From: paulchem@tigger.cs.Colorado.EDU (Icarus)
Subject: Introduction to Kathakali  -- Icarus.
Organization: The Net-Anarchists of SCI, Inc.
              Flaming Homer Division.
Date: Mon, 31 Aug 1992 22:09:17 GMT

1] Another excerpt from a learned treatise.
   This time its about that esoteric dance form called Kathakali.
   Direct any comments to paulchem@tigger.cs.colorado.edu

2] ObCleverComment:

   I did detect several descriptions of my character in the book, 
   particularly in the character type: The Pacca. 
   To wit: 
   "These are the heroic, kingly, and divine types, those who
   wear the kesabhara kiritam, the jewelled crown."
   How did they know about me so far ago ? :-)
   
3] So:

As a drama form it stands out historically in a similar relationship
to its predeccessor as does Kabuki to the earlier form of Noh drama in Japan.

Dating from the end of the 16th century with a writen literary form from
the 17th century, Kathakali has its roots in much older forms. It is signi-
ficantly linked to Kutiyattam, the only surviving traditional form for 
presenting Sanskrit drama extant in India today. Kathakali is the 
historically later, more popular dramatic form and Kutiyattam the earlier, 
more rigidly classical. The living theater tradition of Kutiyattam is atleast
as old as the 10th century; many scholars maintain its earlier root form
to be as early as the 5th to 2nd century a.d. on the basis of a reference
to a Cakyar actor in the ancient Tamil story, Silappadikaram.
The Cakyars indeed are te hereditary actors of kutiyattam Sanslrit
drama today.

Other aspects of antiquity are revealed in the structural continuity
of the two traditions. Both Kutiyattam and Kathakali, in staging,
techniques, and conventions are in close agreement with ancient Indian drama 
theory. In the Sanskrit treatises on dramaturgy, especially the Bharata
Natyasastra, are found in a surprising number of specific instances where
the present traditions of Kathakali and Kutiyattam are either in agreement,
or show a specific development of the concepts laid down in those ancient 
works. A stunning example is the survival into the present of a classical 
theatre architecture tradition for Kutiyattam in the temples of Kerala
which unquestionably demonstrates the theory of the silpa shastras on
theatre construction. A later medieval text the Hastalaksanadipika, is
the acknowledged handbook on the mudra, or gesture, for both Kutiyattam
and Kathakali.


The costume and makeup.
-----------------------

One of the most mystifying and bizarre features of the Kathakali performance
to those who see it for the first time, is the apparent similarity of many
characters in dress and makeup.
They seem strangely abstract creatures with bright green or golden or striped
red, white and black faces, with black painted wings for eyes and on some even
false white fangs and a matte white mushroom for a nose. The makeup of 
kathakali is indeed  mystifying to the uninitiated. There is no particular
preoccupation with realism, though many characters especially women and sages
and servants are more nearly naturalistic in conception. The great characters
of Kathakali, the demons and heroes of ancient epic literature are the most
abstract. All characters fall into the basic stylistic categories known as
pacca, katti, tati, kari, teppu and the minukku. Know them and their types
and you will know the characters and their psychological temperaments in the
drama. There are numerous variations to be sure, but a classic typology
governs them all.

The Pacca.
----------

These are the heroic, kingly and divine types, those who wear the kesabhara
kiritam, the jewelled crown. A subcategory is called muti, those who wear
a sparkling case-shaped silver crown topped with a crclwet fringe of peacock
feather tips. To this latter category belong the incarnations of the God
Vishnu, such as Rama or Krishna. Both of these categories are distinguished
by and have in common a glittering bright green painted face with velvet
black brows and eyes and a red-orange matte mouth. On the forehead is a namam
a stylized sacred mark of Visnu. They wear also the characteristic basic 
cutti, the elaborate white paste and paper frame, extending from the cheekbone
from both sides of the jaw, descending in a curve to join at the apex of 
the chin.

