Kutiyattam: A Thousand Years of Sanskrit Theatre

Kutiyattam (“Performing Together”) is the sole surviving form of traditional Sanskrit theatre in India. A UNESCO-inscribed Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, it has been preserved over a thousand years in the state of Kerala – forming an ornate blend of performance, costume, and rhythm. 

The Nepathya Centre for Excellence is one of Kerala’s foremost academies for training in Kutiyattam, led by Margi Madhu Chakyar. Their master practitioners have worked tirelessly to shower this traditional art with much-needed global exposure and appreciation. 

The Nepathya Ensemble will perform “The Auspicious Flower” (Kalyana Saugandhikam), which adapts a tale from the Indian epic Mahabharata, of how the mighty hero Bhima met the divine monkey Hanuman. Kutiyattam uses a traditional body language created through deliberate dance, intricate facial expression, elaborate costumes, and trance-inducing percussion.

This program is presented by UBC Asian Studies and the Indian Classical Music Society of Vancouver (ICMSV). It is supported, in part, through funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.