Puranam at 12:14, 3 April 2025

2025-04-03T12:14:17Z

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{{Short description|Indian folk dance}}
{{About|the dance of Tamil Nadu and Kerala|the ''kolattam'' dance of Andhra Pradesh|Kolannalu}}
[[File:Procession at Bhadrachalam 12.jpg|thumb|Women dancing Kolattam]]
'''Kolattam''' is an ancient folk dance practiced mainly in [[Tamil Nadu]] and [[Kerala]]. It is usually performed by women using two short wooden sticks, one in each hand. The dancers generally stand in a circular formation and crisscross the sticks to make specific rhythms while singing folk songs. The dance is usually dedicated to [[Hinduism|Hindu]] gods or goddesses and performed during harvest season and village festivities.

== Practice ==
Kolattam is an ancient folk dance of [[South India]], usually performed by women of all ages.<ref name="Puravai">{{cite book|title=Indian States At A Glance 2008-09: Performance, Facts And Figures - Tamil Nadu|first=Bhandari|last=Laveesh|year=2009|isbn=978-8-131-72347-0|publisher=Pearson Education|page=28}}</ref> It is a community or chorus dance performed in groups.<ref name="Sri"/> The name "Kolattam" is derived from ''kol'' meaning "stick" and ''attam'' meaning "dance" in [[Tamil language]].<ref name="Kol"/> The dancers use two [[lacquer]]ed short sticks, usually made of [[wood]] and about {{cvt|1.5|ft|abbr=on}} in length, holding one in each hand.<ref name="Kolattam">{{cite book|title=Dances Of India|year=2010|page=70|isbn=978-8-124-11337-0|publisher=Har-Anand Publications}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Madras District Gazetteers: Tiruchirappalli (pt. 1-2)|first=B. S.|last=Baliga|year=1998|publisher=Superintendent, Government Press|page=341}}</ref><ref name="Tirtha"/> The dancers generally stand in a circular formation and crisscross the sticks together to make specific rhythms while singing various folk songs.<ref name="Kolattam"/><ref name="Tirtha"/> The dancers may beat the sticks held in their own hands or pair with the sticks held by other dancers to make the sounds.<ref name="Kol"/> The dancers may form multiple circles with dancers changing pairs, combining with the members of adjacent circles to make the beats.<ref name="Malay">{{cite book|title=Thaipusam in Malaysia|first=Carl|last=Vadivella Belle|year=2018|isbn=978-9-814-78666-9|publisher=ISEAS Yusof Ishak Institute}}</ref>

== Occurrence ==
The dance is usually dedicated to [[Hinduism|Hindu]] gods or goddesses.<ref name="Kolattam"/> The dance is performed during the harvest season and for a fortnight in the [[Kārtika (month)|Karthigai]] month of [[Tamil calendar]].<ref name="Kol"/> The dance is often part of village festivities and fairs.<ref name="Bala">{{cite book|title=Balasaraswati:Her Art and Life|first=Douglas M.|last=Knight|year=2010|page=288|isbn=978-0-819-56906-6|publisher=Wesleyan University Press}}</ref>

The dance is practiced in [[South India]] predominantly in [[Tamil Nadu]] and in [[Kerala]] and in other regions with significant [[Tamil people|Tamil]] diaspora such as [[Sri Lanka]] and [[Malaysia]].<ref name="Malay"/><ref name="Puravai"/><ref name="Sri"/> The dance is performed during religious ceremonies, functions and festivals such as [[Pongal (festival)|Pongal]], generally by women.<ref>{{cite book|title=Hand of Destiny: The turning point|first=Chidambaram|last=Subramaniam|year=1993|publisher=Bharatiya Vidhya Bhavan|page=37}}</ref> While the proper dance requires technique and skill with intricate movements, it is practiced by amateur dancers as well.<ref name="Bala"/>

== Variations ==
There are different variants such as pinnal kolattam (an intricate form of the kolattam) and chakke kolattam.<ref name="Kolattam"/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/metroplus/kolattam-by-tamils-in-kerala/article6241735.ece|title=Dance of devotion|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|date=23 July 2013|access-date=1 December 2023}}</ref> Pinnal kolattam uses ropes instead of sticks.<ref name="Kol">{{cite book|title=Footprints of a Young Dancer:Journey & Experience|first=Aburva|last=Govindarajan|year=2016|isbn=978-1-618-13360-1|publisher=eBooks2go|page=26}}</ref> Kummiattam is a folk dance similar to Kolattam, with the difference being that hands are used to make sounds while dancing in kummiattam instead of sticks used in the later.<ref name="Sri">{{cite book|title=Tamil Culture in Ceylon: A General Introduction|first=M. D.|last=Raghavan|year=1971|publisher=Kalai Nilayam|pages=274–275}}</ref> The dancers form a rhythm by clapping the hands in different postures.<ref name="South">{{cite book|title=South Indian Studies|year=1990|publisher=Geetha Books|first=T. V.|last=Mahalingam|page=990}}</ref> A similar dance form practiced in [[Andhra Pradesh]] and [[Telangana]] is known as [[Kolannalu]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/girijantosav-to-begin-tomorrow-in-srikakulam-dt/article6869965.ece|title='Girijantosav' to begin tomorrow|date=8 February 2015|access-date=1 December 2023|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]}}</ref> In [[Karnataka]] it is known as [[Kolata]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Karnataka Folk Dancers |url=https://sites.google.com/view/karnataka-folk-dancers?source=sh/x/srp/wr/m1/2&kgs=e11b8696d97fe000 |access-date=2024-12-15 |website=sites.google.com |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Kolata - Secular dances of Karnataka |url=https://www.webindia123.com/karnataka/Art/kolata.htm |access-date=2024-12-15 |website=Webindia123.com |language=en}}</ref> [[Dandiya Raas]] practiced in [[Gujarat]] and parts of [[North India]] uses similar sticks and has some commonalities with kolattam.<ref>{{cite book|title=Reading Cultural Representations of the Double Diaspora:Britain, East Africa, Gujarat|first=Maya|last=Parmar|year=2019|isbn=978-3-030-18083-6|publisher=Springer International Publishing|page=105}}</ref><ref name="Tirtha">{{cite book|title=Tirtha, the Treasury of Indian Expressions|year=1992|isbn=978-8-190-02670-3|publisher=CMC Limited|page=187}}</ref> Sometimes, long colored ribbons are used instead of sticks to dance.<ref>{{cite book|title=The World and Its Peoples: India|volume=10|year=1965|page=192|publisher=Greystone Press}}</ref> In the recent years, men are also involved in the dance and children often dance in school festivities.<ref name="Bala"/>

== References ==
{{reflist}}

{{Dance in India}}

[[Category:Tamil dance styles]]
[[Category:Tamil culture]]
[[Category:Hindu traditions]]
[[Category:Hindu art]]

Kolattam - Revision history

Puranam at 12:14, 3 April 2025