A Kerala Kalamandalam, founded in 1930 with the singular vision of preserving Kerala's performance traditions, is a landmark in India’s cultural landscape. What began as a modest dream has grown into a revered institution that, under the Department of Cultural Affairs, Government of Kerala, now stands as a deemed university for art and culture.

With two sprawling campuses - Vallathol Nagar and Nila - Kalamandalam now educates over 600 students across fourteen departments dedicated to Kerala's classical performance traditions. Here, art forms such as Kathakali, Kutiyattam, Mohiniyattam, and Thullal are taught alongside their auxiliary courses in music, percussion, and make-up. Students join as early as fourteen and graduate as postgraduates, trained through the timeless guru-shishya parampara. The institution offers undergraduate, postgraduate, and research programs in the performing arts, along with short-term courses tailored to various learning levels.

Over the decades, Kalamandalam’s legacy has travelled far beyond Kerala’s borders, inspiring global artists and scholars, including Uday Shankar, Peter Brook, Philip Zarrilli, Milena Salvini, and Eugenio Barba, who have walked our corridors in search of a deeper understanding of the arts.