Table of ContentsDasavatharasSaptha ThalasHow Rasa is evokedVarious forms of KoothuDasavatharasThe ten avatars of Lord Vishnu are Matsya (the fish), Kurma (the turtle), Varaha (the boar), Narasimha (the mi -half-beast), Vamana (the dwarf priest), Parashurama, Sri Rama, Balarama (Krishna's elder brother) or Buddha – due to the different versions, Sri Krishna and Kalki. The details of Lord Vishnu's incarnations are also known as Bhagavata Purana. The Puranas are accounts of Hindu beliefs, containing the description of Hindu cosmology and philosophies. Lord Vishnu incarnated on earth in nine different forms from time to time in different yugas (epochs), Satya or Krita Yuga, Treta Yuga and Dwapara Yuga, to eradicate evil forces and free his devotees from the cycles of death and birth and give them moksha. The last avatar, the tenth avatar, has not yet arrived to destroy all injustice and evil at the end of Kali Yuga, or the present era. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Matsya is the fish of Satya Yuga. Matsya warns Manu, the ancestor of humanity, of an impending catastrophic flood and orders him to gather all the herbs, seeds and plants of the world into a boat with all living creatures. When the flood destroys the world, Manu survives by boarding the boat. Matsya, with the help of the snake, Adishesha, pulls the safety of the boat by tying the boat to Matsya's horn, with Adishesha as the rope. Other versions of the story also mention that a demon named Hayagriva stole the Vedas and after ensuring that Manu was safe, Matsya went to retrieve the Vedas and returned them to Brahma. Matsya can be represented either in animal form or in a combined human-animal form, with man as the upper half and fish as the lower half. Matsya is usually depicted with four hands: one holding the conch, one holding the disc (chakra), one in the pose of bestowing a boon (varada mudra), and one offering protection (abhaya mudra). In order to represent Matsya, place the right hand on top of the left with both palms facing down and holding both hands in ardhachandra. Kurma is the turtle and, like Matsya, comes from Satya Yuga. The story of Kurma is called Samudra Manthan, which means the churning of the ocean. It begins with Durvasa, a sage, who cursed the gods and made them lose their immortality, strength and divine powers. To regain these powers, they had to drink the nectar of immortality to regain their glory. To obtain it, they had to churn the ocean of milk, a body of water so large that they needed Mount Mandara as a churning stick and the Vasuki serpent as a churning rope. The Devas were not strong enough to fend for themselves, so they took the help of the Asuras. Mount Mandara was churned, but the force of the churning was so great that the mountain began to sink into the ocean. Taking the form of the turtle, Kurma, Vishnu carried the mountain on his back, taking the weight on him as they churned the waters. Fourteen precious things came out of the ocean, the last of the fourteen being the nectar of immortality. The Kurma avatar of Vishnu is usually depicted in painting and sculpture in mixed human-animal form, but can also be depicted zoomorphically, as a turtle itself. To represent Kurma, hold both hands in mrigasheersha. Place the right hand on top (face down) and the left hand on the bottom (face up) with both palms facing each other and in line with each other. Curl the other fingers, except the thumb andlittle finger. Varaha is the wild boar and is the third form of Lord Vishnu to be in the Satya Yuga. Varaha is invoked by the earth because Hiranyaksha the demon takes the earth, Bhudevi, and hides it in the primordial oceans (records of legend have it that the universe was first filled only with cosmic/primordial oceans). In some versions of the tale, the earth cries out in distress as it is kidnapped by the demon; in others, Bhudevi takes the form of a cow and appeals to Vishnu to save her from the demon. Hiranyaksha performs tapas and is blessed by Brahma with a boon which makes him indestructible by any animal or human, but as Hiranyaksha had not included the wild boar in the list of animals which could not kill him, Vishnu takes this form with d enormous tusks and descends to the primordial ocean. In the ocean, Varaha meets Hiranyaksha, who blocks his path and challenges him to a duel. In some versions, the demon also mocks Varaha as the beast and warns him not to touch the earth. Both fight with maces and finally, Varaha kills the demon after a thousand-year duel. Varaha rises from the ocean with the earth in its tusks and places it above the waters in its original position. Varaha is represented either in complete animal form or with a boar's head and a man's body. Half-human, half-animal, he is often depicted standing with one leg bent