Vazhenkada is a village, known for its

Kathakali Kathakali ( ml, കഥകളി) is a major form of classical Indian dance. It is a "story play" genre of art, but one distinguished by the elaborately colourful make-up and costumes of the traditional male actor-dancers. It is native to the M ...

heritage, on the banks of the river Thootha in

Malappuram district Malappuram (), is one of the List of districts of Kerala, 14 districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala, with a coastline of . It is the most populous district of Kerala, which is home to around 13% of the to ...

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

in southern

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

.Wikimapia
/ref> The nearest small towns are

Cherpulassery Cherpulassery (also known by its former name Cherpulacherry) is a town and municipality in the Palakkad district, of Kerala, India. Cherpulassery is often called the Sabarimala of Malabar as the famous Ayyappankavu temple is located here . The ...

(in

Palakkad district Palakkad District () is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. It was carved out from the southeastern region of the former Malabar District on 1 January 1957. It is located at the centre of Kerala. It is the largest district i ...

) to its south 8 kilometres away and

Perintalmanna Perinthalmanna is a major town and municipality in Malappuram district, Kerala, India. It serves as the headquarters of the Perinthalmanna taluk, and a block and a Revenue Division by the same name. It was formerly the headquarters of Valluvan ...

to its north ,12 kilometres away.

Culture

Vazhenkada's place on the cultural map owes largely to having been the native place of eminent Kathakali artiste,

Padma Shri Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, ...

Vazhenkada Kunchu Nair Vazhenkada Kunchu Nair, also spelt Kunju Nair, (1909-1981) was an Indian Kathakali dancer. Life He mainly served in PSV Natya Sangham, Kottakkal, since 1946, and from 1960 to 1972 at Kerala Kalamandalam. He was the first principal of Kerala Kala ...

, a frontline disciple of the legendary

Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon (1880-1948) was a pivotal figure in the history of Kathakali, having played a crucial role in remoulding and refining its grammar in the famed Kalluvazhi tradition of the classical dance-drama from Kerala in south ...

. Kunchu Nair's son,

Vazhenkada Vijayan Vazhenkada Vijayan is a senior Kathakali exponent and a retired principal of Kerala Kalamandalam, the performing art institute where he was trained in the classical dance-drama from Kerala in southern India. Life A son and disciple of Kathakali ...

, is a Kathakali artiste of repute, having retired from Kerala Kalamandalam, where his father too had worked as a teacher for long. Another of Kunchu Nair's son, P.V. Sreevalsan, is a Kathakali aesthete and author of a

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

novel called ''Keshabharam''. Kunchu Nair lived close to the Narasimhamoorthy temple in Vazhenkada. Other famous Kathakali artistes hailing from Vazhenkada include Kalamandalam Balaraman and Kalamandalam Krishnadas (

chenda The Chenda ( ml, ചെണ്ട, ) is a cylindrical percussion instrument originating in the state of Kerala and widely used in Tulu Nadu of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in India. In Tulu Nadu (Coastal Karnataka), it is known as ''chende''. ...

), Kottakkal Devadas (actor-dancer) and Vazhenkada Anandan (Kathakali musician), besides the late Vazhenkada Govinda Warrier (Kathakali make-up), Vazhenkada Kunjunni Nair, Kalamandalam Rajagopal, Vazhenkada Krishna Warrier and Vazhenkada Rama Warrier.

Transportation

Vazhenkada village connects to other parts of India through

Perinthalmanna Perinthalmanna is a major town and municipality in Malappuram district, Kerala, India. It serves as the headquarters of the Perinthalmanna taluk, and a block and a Revenue Division by the same name. It was formerly the headquarters of Valluvana ...

town. National highway No.66 passes through

Tirur Tirur is a Municipality in Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala spread over an area of . It is one of the business centers of Malappuram district and is situated west of Malappuram and south of Kozhikode, on the Shoranur–Mangalor ...

and the northern stretch connects to

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

and

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

. The southern stretch connects to

Cochin Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

and

Trivandrum Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...

. Highway No.966 goes to

Palakkad Palakkad (), formerly known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery is a city and municipality in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the Palakkad District. Palakkad is most densely populated municipal ...

and

Coimbatore Coimbatore, also spelt as Koyamputhur (), sometimes shortened as Kovai (), is one of the major metropolitan cities in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyyal River and surrounded by the Western Ghats. Coimbato ...

. The nearest airport is at

Kozhikode Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second la ...

. The nearest major railway station is at

shornur Shornur is a town and a municipality located in the Palakkad district, in the Indian state of Kerala, located on the banks of the Bharathapuzha River. The town covers an area of 32.28 km2. Geography Shornur is located at . It has an ave ...

References

Villages in Malappuram district Kathakali Perinthalmanna area {{Malappuram-geo-stub