Similar to the pacca in makeup pattern and costume is the rare division 
called pazhappu. Where the pacca makeup base is green, the pazhuppu is a
light orange-gold. The basic colors of the costume are blue and red; the 
ornaments and crown(kiritam) are the same. Characters such as Brahma, Siva, and
Balabhadra appear in this special makeup.

The Katti.
----------

This is a class of personality type generally
demonic in nature but with some noble characteristics.
Examples of this type are Duryodhana and the demon King Ravana,
ill-starred villains ultimately defeated by their
uncontrollable desire and egotism. Their faces are basically
the green of the pacca with the same basic painting of the
eyes and a similar cutti. A red and white stylized mustache extends from
cheek to cheek. The red and white pattern is carried over the nose, between
the eyes and spreads out opon the forehead in a knife-shaped pattern over each
eyebrow. From this pattern comes the name katti, which means knife.

A white knob is attached to the nose as a final abstract touch.
This charactre type usually wears the identical costume and crown of the 
royal heroic type: pacca, hence the importance of understanding the covention 
and distinctions of character typology.



The Tati.
--------

The term Tati means bearded. There are three types in this class.
One is the red bearded or cukannakatatti, the demonic, unregenerate
evil anti-hero. This sub-class has variations 
such as the characters of Vali, and sugriva who are on the contrary good
but egocentric and belong to the lesser world of man-animals.
The classic cukannatatti is readily recognized not only by his red beard
but by his towering oversized crown. His upper face is black, the lower jaw 
is red, his huge mustache curves upto his ears, and he has an oversized
doorknob like false nose. His whole character is gross, exaggerated, crude,
menacing, and sometimes slightly comical.


The Kari.
---------

This is the black-type for demonesses such as Surpanakha in the ramayana.
When a lalita character changes back to her horrific form, this is the
costume designated. The basic colors are red, balck and white.
A bucket-shaped headress, wider at the top, in black, white, silver, and
fringed with pea-cock feathers, is a distinctive feature of the costume. 
Comic false breasts and false fangs are worn and a pathetic feminine touch
added in the shape of a red and white apron. Katuttatatti is a related
male costume for hunters sucha as Kattalan, the disguise of shiva in the 
story of the kirittam. The same headdress is worn as for the kari character.

The lower garment is blue or black and the rest of the details are black and
red. This character wears a black beard and a white daisy on the end of his
nose. Both the kari and katuttatatti are meant to be comical, satirical
and grotesque.


All of these characters have their inspiration and counterpart
in the medieval art tradition carved and painted in the
tapestry like profusion in the major temples in every part of 
Kerala. They are all visual characterizations well known to people
from childhood.

Underlying all these classifications are the permutations of the
psychological qualities embodied in the quasi-scientific philosophical
system of the gunas the ancient triple division of all reality into
sattva or balanced pure-divine;
rajas active, dynamic, irrascible; and tamas, inert, impure, base.

The coors symbolism of the triad is traditionally white,
red and black. Add to this the manipulation of green, yellow and blue
with their permutations, and the evolution of the symbolic
makeup and the costume of Kathakali, becomes more comprehensible.


Besides the specific color reference to the greater scheme of characterization,
identification, and psychological amplification, there is the additional aspect
of alankara or ornamentation simply for the sake of beutification and opulence,
whic is another axiom  of Indian art generally. the costumes are all ultimately
heightened stylizations of jewelry and costume of antiquity as developed from medieval Kerala motifs. The preoccupation with details of embellishment perhaps
reaches its pinnacle with the addition of the vegetable seed called Kuntapuvvu,
which inflames the whites of the eyes in a range of colors from rose for 
heroes and heroines in love, to sparkling ruby red for the roles of fabulous 
demons.
   
  



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.    ~ ~                                                                     .
.    o o      signito ergo sum.              paul chemmanoor.                .
.     |    i sign therefore i am.            Computer Science department.    .
.     =                                      Univ. of Colorado, Boulder.     .
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