South India has got a rich cultural heritage of which it is justifiably proud. The history of origin of art and culture in the south is embedded in the folds of hoary antiquity. The history of evolution of dance forms in India suggests that Kathakali, as a major dance form, was born of an exquisite fusion of dance and drama. However, it is not possible to earmark any specific period as the time of origin of Kathakali. Researchers claim that this dance form evolved in the concluding phase of the 17th century. There was a time when the means of cultural interaction was dance and dance only. In an earnest endeavour to trace the origin of the history of dance, the renowned Kathakali exponent Govindan Kutty once remarked, “The chief idol of worship of the ancient Dravidians was Golden Kali. In those days, southern India was divided into several fragments and ruled by independent rulers. Wars and skirmishes used to take place frequently between these Kings. In those days of blood and gore, dance, the only medium of cultural interaction, naturally became virile and assumed an ostensible toughness. Some of the notable dance forms prevalent in those days were ‘Pathayani’ (war preparations), ‘Wellakolli’ (for fairs and festivals), ‘Tirayatu’ (dance of the emissary of the Goddess), ‘Teiyaam’ (dance of the emissary of the dicties), ‘Bhootamkali’ (dance of the attendants of the Mother Goddess), ‘Multiyettu’ (victory dance), ‘Komaram Tullal’ (dance of the emissary of the deities) etc. Au reste, there were several social and religious dance forms which were very popular.
According to an eminent researcher, the main language which was in vogue in entire South India in the antiquity was Tamil (ancient form). With the passage of time, three other languages viz., Malayalam, Kanada and Telegu evolved in the south according to regional divisions. A few didactic plays were composed in the Sanskrit-Malayalam language which had the elevated thence of unity and fraternity. Some remarkable plays worth mentioning are ‘Sanghakali,’ ‘Chattirakali’ and ‘Panekali.’ In those days, the Brahmins and Kshatriyas were very sincere in popularizing the Sanskrit language in its purest manifestation. It was this endeavour that gave rise to ‘Kuttiyattam,’ a dance form comprising refined Sanskrit ‘Slokas.’