BACKGROUND OF KATHAKALI

Kathakali is based on Hinduism and is a highly charged powerful drama that combines devotion, drama, dance, music, costumes and make up to produce one of the worlds most impressive forms of sacred theatre.

Kathakali is ancient and classical in nature and holds centuries of tradition and culture. It is not simply a dance-drama but an act of devotion featuring the universal struggle between good and evil.

We are fortunate to have Kathakali as a window into the past to understand the ancient traditions that have been preserved for centuries in the Kathakali plays.

Traditional stories in India were often told through dance and drama and were passed from one generation to the next to be performed in the heart of the community.

THE ORIGIN OF THE KATHAKALI STORIES:

Over 2,000 years ago Bharatha Muni wrote the NATYASASTRA [The Science of Acting], which became the academic guideline for classical dance, drama, music, costumes, make up and the visual arts of India.

The Kathakali characters were inspired by the stunning sculptures of the temples depicting the gods and goddesses of the Ramayanan and the Mahabharatha. Kathakali also draws its incentive from the temple rituals and earlier forms of classical drama to include Kootha, Koodiyattam, Krishnanattam and various folk arts.

The highly symbolic stories were memorized by the Brahmin priests [Namboodiri] families then passed, unchanged, to the next generation, ensuring that the spiritual meaning was preserved. 
 

Although Kings ruled the area, the Namboodiris had power, played a vital role in protecting these stories, education, law and spiritual development.

As the Brahamins traveled and settled in various parts of India their stories and culture went with them. 

After hundreds of years these sacred stories were performed in the temple fore court for the whole community to experience how their ancestors lived, their aspirations and the spiritual development by which they evolved. 

KOOTHA:

Kootha was one of the fist art forms to emerge from the inner sanctum of the temple. It is a solo classical art, performed exclusively for the Chakyar community. Kootha is a satire using wit and humor to tell stories from the Hindu epics interspersed with political situations, protest and injustice. The story teller is known as a Chakyar.

The sacred stories had been locked inside the inaccessible inner sanctum of the temple for centuries experienced only by the priests. Kootha made an incredible leap when ritual took its first steps into drama and paved the way for the dances and dramas of India to proceed.

KOODIYATTAM:

2,000 years ago Koodiyattam, meaning "dancing together", emerged. It is the oldest surviving Sanskrit drama on earth and based in Kerala. 

Koodiyattam involves elements of temple ritual, chanting in Sanskrit and acting accompanied by drummers. As they story telling element evolved the performing techniques develop to incorporate emotion, characters and an elaborate sign language called Mudras.

The Mudras began approximately 6,000 years ago as a system of signs to help the priests remember the Vedas called Veda Mudras. These developed further into the temple rituals approximately 4,000 years ago and began to represent words or objects and called Puja Mudras. At this stage there was no performance and no audience.

It was only when the arts were accepted as a pathway to divinity that the Mudras became part of a dramatic language approximately 2,000 years ago and known as the language of the gods.

Koodiyattam perfected a ceremonial style of story telling and made the revolutionary cross over from ritual to drama.

DEVOTION

The Islamic invasion gave rise to the beginning of the Bakti [devotion] movement within the Hindu communities. 

JAYADEVA:

This movement was instigated by a poet and devotee of Lord Krishna called Jayadevan. He wrote eight padams [poems] called the Geetha Govindam [songs of Lord Krishna`s life]. These poems change the future of the arts in India by encouraging devotion to Lord Krishna.

The performances in north India by Jayadeva and his wife, Padmavathi, attracted pilgrims from all over the country. Some of these pilgrims were performers, writes and musicians. They took elements of the Geetha Govindam to their own region where they evolved into the various classical dances and dramas of India.

These poems reached Kerala and were known as Ashtipadi attam. The early performance techniques included basic Mudras [sign language], facial expressions, body language and characters accompanied by musicians to tell stories about Lord Krishna. 

Jayaevan made the revolutionary step of having a singer singing the poems at the back of the stage. This act released the actor to express the story through purely through gesture.

MALAYALAM LANGUAGE

A devotee of Lord Krishna called Tuchattu Ramanujan Ezuttachan, known as the father of Malayalam [the local language of Kerala], created the Malayalam alphabet and its language structure. He translated the The Ramayana [story of Lord Rama] into Malayalam to teach the local people to read, write and gain valuable access to knowledge.

Prior to this translation, the sacred books were written in Sanskrit and retained only by the Namboodiri families and scholars. 

Another poet called Poothanam Namboodiri wrote Sree Krishna Miritahm - the songs of Lord Krishna.

EDUCATION:

These poets, scholars and the innovative performing style of Jayadevan changed the the arts, and the lives of people, in Kerala forever. People could read, write, comprehend the sacred text, dance, sing, act and paint. Kerala was liberated and educated through these early visionaries.

As devotion to Lord Krishna increased, dance, drama, music, art and education flourished as artists expressed their reverence. The arts were now a primary component of education, language, learning and social development.

