Kathakali Dance

“Then come the lights shining on you from above. You are a performer. You forget all you learned, the process of technique, the fear, the pain, you even forget who you are, you become one with the music, the lights, indeed one with the dance.” This wonderful quote by Shirley Maclaine raced through my mind while treating my senses with the mesmerizing Kathakali dance performance in Kerala. Elated, I was dancing too, but in my heart.

Kerala is popularly known as God’s Own Country. I would like to add something to it: Kerala is God’s Own Country and its dancers are God’s Own Artists. How beautifully these artists express human emotions such as laughter, tears, madness, fears, hopes, faith, anger and happiness through dance.

After exploring the fascinating beaches of Kerala, I reached the Cochin Cultural Center to see the famous classical dance form of South India, Kathakali. This dance drama originated in South India in the 16th century and there are more than 100 classical stories which are the themes of this dance form. Initially Kathakali was performed only in the temples and palaces. However now it is performed on several celebrations and for tourism purposes also. For enjoying the dance to its fullest I asked the guide about the story of the dance in advance.

From graceful dance movements to fabulous facial expressions, eye movements, colorful and unique costumes and heavy make-up, everything about this dance form is captivating. I simply loved their colorful and bright make-up. The guide told me that the artists spend more than 2 hours to apply such a make-up. What a challenging task! Here the dancers still use herbal and home-made cosmetics for make-up. I think it would be apt to say that the dancers paint their faces in a creative way. And it is done according to the role of the character. Each character was powerfully depicted, from protagonist to the villain. There is also a difference in the make-up of the positive characters and negative ones.
The show was divided into three parts: dancers perform prayer, English narration of the story and finally the drama. It lasted for an hour and I know that its memories will last forever. I had never seen such a fantastic dance performance.

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“Architecture is a continuing dialogue between generations which creates an environment across time” is a quote by Vincent Scully which sits smug on the culturally rich city, Madurai. Among the temples that I have visited in South India, the Sri Meenakshi temple of Madurai has the most intense and striking atmosphere. It is probably one of the most interesting, exotic and fascinating temples of India, known for its outstanding and impressive architectural beauty.

The enormous temple complex is dedicated to Lord Shiva, known as Sundareshvara and his consort Parvati or Meenakshi that’s why it is called as Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple or Meenakshi Amman Temple. It is known for its supreme architectural wonder showcasing the affluent Dravidian Culture. The temple is built in the lotus shaped city Madurai and the outer towers of the temple are the landmarks of this city. The temple is constructed within a high-walled enclosure, at the centre there are two sanctums, one for Meenakshi and the other for Sundareshwara. It is surrounded by a number of smaller shrines, grand pillared halls and twelve impressive gopurams. There are soaring towers in the temple which are decorated with stucco figures of deities, mythical animals and monsters painted in vivid colours.

The elaborate layout of the temple overwhelmed me. There are many things in the temple that captivated my attention. some of them are the 14 magnificent Gopurams or towers including two golden Gopurams for the main deities that are elaborately sculptured and painted. The average height of these towers are between 45 to 50 meters. The towers are majestically adorned with the stone carvings of Hindu gods and goddesses, painted in brilliant colours.

Ashta Shakthi Mandapam which is located on the eastern entrance of the temple is truly beautiful. This hall derived its name from the eight statues of goddesses that are installed inside. Adjacent to this is the Meenakshi Nayak Mandapam, known for its sculptures on the pillars that portray the story of Lord Shiva’s Thiruvilayadals (miracles) and Meenakshi’s birth. This hall also has a lamp-holder with 1,008 lamps which are lit up during the festive occasions.

Orthamarai Kulam (Golden Lotus Tank) is a scared lake which is located inside the temple premises. On the western side of the lake are the Oonjal (swing) Mandapam and Killikoontu (parrot cage) Mandapam. On every Friday the idols of Meenakshi and Sundareswarar are placed on the swing in the Oonjal Mandapam and mantras are chanted. Lord Sundareswarar’s shrine is situated to the north of Kilikoontu Mandapam. Here Sundareswarar is worshipped in the form of a linga along with his 64 bhootaganas, 32 lions and 8 elephants attendants.

Meenakshi Sundareswarar Temple celebrates at least one festival every month but the most important festival is the Chithirai Brahamostavam Festival or Meenakshi Thirukalyanam (The divine marriage of Goddess Meenakshi and Lord Sundareswarar) which is celebrated in the month of April every year.

After visiting this magnificent temple I realised that this place is also the storehouse of Dravidian knowledge and culture. Inscriptions, sculptures, paintings and architectures are delicately interwoven with religious fervour which glorifies this historical marvel throughout the world and provides it an eminent place in India.

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