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Kerala Kalamandalam (Malayalam ???? ?????????) is a major centre for learning Indian performing arts, especially those that developed in the southern state of Kerala. It is situated in the village of Cheruthuruthy in Thrissur District on the banks of the Bharathapuzha river. The institution, now a deemed university, was founded in 1930 by poet Vallathol Narayana Menon and Manakkulam Mukunda Raja. Kalamandalam imparts training in classical dance and theatre forms like Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, Kudiyattam, Thullal, Kuchipudi, Bharatanatyam, and Nangiar Koothu, besides the traditional orchestra called Panchavadyam. Training is also given in various percussion instruments like chenda, maddalam and mizhavu. Kalamandalam follows the gurukula sampradayam, the ancient Indian education system based on residential tutelage. Kalamandalam was conceived to provide training to its students in the Gurukula Sampradaya, an ancient tradition of residential schooling where students stayed with the teachers, sharing the same atmosphere and learning from them the nuances of the arts. Eminent masters were brought to Kalamandalam. Training sessions, which started in the morning, extended till late in the night. The inception of Kalamandalam gave a second life to three major classical performing arts of Kerala, as Kathakali, Kudiyattam and Mohiniyattam were, by the turn of 20th century, facing the threat of extinction under various regulations of the colonial authorities. [1] It was at this juncture, in 1927, that Vallathol Narayana Menon and 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.[2]Kerala Kalamandalam was inaugurated in November 1930 at Kunnamkulam, and was later shifted to the village of Cheruthuruthy, just south of Shoranur in 1933.The Maharaja of Cochin donated land and a building. Subsequently, a dance department was started to revive Mohiniyattom.[3] Kerala Kalamandalam has been functioning as a grant-in-aid institution under the Cultural Affairs Department, Government of Kerala. For special Projects, the Department of Culture, Government of India, and the Sangeet Natak Akademy, New Delhi, have been extending financial support. For the preservation and promotion of Koodiyattam, UNESCO has sanctioned substantial financial assistance to Kalamandalam in 2004. The South Zone Cultural Center, Thanjavur, has, for years, been extending financial assistance to Kalamandalam for conducting dance & music festival in this campus. Among the classical arts that Kalamandalam provides training in, Kathakali is possibly the most popular across the world. The institution's history has been marked by the services of several Kathakali masters like Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon, Padma Shri Vazhenkada Kunchu Nair, Padma Bhushan Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair, Kalamandalam Padmanabhan Nair, Padma Shri Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair, Kalamandalam Gopi, Kalamandalam Vasu Pisharody and Vazhenkada Vijayan among others in the Kalluvazhi style. Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair, arguably the greatest-ever Kathakali artiste, and Dr Guru Gopinath have been among the early-day students at the institute. Notable among the southerners who have served the Kalamandalam are Guru Kunchu Kurup, Madavoor Vasudevan Nair, Mankompu Sivasankara Pillai and Kalamandalam Rajasekharan. The noted tutors (of northern school) at present include Kalamandalam Balasubramanian and Krishnakumar.Vallathol Narayana Menon invited legendary Guru, authority of Rasa-abhinaya and Kutiyattam, Natyacharya Mani Madhava Chakyar as the master trainer for Rasa-abhinaya and Netrabhinaya to the Kathakali students. The institution honours noted performers with awards. Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavatar was the first recipient of its Suvarna Mudra (gold medal) and Guru Mani Madhava Chakyar was the recipient of the first Fellowship. The institution also gives away the annual Kalamandalam award.
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