Thrissur
Trichur with its rich history, cultural heritage and
archeological wealth is the cultural capital of Kerala. Trichur is famed for
and wide for its pooram festival. This festival district has witnessed many
rulers and dynasties starting with the Zamorins, Tipu Sultan to the Dutch and
the British. A cultural center, the Kerala Kalamandalam, the Kerala Sahitya
Academy and Kerala Sangeetha Nadaka Academy are located here.
The District lies between 10 0 -10-46’ North latitudes and
75 degree 55’ East longitudes. It is bounded on the north by Palghat and
Malappuram Districts, on the east by Palghat and Coimbatore District of Tamil
Nadu, on the south by Idukki and Ernakulam Districts and on the west by Arabian
sea. Trichur District has a total geographical area of 3032 Sq.km and ranks
seventh in the state in respect of area.
The two longest rivers of the state, namely, Bharathapuzha
and Periyar flow through the district on its northern and southern sides
respectively. The other rivers of the district are Chalakudy (144 km.)and
Karuvannur (48 km.). Sholayar and Peringalkuthu Hydro-Electric projects are
located in the basin of Chalakudy river.The rivers
Parambikulam,Sholayar,Karapara and Anakkayam are the tributaries of the
Chalakudy river. Karuvannur River is formed by the confluence of two rivers,
namely, Manaly and Kurumaly.
Gayathri is the important tributary of the
Bharathapuzha.Heavy rainfall,warm humid atmosphere and almost uniform
temperature throughout the year are climatic features of the district.The
north-east monsoon in the months of October-November is scanty and
insufficient. There are four seasons –dry weather from March to May, southwest
monsoon from June to September and northeast monsoon from October to November.
The District received an annual rainfall of 3500 mm. The
average daily maximum temperature in March and April, which are generally the
hottest months, is about 31 degree C to 32 degree C in the Coastal regions and
about 36 Degree C to 37 degree C in the interior.
The District has a Coastline of about 53 KMs. It is unbroken
and without any indentation to provide any natural harbor facility except for
the two outlets from backwaters to the sea Kodungallur and Chettuwai.
The soils of Trichur and Talappilly Taluks are mostly
laterite, excellent bricks for construction purposes. Forest soils is confined
to the eastern region comprising of Thalappilly, Mukundapuram and Trichur
taluks. In the backwater areas, due to sedimentation of soil and organic
materials, soil is extremely fertile and of loamy type. Here summer paddy
('Kol' paddy fields) is grown.
Ordinary clay suitable for the manufacture of bricks and
tiles is found in several parts of the District,viz. Ollur,Pudukkad,Karuvannur
and Wadakkanchery.China clay is noticed at Kizhupullikara near Trichur.
The totel area under forest comes to 1036.19. Km.and are
reserved. The forests of Trichur District are under the administrative control
of the Trichur and Chalakudy Divisional Forest Officers.The area is spread over
Mukundapuram,Trichur and Thalappilly taluks. The main forest products are teak
wood, rosewood, eucalyptus, irul, softwood, bamboo etc.
The Cultural and Historical Background
The term "Thrissur" is the abbreviated form of the
word "Thrissivaperur" which means the town of the 'Sacred Siva'. The
town is built on an elevated ground, at the apex of which is the famous
'Vadakkumnatha Temple'. A place of great antiquity, Thrissur was also known as
'Vrishabhadripuram' and 'Ten Kailasam' in ancient days.
From ancient times, Thrissur district played a significant
part in the political history of South India. The early political history of
the district is interlinked with that of the Cheras of the Sangam age, who
ruled over vast portions of Kerala with their capital at Vanchi. The whole of
the present Thrissur district was included in the early Chera Empire.
The history of Thrissur district from the 9th to the 12th
centuries has been the history of Kulasekharas of Mahodayapuram and the history
since 12th century has been the history of the rise and growth of Perumpadappu
Swarupam. In the course of its long and chequered history, the Perumpadappu
Swarupam had its capital at different places.