supporting Bhudevi. To represent Varaha, hold both hands in Simhamukha but with the thumbs facing outwards, to the side. Hold the right hand on top of the left hand, with the palms directly on top of each other, and so that the fingers overlap each other. Wrap the index and little fingers of the upper right hand around the lower left hand and allow both thumbs to stick out to opposite sides. Narasimha is the last incarnation of Vishnu to be in the Satya Yuga. The demon Hiranyakashipu – twin brother of Hiranyaksha, the demon overthrown by Vishnu in his previous incarnation as Varaha – obtained a blessing from god Brahma that he could not be killed by a human or animal, from within or from outside, day or night. and that no weapon could harm him. His son, Prahlad, on the other hand, was a devotee of Vishnu, as sage Narada had nurtured a love for Lord Vishnu while caring for Kayadu, Prahlad's mother. Despite Hiranyakashipu's many attempts to kill Prahlad, Vishnu protected him, until finally Hiranyakashipu challenged his son and asked where Vishnu was at that time and angrily kicked a pillar. Narasimha took Hiranyakasipu and dragged him to the threshold of the door (neither inside nor outside the house) and placed him on his knees (neither heaven nor earth) and there killed Hiranyakasipu with his claws (without weapons ), at dusk (nor during the day). nor at night). The incident is often depicted in art, with Narasimha appearing out of the pillar with many hands. There are also seated images of Narasimha in which the lion's face has a peaceful expression. To show Narasimha, hold the right hand in tripataka and the left hand in simhamukha. Hold both hands in front of your chest. Vamana is the first avatar to participate in Treta Yuga. King Mahabali was a generous man and also a devotee of Lord Vishnu who engaged in severe austerities and won the praise of the world. This praise led him to consider himself the greatest person in the world. He believed that he could help anyone and that he could give whatever they asked. Even though he became benevolent, he became pompous in his activities. He conquered the three worlds and performed yagnas to declare himself king of the threeworlds. Vamana made his appearance on the last day of the yagnas. King Bali suggested that he ask for whatever he wanted as it was the last day of the yagna and had to give alms to anyone who needed it. Sukracharya, the guru of Bali, with his senses, was able to recognize the little boy as Lord Vishnu and stopped King Bali to offer him whatever he asked for. King Bali, in his generosity, continued his offerings and asked the boy what he needed. Vamana politely said that he only needed one meter of land. King Bali laughed and told the boy to measure the land by himself and take the land. Immediately Vamana started growing and finished measuring the earth and sky in two feet and asked Bali to show where he could measure the third foot of earth. King Bali did not want to break his promise and lowered his head to measure the third foot. Vamana kept his foot on Bali's head and sank deep into the Netherworld, or Pataala, by the force of his third step on the head. Vishnu in this form is often identified as Trivikrama, or the "God of three strides". Just before King Mahabali was expelled from the land, Vamana granted him permission to visit his people once a year. The Onam festival is a celebration of welcoming Mahabali to his lost kingdom. Images of Vamana generally show him already becoming a giant, with one foot firmly planted on the ground and the other raised as if to take a big step. If depicted small, the sculptures may depict him as a dwarf brahmacharin (monastic student) dressed in the student's deer skin, loincloth, and sacred thread. To represent Vamana, hold both hands in mushti. The right hand is aligned with the shoulder and in front of the chest, showing the umbrella Vamana is holding. The left hand should be facing down at waist level, with the back of the hand facing up. After Vamana is Parashurama, and also in Treta Yuga. Shri Parashuram left home to perform pious austerities to please Lord Shiva. Considering his extreme devotion, intense desire and impassive and perpetual meditation, Lord Shiva was pleased with Shri Parashuram. He presented Shri Parashuram with divine weapons. Included was his invincible and indestructible axe-shaped weapon, Parashu. Lord Shiva advised him to go and free Mother Earth from ill-mannered people, extremists, demons and those blind with pride. Later, Parashurama cut off the thousand arms of King Kartavirya Arjuna, a powerful king, with his Parshu one by one and killed him, because the king had stolen his father's sacred cow. Indra was so happy that he presented this most loved bow named Vijaya to Parashurama on the instruction of Lord Shiva. But when