Kathakali Characters

Kathakali is an art form that is mainly about costumes. There are five main types of costumes in Kathakali, depending on the characters' expressions. They are green, knife, black, beard and minukku. 'Green costume' shows characters with good nature. Nala, Arjuna, Bhimasena etc. all wear green costumes. 'Kathivesha' represents characters who are a mixture of good and evil. The specialty of the knife costume is that both sides of the nose are curved in the shape of a knife. Characters like Duryodhana, Ravana, Keechaka all wear knife costumes.

Characters belonging to the 'Kari' category have black hair and goatee on their faces. Characters with cruel nature wear black costumes. Kattalan, Soorpanakha etc. are 'Kari' costumes. There are three types of beard costumes. Red beard, white beard and black beard. A red beard is common for evil characters and a white beard is common for good characters. Bakan and Shisupalan have a red beard and Hanuman has a white beard. A black beard is a character that represents hunters. Characters who wear a minukku are female characters, sages and Brahmins. Some characters also appear in costumes other than these five types of roles.

PSC Questions

1. The five main roles in Kathakali - Pacha, Kathi, Kari, Tadi, Minukku

2. What is the name of the role that portrays sattvic characters in Kathakali - Pacha

3. What is the name of the role that portrays demonic characters - Kari

4. What quality does 'Karivesha' represent - Tamogunam

5. The role that portrays characters who are a mixture of good and evil - Kathi

6. How many types of 'Kathi' roles are used for characters whose main character is 'Rajogunam'? Which ones? - 2, Nedumkathi, Kurunguthi

7. What kind of knife is Duryodhana - Kurunguthi

8. The character in Kathakali that represents women and sages - Minuk

9. How many variants are there in the beard costume? Which ones? - Three (white, red, black)

10. What kind of costume is worn by cruel demons and asuras in Kathakali - Red beard

11. The costume that portrays characters like Hanuman with superhuman abilities - White beard

12. Another name for 'White beard' - Vattamudi

13. The costume that portrays characters who are hunters - Black beard