KRISHNANATTAM:

A devotee of Lord Krishna and King of Calicut, Manadevan, appointed vocalists to sing Krishna Geethi [songs of Krishna] inside the inner sanctum of the temple to bring adoration to Lord Krishna onto the dramatic stage, approximately 600 years ago, and called it Krishnanattam.

Manavedan disregarded the chanting of Koodiyattam and introduced the technique of the singer singing of the poem  and the actor acting out the story word by word. Manavedan believed that when an actor spoke the character lost its spiritual status and became human again.

His understanding of music and its contribution to drama resulted in the introduction of the Kalasham [pure dance] to be performed at the end of each verse.

Krishnanattam is still performed in the Guruvayoor temple, Kerala, attracting pilgrims from all over India.

A Koodiyattam, Krishnanattam and Kathakali actor is totally transformed by a three dimensional make up called Chutti. The finished result is virtually the same yet they are 2,000 years apart. 

The pioneering techniques used in Krishnanattam released the actor to express the full impact of the play purely through gesture.

RAMANATTAM

In the 17th century it is alleged that the King of Kottaraka, south Kerala,  was intrigued by the power of the Krishnattam performers. 

He invited the Krishnanattam Troupe to perform in South Kerala, the King of Calicut refused his invitation so the King of Kotarraka created eight new stories based on the life of Lord Rama and called the art form Ramanattam. 

Writers and poets began to create stories from other sacred books such as the Mahabharatha, therefore, Ramanattam was no longer an appropriate name.

The name for the new stories was changed to KATHA [meaning story] KALI [meaning play] and Kathakali was born.

KATHAKALI:
Sacred theatre had now reached the doors of one of the most powerful forms of story telling in world theatre. Kathakali unlocked the mystery of the Sanskrit poems and made them accessible to the wider community.

 In the mid 17th century improvements to the performing style of Kathakali were made by Vettathu Raja living north east of Kochi. He introduced several important developments to Kathakali:

1: Two singers to invoke hamony - Pooni Karan and Sindi Karana.

2: The chengila [cymbols] to provide the Tala - beat.

3: The Chenda - a powerful drum originally used in temple

    rituals and to accompany the Thol Pava Kuttu puppets.

4: The Thiranukuu - a method of introducing the characters

    in the play from behind a large satin curtain, called aTereshiela, held at  

    the front of the stage.

At the end of the 17 century a number of Kathakali Troupes called a Kali Yogam. The Kali Yagam was managed by the lead actor who was responsible for the training, rehearsals [that took place in the monsoon season] and arranged the performances in the temples throughout Kerala.

The King of Kottarakara also made significant changes to Kathakali by introducing Malayalam into the Sanskrit singing and presenting the plays in the temple forecourt so that the local people could see them. Kathakali had now reached the local people and became their doorway into the sacred stories of Hinduism.

Kathakali is an extraordinary combination of the arts, where each element merges to create total theatre to exemplify human behaviour and express our eternal desire to attain spirituality.

SINGERS:

A Kathakali singer has the responsibility of providing the rhythm, melody and emotion. This form of singing is known as Vachika Abinayam. As the arts of Kerala expanded the music of the temples was incorporated into the classical story telling techniques.

The musicians stand at the back of the stage. One singer hits a brass Chengala [gong] with a wooden stick, the other uses a set of Elatalam [cymbols] to keep the Tala [rhythm]. 

DRUMS:

There are three drums used in Kathakali, The Madalam, played with both hands, the Chenda - played with sticks and hand, the Edekka, played with hands and stick.

TRAINING

The training of all members of a Kathakali Troupe takes years of hard work and devotion. Each section has an Ashan - Guru - who will guide his student throughout his life. 

For the actor it takes a minimum f 13 years to train a Kathakali actor. The training techniques are based on the ancient exercises of the military called Kalari Pyattu laid down in the Natyasastra and remain the basis of Kathakali training.

The whole body has to be trained to portray the great characters from the Hindu epics.

A summary of the acting technique is:

"Where the hand moves, the eyes follow. 

Where the eyes move, the mind follows.

Where the mind moves, the mood follows.

Where the mood goes, there the Rasa [flavour] arises".

As with most classical performing arts of India, a Kathakali story is told through sign language - Mudras. The Mudras used in Kathakali are virtually the same as the ones used in Koodiyattam and Krishanattam complete with alphabet, grammar and sentence structure and are considered to be the language of the gods.

FACE

In Kathakali the eyes and face are very important and the most difficult skill for an actor to master. The facial expressions are calledSatvika Abhinayam and require years of intense training to enable the actor to express their "inner performer". 

The Navarasas are the nine emotions - Bhavas - used by the actor to express feelings

1 - Sringaram - love

2 - Hasyam - big headed

3 - Karunam - sad

4 - Veeram - proud

5 - Raudram - anger

6 - Bhayanakam - fear

7 - Beeblsam - disgust

8 - Atbhutum - wonder

9 - Sandham - peace.

COSTUMES AND MAKE-UP

Kathakali has the most extraordinary visual impact on the audience through the stunning costumes and make up.