Kartavirya Arjuna's sons found out that Parashurama had killed their father, they killed Parashuram's father. For this reason, Parashuram vowed to exterminate the Kshatriyas, circumnavigating the world 21 times. He attacked Kartavirya Arjuna's sons, killed them all in battle, and then set out on a mission to exterminate the rest of the Kshatriyas and kings from around the world. He played an important role in the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, serving as a mentor to Bhishma, Karna and Drona. To show Parashurama, hold the right hand in ardhapataka and raise it high diagonally. With the left hand, keep it on the side of the body with dola, or keep it in ardhachandra on the left thigh. Rama, follows Parashurama, and is also from Treta Yuga. King Dasharatha wanted to pass the kingdom to his eldest son, Rama, which was opposed by his second wife, Kaikeyi. Kaikeyi, under the evil influence of his crooked servant, Manthara, requested the king to crown his son Bharata as the next king and send Ramain exile for 14 years and this is how it happened. His wife, Sita and Lakshmana, his beloved younger brother, also accompanied him. While they were living their lives in the forest, a demonic lady, Surpanaka, who was Ravana's sister, came to Rama asking him to marry her. Lakshmana was angry and cut off his nose. She became very annoyed and sought revenge through her brother. She induced Ravana to marry Sita, saying that she would be the most suitable and beautiful woman for you, thus separating Sita from Rama. By their evil plan, Surpanaka went to Rama's ashram in the form of a magnificent deer. Sita was fascinated on seeing it and asked Rama to get this deer for her. Rama ran after the deer and the deer moved away from him and took him away from the ashram. Sita was upset at the delay in Rama's return and sent her brother Lakshmana to find out. Lakshmana did not accept and finally, when Sita got angry, he agreed and left, but only after giving her strict instructions not to write a line, the Lakshmana Rekha, which he drew with this divine power until his return. Meanwhile Ravana came and Sita was taken to Lanka. On his way to Lanka, he met the huge vulture bird named Jadayu who was Dasharatha's friend. He fought with Ravana and was very seriously injured. Jadayu was left behind, disabled but not dead, just to meet Rama and inform him of the kidnapping of Rama's wife Sita. Jadayu died immediately after conveying the information to Rama. Finally, they reached the sea of ​​which Lanka was on the other side. There was no way to cross the sea. The army of monkeys that accompanied Rama, led by the powerful leader Hanuman, built a bridge of huge stones across the sea to reach Lanka. In Lanka, Ravana repeatedly threatened Sita to marry him, but was rejected each time. Rama and his army reached Lanka through the new bridge and attacked Ravana. Ravana was killed in battle by Rama and Sita was at large. Rama is depicted as a standing figure, holding an arrow in his right hand and a bow in his left. His image in a shrine or temple is almost invariably accompanied by the figures of his wife, Sita, his favorite half-brother, Lakshmana, and Hanuman. References to Rama as the incarnation of Vishnu appear from the first centuries. There was, however, probably no particular cult of him before the 11th century, and it was not until the 14th and 15th centuries that distinct sects emerged venerating him as the supreme god. Rama's popularity has been greatly increased by the retelling of the Sanskrit epics and is held as a model of reason, right action and desirable virtues. To show Rama, hold the shikara on your left hand and raise it high so that your hand is level with your head. With the right hand, hold the kapitha at thigh level, slightly away from the body. Balarama, in some Vaishnava lists, is the eighth avatar and belongs to the Dwapara Yuga. Balarama was a son of Vasudeva. The evil King Kamsa, Devaki's brother, intended to kill his sister's children due to a prediction that he would die at the hands of his eighth son. Balarama's essence was therefore transferred to Rohini, who also wanted a child. He is often depicted with a cup, a jug, an axe, a shield and a sword. Balarama may have originated in Vedic times as a deity of agriculture and fertility. Balarama spent his childhood as a cow herder with his brother Krishna. He killed Dhenuka, an asura sent by Kamsa, as well as wrestlers sent by the king. After the death of the wicked king, Balarama and Krishna went to the ashram of sage Sandipani at Ujayini toto study. He later married Revati, the daughter of King Kakudmi, ruler of Kushasthali. Other legends identify him as the human incarnation of the serpent Shesha. To represent Balarama, hold the right hand in pataka at shoulder level in front of the