Chavittunatakam, the Western-styled Indian Dance Drama – A Legacy of Portuguese in Kerala (BLAC006)
Chavittunatakam, the
Western-styled Indian Dance Drama – a Legacy of Portuguese in Kerala
This fascinating art form Chavittunatakam is almost four centuries old, its stories are mostly from the hoary antiquity of Europe, but its language and idiom are a mixture of centuries old styles of South India, yet this traditional dance-drama gradual path of recovery, at least in some pockets of the State of Kerala, from its long-lost glory and influence. This art form used to wield wide popularity in the coastal villages of central Kerala and is a most eloquent attestation to the joyful synthesis of cultures that took place following the entry of the Portuguese into this part of the world. Chavittunatakam is also an indication of the deep cultural inroads that the first European power could make into the Indian Psyche in a way that was never attempted or achieved by the subsequent western visitors to the subcontinent.
Literally, in the vernacular, Chavittunatakam means ‘foot stamping
drama’ and indicates true nature of this stage art with extremely brisk body
movements and rhythmic foot-stamping with the accompaniment of vigorous drumbeats and quaint styled intoning of story narration, very often in Tamil or old
Malayalam language. The dance-drama used to be presented on enormous stages
measuring 100 feet long, 30 feet wide and 5 to 8 feet high, by a cast of 100 or
so performers, in a performance lasting many days. In contemporary times the
dimensions have come down, not only in the measurements of the stage, but also
in its duration, number of performers and frequency of performances.
The Context and Background
Portuguese explorers landed in Kerala at the close of the 15th
Century, which in turn resulted in a number of socioeconomic changes. As we
look back and assess the impact of this first major contact between the east
and the west Chavittunatakam stands out as one of its lasting cultural monuments.
Along with their ambitions in the spheres of trade and commerce, the Portuguese
were eager to bring their faith and cultural practices to this newfound land.
Chavittunatakam in effect became a very effective tool to bring Catholic faith
to parts of
The Kerala that Portuguese found was rich in religions and faith
practices. They found Islam very active in the region and had not so pleasant
interchanges with them. While they readily dealt with Islam due to their
familiarity with it in their native land, Portuguese were slow to recognize the
native religion of
One of the new challenges the Portuguese missionaries faced in their
early days of the propagation of Catholicism in Kerala, other than the problem
of countering the already existing form of the faith in the form of Thomas
Christians, must have been the rich cultural practices of Hinduism, well
integrated with the faith life and rituals of the religion. The dance drama,
Kathakali, for example, used to educate the aesthetic sensibilities of the
viewer and at the same time catechize the faithful on the myths and fables that
form the foundation of the religious life of the common man, thus fulfilling a
significant role of religious education at the grassroots.
This was a unique challenged the missionaries faced Kerala was
countering this situation effectively. Along with religious education and pious
practices to get the natives well rooted in faith, the ingenuity of the
Portuguese found its best expression in the development of Chavittunatakam,
which served as a most suitable tool of community religious exercise, a supreme
level of aesthetic delight and a highly effective mode of religious catechesis.
The Origins of the art form
No clear recorded accounts of the inception of Chavittunatakam are
available. It is an interesting question, why the Portuguese historians and
Catholic missionaries, who were famous for their historical, make hardly any
mention of the formative influences or clear instances of this art form. But
this is true of a variety of other religious and cultural evolutions of this
phase. In the context of the significant political, economic and religious
tussles of the times these cultural sprouting were, perhaps, not considered to
be worthy of any reference by the scholars of the times. The self-effacing
nature of the missionaries in general could also have been the cause for this.
Sreedhara Menon refers to the role of two Tamil scholars from
‘Chuvatis’ and their authorship
Chavittunatakam scripts or texts were mostly in old Tamil language
(Chanthamil) and they were called “Chuvatikal” or Chuvatis. These were mostly written in 16th and 17th
Centuries and were handed down in the manuscript form. At the arrival of the Portuguese, literary
creations of the land were mostly in Tamil and hence the authors of these Chuvatis also used old Tamil and wrote
them on palm leaves.
In accordance with the scholarship of those times, these Chuvatis
were also considered to be the personal property of the masters or Asans and they would bequeath it to
their brilliant disciples or to the next generation in their own families.
Investigation into the original scripts or later interpolations is rendered
difficult by this mode of transmission of text. Sebina Rafi mentions [2]
50-odd extant Chuvatis of which Karalman Charithram has been the all-time hit. Ghivarghese
Naatakam (Story of
Names of the authors of some early texts seem also in some instances to have been borrowed from catechism books printed by missionaries for distribution (e.g., Chechuthachan = "Servant of Jesus"; Mariathachan = "Servant of Mary"). It is also believed that one of the authors, Cinna Thambi Annavi, to whom Brasijna is attributed, was a European missionary who was fluent in Tamil. Some of the later texts carry reference to Annavi, though this attribution may not be sufficient to establish authorship [3].
