Kerala is known as God’s own country. The exotic beauty of nature attracts everyone. There are many forms of art in Kerala. These traditional art forms add another golden feather to the crown of Kerala. Do not miss the opportunity to see these performances. Some of the traditional arts are listed below.
• Katakali
It is one of the renowned classical art form of India and the art form of Kerala. The meaning of Kathakali is ‘story play’. Kathakali is believed to have originated from Krishnanattam. Kathakali originated in the 17th century. Costume and makeup are different from other art forms. Kathakali performer needs 3 to 5 hours to make up and dress up. Only a well trained makeup artist can do the Kathakali makeup job. In Kathakali there are different costumes like sathwika, Kathi, Minukku and Thadi.
Sathwika is the hero, Kathi is the villain, Minukku is the woman, and Thadi (beard) is of three types: Chuvanna Thadi (red beard), Vella Thadi (white beard), and Karutha Thadi (black thadi). The cruel character appears disguised as Chuvanna Thadi.
Kathakali artists perform it according to the background music. There is no recorded music. The music will be played using different Indian instruments like Chenda, Idakka, Thalam and Shuddha madalam on the stage.
Gestures and body moments are strong in Kathakali. The facial expression and body moments tell the story to the audience. To show the facial moments and gestures, the interpreter needs months of strict practice. Many foreigners come to Kerala to experience this art form. There are many institutions that provide proper training to learn Kathakali.
• Mohiniyattam
Mohiniyattam is a classical dance form and traditional dance of Kerala. This dance form is so graceful and beautiful that the body moments and gestures tell a story through it. The expression through the face and eyes is truly amazing to watch. The costume of this female Mohiniyattam dance is always a cream-white sari edged with gold. The ornaments and the hair tied to the side of the head like a bow with white flowers add more beauty to the costume. Gestures have different meaning. The instruments like Mridangam, Vina, Shuddha Madalam, edakka etc. They are used. It will be played live.
• Koodiyattam
Koodiyattam is the oldest dance form in Kerala. UNESCO honored this dance as the masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity. Koodiyattam is the oldest dance form with more than 500 years of traditions. The literal meaning of Koodiyattam is acting together. The theme of this dance form is based on Hindu mythology. In ancient times, Koodiyattam was performed in temple theaters. But now there are many other platforms to perform this art. Koodiyattam gives more importance to acting than dancing. That is why this art is known as the mother of abhinaya (mother of acting). Mizhavu drummers beat it to signal that Koodiyattam is about to start. Green color makeup is for heroic characters. Red, black and white are the colors used in the costumes. The performance lasts for 41 days.
• Krishnanatam
Former Calicut Zamorin Manaveda Varma wrote Krishnagiti. It is a Sanskrit text of slokas and padams. Krishnanattam is based on this Krishnagiti. This dance drama tells the story of Lord Krishna. Krishnanattam is an 8 day performance on 8 different stories of Lord Krishna. They are:
Avataram: Birth of Lord Krishna
Kaliyamardanam: Defeat of Kaliya Snake
Rasakrida: Game of Krishna and Gopis.
Kamsavadham: Killing the Asura King Kamsa
Swayamvaram: Marriage
Banayuddham: War with Bana
Vividavadham: Murder of Vivida
Swargarohanam: Returning to Heaven are all 8 countries. The suit of men and women is different. Krishnanattam’s costumes and makeup are somewhat similar to Kathakali. Kathakali is said to originate from Krishnanattam. Krishnanattam needs years of regular and perfect practice.
• Chakyarkoothu
Chakyarkoothu is one of the traditional art forms of Kerala. It is a solo performance. The artist is known as Chakyar. Chakyar narrates the story of epics like Mahabharata, Ramayana or any other incident. Sometimes they narrate about current stories. They entertain the audience by telling the stories in the form of comedy or joke. Chakyar will tell jokes about anyone who sits or stands to watch the performance. In the early times it was performed on the temple stages and later the artist got many other platforms to perform. Poetry and prose are used in Chakyarkoothu. Chakyarkoothu’s makeup is brightly colored. Chakyarkoothu is performed by male performers. Turmeric powder, rice powder, and black powder are used for facial makeup.
These are some of the art forms I am familiar with. You can enjoy these art forms and many others by visiting Kerala. For this, there are affordable Kerala tour packages for you. Kerala tourism always hopes to provide the best tourism experiences.