History of Kathakali - Informative & researched article on History of Kathakali
  Indianetzone: Largest Free Encyclopedia of India with thousand of articles Indian Dances


in  
Art & Culture | Entertainment | Health | Reference | Sports | Society | Travel
Forum  | RSS Feeds  | Free E-magazine
Indian Dances : Indian Dance l History of Indian Dances l Indian Classical Dances l Types Of Indian Dance l Indian Tribal Dances l Indian Dance Academies l Indian Folk Dances l Indian Dancers l Indian Regional Dance
Home > Art & Culture > Indian Dances > Indian Classical Dances > Kathakali > History of Kathakali
History of Kathakali
History of Kathakali is deep rooted in the culture of Kerala and dates back to the Dravidian ages.

The history of Kathakali is intrinsically mingled with the culture of Kerala. This dance form has become one of the most popular Indian dance forms.

History of Kathakali The history of Kathakali is rich, pregnant with its copious tradition. It can be said that the dance form has certainly not emerged in one day but is a result of continuous effort, an account of changing tradition. The indigenous Dravidians of Kerala were worshippers of Bhagvati, the Earth-Mother goddess, and also worshipped the snakes. Later, after the Nambudris` supremacy had been established, the custom of each household actually setting apart a small grove in the compound for the habitation of snakes became universal. These snake groves are common even today and are said to protect the household. This adoration of snakes resulted in one of the oldest dance-forms of Kerala - the Pampin Tullal or the dance of the snakes. An important center for the worship of snakes is Mannarsala, where special snake-dance festivals are held. These dances are of Dravidian origin. All these were early influences, which helped towards creating the climate for the composite art of Kathakali. The Kathakali dance uses fantastic costumes, masks or make-up that are the representation of super-human beings to be associated with an extravagant appearance.

The history of Kathakali unveils the fact that the dance form is indeed the result of fusion between the pre-Aryan Dravidian dances and the later ones introduced by the Brahmins. It combines the consciousness, the religious practices and the techniques of these two cultural streams in perfect harmony and balance. The Dravidians were gentle and peaceful people. They are worshippers of nature and devoted to Bhagvati, the benevolent Mother Goddess of the earth, who provided them with all their needs, spiritual and material. Dance for them, was truly an integral part of their life. Their deities being extremely important to them, they worshipped these deities through dance. One of these religious dances, the Bhagvati Pattu is performed in honour of the triumph of Bhagvati over Daruka, the king of the demons. The chenda or a cylindrical drum, which is held upright and struck with two slender sticks, accompanies all these dances. This instrument is now an important part of the orchestra, which accompanies Kathakali.

The history of Kathakali dance is the saga of an ever changing tradition. The coming of the Brahmins resulted in the inevitable changes in the Kathakali dance, which always occur with the arrival of unfamiliar elements. Eventually, they combined with the culture of the Dravidians, the sophistication of the Aryans, whose approach to everything was methodical and academic and who defined their laws, creative, social or religious, by particular attention to every possible detail. The Nayars then migrated to Kerala and exerted their influence on the traditional skill and training techniques of Kathakali. Even today the exponents of Kathakali are mostly Nayars. They retain the name Kalari for the practice is performed with most of the exercises and methods of massage they used as warriors. The basic stance of a Kathakali dancer is a logical extension of the natural position adopted for any form of hand-to-hand combat. The loosened knees help to absorb the shock of landing and the wider apart they are held, the greater the freedom of movement in any direction is attained. The one curious thing of Kathakali is that the weight of the body is taken by the outer edges of the feet. There are said to be two reasons for this, to reduce further the shock to the spinal column and to make dancing for long periods less tiring to the feet.

Dance of Kathakali The rich history of Kathakali also points out the fact that the external influences had an impact in the development of the Kathakali dance form. The Aryan influences on Kathakali introduced art forms codified and embodied in the Sanskrit shastras of the Brahmins. They propagated and kept alive the wisdom of the Gods and were in the form of stories and legends. These sacred texts were recited in the temples, which were prohibited to the lower castes. This form of recitation was known as Chakkiyar-kuttu, because the orator belonged to the Chakkiyar caste. The Chakkiyars declare their descent from the Sutas of the Mahabharata.

With the development of this dance form, abhinaya became an integral part of this dance form. The history of Kathakali shows that abhinaya indeed played an important role which later aided in Kathakali in attaining today`s chic contour. It is with this changing tradition, in Kathakali Nritta or pure dance is ideally gelled with lasya and rasa to delineate the art form

(Last Updated on : 12/01/2009)
  More on Kathakali...
 
Style And Techniques of Kathakali Performance in the Kathakali Dance Costumes and Make Up in Kathakali
History of Kathakali Indian Kathakali Dancers  
Recently Updated Articles in Indian Dances
  • Nilanjana Banerjee
    Nilanjana Banerjee is among the notable Odissi dancers in India as well as in the world.
  •  
  • Tribal Dance forms of Kerala
    There are many Tribal Dance forms of Kerala as the state has a cultural heritage of varied tribes.
  •  
  • Dhimsa Dance
    Dhimsa Dance is performed by the tribes in the eastern part of Andhra Pradesh, regions of Orissa and Madhya Pradesh.
  •  
  • Mitra Purkayastha
    Mitra Purkayastha, Odissi Dancer, is also a known Manipuri, Kathak and Bharatnatyam dancer.
  •  
E-mail this Article | Post a Comment
Free E-magazine
Subscribe to Free
E-Magazine on Indian Dances

 
History of Kathakali - Informative & researched article on History of Kathakali
Sitemap
Contact Us   |   RSS Feeds
Copyright © 2008 Jupiter Infomedia Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved including the right to reproduce the contents in whole or in part in any form or medium without the express written permission of Jupiter Infomedia Pvt. Ltd.