We learn from the literary works of the period that the
Perumpadappu Swarupam had its headquarters at Mahodayapuram and that a number
of Naduvazhies (chieftains) on southern and central Kerala recognised the
supremacy of the Perumpadappu Moopil. The Perumpadappu Moopil is even referred
to as the 'Kerala Chakravarthi' in the 'Sivavilasam' and some other works.This
period is also known as Pudu Vaipu Era.
The 14th and 15th centuries constituted a period of
aggressive wars in the course of which the Samorins of Kozhikode acquired a
large part of the present Thrissur district and subsequently dominated by
Portugese. As the Kerala Chiefs were conscious of the impending doom of the
Portugese, they looked upon the Dutch as the rising power and extended a hearty
welcome to them.
Hyder Ali and Tippu Sultan figured very prominently during
the period.
In 1790 Raja Raja Varma (1790- 1805), popularly known as
Sakthan Thampuran ascended the throne of Kochi. With the ascendance of this
ruler, the modern period in the history of Kochi and of the district began.
Sakthan Thampuran was the most powerful Maharaja as the very name indicates. He
is the architect of Thrissur town.
Sakthan Thampuran ascended the throne just before the
conclusion of a treaty with the English East India Company. According to that
treaty, Kochi threw off all allegiance to Tippu and became a tributary to the
Company.
Even as early as 1919, a Committee of the Indian National
Congress was functioning in Thrissur. In the Civil Disobedience Movement of
1921, several persons in Thrissur town and other places in the district took
active part and courted arrest.
The famous Guruvayur Satyagraha is a memorable episode in
the history of the national movement.
The Government of Kochi under the guidance of Sri. R.K.
Shanmughom Chetti followed a policy of conciliation. In August 1938 Kochi
announced a scheme for reforming the State legislature and introducing a system
as per the Government of India Act of 1919 in the British Indian provinces.
With the help of a few independents Ambat Sivarama Menon who was the leader of
the Kochi Congress Party took up office as Minister under the scheme in June
1938. On his death in August 1938 Dr. A.R. Menon was appointed as Minister.
When the State Legislature passed a vote of no-confidence against him, Dr.
Menon resigned onFebruary25, 1942 and was succeeded by Sri. T.K. Nair. Sri.
Nair was in office till July 11, 1945.
The introduction of dyarchy did not satisfy the political
aspirations of the people of Kochi. The idea of full Responsible Government on
the basis of adult franchise had caught their imagination. On January 26,1941 a
new political organisation called the Kochi State Praja Mandal took shape on
the initiative of a few young politicians under the leadership of V.R. Krishnan
Ezhuthachan. In co operation with other parties in the State Legislative the
Kochi State Praja Mandal decided to accept the offer. Consequently the first
popular Cabinet of Kochi consisting of Panampilli Govinda Menon, C.R. lyyunni,
K. Ayyappan and T.K. Nair assumed office.
KALAMANDALAM
KERALA KALAMANDALAM
(Centre for Indian Performing Arts and Culture)
The Kerala Kalamandalam, a distinguished centre of
excellence in Performing Arts, which spearheaded the movement of cultural
renaissance in Kerala.This important academy of arts 32km north-east of Trichur at Cheruthuruthy was founded in 1930 by the late
poetVallathol Narayana Menon and his associate Manakkulam Mukunda Raja.It is
the home of the keral's kathakali dance.Kalamandalam is the State Academy of
Arts. It has been invariably the best
institution in India imparting training in and conducting performance of
Kathakali, Koodiyattam, Mohiniyattam, Panchavadyam and Thullal.The ancient
Gurukula system of education continues to be a living tradition in this school
which has over the years become in the cultural history of Kerala.
Kalamandalam is the
best institution in India imparting training and conducting performance of
Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, Panchavadyam and Thullal. Beside the regular courses
Kalamandalam also offer crash courses in different art disciplines.
The basic aim of all these crash courses is to help theatre
artists, classical and contemporary dancers, researchers, art historians and
scholars from the East and the West who come to this land to familiarize with
the performing art forms
Besides the academic programs the Kalamandalam troupe consisting of renowned artists of
various artforms - conduct performance of all the above art forms on request
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| Kerala Kalamandalam |
Kerala Kalamandalam(History)
Of all the states in the Indian sub-continent Kerala is
perhaps the only one endowed with a spectacular heritage of performing, ritual,
folk and classical arts. The time -
honored values lie dormant in the living traditions of these performing arts.
