ART FORMS OF KERALA: TRADITIONAL AND OTHERS

It is about the various cultural heritage of Kerala, particularly about the Art forms of Kerala

1. WELCOME

2. Sandhya.J.Nair
Assistant Professor
Department of History
Govt.CollegeAttingal

3. ❖

4. For the convenience of the Study Kerala
arts are divided into three main groups
➢Traditional Art forms of Kerala
➢Muslim Art forms
➢Christian Art forms

5. KOODIYATTAM
UNESCO–amasterpieceofthe
OralandIntangibleHeritageof
Humanity
SanskritTheatre
Means-“Combinedtogether”
2000yearsold
PerforminginKoothambalamsof
thetemples
Instruments-Kuzhithalam,
mizhavu,Kurumkuzhalandsankhu

6. Means –Dance
1500 years old
AmbalavasiNambiarand Chakiar
Koothambalams–mizhavu, ilathalam
Nagyarkoothu–Nagyaramma

7. KADHAKALI
Indian Classical Dance –Drama
17
th
Centuryorigin
KottarakkaraThampuran–Ramanattam-
Attakkadha(17
th
century)
Similaritieswith–krishnanattam,Koodiyattam,
Ashtapthiyattam.Mudiyettu,Thiyyatu,Theyyam,
PadayaniandPorattunatakam.
MartialArtKalarippayatuinfluenceditsbody
language
101storiesThreestyles(sampradayams)-Vettathu
Sampradayam,KalladikkodanSampradayamand
KaplingaduSampradayam

8. MOHINIYATTAM
Classical dance form
Means “dance of enchantress”
Follows the mudrasdescribed in the
“HasthaLakshanadeepika”
Devadasisperformed in the temples
Lyrics in Manipravalam

9. THEYYAM
❑Northern Malabar-
Kolathunadu
❑7000 years old tradition
❑Embraces all castes of Hindu
religion
❑Landlords were the patrons
❑Saivism, Vaishnavismand
Sakthismdominated the
cult of Theyyam
❑Performance are infrontof
the village shrines & houses
❑More than 400 types –
karimchamundi,
Vettakkorumakan, Sree
MuthappanTheyyam,
VayanatKulavan,
Perumkaliyattam

10. 18
TH
Century
Origin
KunjanNambiar
Altenativeto
Chakyarkoothu
Three Styles –
OttanThullal,
ParayanThullal
and Seethankan
Thullal

11. KRISHANATTAM
Dance Drama –
story of SreeKrishna
in eight plays
From Avataramto
Swargarohanam
Manaveda, the
Zamorinof Calicut
(1585-1658)
GuruvayurSree
Krishna Temple –
patron of
Krishnanattam

12. KOLAM THULLAL & POORAKKALI
▪South Kerala
▪Customary in houses
and Bhagavathy
temples
▪Origin lie with the Tinta
group of the Kaniyar
caste
▪North Malabar
▪Bhagavathytemples
–to honour
Kamadeva
▪Panikkarsof North
Malabar
Maruthukaliis a variant form of
Poorakkali

13. MUDIYETTU
Folk Dance Drama
UNESCO –Intangible Cultural Heritage of
Humanity -2010
Part of Bhagavathior Bhadrakalicult
Village Ritual –Kuruppu& MararCommunity

14. KUMMATTIKKALI
ColourfulMask dance
South Malabar –OnamSeason
Original form can be seen in the Bhagavathitemple in
Palghat
Movements is provided by vibrating the string of Onavillu

15. THIRIYUZHICHIL
&
MALAIKUTHU
Pulluvas
To appease snake
Popular in
Trichur, Calicut
and Palghat
Devakuthuis the
other name
Malayisect
Devakanniand
Naradaare two
characters
Popular in
Kannur

16. •Form of Indian Classical Music
•Jayadeva’s“GitaGovindam”
•To the sacred steps of the main shrine of a
temple
•Idaykais the main instrument
SOPANA SANGEETHAM

17. To appease the snake Gods
Pulluvas
Kudamand Veena

18. KALARIPAYATTU
Indian Martial Art
Almost all Southernmost parts of India and SriLanka
Earliest foreign account–DurateBarbosa(Portugues
Travaller)
Means –School of fight or gymnasium of exersice
Norhternand Southern styles
Weapons used in the 18
th
century

19. MUSLIM ART FORMS IN KERALA
OPPANA
From the Arabic word “Afna”
Oppanapattumight have come from Tamil Culture –”
OppanaiPattu”
Harmonium, Tabla, Ganjiraand Elathalam

20. DUFFMUTTU & MAPPILAPATTU
Duffmuttu–Thappitta
Participants dance to the
rhythm as they beat the
duff
Similarities to that
performed in Saudi Arabia
and almost all Arab
countries
Mslimfolk songs with
Malayalam dialect
Words from Persian, Urdu,
Tamil, Hindi, Arabic and
Malayalam

21. VETTUM KUTTHUM RATHEEB &
KOLKALI
KuthuRatheeb–a ritual
performance –Mosques &
Homes
Connections with Sufi Saint
Rifailived in Iraq
Pothattipparain
Malappuram
Popular dance form
Malabar
12 people with two sticks
Similar to the Dandiya
dance of Gujarath

22. CHRISTIAN ART FORMS OF
KERALA
MARGAM KALI
Practisedby St.ThomasChristians
Religious context to attain salvation
Performance –in front of a Nilavilakku
Instrument –two palm size cymbals

23. CHAVITTU NATAKAM

24. The evolution of the culture of Kerala was
through different stages
It synchronisedthe Aryan, Dravidian &
Foreign elements
The rigid caste system was kept aloof from
these transmigrations
Policy of adoption created a fusion of
culture in this narrow strip of land i.e..
“God’s own country”