News: UNESCO recognition of Indian ritual theatres—Kutiyattam, Mudiyettu, Ramman, and Ramlila—highlights their Intangible Cultural Heritage status and the need for sustained safeguarding and transmission.
About Traditional Ritual Theatres of India
- UNESCO has inscribed four significant ritual theatre forms from India on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity: Kutiyattam, Mudiyettu, Ramman, and Ramlila.
Kutiyattam
- It is one of India’s oldest surviving theatrical traditions, dating back over 2,000 years, from Kerala.
- It blends Sanskrit classicism with Kerala’s local traditions.
- It uses a codified language of eye expressions (neta abhinaya) and hand gestures (hasta abhinaya) to explore a character’s emotions and thoughts.
- Performers undergo 10–15 years of rigorous training to master techniques such as breath control and subtle muscle movements.
- Traditionally staged in temple theatres (kuttampalams).
Mudiyettu
- Mudiyettu is a ritual dance-drama of Kerala depicting the mythological battle between Goddess Kali and the demon Darika.
- Performed annually in Bhagavati kavus after the harvest.
- It begins with purification rituals and the drawing of a sacred kalam of Kali.
- Performed in Bhagavati kavus (temple precincts), preceded by kalamezhuthu (ritual drawing of the goddess’s image) and invocation ceremonies.
Ramman
- It is an annual religious festival celebrated in late April in the twin villages of Saloor-Dungra, Uttarakhand, in honour of the local deity Bhumiyal Devta.
- It features complex rituals, recitations of the Ramayana, songs, and masked dances, with each caste and groupplaying distinct roles.
- Instruments used: Dhol (a type of drum), Damau (smaller percussion drum), Manjira (small hand cymbals), Jhanjhar (larger cymbals), Bhankora (a kind of trumpet)
Ramlila
- It is widely performed across northern India.
- It dramatizes the life of Lord Rama.
- The performances are largely based on the Ramcharitmanas—a sixteenth-century devotional text composed by Tulsidas in Hindi.
