Kerala Kalamandalam is a Deemed University of Arts and Culture established in the year 1930 by the famous Malayalam poet, Vallathol Narayana Menon, on the banks of Bharathapuzha in Cheruthuruthy, Thrissur. It is one of the best universities and the only one of its kind in Kerala that is completely dedicated to the teaching of our traditional art forms such as Kathakali, Bharatanatyam, Mohiniyattam, Nangiarkoothu, Thullal, etc. along with musical instruments such as Mridangam, Chenda, Maddalam, Mizhavu etc.
In the late nineteenth century, the whole country faced a decline in its cultural art forms, including Kerala. The situation was extremely painful to many of the talented artists and writers. But the start of the twentieth century saw the biggest cultural revival in all India and Kerala also had the swag of this revolution. Vallathol Narayana Menon, one of the famous poets, was also deeply interested in our art forms such as Kathakali. For the preservation of these, he founded the historical “Kerala Kalamandalam” exclusively for the cultural art forms in 1930.
Kerala Kalamandalam follows the ancient Gurukulam style of education, where the students stay with teachers and have the healthiest bond between them. All the practice sections are done in the Kalaries from morning 4:30 to late evening. It is one of the most beautiful heritage sites in the district that offers many sightseeing buildings within the premises. One of the important features of this cultural center is its traditional dance theatre, Koothambalam. It has such spectacular architecture with three divisions and they are aniyara which would be the green room, rangam the stage and mridangapatha is where the musical instruments are kept. The roofs, stage floor and its pillars are made of teak wood and rose wood. The pillars have numerous inscriptions of the 108 dance posters in Bharatamuni’s Natyasastra.
Kalamandalam takes pride in its mesmerizing art gallery that displays elegant statues of variant Kathakali characters and other art performers. There is a costume room, with a huge collection of costumes used for different art forms with their headgears, wooden masks, weapons etc. The outside wall of the art gallery is adorned with mural paintings that would leave you awestruck. Within the Kalamandalam campus, one can interact with the masters, the students who are happy to guide you through the campus and talk about the cultures and stories related to this heritage centre. Keep in mind that you may never try to converse with a student or a teacher who is practising or performing, as they consider it to be an insult to the artist and the art form itself.
Near the campus building, one can see the Vallathol Museum, in which the whole life history of the poet is spelled out before you as visuals and words. There is also a portrait gallery that showcases the portraits of many artists of that age. The final resting place of the great poet, Vallathol Samaadhi, is also visited by many tourists. Kerala Kalamandalam not only keeps its culture alive within the campus, they also travels beyond the borders of different states and countries representing India in International dance and theatre festivals. A day spent in this glorious centre is a hilarious experience for all the artists and art lovers, who actually care for our traditional and cultural dance forms.
Contact Details
Kerala Kalamandalam
Thrissur – Shoranur Road, Thrissur District,
Cheruthuruthi, Kerala 679531
VISTING TIME:-
9 AM TO 4 PM
KALARI WILL BE ACTIVE FROM 9 AM TO 12 PM
