Kerala mural paintings are the frescos depicting Hindu mythology in Kerala. Ancient temples and palaces in Kerala, India, display an abounding tradition of mural paintings mostly dating back between the 9th to 12th centuries CE when this form of art enjoyed royal patronage.
Mammiyur Mahadeva Temple is a popular Shiva temple situated in Guruvayoor, Thrissur district of Kerala, India. Every devotee who goes to Guruvayur Temple is supposed to go to Mammiyoor also, as the ritual goes. Only Hindus are allowed inside the temple premises. The temple is a part of the 108 famous Shiva temples in Kerala and one among the five Shiva temples around Guruvayoor. The main deity is Lord Shiva, who is installed in the concept of 'Uma Maheshwara' - His form with Goddess Parvathi on his left. There is a shrine for Lord Vishnu also here. The sub-deities are Lord Ganapathi, Lord Subrahmanya, Lord Ayyappan, Goddess Kali and Serpent deities. This temple is managed by Malabar Devaswom Board. Daily three poojas are conducted. Puzhakkara Chennas Mana is the hereditary Thanthri of this temple too. Shivaratri and Ashtami Rohini are the major festivals.
Panchari Melam is a percussion ensemble, performed during temple festivals in Kerala, India. Panchari Melam, is one of the major forms of Chenda Melam, and is the best-known and most popular in the kshetram vadyam genre. Panchari Melam, comprising instruments like Chenda, Ilathalam, Kombu and Kuzhal, is performed during many temple festivals in central Kerala, where it is presented in arguably the most classical manner. Panchari is also traditionally performed, albeit with a touch of subtle regional difference, in north Kerala (Malabar) and south-central Kerala (Kochi). Of late, its charm has led to its performance even in temples in Kerala's deep south.
Guru Mani Madhava Chakyar (15 February 1899 – 14 January 1990) was a celebrated master performance artist and Sanskrit scholar from Kerala, India, considered to be the greatest Chakyar Koothu and Koodiyattam artist and authority of modern times. He was considered as the authority of Abhinaya and Nātyaśāstra.
Achutan Ramachandran Nair, popularly known as A. Ramachandran, is an Indian painter, born in 1935 in Attingal, Kerala. In 2002, he was elected a Fellow of the Lalit Kala Akademi and in 2005, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third highest civilian honour, for outstanding service to the nation. In 2013, he was conferred with an honorary doctorate by Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala.
Karuvattu Mana Vasudevan Namboothiri, better known simply as Namboothiri, is an Indian painter and sculptor, known for his line art and copper relief works. He has done illustrations for many Malayalam writers such as Thakazhy Shivasankara Pillai, Kesavadev, M. T. Vasudevan Nair, Uroob, S. K. Pottekkatt, Edasseri Govindan Nair, and V.K.N. and is reported to be one of the most prolific literary illustrators in the world. He is a former chairman of the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi. The Akademi awarded him the Raja Ravi Varma Award in 2003. He is also a recipient of the Kerala State Film Award for Best Art Director.
Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair was a Kathakali dancer from Kerala in India.
Kalamandalam Vasu Pisharody was an Indian Kathakali actor known for his classical dance-drama of Kerala. A frontline disciple of Padma Shri Vazhenkada Kunchu Nair, he exceled in virtuous pachcha, anti-hero Kathi and the semi-realistic minukku roles alike. Nalan, Bahukan, Arjunan, Bhiman, Dharmaputrar, Rugmangadan, Narakaasuran, Ravanan, Parashuraman and Brahmanan were his masterpieces. Vasu Pisharody performed Kathakali all over India and visited foreign countries about 20 times.
Adhwaytham is a 1992 Indian Malayalam-language political crime thriller film directed by Priyadarshan and written by T. Damodaran. It stars Mohanlal, Jayaram, Chithra, Revathi, Innocent, and M. G. Soman. The songs in the film were composed by M. G. Radhakrishnan and the film score was composed by Johnson.
T.A.S Menon is former principal of the Raja Ravi Varma College of Fine Arts Mavelikara, Kerala, India. He is a former executive member of the Kerala Lalita Kala Akademi, former jury member of the Raja Ravi Varma Award, former executive member of the Kerala Kalamandalam, Examination board chief of the institute of Mural painting, and a patron of the Narendra Prasad foundation.
Suresh K. Nair is an artist based in Banaras. Nair obtained his national diploma in mural painting from the Institute of Mural Painting Guruvayur, Kerala under the guidance of Mammiyur Krishnan Kuty Nair. He was inspired by the works of Rabindranath Tagore, Nandalal Bose, Benode Behari Mukherjee and Ramkinker Baij and continued his studies at the Department of Painting, Visva Bharati University, Santiniketan. Nair has acquired a presence in the Indian and international art scene over the last decade with several shows organized by regional and international galleries and museums, and created many murals in India and abroad. His early works are based on Kerala murals, both in terms of technique and ideas. One of his modern paintings, ‘Cosmic Butterfly" is owned by Essl Museum, Vienna, Austria since 2010. His works were exhibited in the US, Spain, and Canada, and his awards include the Elizabath Green Shield Foundation Scholarship (1999) of Canada; Fulbright Fellowship ( 2006–07) for an Educational Exchange Program at Tyler School of Art, Temple University, Philadelphia under Professor Nicholas Kripal; and the State Award of Kerala Lalithkala Akademi, Ministry of Culture, Government of Kerala.
Kalamandalam Bindhulekha is a mural painter and Mohiniyattam, Bharathanatyam dancer from Kerala state, India. She is the first woman mural painter in temple drawing from Kerala state.
P. K. Sadanandan is a mural painter and cartoonist from Kerala state, India.
Dr. M. G. Sasibhooshan is an orator, writer, art historian, and consultant in Indology based in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.
K. Syamalakumari aka Syamala Kumari is an Indian temple painter. This was an occupation traditionally carried out by men. Her work includes painting at the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala. She has been awarded the Nari Shakti Puraskar.
Mathoor Govindan Kutty was an Indian Kathakali artist from the state of Kerala. In a career spanning over six decades, he specialized in Kathakali Stri Vesham, the portrayal of female characters on stage. He was the recipient of the 2011 Kerala State Award for the best Kathakali artist, 2010 Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award and the 2005 Sangeet Natak Akademi Award for contributions to the Kathakali art form.
Kalamandalam Ramachandran Unnithan is a Kathakali exponent from Kerala, India. He received several awards including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 2016. His biography titled Kachaiyum Mizhukkum was published in 2015.
Varanasi Vishnu Namboothiri is a Maddalam exponent from Kerala, India, best known for playing Maddalam for Kathakali performances. He received several noted awards including Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Gurupooja Award and Kerala Kalamandalam Award.
Institute of Mural Painting is an institute established by Guruvayur Devaswom Board in 1989 to give training in mural painting, especially in the Kerala style of mural painting, in the traditional Gurukula system. Guruvayur Devaswom Board is the statutory body which governs and manages a group pf 12 temples including the Sri Krishna Temple at Guruvayur. This is the only institute of its kind in India.
