Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
decade as one of India's most popular new tourist hot spots - more than 10 million visit-
ors arrived in 2011.
TRADITIONAL KERALAN ARTS
Kathakali
The art form of Kathakali crystallised at around the same time as Shakespeare was scribbling his plays. The Kath-
akali performance is the dramatised presentation of a play, usually based on the Hindu epics the Ramayana, the
Mahabharata and the Puranas. All the great themes are covered - righteousness and evil, frailty and courage,
poverty and prosperity, war and peace.
Drummers and singers accompany the actors, who tell the story through their precise movements, particularly
mudras
(hand gestures) and facial expressions.
Preparation for the performance is lengthy and disciplined. Paint, fantastic costumes, ornamental headpieces
and meditation transform the actors both physically and mentally into the gods, heroes and demons they are about
to play.
Traditional performances can last for many hours, but you can see cut-down performances in tourist hot spots
all over the state, and there are Kathakali schools in Trivandrum (
Click here
) and near Thrissur (
Click here
) that
encourage visitors.
Kalarippayat
Kalarippayat
is an ancient tradition of martial arts training and discipline, still taught throughout Kerala. Some
believe it is the forerunner of all martial arts, with roots tracing back to the 12th-century skirmishes among Ker-
ala's feudal principalities.
Masters of
kalarippayat,
called Gurukkal, teach their craft inside a special arena called a
kalari
. You can see
often
kalarippayat
performances at the same venues as Kathakali.