The feudal chieftains and provincial landlords who patronized these visual and
devotional arts for centuries were not only encouraging them as entertainment
but were also upholding their moral and ethical messages. Towards the fag end
of the nineteenth century the traditional arts of Kerala happened to be on the
verge of extinction.The social, political and cultural factors which
contributed to the downfall of the art forms are many and varied. This was but an ephemeral phenomenon.The dawn
of the twentieth century witnessed a cultural renaissance all over India. In Kerala among those who spearheaded the
cultural renaissance poet Vallathol Narayana Menon is an immortal name. Besides being an outstanding poet and
scholar, Vallathol was a passionate lover of Kathakali and other similar
classical dance-theatre traditions of
Kerala. Against all odds he took
up the task of saving Kathakali and other stylized art-forms from the eclipse.
Kakkad Karanavappad, an eminent scholar and Manakkulam
Mukundaraja, a devoted cultural -activist were an unending source of
inspiration to Vallathol in the establishment of KERALA KALAMANDALAM along the
banks of the river Bharathapuzha in Cheruthuruthy, a small village in the
northern edge of Trichur District. It
was in 1930.
The birth of
Kalamandalam was remarkable in many respects.It was the first step in the
cultural history of Kerala to start training in classical performing arts which
were so far left to the patronage of provincial kings andlandlords.The artists
especially the Kathakali artists were more or less the aesthetic victims of the
society. They were silent sufferers of
caste hierarchy. With the establishment
of Kalamandalam the social and cultural emancipation of traditional artists
became a reality. At the same time
Kathakali and Mohiniyattam, the two major art-forms heading to extinction for
want of patronage ensured their existence and progress under the newly evolved
institutional set-up.
The poet spared no
attempts to see that Kathakali the
classical dance-theatre and Mohiniyattam, the classical female dance of
Kerala flourished in the fertile land of Kalamandalam. He invited titans in the
field to the campus. They lived in Kalamandalam, performed off and on in
its yard and taught talented students for years and years. Late Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon the doyen of
the North School of Kathakali headed the Faculty of Kathakali at Kalamandalam
for about one and a half decades. He
groomed great artists likeKalamandalam Krishnan Nair, Ramankutty Nair
andPadmanabhan Nair who later became the principal teachers of this world
renowned institution. For training in
Mohiniyattam there were the surviving maestros Korattikkara Krishna
Panickar,Madhavi Amma, Kalyani Amma and Chinnammu Amma. Their disciples Kalamandalam Kalyanikutty Amma and Kalamandalam
Sathyabhama developed the aesthetics of Mohiniyattam and earned for it
world-wide recognition. Their
distinguished disciples are now the cream of today's Mohiniyattam dancers.
The Silver Jubilee Celebrations of Kalamandalam were an
unforgettable event in its history.
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, the first Prime Minister of India inaugurated
the jubilee celebrations in 1955. Nehru
commended the contributions of Poet Vallathol to Indian arts and culture and
donated Rs. One lakh to Kalamandalam for
its developmental activities. The
affection between the statesman and the poet grew. Vallathol visited China and Russia as India's
cultural ambassador. Govt. of India
awarded Padmabhooshan to the Poet in recognition of his services to art and
literature.
In 1965 Kalamandalam added Koodiyattam to its
curriculum. Koodiyattam is the only
extant stylized Sanskrit theatre having a tradition of two thousand years. Painkulam Rama Chakyar who headed the
Koodiyattam department was a maverick. Rama
Chakyar boldly brought Koothu and Koodiyattam outside the temples in the late
fifties. He thus incurred the wrath of
the caste-conscious conservatives in the field.Chakyar but did not
compromise. He liberated these esoteric
art forms from the dark cells of taboos and inhibitions. From 1965 Koodiyattam, Nangiarkoothu, the 'Nirvahana'
of its female characters and Koothu were made available for study to aspirants
all over the world. Kalamandalam has produced a handful of gifted artists in
the field.