chest. Hold the left hand in mushti and turn it downwards. The left hand should be at waist level, with the back of the hand facing up. Gautama Buddha is considered an avatar according to some lists, although Buddha himself denied that he was a god or an incarnation of a god. Buddha can be depicted in Hindu scriptures as a preacher who deceives and drives away demons and heretics from the path of the Vedic scriptures. Another view praises him as a compassionate teacher who preached the path of ahimsa (non-violence). Krishna, is the ninth avatar, and was in the Dwapara Yuga. Krishna is often described and depicted as an infant eating butter, a young boy playing the flute as in the Bhagavata Purana, or as an elder giving directions and advice as in the Bhagavad Gita. Stories of Krishna appear across a broad spectrum of Hindu philosophical and theological traditions. They represent him from various perspectives: a godson, a prankster, a model lover, a divine hero and the Supreme Being. The main scriptures dealing with the story of Krishna are the Mahabharata, the Harivamsa, the Bhagavata Purana and the Vishnu Purana. Many stories are told about Krishna, from his childhood to the time when he was the king of Dwaraka. To represent Krishna, bring the left hand closer to the right cheek. Hold the left hand in mrigasheersha facing inwards and the right hand is also in mrigasheersha but facing outwards. This is to show off the flute he is carrying. Kalki is the final avatar and will be in Kali Yuga. It is said in the scriptures that Lord Vishnu will come and end the current era of darkness and destruction known as Kali Yuga. Some represent it as an amalgam of a horse's head and a man's body. The name Kalki is a metaphor for eternity or time. Its origins may lie in the Sanskrit word kalka which means dirt or filth. Therefore, the name translates as "destroyer of filth", "destroyer of darkness" or "destroyer of ignorance". Kalki Avatara is depicted with the right hand in pataka and the left hand in tripataka. The right hand is in front of the chest, while the left hand is at waist level. Saptha ThalasThala, the musical measurement of time. There are seven basic thalas which are divided and further. subdivided to give a total of 175 thalas. Musical compositions, instrumental accompaniments and dance are regulated by Thala and are of two kinds, Margam and Desi, and each of them is again of three kinds, Shudha, Saalaga, and Sankeerna is the product of Kaala (time) , Kriya (single unit counts done by hand) and Mana (measurement) in simultaneous action. The seven main principles of Thala are Dhruva, Mathya, Roopaka, Jampa, Triputa, Atta and. Eka. All these seven thalas consist of 3 basic Angas: Laghu – I Drutham – O Anu-Drutham – U How Rasa is evoked The first known developed theory of rasa as an aesthetic concept is found in Natyasastra, attributed to Bharatamuni. BharataMuni, Rasa has come to refer to the ultimate experience of transcendence and love. This love engages pure emotions in one of the many eternal relationships with divinity. The meaning of the word has been associated with botanical substance, sensory substance, ontological meaning, aesthetic delight, transcendent otherworldly experience, and ultimately, inner theological experience. The text lists nine rasas: 1) srngara: romance orpassion 2) hasya: comedy 3) karuna: compassion 4) raudra: fury 5) vira: heroism 6) bhayanka: horror 7) bibhasta: repulsion 8) adbhuta: astonishment 9) Shanta: tranquility. Although these rasas were each linked to a particular emotion (bhava), they were not exactly emotions in themselves. Bharatamuni rather describes rasa as an aesthetic taste felt by the audience after witnessing the performance of emotional components on stage. These components of emotion have been classified into 4 different types: sthayibhavas (fundamental emotions). Vyabhicaribhavas (transient emotions). Anubhavas (emotional reactions), vibhavas (emotion catalysts). Rasa mentioned as a dual experience felt by the dancer and his expression through his art and the experience of the audience (Sahrdayas) who receive the art. The creator experiences an emotion and is so upset that she looks for a medium to express her feelings. The audience receives this emotion through the dancer's dance and thus experiences the emotion felt by the creator. Thus, the word “Rasa” is created again by the creator and then recreated by the viewer. The extent to which the reader experiences the emotion felt by the creator depends on how clever the creator is in the presentation. Bharatamuni describes this as the feeling or aesthetic pleasure (Rasa) resulting from the harmonious blending of appropriate vibhavas, anubhavas. and the vyabhicaribhavas. This means that the realization of Rasa results from the union of Vibhava, Anubhava and