In recent times Chavittunatakam texts have been written in mixed
language of Malayalam and Tamil. Though the authorship of earlier texts is not
ascertainable, the recent authors are clearly identifiable.
Chavittunatakam Themes
Chavittunatakam had a Catholic context and a Christian intent and hence its themes were mostly western and Christian. From among the extant Chuvatis and the more recent creations four broad Chavittunatakam themes could easily be discerned, namely, a) Stories of European Princes, b) Bible Stories, c) Hagiographies, and d) Indian and contemporary themes.
The most favorite stage scenes of the Chavittunatakam audience were no doubt the realistic representation of the battle scenes and tales and exploits of the European emperors and kings which were found in the first category of stories. As was mentioned earlier, Karalman Charithram or the history of the Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne used to be so popular that many of the coastal villages until recently there were people with nicknames representing famous personalities in the court of this illustrious French emperor. Nepolian Charitham and Loovial Natakam were also among the famous European History dramas of this genre. While dealing with these themes, more than the valiant exploits of these great men, the emphasis in the music – drama was on their chaste and God-fearing nature and their reliance on the Almighty which rendered them successful amidst the fiery ordeals in life.
The Bible, with its various books and innumerable characters, has been a veritable mine supplying interesting stories for this drama. Daavid Vijayam, Yaakob Naatakam, Tobbias, Istaki Natakam, etc. were quite popular. As is evident from the titles the narratives were mostly from the Old Testament. A few New Testament themes like that of the Magi’s have also been made. More than faithfully following the Biblical accounts in these stories, a lot of creative digressions were resorted to in order to stretch the slender stories to suit the length of the presentation and to whet the aesthetic and narrative appetite of the common folk.
True to the avowed intention of the art form, hagiography or lives
of saints had a pride of place among the plots of Chavittunatakam. Possibly the
most plentiful of the plots of Chavittunatakams were of this category.
In recent times attempts have been made to diversify the themes of
Chavittunatakam by the modern practitioners of the genre. A variety of off the
track plots have been attempted in this vein taking themes from Indian History
and Hindu Puranas. These were all composed in Malayalam and some of the
examples are Akbar, Anarkali, Chandragupthan, Bharatha Yudhathinte Nannhi,
Bahavad Dood, and Swami Ayyappan. But it is pertinent to mention that these
themes have not been well received by the public.
Stage and Costume
The style of stage and costumes were significant determinants in the rendering of Chavatis into the stage play. The stages were erected in the loose sand of the coastal regions using sturdy wooden planks and poles. Under the wooden planks of the platform a layer of tin sheet was laid in order to convert stage into a reverberating drum on which the vigorous foot stamping of the drama would produce thunderous beats to accompany the music and song of the drama.
The earlier Chavittunatakam stages were of considerable length and lesser depth, often measuring 100 or more feet long and about 30 feet deep. The grand presentations like that of Karalman Charithram required quite huge dimension as in certain scenes Karalman and the Turkish emperor Abdu Rahman with their 25 or so vassals and their retinue would come to the stage with their full regalia. Some of the majestic battle scenes would bring to the stage large body of fighting soldiers engaged in real battle. All this required abundant space on stage, and it was readily available with this type of stage design.
The open stage of Chavittunatakam was in the manner of the opera stages of the West, but it combined certain other elements of the Kathkali stage. On one side the traditional brass lamp, nilavilakku used to be kept along with a cross where the master, ‘Annavi’ or ‘Aasan’ would take his position throughout the play. A back curtain would separate the acting area from the make-up quarter and a door each will be there for entry and exit.
The costumes and stage properties of Chavittunatakam were quite
distinct from that of all other dance and drama categories of
Most of the court scenes, the pride of place of most Chavittunatakam
presentations, would begin with a ‘virutham chavittal’ during which the
emperor, the manatri (minister),
other kings and all the court would line up on the stage in their full regalia
and would stamp their feet and dance in unison. These scenes would be some of
the most memorable displays that the audience would ever see in their lives.
Music and dance
Though Chavittunatakam was envisaged as an alternative to the then popular Hindu art form Kathkali the former was distinct in almost all respects from the latter. While in Kathakali the actors do not speak up or sing, but act out with hand gestures and facial expressions, in Chavittunatakam the actors speak, sing and dance with rhythmic steps in the accompaniment of a variety of musical instruments.
Actors would act out and sing the verses or padams on the stage and the Choir that is positioned at the backstage would echo the lyrics along with the Asan. In a setting where sound amplification techniques were not there this would help carry the verses to the throng that filled the open spaces of the performing ground.
The Accompanying music maintained distinct south Indian style. Thambor or large drum and elathalam the Indian cymbal gave the main beat, along with other percussion instruments like Chenda, Madhalam and mridangam. A variety of other instruments like harmonium, violin, flute, clarinet and fiddle are also used as accompaniment of the action.