Other performing arts taught at and performed by
Kalamandalam areThullal a semi classical solo dance-drama,Panchavadyam, an
orchestra, Mridangam, a musical accompaniment to dance, classical music
recitals and Karnatic Music . In the
Dance Faculty the optional subject isMohiniyattam. Bharatanatyam andKuchupudi
are subsidiary subjects.
In 1980 the then Prime Minister of India Smt. Indira
Gandhiinaugurated the Golden Jubilee of Kalamandalam. Celebrations included dance-recitals,
music-concerts, Kathakali, Koodiyattam, Symposiums and Lecture
Demonstrations. The Diamond Jubilee was
inaugurated in 1990 by the then Prime Minister Shri.V.P. Singh. The presence of stalwarts in the field of
dance, music, theatre, poetry and literature made the jubilee the greatest
event in the history of Kalamandalam.
Pandit Ravi Sankar, Dr. L. Subramaniam, Ustad Allaragha, Pandit Brij
Maharaj, Sonal Mansigh, Dr. Padma Subramaniam, Malavika Sarukai, Dr. T.N.
Krishnan, Dr.N.Rajam, M.S. Gopalakrishnan, Umayalpuram Sivaraman, Karaikudy
Mani, Mandolin Srinivasan and equally distinguished artists performed in
Kalalmandalam. For most of them it was
the fulfillment of a dream. This temple
of arts kindled their spirits.
Is Kathakali a stylized dance-drama? Is it a pantomime? Can it be called a
classical ballet? One of the world's
top-ranking poet and Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore was instantly impressed
by the aesthetic range and the narrative techniques of Kathakali when Kalamandalam
presented a program in Santiniketan.
Kathakali was born only in the 17th century.
But in less than four centuries it grew up to represent
India's cultural heritage to the world outside.
An eclectic art Kathakali evolved its classicism receiving inspiration
from most of its predecessors viz Koodiyattam, Krishnanattam, Theyyam, Martial
arts, Padayani, Mudiyett and similar traditions.
Kathakali plays are composed from the great Indian Epics,
The Ramayana, The Mahabharata, and the Bhagavatha. The play synchronizes on stage Nritta (pure
dance), Nritya (Expressional Dance), Natya (Histrionics), Geeta (Vocal Music)
and Vadya (Percussion Ensemble).
Kathakali characters communicate through the language of hand-gestures
(over six hundred gestures are in use), body movements and facial expressions.
The text of the play is sung by the principal and supporting vocalists. The dancers translate the songs into
appropriate gestures, movements and expressions. 'Chenda' and 'Maddalam' are the two major
percussion instruments used in Kathakali.
They provide audio effect to the performance by tracing the character
behavior. A curtain (Thiraseela) is held
on stage by two persons just before the entry and exit of all the main
characters. This is a traditional
theatrical device to transcend time and space.
Kathakali make-up and costuming is intricate, elaborate and
colorful. It takes at least three hours
for an actor to transform into a full-fledged character with facial make-up,
head-gear, ornaments and colorful costumes.
Kathakali characters are broadly divided into noble, wicked and
grotesque. Their make-up and costumes
differ from one-another. Love,
Separation, virtue Vs vice, comic-relief, emotional struggles, gruesome-war and
murder are common scenes in the
Kathakali plays. More than the
themes, the
kathakali
Kalamandalam gives intensive training to young aspirants in
Kathakali. Body-massage is a must for
Kathakali students. Teachers will
massage the students from head to foot in the small hours of the morning during
monsoon - June to August. After applying
oil throughout the body the students have to take a set of exercises. There are also post-massage exercises. Massage makes the body of the student supple
and allows him a lot of flexibility in all his movements on stage. Body-massage is a treatment involving strain
and pain. Kathakali perhaps adapted this
training-technique from Kalaripayattu (Martial arts). In Kalamandalam, Kathakali students are
trained in such a way as to master the techniques first. They are later led to character-analysis and
emotional identification.
