Kutiyattam

History glossary

Also called: Koodiyattam · Topic: Gupta Empire and the Classical Age · NCERT: Beyond NCERT

Meaning

Kutiyattam (also spelt Koodiyattam) is the traditional Sanskrit theatre of Kerala. It is performed in temple theatres called koothambalams by the Chakyar and Nangiar communities, with Nambiar drummers. It matters because it is believed to be the oldest living form of Sanskrit drama still performed in India. In 2001, UNESCO proclaimed it a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, and it was the first Indian art form to get this honour.

Explanation

Background: a living link to classical Sanskrit drama

  • In the classical age, Sanskrit drama reached its peak in court circles. Kalidasa is the best-known playwright of that time.
  • In most of India, these plays were later only read as books. In Kerala, a stage tradition of Sanskrit drama stayed alive. That tradition is Kutiyattam.
  • The name means "acting together" (kuti = together, attam = acting). It means several actors share the stage, unlike the solo forms around it.
  • Its rules of acting follow the ideas of the Natyashastra (the old Sanskrit book on drama, dance and music, traditionally linked to Bharata).
  • Tradition says the Chera king Kulasekhara Varman (probably c. 10th century CE) reformed Kutiyattam. He worked with a scholar named Tolan. Kulasekhara also wrote plays for it. The exact dates are debated.

Main features

  • Language mix:
  • The hero and other noble characters speak Sanskrit.
  • Women and lower characters speak Prakrit (everyday languages of old India, simpler than Sanskrit).

  • The Vidushaka (the clown, a Brahmin friend of the hero) speaks Malayalam. He jokes and explains the story, so ordinary people can follow it.

  • Who performs:

  • Chakyars: the male actors.
  • Nangiars: the women. They play female roles and keep the beat with cymbals.

  • Nambiars: they play the mizhavu, a large copper pot drum and the main instrument.

  • Style of acting:

  • It uses a lot of abhinaya (expressive acting through face, eyes and hands).
  • Netrabhinaya (acting with the eyes) is highly developed.
  • Hasta mudras (hand gestures that each carry a meaning) act like a full sign language.

  • Actors use bright make-up and large headgear.

  • Slow and detailed:

  • One act of a play can take many days. In some cases a full performance runs for weeks.
  • Actors go back into the past of a character and act it out in long detail.
  • Secret acting manuals (attaprakaram) and stage manuals (kramadeepika) were kept by performing families.

The repertoire (plays performed)

  • Plays linked to Bhasa, such as Swapnavasavadattam and Pratijnayaugandharayanam. Bhasa's plays were found again in Kerala manuscripts in the early 20th century. Bhasa's date is uncertain, but he is generally placed before Kalidasa.
  • Nagananda, a play by King Harsha.
  • Ascharyachudamani by Shaktibhadra.
  • Subhadradhananjaya and Tapatisamvarana by Kulasekhara Varman.

Changes over time and results

  • For centuries Kutiyattam was performed only inside temples, for upper-caste audiences, as a sacred offering.
  • In the 20th century, it came out of the temples. Artists like Mani Madhava Chakyar took it to public stages. Institutions such as Kerala Kalamandalam and Margi (Thiruvananthapuram) began to teach it to students outside the hereditary families.
  • Its acting methods shaped later Kerala forms. Kathakali, which grew much later, borrowed from its gestures and make-up.
  • The art had very few artists and patrons left. UNESCO recognition in 2001 brought funds and attention to save it.

Time, place and evidence

  • Region: Kerala, especially temple centres in central Kerala.
  • Period: It is very old, but the exact age is not certain. It is often said to be about 2,000 years old. Its present form is usually traced to the reforms of Kulasekhara Varman (Chera ruler, probably c. 10th century CE).
  • Venue: the koothambalam, a special theatre hall built inside a Hindu temple complex. One well-known example is at the Vadakkunnathan temple, Thrissur.
  • Key groups: Chakyars (actors), Nangiars (actresses), Nambiars (drummers).
  • How we know about it:
  • The attaprakaram and kramadeepika manuals kept by performing families.
  • Kerala manuscripts of Sanskrit plays, including the Bhasa plays.

  • The tradition still lives on, passed from teacher to student.

  • Heritage status: proclaimed a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2001. It was later placed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (2008).

Don't confuse with

  • Kathakali: a later Kerala dance-drama, with stories told in Malayalam songs sung by singers while actors only mime. In Kutiyattam the actors themselves speak Sanskrit/Prakrit.
  • Chakyar Koothu and Nangiar Koothu: solo forms. Chakyar Koothu is storytelling by one Chakyar. Nangiar Koothu is solo acting by a Nangiar woman. Kutiyattam means acting together, with many actors.
  • Mudiyettu: also a Kerala art on UNESCO's intangible heritage list (2010). It is a ritual dance-drama about the goddess Kali killing the demon Darika. It is not Sanskrit theatre.
  • Koothambalam vs Natyashastra: the koothambalam is the temple theatre building. The Natyashastra is the ancient book on drama whose rules Kutiyattam follows.

Prelims Hooks

  • Kutiyattam is the Sanskrit theatre of Kerala. It was the first Indian art form that UNESCO proclaimed a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity (2001).
  • Performers: Chakyars (actors), Nangiars (actresses), Nambiars (play the mizhavu drum).
  • It is performed in temple theatres called koothambalams.
  • Trap: the Vidushaka (clown) speaks Malayalam, not Sanskrit. Noble characters speak Sanskrit and women speak Prakrit.
  • Reform is traditionally credited to Chera king Kulasekhara Varman with Tolan. Kulasekhara wrote Subhadradhananjaya and Tapatisamvarana.
  • Plays performed include Bhasa's Swapnavasavadattam and Harsha's Nagananda.

Mains Points

  • Continuity of the classical tradition: the Sanskrit drama of the classical age (Kalidasa, Bhasa, Harsha) survives in most of India only as texts. Kutiyattam keeps it alive as stage practice. It shows that Indian heritage moved from region to region: a pan-Indian Sanskrit culture took deep root in a regional, temple-based setting in Kerala.
  • Elite art and social change: for centuries Kutiyattam was caste-bound and temple-bound. It was performed by hereditary families for a limited audience. In the 20th century it opened up through public performances and schools like Kerala Kalamandalam. This is a good example of how traditional arts survive by adapting to new patrons.
  • Protecting intangible heritage: UNESCO's 2001 proclamation came because the art was close to dying out, as temple patronage fell and few artists were left. It can be used in answers on how state support, institutions and international recognition help save living traditions, as against monuments only.

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