Vyabicaribhava, and its alignment with the permanent mood known as Sthayibhava. Bharata says that there are eight basic Sthayins or mental states, thirty-three Vyabhicarins or accessory ones and eight Sattvika bhavas or involuntary physical reflexes. These forty-nine, taken together, form Kavya Rasabivyakti. The Rasas are born from it, when they are represented in a universalized State. He says: “It may be noted that these forty-nine emotions in their generalized form are the source of Rasa.” The union of Vibhava, Anubhava and Vyabicaribhava results in the awakening of the Sthayibhavas, which in turn results in the emergence of Rasa. . The Vibhavas are the determiners, the anubhavas, the consequents and the Vyabhicaribhavas, represent the transient mental states, which are a necessity for the realization of Sthayibhava or basic disposition. The emotions felt by the creator are only danced for the viewer through the Vibhavas and Anubhavas. Vibhavas are essentially of two kinds: Alambhana Vibhava and Uddipana Vibhava. Alambhana Vibhava refers to the person or object with respect to whom the emotion is experienced and whose appearance, ideal or perceptual, is directly responsible for evoking the emotion: Uddipana Vibhava refers to the situation or environment in which this person or object is placed and which is useful to intensify the emotional experience. The Alambana Vibhava is otherwise called the basic stimulus and the Uddipana Vibhava, the external stimulus. The external manifestations caused by the emotions evoked by the Vibahvas are called the Anubhavas. These, according to Baratha, are divisible into Vacika or those expressed in words and Angika or bodily expressions. Again, the emotion felt by the viewer as a result of the outward expression of the characters on stage, like gestures, words, etc., is called Anubhava. Rasas evoke in the audience an emotional climax accompanied by a feeling of joy. This is the aesthetic pleasure of Rasa. Vyabhicharbhavas are temporary or transient moods which tend only to develop the sthayibhava or dominant mood. The dominant mood may be love, anger, or pathos. Since the freedom to know the entire scale of possible responses (the known) situates the experience ofpure consciousness or self (the knower), rasa (the process of knowing) produces the experience of the triple unity of the knower, the known. , and the process of knowledge. The emotional response to a particular situation on stage or to a particular predicament of the protagonist elevates the audience out of the everyday and provides aesthetic happiness. Rasa, the aesthetic theory, can lead the audience to a state of limitless happiness. Dance in Silappathikaram Silappathikaram (The Tale of the Anklet) is one of the five great epics of Tamil literature. A Jain poet referred to by the pseudonym Ilango Adigal is credited with this work. The nature of this book is non-religious and has a moralistic overtone. The epic revolves around the female protagonist Kannagi. This epic has been dated to the probable beginning of the Common Era (CE). The story involves the three kingdoms of ancient times, the Chola, Pandya and Chera dynasties. The author takes two principles, chastity and virtue, and integrates them into a theatrical style. Silappadhikaaram is not just poetry. It is a combination of “iyal-isai-natakam”, dance-music-drama. It is a supreme example of theater. Kovalan, the son of a rich merchant of Kavirippattinam, married Kannagi. Kovalan met the dancer Madavi and fell in love with her and he spent all his wealth on the dancer. Their only fortune was a precious pair of Kannagi anklets, which she willingly gave to Kovalan. Kovalan went to sell one of Kannagi's anklets and at the same time, the Queen of Pandava had just had a similar anklet stolen from her by an evil court jeweler. The jeweler saw Kovalan with Kannagi's anklet, he immediately grabbed it and informed the king. The guards apprehended Kovalan, who was then killed on the king's orders. Widow Kannagi comes to Madurai, proves Kovalan's innocence, then tears off one of his breasts and throws it on the Madurai kingdom, which goes up in flames. When the author introduces Madhavi and her dancing beginnings in the Chola capital, he displays an incredible understanding of the technical aspects of Tamil music and dance. Madhavi, daughter of Chitrapathy, learned dance from the age of 5 and mastered the art of classical Bharatanatyam at the age of 12. Madhavi performed eleven different types of dances according to the epic. The Kadalatu kathai of Silappathikaram refers to these 11 dance varieties collectively known as deivavirutti (associated with deities). Like Natya Sastra, Silappadhikaaram also gives a description of the dance scene and the location of the scene. Six of the eleven dances are performed in