It is impossible to talk about the costumes and make up of Kathakali without paying tribute to the great Govinda Variyar Ashan. He played a vital role in the evolution of Chutti [the three dimensional section of the make up made from rice paste and paper shapes]. He developed the technique of attaching the paper shapes into the moist paste applied directly onto the actors skin.

This technique is in the Guinness Book of Records as the most three dimensional make up in the world.

Govinda Variyar Ashan had an expert visual eye and understood the importance of proportion and balance required for the Chutti.
 

The characters are "personality types" ranging from the gods to the most evil are represented by specific designs and colours.

Basic character types: 

1 - Pacha - green - heroic

2 - Katti - green with some red signifying a fallen hero.

3- Tadi - red & black beards are evil.

4 - Tadi - white beard is Hannuman

5 - Katalan - forest dweller

6 - Minnikku - radiant - female characters, brahmins

7 - specials such as Narasymham - lion

After hundreds of years of evolution Kathakali is able to contact the very core of our understanding and generate a connection with our most basic instincts which is the desire to create, explore the unknown and express what we find with others.

A TRADITIONAL KATHAKALI PLAY

A traditional Kathakali play is usually performed as part of a village temple festival in the temple forecourt illuminated with lights and decorated with flowers.

The Vilaka - [bras lamp] is lit at the front of the stage and represents divinve presence.

The play begins with Arrangu Keli - a drumming session played on a Madalam drum to invite the gods to the performance.

A satin curtain - Tereshiela -  is held up at the front on the stage and represents the state of illusion in Hinduism known as Maya.  It is reminiscent of the closed doors of the temple shrine where the priest prays and prepares the images of the gods in private.

As the actors make their way to the stage they travel from earth into the world of the gods. Kathakali is now in its ancestral home - the temple.

Todayam - is the first item to be learned by a young Kathakali actor to test his ability to balance, use Mudras, understand facial expressions, keep classical positions and maintain rhythm.  Todayam is traditionally performed behind the Tereshiela and out of site of the audience followed by Vandana Slokam - a prayer to the gods. 

Purupad follows as a piece of pure dance by junior actors.

Next we have Melepadam - a musical master piece where senior singers and drummers are given an opportunity to show their outstanding skills. The singers bestow respect to Jayadevan by singing his poems.

When Melapadam has finished the audience has been uplifted and the stage is now prepared for the Kathakali play where good and evil will battle throughout the night until dawn the next day.

Chutti artists and costumers work throughout the night to prepare possibly 30 actors for the stage.

When the actor takes his place behind the Tereshiela he first shows respect to the musical instruments and the stage. The Tereshiela is lowered to reveal is magnificent character.

At dawn Dansi - a dance ritual is performed by one of the heroic characters in the play to ask for blessings on the audience. 

Kathakali embraces a long ancient tradition that began with the temple rituals to include the following - Kootha took story telling out side the inner sanctum of the temple, Koodiyattam extende the majestic temple rituals into drama, Ashtapadi attam evoked a national awareness of devotion to Lord Krishna, Krishnanattam released the actor from chanting Kathakali took story telling into the heart of the people through total theatre.

Although Kathakali originally flourished, in the 19th century Kathakali went into decline with the invasion of various nations, including the British. Fortunately the patronage provided by the Namboodiri families enabled Kathakali to just about survive. 

It was in the early part of the 20th century when Kathakali, and the other classical arts of Kerala, were revived through the dedication and vision of the great poet Vallathol Narayanan, Menon, supported by Mukunda Raja, who founded the Kerala Kalamandalam in the village of Cheruthuruthy. 

Without this rescue Kathakali, Mohiniattam, Ottanthulal and Koodiyattam would probably have become extinct.

Since then other institutions have been established to take Kathakali into the 21st century and retain its place in the remarkable heritage of Kerala.

Kathakali brought humanity into Hinduism to express emotions that go beyond words. The temple rituals, first performed in secret, have evolved into a vibrant drama that embraces the essence of what it is to be human.

FOR SALE

Books - various.

DVD's

THE HISTORY OF THE MUDRAS

A documentary style DVD that traces the evolution of the Mudras[sign language] from  pre history, into the temples and finally into the arts.

A DICTIONARY OF THE KATHAKALI SIGN LANGUAGE:

First in the world - An interactive DVD [to be used only on a PC] will enable you to learn the complete sign language used in Kathakali.

TALKING HANDS:

First in the world - An interactive DVD [to be used on a PC] explores how the ancient sign language of the classical arts of India has been adapted into the English alphabet and language incorporating over 2,000 words. Ideal for teaching or learning English as a foreign language, or for people who learn visually.

A GATEWAY TO KATHAKALI.

An ideal short introduction to Kathakali, the history and how to understand a Kathakali play.

for details please contact us.

 

Kalamandalam Barbara Vijayakumar

1 Holland Rd, Woolston,

SOUTHAMPTON
ENGLAND

SO19 9FW. UK

Tel: +44 (0)23 8042 0114

Mobile: + 44 [0]7740123070

Email: info@kathakali.net

Copyright-Kalamandalam Vijayakumar