Abstract
"Kūṭiyāṭṭam, India's only living traditional Sanskrit theatre, has been continually performed in Kerala for at least a thousand years. The actors and drummers create an entire world in the empty space of the stage by using spectacular costumes and make-up and by an immensely rich interplay of words, rhythms, mime, and gestures. This volume focuses on Mantrāṅkam and Aṅgulīyāṅkam, the two great masterpieces of Kūṭiyāṭṭam. It provides fundamental general remarks and relates them to pan-Indian reflections on aesthetics, philology, ritual studies, and history. Authored by scholars and active Kūṭiyāṭṭam performers, this is the first attempt to bring together a set of sustained, multi-faceted interpretations of these masterpieces-in-performance. With an aim to open up this ancient art form to readers interested in South Indian culture, religion, theatre and performance studies, philology, as well as literature, this volume offers a new way to access a major art form of pre-modern and modern Kerala"--Publisher's description.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Place of Publication | New Delhi, India |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press |
| Number of pages | 334 |
| ISBN (Print) | 0199483590, 9780199483594 |
| State | Published - 2019 |
Bibliographical note
"The two performances, Mantrāṅkam (adaptation of the third act of Bhāsa's Pratijñāyaugandharāyaṇa) and Aṅgulīyāṅkam (adaptation of the sixth act of Śaktibhadra's Āścaryacūḍāmaṇi)" -- page [3].Result of a conference held "in Thrissur in January 2015, under the auspices and with the gracious support of the German-Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and Development (GIF grant 1175-198.4/2011, 'Kudiyattam: Living Sanskrit Theater in the Kerala Tradition')"--Page xi.