Kerala Kalamandalam, Cheruthuruthy, Kerala.

Kerala Kalamandalam, Cheruthuruthy, Kerala.

Kerala Kalamandalam, deemed a University of Art and Culture by the Government of India, is a major center for learning Indian performing arts, especially those that developed in the Southern states of India, with the special emphasis on Kerala.

It is situated in the small town of Cheruthuruthy in Thrissur.

Kerala Kalamandalam, the cultural repository of Kerala, founded in 1927, by the famous poet Vallathol Narayana Menon to revive the art and dance form of Kerala, which was heralded as Kerala’s first institution to provide training in classical performing arts. The introduction of Kalamandalam gave rebirth to the two classical forms of dancing, Mohiniyattam, and Kathakali, which were slowly loosing importance. It is situated 32 km from Thrissur, on the banks of Bharathapuzha river in Cheruthuruthy. 

The Institution also offers training in other traditional dance forms of Kerala like, The costume room is fascinating; it showcases a stunning assortment of costumes, head-gear, wooden masks and wooden weapons used by the Kathakali and Koodiyattam characters. In close proximity to the old Kalamandalam campus is the Vallathol Museum — a tribute to the founder of this great institution. The Vallathol Samadhi is a peaceful and quiet spot. There is a Portrait Gallery too where master artistes of the past have been rendered beautifully in oil portraits.