KATHAKALI

Kathakali is the most well known dance drama from the south Indian state of Kerala.  The word Kathakali literally means "Story-Play".  It is known for its large, elaborate makeup and costumes.  The elaborate costumes of Kathakali have become the most recognized icon for Kerala. A Kathakali performance is a major social event.  They generally start at dusk and go through out the night.  Kathakali is usually performed only by men.  Female characters are portrayed by men dressed in women's costume.

 

KATHAKALI MAKE-UP AND COSTUME:

The costume is the most distinctive characteristic of Kathakali. The makeup is very elaborate and the costumes are very large and heavy.
There are several kinds of costumes.within this Kathakali dance form.  There are: 
Sathwika (the hero), 
Kathi (the villain), 
Minukku (females), and 
Thatti.  

These basic divisions are further subdivided in a way which is very well known to South Indian audiences.  Each character is instantly recognisable by their characteristic makeup and costume.
The makeup is very elaborate.  It is so elaborate that it is more like a mask than makeup in the usual sense.  The materials that comprise the makeup is all locally available.  The white is made from rice flour, the red is made from Vermilion (a red earth such as cinnabar).  The black is made from soot.  The colours are not merely decoration, but are also a means of portraying characters.  For instance, red on the feet is used to symbolise evil character and evil intent.

 

KATHAKALI MUSIC AND INSTRUMENTS:

The language of the songs used for Kathakali is Manipravalam. Though most of the songs are set in ragas based on the microtone-heavy Carnatic music, there is a distinct style of plain-note rendition, which is known as the Sopanam style. This typically Kerala style of rendition takes its roots from the temple songs which used to be sung (continues even now at several temples) at the time when Kathakali was born. The music of Kathakali has some similarity to the larger body of South Indian classical music (Carnatic sangeet); however the instrumentation is decidedly different.  
Musical Instruments Used To Accompany Kathakali

  Shuddha Madalam

  Chenda

  Manjira (Thalam)

  Idakka

 

 

History

Popular belief is that kathakali is emerged from "Krishnanattam", the dance drama on the life and activities of Lord Krishna created by Sri Manavedan Raja, the Zamorin of Calicut (1585-1658 AD). Once Kottarakkara Thampuran, the Raja of Kottarakkara who was attracted byKrishnanattam requested the Zamorin for the loan of a troupe of performers. Due to the political rivalry between the two, Zamorin did not allow this. So Kottarakkara Thampuran created another art form called Ramanattam which was later transformed into Aattakatha. Krishnanaattam was written in Sanskrit, and Ramanattam was in Malayalam. By the end of 17th century, Attakatha was presented to the world with the title 'Kathakali'.