---- Previews on : www . ClassicalDance . TV ---- Kathakali (Kalyanasougandhikam) Kathakali is a 300-year-old classical dance drama of Kerala, which combines the facets of the ballet, opera, masque and pantomime. This art form adopts events and stories from the great Indian epics like Ramayana, Mahabharata and the Puranas. The richness of this classical dance is its magnificent mixture of colour, expression, music and drama that are unparalleled in any other art form. It is believed that Kathakali evolved from Ramanattam, a set of plays written by Kottarakkara Thampuran (erstwhile ruler of a province in Kerala) based on Ramayana. Later on, stories from Mahabharata and Puranas were written and staged in similar manner and this particular art form came to be known as Kathakali, which literally means 'story-play.' Like other classical dance forms of India, Kathakali has adopted the basic concepts from Natyasasthra, a treatise on dance and dramaturgy by the Sage Bharatha. It has adopted mudras or hand gestures from Hasthalakshana Deepika, a treatise on mudras.