Tholpavakoothu is a form of shadow puppetry unique to central Kerala, in southern India . It is performed in permanent temple theatres as a form of ritual primarily honouring the Goddess of Bhadrakali. It enacts the hindu epic Ramayana in a version based on the Tamil Ramayana of Kambar. A highly flexible narrative allows a typical cycle of Tholpavakoothu to extend between seven and twenty one nights, depending on the performance commissioned and sponsored locally. After remaining largely unknown to the West, until the twentieth century, recent scholarship has established its ancient beginnings, while also highlighting the absence of a detailed account of the Art in performance over centuries of its existence. Long ago the creator Bhrahma blessed a demons and as a result of his blessing she gave birth to a son named Darika. When this Demon boy grew up, he became so strong that he turned out to be a threat and a constant source of harassment to the gods. sages and hermits .They approached Lord Shiva for help .In order to kill Darika shiva created the goddess Bhadrakali from the kaalakooda poison lodged in his throat . A fierce fight ensued between Darika and Bhadrakali ,lasting several days. Finally Bhadrakali killed Darika. While Bhadrakali was engaged in fighting Darika,Rama was fighting Ravana.So Bhadrakali was not able to see Rama and Ravana fight. That is why the Ramayana story is enacted in her presence through Tholpavakoothu. Theme and LyricsnThe theme of tholpavakoothu is Ramayana story extending from birth of Rama to his coronation, presented in 21 parts over 21 days. The story of Ramayana is written in 21 parts especially for pavakoothu . This composition which is a mixture of prose and verse is called adalpattu. Adal is acting and pattu is relating to . Since the composition is related to the enactment of Ramayana story it is called adalpattu.\nn The verse of this composition is collectively called koothukavikal; kavikal means verse or poems. Many of this verses are from Kamba Ramayana ,the Ramayana in Tamil by the poet Kambar .But tholpavakoothu performers have changed many of Kambar’s verses and in some places had added their own to meet the purpose of ritual. Scholars differ about the date. Kambar wrote Ramayana in Tamil because Valmilki Ramayana was not accepted among common people .He lived in 9th century A.D. Some say it is 13th century AD. But common opinion is that he lived at Tanjavur during the period of Chola dynasty in the 12th c AD.\n Kambar’s Ramayana is based on Valmiki’s epic, but his presentation and style of narration are most dramatic. This long epic poem containing 20,000 verses is divided into six sections: Balakanda, Ayodhyakanda, Aryakanda, krishkindhakanda, and Yuddhakanda. In addition to verse borrowed from the Kamba Ramayana the performers have added their own verses. A few verses are in Sanskrit and some area mixture of Tamil and Sankrit. Tholpavakoothu, performed every year in the temples of Bhadhrakali ,is regarded as the part of ritualistic worship of goddess. The Arayankavu Temple near Shornur is famous for its Tholpavakoothu because of the attendant ceremonies. The administration of this temple was completely under the control of Kavalapara Muppil Nair . The family attached much importance to pavakoothu and regarded the annual performance at the temple as solemn religious duty. There was a reason for this. At a point of time there were no children in Kavalappara family, and there was a danger that the danger that the family would die out for want to heirs. The family they conducted Tholpavakoothu in the temple as an offering to the goddess and children were born. Since then the family has conducted pavakoothu in the temple every on a grand scale showing the whole of Ramayana from Rama’s birth to his coronation. Ganapathi Iravi Maharajan, who was then the head of the Kavalappara family ,firmly established this tradition of presenting every year at Aryankavu Temple. nTholpavakoothu puppets are made of deer skin. The figures are drawn on the skin by cut out and embellished with dots, lines and holes. The skin is first stretched taut on a smooth board, nailed at the corners to keep it stretched and in position. It is then smeared and rubbed with ash, a process which leaves a thin layer of ash on the skin, and exposed to the sun till dry. When the skin is completely dehumidified all the hair on it is removed by scraping with a sharp edged piece of bamboo. nThen the puppet figure is drawn clearly on it and cut with a fine chisel. The eyes, nose and lips are also drawn on the puppet and cut out. Ornaments and dress are drawn by drilling different kinds of holes in the skin for which special pointed chisel are used. When the puppet is ready it has the same thickness as the original piece of leather.\n The puppets are painted in different colours. The original method of making red dye was by boiling the bark of chappanga tree, black by mixing gum from neem and soot from a coconut oil lamp and blue from boiling neeli leaves in water. The shadows of the puppet on the screen are black, but these become very attractive when shades of other colours merge in them. To prevent the puppet from bending, a thin strip of smoothened bamboo is fastened vertically along the middle on either side. The arms of the puppet are provided with movable joints. There are usually three joints on an arm.\n Puppets are usually made showing them in sitting, walking and fighting postures. In puppets in sitting and moving postures only one arm is movable; both arms are movable in puppets in fighting posture. There are puppets of birds, animals, trees and even for the sea, The puppets of deer and snake are provided with joints that enable them to bend and move their bodies. nThe expression on faces of the puppets indicates their characters. When the shadows of puppets are seen on the screen in the light of oil lamps, they resemble the sculptures in the temples.\nThe puppets have to make gestures and movement in conformity with the narration or dialogue. The puppeteers manipulate their puppets in this way: with one hand they hold the puppet by the lower end of the bamboo strip fastened to the puppet and with a stick in the other hand they make the puppet perform the required movements. The stick they use is usually a thin strip of bamboo some 50 cm long. At the end of the stick, tied to it with a string, is a very thin strip of wood not more than 3cm long. nThis thin end piece is inserted in a hole in the puppets hand when a hand movement is required. The movable arms and fingers are uniform in shape in almost all puppets. The most common hand gesture is the chidmudra- which represents peace, by joining the tips of thumb and first finger, keeping other fingers stretched.\nAfter the ritualistic ceremonies the nandi-shlokha, a hymn in praise of Ganapati is sung. At this the puppet of Ganapati is shown on the screen. The Brahmin characters called pattar pavas are shown on the next. These Brahmin are known by such names as-Moothapattar holding an umbrella, Malleesapattar holding a veeshari, Gangayaadipattar holding a theerthakudam, and Somayajipattar holding a kaavadi. They come from the four regions- north, south, east and westnAs they appear on the screen, the Brahmin’s sung the glories of mahavishnu and explains the greatness and importance of their yagas for the welfare of the mankind. They also praise the other gods and afterwards are supposed to praise the gurus of Tholpavakoothu; but as these guru’s are shudras, the Brahmins cannot praise them. So they leave the stage saying that the function of praising the gurus must be performed by the puppeteers themselves. This is done by the puppeteers. After this the pattar pavas appear again on the screen and sing hymns in praise of Ganapati, Saraswathi, Mahavishnu and Parameshwara.\nThis is followed by a ceremony called sadyavazhthkal- which is the praise of families which have played host to members of puppet troupe that day and offered them hospitality. While praising these families, the puppeteers give a detailed description of the feast offered by them. When the sadyavazhthal is over, a performer summarizes the part of the story to be shown that day. This is followed by paramparamala, where the puppeteers sing hymns in praise of Subrahmanya, Ganapati, Shiva and Krishna, touching the lamps behind the screen as a sign of devotion. Then they begin the koothu. These ritualistic observances such as kalarichintu and paramparamala are performed every day before the koothu commences. It is performed in 7,14,21,41, or 71 days depending upon the custom practiced in the templenIn the course of performance, the performers give explanations and interpretations of the verses, depending on the context. Often they have to bring out the depth and range of the meaning of the words. Where a verse contains allusions or some inner significance, the explanation may continue for as much as an hour.

