Heritage Experiential Programs

Turn ‘I saw it’ into ‘I did it’ with the Cultural Heritage Experiential Programs. Live the art and carry the story home.

Day with the Masters

What if there were a place where art is the very air one breathes, and the Gurukula, the traditional residential schooling system, is simply life itself? Welcome to Kerala Kalamandalam, where classrooms have no desks or benches, where lessons are etched into muscle memory through movement, and where knowledge passes from guru to disciple through a tradition of devoted learning. Day with the Masters is your invitation to step into this living tradition. As you walk 1.5 km through the Vallathol Nagar campus for over 2.5 hours, you enter not a place to be toured but a way of life that asks to be mindfully experienced.

What You Will Experience

Warm welcome:

Begin at the Visitor Facilitation Centre, where a welcome drink will be offered as a refreshment. As you settle in, a brief presentation will introduce you to the century long journey of Kerala Kalamandalam, an opening to the experience ahead.

Personalized Guidance:

Guided by a storyteller well-versed in Kalamandalam's history, you will move through kalaris(classrooms) that are old and new among students dressed in traditional mundus and sarees, a setting that recalls a slower world before the digital age.

Inside the Kalari:

Witness the world of performance Kalaris, where, instead of whiteboards or presentation slides, students learn through movement, guided by the attentive gaze of their guru, embodying the art form until it becomes second nature.

The Art of Theatrical MakeUp:

Watch as students master the alchemy of makeup,blending and layering colours with care, bringing to life divine and demonic characters through intricate facial art.

Mastering of Percussions:

From the first strikes on stone to the reson1nt rhythms of chenda and maddalam, watch how students—young and seasoned—master percussion that becomes the breathing pulse of every performance.

Kerala's Opera House:

Enter the Koothambalam, a living relic of traditional theatre architecture, usually seen only in temples. If you are fortunate, you may catch a live performance, a rare opportunity to witness the classical arts in motion in its finest setting.

Add-on Experiences:

For those curious to experience further, book a lecture demonstration staged in the Koothambalam, with or without makeup, for a detailed look into the nuances of the art form. If you wish to extend your journey into the afternoon, request a visit to the Nila Campus, the scenic old campus and the Vallathol Museum.

Note: For guests with mobility concerns, buggy cars are available in Vallathol Nagar Campus and can accommodate up to 9 passengers.
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