As its very name indicates Chavittunatakam has as its integral part the foot stamping or chavittu. A number of intricate steps are used and each according to the stage of the play and import of the plot. The basic steps are 12 in number and its doubling and other variations.
There are two main types of Indian dances, namely, thandava and
lasya. In Chavittunatakam thandava style of dance is mainly followed giving its
masculine character and heroic tone [4].
But there are a few graceful steps in lasya style specially reserved for women
characters.
Preparation
Chavittunatakam had a strong communitarian dimension, both in its preparation and also in its performance. The Western missionaries as well as their local collaborating church leaders kept this dimension explicitly in mind and it was well accomplished through this art form.
Chavittunatakam was performed under the patronage of rich and influential community leaders and the first step was to enlist the services of an ‘Annavi’ or master. As large numbers were involved the training would be held in a spacious ground in the village. The art form required suppleness and agility in body movements and for this oil massage as well as training in martial arts like kalarippayattu formed an integral part of the early preparation.
After selecting the Chuvati the rehearsal would begin. Training in the complex chuvadu or foot movements required a keen sense of rhythm and agility. There were plentiful choral dances which necessitated well-coordinated limp and body movements. With all this in mind the practices were held with the accompaniment of Thambor, chenda and elathaalam always ensuring a strong rhythmic backdrop for all movements. Practise sessions would mostly be held on Sundays when huge crowds of appreciating public would gather. Usually practice sessions would go on for a year or more.
It is the responsibility of the Annavi to select the cast and to ensure a systematic training for the troupe. These masters were of high reputation, well trained in a variety of arts and were able to train this large band of performers in coordinated singing, acrobatics and dance. There were also expert costume and prop makers, expert stage designers and a variety of musicians. In short, the actual performance was the coordinated activity of a host of artists and workers.
The actual staging of a Chavittunatakam would be on the occasion of
major feasts or church festivities and the performance would usually be in the
Church compound. Thus, Christmas or Easter was quite suitable season for these
plays. Large parishes would host Chavittunatakam performance during the Perunnal or church festival. The earlier
performances of Chavittunatakams were inordinately long by modern standards,
some stories extending even up to 15 days of continuous performance. Now a days
the performance has been drastically cut and in most cases the stories are
trimmed up to be limited to two and a half to three hours only.
The Performance
On the day of the performance, early in the morning the Annavi, the performers and the whole
company of collaborators would go to the
On the evening of the Chavittunatakam performance the Chenda would give the first keli or announcement. With the third keli at 9pm the performance would begin. Before the actual play there was something equal to a ‘prologue’ of ancient Western drama. First a couple of boys called thuthiyogar would loudly announce the plan to the audience. This was followed by thodayattam by a few girl characters, in reality boys dressed up as girls, singing praises to Mary, the Mother of God, with a dance form resembling Kerala’s traditional dance form known as Mohiniyattam.
Entry of the Kattiyakkaran is the next phase of the drama. He is the jester and commentator of the drama. He is the one who cracks jocks, continue the narration and comment, and has the freedom to come and go as he wills. The interludes of Kattiyakkaran eases the tension and helps the audience follow the story well.
The play proper commences after this. In most of the stories the next is the Durbar scene. Entry of the Emperor is announced by the Chorus and the Emperor, and his retinue enter the stage in dazzling attire. With this the story begins to move forward with narration, dialogue and action. As was mentioned before, battle scenes were ingeniously presented and keenly watched in the drama. There would be duals as well as group battles involving a large group of fighters. The hunting scenes also were quite aesthetically presented.
Among the glossary related to Chavittunatakam thattupolippan has some significance. For the common folk the success of the drama is indicated by the ability of the actor to shatter the planks on the stage platform by vigorous foot stamping. The actor who succeeds in shattering the stage will be rewarded by the people of the land not only with money but also with the status of a hero.
The drama would conclude, in the olden days, close to the dawn, when
all the actors that participated in the play come up on the stage and sing the mangalam. This is a prayer of thanksgiving to the Almighty as well as to the patron saint of the parish or the
troupe. And they leave the stage doing obeisance the audience.
Conclusion
The coastal regions of
central Kerala, especially the seashores adjoining
[1] Menon, A. Sreedhara.
Cultural heritage of Kerala. Kottayam: DC, 2008. 118 - 119
[2] Rafi, Sebina. Chavittunatakam: Kerala Kraisthavarute
Advitheeya Nataka Prasthaanam (Chavittunatakam: the Unique Drama of Kerala
Christians). The Verapoly Archdiocesan Centenary Souvenir 1886 – 1986.
[3] Puthussery, Joly. Chavittunatakam: Music-Drama in Kerala. Comparative Drama. (2003). <http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-12896413_ITM> 27 Oct. 2007.
[4] Rafi, Sebina.
Theatrical Traditions of Christians of Kerala. Christian Heritage of Kerala.
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