Kutiyattam is the ancient tradition of Sanskrit drama performed either with multiple actors on-stage or as solo performances. Once considered a dwindling art form, the discovery of second-century palm-leaf manuscripts in the early twentieth century led to the revival of Kutiyattam and more importantly, challenged the long-held assumption that Sanskrit drama was purely a literary form. The emphasis on nethrabhinaya (the use of the eyes in acting) and rasavayu (the use of breath in evoking emotion) form an essential part of a performance, leading to Kutiyattam sometimes being referred to as the ‘theatre of the eyes’. Here, the performer embodies that which is being acted but also entices the spectators to use their own imagination—their own ‘realities’ of the scene—thereby converting them into (passive) performers. Today, Kutiyattam stands as the oldest and only surviving form of traditional Sanskrit theatre in Kerala, India. Training centres continue to expand the horizons of the art-form to beyond regional boundaries, and away from the temple compounds into the cultural public sphere.

In this series, I explore the expressive nature of the art—its use of eyes, hand gestures and facial expressions—with a focus on Kapila Venu’s performance of Chitrangadha Charitham (The tale of Chithrangadha), an adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore’s one-act play Chitra which tells the story of a warrior princess of the Kingdom of Manipur.