Kalakeyavadham (The Slaying of Kalakeya) is a

Kathakali ''Kathakali'' (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: Kathakaḷi ) is a traditional form of Indian Classical Dance, and one of the most complex forms of Theatre of India, Indian theatre. It is a play of verses. These vers ...

play ( Aattakatha) written by Kottayam Thampuran (also known as Kottayathu Thampuran) in

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

.Based on the Mahabharatha, the play describes the events surrounding the

Pandava The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, aɳɖɐʋᵊ IAST: Pāṇḍava) is a group name referring to the five legendary brothers, Yudhishtira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva, who are central figures of the Hindu epic ''Mahabhara ...

prince

Arjuna Arjuna (, , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, �ɾd͡ʒun̪ə is one of the central characters of the ancient Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He is the third of the five Pandava brothers, and is widely regarded as the most important and renowned among them. ...

's visit to his father

Indra Indra (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes Indra is the m ...

's abode, paradise. The role of Arjuna is considered a challenge for any Kathakali actor. The four plays of Kottayam Thampuran, namely,

Kirmeeravadham Kirmeeravadham (The Slaying of Kirmeera) is a Kathakali play (Aattakatha (performance), Aattakatha) written by Kottayam Thampuran (also known as Kottayathu Thampuran) in Malayalam. Based on the Mahabharatha, the story concerns itself with events ...

, Bakavadham,

Kalyanasaugandhikam {{Use Indian English, date=December 2019 Kalyanasaugandhikam is a Kathakali play ( ''aattakatha'') attributed to Kottayathu Thampuran. Based on the Mahabharatha, the play narrates an episode from the life of the Pandava princes in exile. Bheema se ...

and Kalakeyavadham, are considered very important in the Kathakali repertoire and are a combination of conventional structure ('chitta') with intermittent possibilities for improvisation ('manodharma')."Touchstone of artistic expression" from ''The Hindu'', 2 February 2012
/ref>

References

{{reflist Kathakali Indian plays Malayalam-language literature