Explore the Campus

Past the gates of Kerala Kalamandalam, its soul unfolds through its diverse spaces. The Kalari, the Kuttampalam, the museum, and the library — each one meant to be experienced through footsteps with a gaze.

Kalari

Unlike modern classrooms shaped by blackboards and presentations, the Kalari is a space of total immersion where the body, mind, and spirit are sculpted in unison to remember art. To step into a Kalari is to witness the making of an artist and the passing of a tradition. Through head-to-toe oil massages, exacting physical routines, and immersive lessons in movement and mythology, the student is gradually shaped into a vessel of grace and precision. Here, the bond between guru and shishya(teacher and disciple) runs deeper than knowledge sustained by trust, surrender, and years of devoted practice.

Kuttampalam

(Koothambalam)

At the heart of the Vallathol Nagar campus stands the Kuttampalam, modelled on the sacred theatres once seen only in Kerala’s temple courtyards, where art forms like Kutiyattam, Kuttu, and Nangiar Kuttu came to life. It was built in response to a long-felt need for a stage that could hold the grandeur, scale, and precision of the classical performances taught at Kalamandalam. While its architecture honours the past, the Kuttampalam has been carefully adapted to meet the evolving needs of light, sound, and audience. It remains unchanged in its purpose to hold space for stories and performances that stretch across time.

Vallathol Museum

A short 350-meter walk from the Nila Campus leads to a quiet home filled with memory. This was once Vallathol’s, where he lived when a dream called Kerala Kalamandalam was taking shape. Today, it opens its doors as a museum entrusted to Kalamandalam after being acquired by the government and lovingly restored. Yet, it still feels like a lived-in past. Shelves hold his manuscripts and letters. His Padma Bhushan citation rests in a glass case beside mementoes, and photographs line the walls. Together, they speak of the man who was not just a poet but a husband, a father, and a dreamer who believed that art must belong to the people.

Library

Inside the Vallathol Nagar campus stands the Kalamandalam Library, the intellectual heart of the institution. Within its 33,000 titles lie the layered histories of performance, philosophy, music, and the cultural imagination of Kerala and beyond. Its shelves hold the prized collections of scholars like L.S. Rajagopal and D. Appukuttan Nair. Elsewhere, brittle palm-leaf manuscripts preserve temple lore and fragments of ancient verse. Beyond the printed word, the library houses audio and video archives, including rare 16MM film footage that bears witness to the lives and legacies of legendary performers. A dedicated periodical section keeps pace with the present, offering journals and magazines from the ever-evolving world of art and culture.

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