Kochi: Kerala Kalamandalam, a major centre for learning Indian performing arts, has opened a centre at Fort Kochi which was ranked as ninth among the National Geographic’s top tourist destinations.
The centre will draw more tourists to Fort Kochi which is rich in heritage and culture.
The centre is likely to cater to tourists keen to explore the cultural heritage and nuances of Kerala’s performing arts.
The centre will help the tourists from not taking the pains to travel to Cheruthuruthi in Thrissur to learn about the traditional art of the country.
The new centre is expected to guide tourists to understand the Indian myths through elaborate aesthetics, intricate hand gestures, vibrant colours and rhythmic foot work. To facilitate this, regular performances are planned, including the staging of abridged versions of popular kathakali plays.
A grand three-day festival will be held at the centre from November 1. The arts and culture institution is also mulling appointing faculty members and maintaining an office at the Fort Kochi centre to provide training to local students and tend to administrative tasks. The classes will be conducted during weekends and evening hours.
The inception of Kalamandalam gave a second life to three major classical performing arts of Kerala, bringing out Kathakali, Kutiyattam and Mohiniyattam from a state of near-extinction in the early 20th century.
In 1927, legendary poet Vallathol Narayana Menon and art-promoter Mukunda Raja came forward and formed a society called Kerala Kalamandalam. They solicited donations from the public and conducted a lottery in order to raise funds for this society.
Kerala Kalamandalam was inaugurated in November 1930 at Kakkad house in Kunnamkulam, and was, six months later shifted to Ambalapuram near Mulakunnathukavu before eventually moved onto the village of Cheruthuruthy, just south of Shoranur, on the banks of river Bharathapuzha in 1936. The Maharaja of Cochin donated the land and a building. Subsequently, a dance department was started to revive Mohiniyattam.
Kalamandalam in Fort Kochi
