Hanuman and Bheema. The actors express themselves through highly complicated mudras, closely following the text being sung. The splendor of the costumes, ornaments and (especially) facial makeup are absolutely striking. Traditionally this is an all-male dance form. Training for the dancers includes elaborate eye exercises, body massage and diet control.

Kathakali recitals are generally long. The performance begins after sunset and continues till late in the night, sometimes it takes even the whole night for one performance.

As a distinct form, present day Kathakali evolved from Krishnattam, Ramanattam, Koodiyattam, Mudeyyetu and Teyyam especially Kudiyattam.

Some of the exponents of this dance form are Padmanabhan Nayar and Sadanam Balakrishnan.

Kerala owes its transnational fame to this nearly 300 years old classical dance form which combines facets of ballet, opera, masque and the pantomime. It is said to have evolved from other performing arts like Kootiyattam, Krishnanattam and Kalarippayattu. Kathakali explicates ideas and stories from the Indian epics and Puranas.

Presented in the temple precincts after dusk falls Kathakali is heralded by the Kelikottu or the beating of drums in accompaniment of the Chengila (gong). The riches of a happy blending of colour, expressions, music, drama and dance is unparallelled in any other art form.

Kathakali Make-up
Costume is elaborate with the face painted up. Great importance is laid on the Vesham or make-up which are of five types - Pacha, Kathi, Thadi, Kari and Minukku.

The pomp and magnificence of Kathakali is partly due to its decor part of which is the kireetam or huge headgear and the kanchukam the over sized jackets, and a long skirt worn over a thick padding of cushions. The identity of the actor is completely mutilated to create a super human being of larger-than-life proportion.

Pacha (Green)
Pacha Vehsam or the green make-up portray noble protagonists.

Kathi (Knife)
Kathi Vesham portrays villainous characters.

Thadi (Beard)
There are three types of bearded or Thadi Veshams.
"Vella Thadi" or White beard for superhuman monkeys like Hanuman.
"Chuvanna Thadi" or Red beard is for evil characters.
"Karutha Thadi" or Black beard for the hunter.

Kari (Black)
Kari Vesham is used for she-demons.

Minukku (Prettying Up)
The "Minukku Vesham" is used for female characters and sages.

Mudra
Mudra is a stylized sign language used to depict an idea, a situation or a state of being. A Kathakali actor enacts his ideas through mudras. For this he follows a systematic sign language based on Hastalakshana Deepika, a treatise on the language of hand gestures.

Kathakali Music
The orchestra is formed of two varieties of drums - the maddalam and chenda; the chengila which is a bell metal gong and the ilathalam or cymbals

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