Koodiyattam
Koodiyattam is the sole surviving classical Sanskrit theatre
in India. It is a two thousand year old
theatre-tradition. Traditionally Koothu
and Koodiyattam are the privilege of the templecastes Chakyars and
Nambiars. Chakyars enact the
male-characters and Nangiars (the women of the Nambiars) enact the
female-characters. Nambiars play
Mizhavu, the major percussion-instrument in Koodiyattam. The plays of
Kulasekhara, Sakthibhadra, Bhasa Kalidasa and Bodhayana are enacted act by act
in Koodiyattam. The four-fold concept of
acting dealt with in the Natyasastra, sage Bharata's ancient dramaturgy, find
its due significance in Koodiyattam.
Angika (hand-gestures and body-movements), Vachika (Verbal acting),
Aharya (Make-up and costuming) and Satwika (Facial Expressions) in Koodiyattam
are highly stylized. One finds in
Koodiyattam more of Natyadharmi (stylized Acting) compared to other classical
art-forms.
Apart from the epic heroes, heroines, villains and demons
there is the Vidooshaka (Royal clown) who speaks three languages, Sanskrit,
Prakrit (Crude form of Sanskrit), and the local dialect (Malayalam). His words and actions convincingly portray
the true-character of the protagonist.
In the past he was a social auditor.
His diatribes against the establishment and those in power were a corrective
force in the feudal-society. The main
characters in Koodiyattam customarily enact 'Nirvahana'; a recollection of past
events in the play to form a backdrop for stepping into the present.
'Nangiarkoothu' is the counterpart of Koodiyattam. It is in essence the Nirvahana of the female
characters. Nangiar in forty one days
enacts "Sreekrishna Charitam" (The story of Lord Krishna). She
appears on stage as the Chedi (Maid) of Subhadra in the play, Subhadradhananjayam of king Kulasekhara. Theatre artists, choreographers and theatre
researchers of the West and the East are keenly interested in the
aesthetic-dimensions of both Koodiyattam and Nangiarkoothu. They come quite often to Kalamandalam for an
intimate observation and analysis of these theatre traditions.
Mohiniyattam
There is no precise historical evidence to establish the
antiquity of Mohiniyatttam, the classical female dance-tradition of
Kerala. Probably it was evolved in the
seventeenth century. In the court of
King Swathi Thirunal who ruled Travancore (South Kerala) in the 18th century,
Mohiniyattam flourished along with
Bharatanatyam, the classical dance of Tamil Nadu. The post-Swathy period witnessed the downfall
of Mohiniyattam. 'The dance of the
enchantress' slipped into eroticism to satisfy the epicurean-life of some
provincial satraps and feudal Lords.
Poet Vallathol rescued Mohiniyattam from total extinction. It was added to the curriculum of
Kalamandalam in 1930.
The make-up and dressing of Mohiniyattam is simple and
semi-realistic. The dancer's face is
made up of yellow and pink-paste. She
wears sandal coloured jacket and sari.
Jasmin flowers adorn her tied up hair.
She decorates her eyes with Kajal and the lips are reddened. The theme of Mohiniyattam is devotion to love
of God. Vishnu or Krishna is more often
the hero.
We feel his invisible presence when the heroine or her
friend (sakhi) describes him through hand-gestures, delicate and circular
body-movements
Thullal
Thullal is the successor of Kathakali. Kunchan Nambiar who lived two centuries ago
wrote the text of Thullal and choreographed it for the stage.
All the sixty plays of Thullal composed by Kunchan Nambiar
are replete with humour, sarcasm and social criticism. Thullal has three divisions - Seethankan,
Ottan and Parayan. The distinction between them lies mostly in the make-up and
costums and to some extent in the metres and the rhythm used.Thullal often
reflects the literary, artistic and cultural life of the medieval Kerala. In Thullal, episodes from the Indian Epics
are retold in simple Malayalam poetry.
The stylized singing of the lines carries with it the beauty of the
Dravidian metres. Thullal is a solo performance. As a semi-stylized
dance-theatre, Thullal is a more popular entertainment than other temple arts. The performer establishes easy rapport with
the audience through verbal acting which is full of humour and social
references.