a standing position and the other five in a lying position. These are: Kodukatti: the triumphal dance of Siva after the destruction of Tirpura by fire. This is the dance that Lord Shiva performed after burning the triple cities of 3 Asuras. Pandarangam: Brahma was entertained by Siva with this dance after Shiva's victory over the Triple Cities of Demons. Alliyam Koothu: This is a dance on the victory of Lord Krishna over the elephant of Kamsa. Malladal: This describes the wrestling contest between the emissaries of Kamsa (Bana) and Lord Krishna at the palace of Kamsa. Thudi Attam: This is Muruga's dance after defeating the demon Surapadman. Kudaikuttu: It is about the victory of Lord Muruga over the demons. Kurakuttu: The loving dance of Krishna (with Clay Pot above his head) before Vanasura to obtain the release of Anirudh (today's Karagattam). Pedadal: Krishna's son Manmathan dances dressed as a eunuch (Peda) to distract Vanasura's attention in order to obtain the release of his son Anirudh. Marakkal Addal: When demons sent poisonous creatures like snakes and scorpions against Kotravai (Goddess Durga), she danced withrelay (stick dance). This is known as Marakkal, literally "wooden legs" (today's Poikkal Kudirai). Pavai Koothu: Dance of Goddess Lakshmi to enchant Vanasura and enter her fort. Kadayam Koothu: This is the dance performed by Indrani (dance like a farmer) at the north gate of Vanasura Palace. In three other places in the epic, he has narrated the dance of hunters during Durga worship, the dance of cowherds praising Lord Krishna and the tribal dance. . There is an interesting common thread that runs through all these mythological episodes. It is about a battle between good and evil and the ultimate victory of good over evil. The author talks about the Kuravai dance, which was associated with war operations at that time. A victorious king is joined by soldiers and they dance on the deck of the king's chariot. These are spontaneous expressions of joy at victory. A Kuravai dance depicted in the epic gives the image of seven girls standing in a circle and dancing to the melody 'Mullaipann'. The seven girls represent the seven musical notes of the Tamil scale – Kural, Tuttam, Kaikkilai, Ulai, Ili, Vilari and Taram. Silappathikaram consists of 30 Kadhai and out of 30, 8 Kadais discuss the dance. The following 8 Kadhais cover several information about dance. 1) 3rd Arangetru Kadai, 2) 6th Kadal Aadu Kadai, 3) 8th Veni Kadai, 4) 12th Vetuva Vari Kadai, 5) 17th Ayichiyyar Kuravai, 6) 24th Kundra Kuravai, 7) 29th Vaazhthu Kadhai. Vaazhthu Kadai talks about 4 dances and provides many details about these dances: Ammanai, Usal, Kandukam, Vallai Pattu. The author talks in many details about Bharatanatyam and Arangetram. According to the author, the dancer should start her dancing at the age of 5 and should learn the dance for 7 years. She is expected to perform (arangetram) at the age of 12 in front of a king and an audience on a stage (Arangam). The dancer must be accompanied by a singer, nattuvanar, flute and harp musicians. The stage must be at least 40 feet long and 35 feet wide. The stage must be at least 5 feet above the ground and 20 feet above the stage. The light should be such that the shadow of a dancer and the shadow of the pillars do not fall on the stage. Various forms of KoothuKoothu means dance or performance in Tamil, it is a folk art originating from early Tamil culture. This is why the dancing deity, Lord Nataraja, is often referred to by many names such as Koothapiran, Koothuandavan and Kootharasan. The deity of the Thillai Nataraja temple, Chidambaram has been known since the Sangam period as 'Thillai Koothan', the cosmic dancer of Thillai. Koothu is mentioned in Sangam literatures on the development of iyal (literature), isai (music) and natagam (drama). Koothu is of two types – Aga Koothu (internal) and Pura Koothu (external). Aga Koothu means the type of dance that is born in our heart and enjoyed by our soul. Pura Koothu means the type of dance which is performed by the body expressions accompanied by a musical orchestra. A large part of the forms of Koothu fall under Pura Koothu. Koothu is an informal dance structure, the performances usually depict scenes from ancient epics, such as the classical epics of Ramayana, Mahabharatha and Tamil. There will be no dialogues but only songs. Artists are trained to sing in their own voice and in a high pitch to reach the entire crowd, as no technology was available at that time. The performers are dressed in heavy, intricate costumes and have elaborate, high-gloss makeup. They wore high, imposing headdresses, sparkling epaulettes and wide, colorful skirts. Usually the entire cast will be played by men, even the female characters will also be played by men. Theru Koothu is classified as a