Kathakali Music: A Search on the Evolutionary Trajectory

Kathakali, a classical art form of Kerala, is known for its unique blend of various disciplines such as literature, music, enactment, and dance. Music plays a central role by creating an ideal ambience, facilitating excellent possibilities for enacting, and setting the tone right from the beginning of the play. Kathakali music, in its present form, has a history of more than 300 years, and all the way through, it has been subjected to notable changes primarily due to the influence of other styles of music. However, information on the cascade of changes that Kathakali music has been subjected to, during these years, is fragmentary. Interestingly, the Kathakali music of the present day owes considerably to Gītāgovindaṁ of the 12th century (~1170 CE) authored by Jayadeva, a poet and a court musician, who lived in Kenduli of the present Orissa. Gītāgovindaṁ, also referred to as ashtapadi, is considered in every respect as a masterpiece of musical and literary excellence that had remarkable influence not only on temple performing arts of that locality but also on the entire nation. Although the verses of Gītāgovindaṁ practiced in Kerala temples are the same as those practiced in Orissa, there exist considerable differences between the two in the style of singing. The entire Gītāgovindaṁ was originally set to Hindustani ragas; however, the singing of ashtapadi, as it reached Kerala, acquired a unique style, referred to as “sopāna sangeetham”, considered to be the forerunner of Kathakali music. The paper examines the trajectory of events beginning from the original ashtapadi singing that prevailed in the 12th century, leading to the sopāna style of singing ashtapadi, which in turn paved the way for Kathakali music of modern times. The paper also discusses the impact of Carnatic music on Kathakali music. On the one hand, the introduction of Carnatic ragas has enriched Kathakali music by providing it with a proper structure and robustness; but on the contrary, this is leading to predominance of the Carnatic ragas in the entire scenario, progressively replacing the indigenous ones. Resultantly, the indigenous ragas, which had been central to the sopāna style of singing, are getting less prominence and are prone to a state of “extinction”, an alarming situation.