Apart from the Nettur petti, which has a hut shaped lid, there is the Kaala petti which has legs and a flat lid and was used to keep important documents. The Kathakali petti also known as the Aata petti, has a semi-circular lid and was used to keep the dress and ornaments of a Kathakali dancer. The Chella petti was the betel leaf and nut box. The Ayurvedic Medicine chest is a large cupboard like box which has around drawers inside. Each draw was used to store a different medicine. The Kai petti is a small box which is like a briefcase.
The accountant of a wealthy man carried this around with money and important papers kept in it. These are made using the root of the tree. The thickness of the root usually determines the size of the cheppu. These little boxes were and are used as trinket boxes as well as can store any small miscellaneous thing.
Interestingly, he was the one who introduced the Nettur Petti in this emporium. Presently, due to various reasons, they do not need to sell their ware at the emporium. They have enough customers visiting their workshop to either get old boxes repaired or to place orders for customized new boxes. At his workshop, they have designed and created doors of the sanctum sanctorum for a few well-known temples in Kerala.
They also made the boxes in which the relics of two saints were carried to the Vatican for their canonization by the Pope. Suresh has also trained apprentices, who are now craftsman. The Kannyar Kali dances also known as Desathukali are fast moving, militant dances attuned to rhythmic devotional folk songs and asuravadyas. Also important are various performance genres that are Islam - or Christianity-themed. These include oppana , which is widely popular among Keralite Muslims and is native to Malabar.
Oppana incorporates group dance accompanied by the beat of rhythmic hand clapping and ishal vocalizations. However, many of these native art forms largely play to tourists or at youth festivals, and are not as popular among ordinary Keralites.
The legacy of Kerala. Back. Double-tap to zoom Publisher, Dept. of Public Relations, Govt. of Kerala. Publication date, January 1, Language, English . This work attempts to give a broad idea of the diverse aspects of the socio- cultural life of the people of Kerala in a historical perspective.
In recent decades, Malayalam cinema , yet another mode of widely popular artistic expression, have provided a distinct and indigenous Keralite alternative to both Bollywood and Hollywood. The ragas and talas of lyrical and devotional Carnatic music — another native product of South India — dominates Keralite classical musical genres. Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma , a 19th-century king of Travancore and patron and composer of music, was instrumental in popularising carnatic music in early Kerala.
It is Sopanam , for example, that provides the background music used in Kathakali.
The wider traditional music of Kerala also includes melam including the paandi and panchari variants , as style of percussive music performed at temple -centered festivals using an instrument known as the chenda. Up to musicians may comprise the ensembles staging a given performance; each performance, in turn, may last up to four hours. Panchavadyam is a differing type of percussion ensemble consisting of five types of percussion instruments; these can be utilised by up to one hundred artists in certain major festivals.
In addition to these, percussive music is also associated with various uniquely Keralite folk arts forms. Lastly, the popular music of Kerala — as in the rest of India — is dominated by the filmi music of Indian cinema. The most remembered name in kerala music culture is of Great Indian musician Sri K. Malayalam literature is ancient in origin, and includes such figures as the 14th century Niranam poets Madhava Panikkar, Sankara Panikkar and Rama Panikkar , whose works mark the dawn of both modern Malayalam language and indigenous Keralite poetry.
The Triumvirate of poets Kavithrayam: Parameswara Iyer are recognized for moving keralian poetry away from archaic sophistry and metaphysics and towards a more lyrical mode. Later, such contemporary writers as Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy whose semi- autobiographical bestseller The God of Small Things is set in the Kottayam town of Ayemenem have garnered international recognition.
From to early s, a lot of Malayalam Novelists and story writers contributed to the Literature of Kerala. The contributions from Thakazhi Sivashankara Pillai , P. Mukundan , Kakkanadan , Anand and Paul Zacharia , have been remarkable. Significant contributions from poets and songwriters such as Vayalar Rama Varma , P. Bhaskaran and ONV Kurup have influenced contemporary literature.
Critics such as Kuttikrishna Marar and M. Paul till the sixties and later, M Krishnan Nair , S. Gupthan Nair , M.
Sanu , Sukumar Azhikode , K. Appan , Narendra Prasad and M. Leelavathy have added value by providing critical analysis of the books written during the recent past. The folklore of Kerala includes elements from the traditional lifestyle of the people of Kerala. The traditional beliefs, customs,rituals etc. Kerala has a rich tradition of Folklore. Generally speaking, Folklore could be defined as the lore of the common people who had been marginalized during the reign of feudal Kings. The Keralites have their culture and lore which were mostly part of agricultural.
Sowing, planting of nharu seedling , clearing out the weeds, harvests etc. Numerous songs and performing arts are accompanied with them. It was under the rule of Kolathiris , the Kings of Kolathunadu , and they codified the rituals, beliefs, taboos and folk performing arts. Even the dates of specific fertility rituals and folk performances were decided by the Kolathiris of which many are continuing even today.
The Theyyam festivals, even now, are conducted as per the dates once fixed by the King. The folk arts of Kerala can be broadly classified under two heads: Ritualistic folk arts can be further divided into two: Devotional folk arts are performed to propitiate a particular God or Goddess. Theyyam , thirayattam , poothamthira, kanyarkali, kummatti , etc. Forms like panappattu and thottampattu are composed in the form of songs. In kolkali, margamkali , daffumuttukkali , etc.
Magical folk arts seek to win general prosperity for a community or exorcise evil spirits or to beget children. Gandharvas and nagas are worshipped in order to win these favours.
The magical folk arts include pambinthullal, pooppadathullal, kolamthullal, malayankettu, etc. Onam Festival falls during the Malayalam month of Chingam Aug - Sep and marks the commemoration of Vamana avatara of Vishnu and the subsequent homecoming of King Mahabali , who Malayalees consider to be just and fair King who was exiled to the underworld. Onam is reminiscent of Kerala's agrarian past, as it is considered to be a harvest festival.
It is one of the festivals celebrated with most number of cultural elements.