Aattakatha is a

literary genre A literary genre is a category of literature. Genres may be determined by List of narrative techniques, literary technique, Tone (literature), tone, Media (communication), content, or length (especially for fiction). They generally move from mor ...

Malayalam language Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry ( Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam wa ...

consisting of the

libretto A libretto (From the Italian word , ) is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to th ...

used for the Indian classical dance drama '' kathakali''. The word ''aatta-katha'' literally means "story for dancing and acting" (''atu'' "to sway" + ''kathā'' "story"). The narrative framework of ''aattakatha'' consists quatrains in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

metres where the diction also is heavily

Sanskritised Sanskritisation (or Sanskritization) is a term in sociology which refers to the process by which castes or tribes placed lower in the caste hierarchy seek upward mobility by emulating the rituals and practices of the dominant castes or upper c ...

; the dialogue part, however, is made up of ''padas'', which can be set to ''raga'' (tune) and ''tala'' (rhythm) and have to be rendered by means of gestures and body movements by the actors while being sung by musicians from behind. The origins of ''aattakatha'' literature dates back to the 12th century and it emerged as a literary genre in the 17th century. The earliest of the ''aattakatha''s is believed to be a cycle of eight ''

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

'' stories (collectively known as '' Ramanattam''), composed by Kottarakkara Tampuran and about whose date there is an ongoing controversy. Next in importance are the works of Kottayathu Tampuran whose period is about the middle of the seventeenth century. Since the four ''aattakatha''s he wrote '' Bakavadham, Kalyanasaugandhikam, Kirmeeravadham'' and '' Kalakeyavadham'' punctiliously conform to the strict rules of ''kathakali'', they are particularly favoured by orthodox artistes and their patrons. Another poet of this category is

Irayimman Thampi Iravivarman Thampi, better known as Irayimman Thampi (1782–1856), was an Indian Carnatic musician, music composer and poet from the Kingdom of Travancore. He was a vocalist in the court of Swathi Thirunal. His compositions include the lullab ...

(1783-1863). Unnayi Variyar’s '' Nalacharitham Aattakatha'' is one of the most famous works in this genre. While Kathakali plays in their original form were designed to be performed over an entire night, over the years, they are performed in highly edited forms; often, only sections of the Aattakatha are performed, with non textual improvisations added.

List of Attakathas

Over the years, a large number of Attakathas have been penned. A list of some popular attakathas is given below: * Seethaswayamvaram *Balivadham * Thoranayudham * Kirmeeravadham * Bakavadham * Kalyanasaugandhikam * Kalakeyavadham * Keechakavadham * Uttaraswayamvaram * Dakshayagam * Narakasuravadham *Poothanamoksham * Banayudham *Kamsavadham * Balivijayam *Ravanavijayam * Ravanolbhavam * Nalacharitham *Rugmangadacharitham * Santhanagopalam * Subhadraharanam *Ambareeshacharitham *Karthyaveerarjunavijayam *Kiratham *Duryodhanavadham *Rajasooyam *Rugmineeswayamvaram *Lavanasuravadham * Karnasapatham * Kuchelavrittam

References

* Vellinezhi Achuthankutty (2013), Kathakalppadangal, Thiranottam

List of Attakathas

References

Further reading