Gandhi Seva Sadan Kathakali and Classic Arts Academy

The Gandhi Seva Sadan Kathakali and Classic Arts Academy, popularly known as “Kathakali Sadanam”, is located in a panoramic, sprawling ten-acre campus of its own in Perur village in Ottapalam under the Palakkad district. Started in 1953, the academy is dedicated exclusively to the training of the art of Kathakali, the renowned dance-drama which is an integral part of Kerala’s culture. It is the third of its kind in the state, the other two being the Kerala Kalamandalam and P.S.V. Natyasangham.
Facilities include regular courses as well as short-term courses oriented towards foreign students. The Academy has produced a long line of illustrious performers of this esoteric art form, viz., Mattannur Sankarankutty, Sadanam Krishnankutty, Sadanam Ramankutty, Sadanam Balakrishnan, Sadanam Vasudevan, Cherpalachery Sivan etc. to name a few. Kathakali Sadanam has also conducted quite a number of tours abroad often representing India, particularly in the former Soviet Union and other European countries.