Kathakali Dance- Kerala

Kathakali is well known classical dance-drama from the south Indian state Kerala. Kathakali literally means “Story Play” which dates back from the 17th Century. This dance form is a unique combination of literature, music, painting, acting and dance. The themes of Kathakali are religious in nature and are deep rooted in Hindu mythology. They typically deal with Ramayana, Mahabharat and ancient scriptures such as Puranas. Kathakali is usually performed by the male artists even the women characters are portrayed by men dressed in women costumes. They generally start this dance at dusk and go through out the night.

Kathakali is famous for its elaborate makeup, costumes and music. The actors rely heavily on hand gestures to tell the story. These hand gestures are known as Mudra and are common throughout the whole performance. This is performed in a text which is generally Sanskritised Malyalam. The make up or Chutty used in the performance is a fine art in itself. An average face painting could take between 3-5 hours. Different colors are used to depict different traits possessed by the characters in the dance. The costumes are the most integral part of Kathakali. There are several kinds of costumes. These are Sathwika (the hero), Kathi (the villain), Minukku (females) and Thatti. The musical instruments used are chenda, idakka, and shuddha madalam. Each character is instantly recognized by its characteristic, makeup and costumes. What ever stature Kathakali has attained in the present scenario the credit for this goes to Mahakavi Vallathol Narayan Menon, who was the founder of the Kerala Kala Mandalam.