Kathakali is one of the eight classical dance forms recognised in India. It comes from Kerala and is performed in Malayalam-language form. The word combines katha (story) and kali (play, or art). Kathakali takes stories — most often from the Mahabharata, Ramayana, and Puranas — and performs them with no spoken dialogue. The narrative is conveyed entirely through codified gesture, music and facial expression.
The history
The form took shape in the 17th century, drawing from older Kerala performance traditions — Krishnanattam (a Vaishnava form), Ramanattam (a form developed in the 17th century by the ruler of Kottarakkara), and even older temple ritual traditions like Kutiyattam, which is itself a UNESCO-recognised classical form. The current shape of Kathakali stabilised over the 17th and 18th centuries with the patronage of Kerala's regional courts, including those of Vettathunadu, Kottakkal and Travancore.
The poet Unnayi Warrier's Nala Charitam, composed in the early 18th century, is considered the high-water mark of Kathakali literature and is still performed across four nights.
The makeup
Kathakali is identified worldwide by its makeup. The application takes several hours, performed by the actor and a specialised makeup artist working together. The faces are characterised by five main types:
- Pacha (green) — for noble, divine, or virtuous characters such as Rama, Krishna, Arjuna and the major Pandavas
- Kathi (knife) — for arrogant or evil-but-noble characters such as Ravana and Duryodhana; the face has green background with red knife-shaped markings
- Thadi (beard) — sub-divided into white (gentle, like Hanuman), red (fierce, like Dushasana) and black (forest-dwelling characters)
- Kari (black) — for forest demons and certain female characters
- Minukku (gentle) — for sages, brahmins, and female characters; minimal yellow-pink makeup
The white border around the face, called chutti, is made by stacking thin strips of rice paste paper around the jaw. It can extend three to four inches from the face.
The eyes
Eye discipline is central to Kathakali. Performers train for years to control their eye muscles independently — each eye moving separately, eyes moving in circles, eyes following the hand movements without head motion. To enhance the visual effect, a small seed of the chundappoo plant (Solanum pseudocapsicum) is placed under each lower eyelid before performance. The seed irritates the eye slightly, turning the whites red and increasing tear production, which makes the eyes appear larger and more expressive against the green makeup.
The nine basic emotions — the navarasa — are practised as facial expressions:
- Shringara — love
- Hasya — humour
- Karuna — sorrow
- Raudra — anger
- Veera — valour
- Bhayanaka — fear
- Bibhatsa — disgust
- Adbhuta — wonder
- Shanta — peace
The navarasa derive from the Natya Shastra, the foundational Sanskrit treatise on performance, composed sometime between the 2nd century BCE and the 2nd century CE.
The mudras
Kathakali uses 24 basic hand gestures called mudras. Combined in different ways, these gestures form a vocabulary of over five hundred words and concepts. The mudra pataka (flat hand) by itself signifies one set of things; combined with tripataka, a different set. Performers learn the gestures over years and use them to enact entire passages from the source texts without speaking.
The text Hastalakshana Deepika, attributed to the medieval period, is one of the manuals from which Kathakali draws its gesture vocabulary.
The music and the performance
A traditional Kathakali performance lasts the whole night. It is performed outdoors, in the open air of a temple courtyard or village ground, lit traditionally by a single tall brass oil lamp at the front of the performance space. The musical accompaniment includes vocalists (who sing the text in Sanskritised Malayalam), the chenda (a long cylindrical drum), the maddalam (a barrel-shaped drum), and the chengila (a small gong).
How the Anahat Netra design represents it
The Anahat Netra t-shirt features the expressive eyes of a Kathakali performer. The composition focuses on the chutti border, the green makeup of the pacha character type, and the trained eye that gives the form its name. It is part of Anahat's Originals collection.
Wear Netra
Kathakali on premium organic cotton. Designed in India by Anahat.
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FAQ
What is Kathakali?
A classical dance-drama form from Kerala. The word combines katha (story) and kali (play). It performs stories from the Indian epics without spoken dialogue.
What are the makeup types?
Pacha (green, for noble characters), Kathi (green with red, for arrogant villains), Thadi (bearded — white, red or black), Kari (black, for forest demons) and Minukku (gentle, for sages and women).
What is chutti?
The white border around the jaw of a Kathakali character, made by stacking strips of rice-paste paper. It is applied by a specialist before performance.
What is the navarasa?
The nine basic emotions enumerated in the Natya Shastra: love, humour, sorrow, anger, valour, fear, disgust, wonder and peace. Kathakali performers train to express each on the face.
What does the Netra design depict?
The Anahat Netra t-shirt features the eye region of a Kathakali performer, with the chutti border and green pacha makeup. It is part of Anahat's Originals collection.