ORIGIN OF KATHAKALI

Kathakali is the most famous art form of Kerala; the God’s own country. Scholars differ as to the origin of this art. Prince of Kottarakkara is widely believed to be the originator of Kathakali. He wrote plays drawing upon the epics of India, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. He wrote them in Malayalam as the language existed in the 17th century. As Malayalam had not freed itself completely from Sanskrit, only a small section of the people was able to appreciate the art form. However, even those who did not know much Sanskrit were able to watch and enjoy this dance-drama.
There is an interesting story about the origin of Kathakali. It is said that the prince of Kottarakkara, having heard much about a form of play that flourished in Kozhikode, in the Malabar region of Kerala, invited the Zamorin to his place in the south of Kerala and perform. The art form was called ‘Krishnanattam’. It was the first dance-drama of Kerala. It was Manveda Samoothiri of Kozhikode who gave a definite shape to the art form. Samoothiri rejected the invitation of the prince of Kottarakkara saying that no body in the south could appreciate the dance-drama. Having felt humiliated the prince of Kottarakkara developed another form of dance drama called ‘Ramanattam’. The stories for Ramanattam’ were taken from the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The prince borrowed appropriate elements from the various art forms of Kerala such as ‘Kooth’, ‘Koodiyattam’, ‘thira’, ‘theyyam’, ’mudiyettu’. The influence of ‘Kachakettu’ and ‘Kalaripayattu’ can also be seen in Kathakali.
A group of actors under the leadership of the prince of Kottarakkara staged this new dance drama at palaces, temples and once in a while at villages also. At times it was also staged at the houses of rich people. Ramanattam evolved over the years slowly and gradually and assumed the shape in which it is staged today.