Kalamezhuthu

The second phase of Kalamezhuthu started at Kerala Lalithakala Academy, Thrissur on 9^th November 2010. This is an attempt to search the roots of the pictorial art of Kerala. The first phase was a 17-day program, during July-Aug 2010. The second phase is a 27 day programme ending on 6^th December 2010.

For details about the programme schedule, contact Voice Of thrissur- voiceofthrissur@gmail.com

About Kalamezhuthu

Pictorial designs, is the inheritance of humanity from ancient times. All over the world, it first appeared on floors, and on walls of human dwellings. In India, it has existed as part of ritualistic life in Hindu households. Kolam in Tamilnadu, rangoli in Northern India, other forms in different parts of India, are intimately connected with women and their domestic routine. In Kerala, it is in the form of pookkalam, made of flowers during Onam season. A different kind of drawing on the floor, Kalamezhuthu is associated with sacred groves.

Origin of Kalamezhuthu

Kalamezheuthu is a temple-centered ritual, tribal in origin, Dravidian in spirit, tampered with or enhanced by changing times and influences.Naga kalam, Bhagavathy kalam, and kalams dedicated to gods like Vetekaran, Ayyappan etc, trace their origins to groves. This pictorial art, with its inseparable rituals, takes a discerning reader to the roots of the aesthetic sensibilities of cultural Kerala. Kalam progresses through three steps; kalamezhuthu, drawing of the picture, kalam paattu, singing the myth to the accompaniment of instruments, and kalam thullal, enactment of the myth in stylized performance. And it has three aspects - aesthetic, religious, and social.

The Art of Kalamezhuthu


Kalams are combinations of two-dimensional and three dimensional designs drawn on the floor using fine powder culled from nature. The drawing of a kalam starts with a ritual in a space near the temple or the grove. Timed by rituals, it is completed within a specific time. The picture takes shape from a central line. Primary colors, black, white, green, yellow and red are used and drawing is done with hands. The art of shading especially the background, gives a velvet touch. And the border done in circles and squares, in lines and dots, using colors in certain combinations are not just for decoration. Permutations and combinations are used for foregrounding, or to create illusions. The influence of the tantric must be a later addition. The figures drawn come alive when the eyes of the central figures are opened, again at a particular time marked by ritual. And lighted oil lamps around, make the kalam a sacred space where rituals known as thiri uzhichil is a form of worship.