Kathakali and Kalaripayattu: a visitor's guide

Kathakali means story-play. Its stories come mostly from the Mahabharata, the Ramayana and the Puranas, and were written as attakatha, texts in a mix of Sanskrit and Malayalam. The actors do not speak. Two singers at the back of the stage sing the text, while the actors act it out through mudras, a codified language of 24 basic hand gestures that combine to form hundreds of words, and through precise movements of the eyes, eyebrows and face.

The music is loud and live. The chenda, a cylindrical drum played with sticks, drives the action, joined by the maddalam, a horizontal drum, and the cymbals and gong of the singers. Traditional performances begin at dusk with drumming and a lamp lit at the front of the stage, and continue through the night until dawn. For visitors, theatres in Fort Kochi present a short version of about an hour, with an introduction to the gestures.

The make-up, called chutti and vesham, tells you who each character is before a single gesture is made. It takes from one to several hours to apply, using rice paste, lime, natural pigments and a white paper frame built out from the jaw. Watching this process is one of the best parts of any visit.

Fort Kochi has several small theatres with daily shows, usually opening for make-up around 5 pm, with the performance at about 6 pm. They are well organised for visitors and explain the story beforehand. Arrive early for the make-up. Kumily, near Thekkady, also has nightly short performances.

For a deeper experience, visit Kerala Kalamandalam at Cheruthuruthy, near Thrissur, the state's main school of classical arts, founded in 1930 by the poet Vallathol Narayana Menon. On weekday mornings you can watch students practise eye exercises, gestures and footwork in open halls, which reveals the discipline behind the art. Full night-long performances take place at temple festivals, mainly from November to April; we find them through local contacts.

If you have a particular interest, we can arrange a private performance, a session with a make-up artist, or a meeting with senior actors. Check current status before you travel, as theatre schedules and Kalamandalam visitor programmes change.

• Fort Kochi: daily short shows with make-up, all year
• Kumily, Thekkady: nightly short shows
• Kerala Kalamandalam, Cheruthuruthy: weekday morning classes
• Temple festivals: full performances, mainly Nov to Apr

Kalaripayattu is one of the oldest martial arts still practised. It developed in Kerala's warrior communities and was taught in kalaris, training halls built as pits sunk into the earth, often with a shrine to the guardian deity in one corner. Training traditionally began in childhood and continued for years, under a master called a gurukkal.

The system begins with body conditioning: kicks, leaps, stretches and animal-inspired stances that build extraordinary flexibility and balance. Students then progress to wooden weapons, such as short and long sticks, and later to metal ones: swords and shields, daggers, spears and the urumi, a flexible sword of thin steel strips that whips through the air. The final stage, empty-hand combat, includes knowledge of the vital points of the body.

Under British rule, Kalaripayattu was suppressed, and it declined sharply. Its revival in the 20th century owed much to teachers who reopened kalaris and taught openly. There are two main styles: the northern, centred on Malabar, and the southern, practised around Thiruvananthapuram.

In Kumily, near Thekkady, several centres give one-hour evening demonstrations, with body exercises, stick and sword fights, the urumi and a finale of leaps through rings of fire. They are lively and suit families. In Thiruvananthapuram, CVN Kalari in the East Fort area is one of the best-known schools, and an early-morning visit to watch students train in the pit gives a far more authentic view than any show.

Kozhikode and Kannur in the north also have traditional kalaris where the northern style is taught. Many centres offer short beginner sessions, an hour or two of stances and stretches, for visitors who want to try. We arrange visits to training sessions rather than performances wherever possible.

If you watch a training session, go early in the morning, when classes usually take place, and ask your guide to explain each stage, from the stances and kicks to the weapons.

Kathakali is the best known of Kerala's performing arts, but it is one of many. Koodiyattam, a form of Sanskrit theatre performed in temples by Chakyar and Nambiar communities, is far older, and UNESCO recognised it as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2001. A single act can take many nights, and performances are rare, though Kerala Kalamandalam teaches it and occasionally stages it.

Mohiniyattam is Kerala's classical solo dance for women, slow and swaying, performed in a white and gold sari. Ottanthullal, a satirical solo performance associated with the 18th-century poet Kunchan Nambiar, mixes dance, song and humour, and is still seen at temple festivals. Chenda melam, the great temple drum orchestras, are an art in their own right, best heard at Thrissur Pooram and other spring festivals.

In the north, Theyyam stands apart as ritual rather than theatre, but many visitors who enjoy Kathakali find it the most powerful performance they see in Kerala. A journey that includes Fort Kochi, Thrissur and Kannur can take in all of these traditions in one visit.

In a kalari, remove your shoes before entering and do not step into the training pit unless invited. Many kalaris have a shrine, and students touch the floor and the shrine before training. At a Kathakali performance, sit quietly once the music starts, avoid flash photography during the show, and ask before photographing actors at close range during make-up, though most are happy to be photographed.

Applause is welcome at the end of a theatre show but not during a temple performance. If you attend a full night at a temple festival, dress modestly, and expect people to come and go through the night.