The ancestors blew this flute when they sentimentalized recalling their young memories. It was created in the double form to refer that the life sharing with other is better than the solitude. It's usually blown by the elders and the married persons. First and foremost the Mai Kha bamboo is cut into two pieces of flute in desired measure. The bigger one is referred as Julumar (female) and the smaller one is as Julumarchaw (male). The five holes are drilled on the bigger piece of flute or Julumar (female) with a heated sharp iron. One hole is also made at one end of Julumarchaw (male) flute with a knife. The blowing holes are made at the end of each flute. After completion of all making process, those two flutes are tied with the strings. Keeping the double flute in the mouth, it is blown making sound by maneuvering the strength of the tongue and tuning with the fingers at the holes. Each flute can be blown separately. Julumar flute has to be blown by opening and closing the holes with the rest fingers after pressing the thumbhole with the thumb. But the traditional melodies can be blown with these flutes.\n-1 inches of length\n-2.5 inches of circumference for Julumar flute\n-1 inch circumference for Julumarchaw flute\n-4.5 inches from the mouth-hole to the first finger hole\n-4.5 inches from the mouth-hole to the thumbhole\n-1 inch apart among each finger holes (1,2,3,4)\n-3 inches apart between finger hole (4 and 5)

Jatis Waram is the second sequence in the Bharatanatyam, a dance comprising 7 sequences. Bharatanatyam is the oldest dance in India, originating from a religious dance performed by female dancers (Devadasis) for the gods in Hindu temples. Like majority of Indian traditional dances, it is based on a religious narrative. Although it used to be performed by a single female dancer, it is now common for 2 or more dancers or male dancers to participate in the dance.\n\nBharatanatyam is characterized by its powerful rhythms. Dancers execute complex steps and detailed hand gestures (mudra) while keeping the upper body still and bending the legs or placing the heel down on the floor. The rhythms of the ghungroo (bell instrument worn on the ankles) further elevates the mood. The dancer delivers the message of the dance through highly controlled facial expressions down to the movements of the eyebrows and eyes.\n\nBharatanatyam was an esoteric art form until the 20th century as it was traditionally performed only in temples. Today, it is taught in many schools and organizations, acting as a source of artistic inspiration in all genres of Indian art, from music to songs, poetry, painting and sculpture.\n\nCharacteristics:\n∙One of the 8 major traditional dances recognized by the Indian government\n∙Originates from a religious dance performed by Devadasi female dancers in Hindu temples\n\nPerformed by Divya Jay Pitel, Radhika Nemina\nDirected by Parul Shah

Spring Rain is an original dance based on the Shuixiu dance, a traditional dance of the Zang people which has become a representative form of Chinese classical dance. It expresses the rain falling in spring and beautiful natural landscapes in elegant movements.\n\nShuixiu dance is a ‘long sleeved dance’ performed while wearing clothes with long flowing sleeves. It is characterized by the flinging and catching of the long sleeves. The essence of Shuixiu dance lies in its harmonious and beautiful curves. It represents the aesthetic character of Shuixiu while keeping with the unique philosophy and temperament of the Zangs, which seeks harmony, peace, coexistence and concordance.\n\nShui Xiu dance, originally performed at religious rituals, was relatively preserved in its original form due to the isolation of the Tibetan society until the 1950s. Its artistic value came to light internationally after the opening up of China in 1978. With the coming of the ‘New China’ era, large numbers of Shuixiu practitioners began to move to large cities to spread the dance, leading to its present day status as a traditional dance enjoyed by the entire Chinese nation.\n\nCharacteristics:\n∙Original dance based on the Shuixiu dance\n∙Vigorous flinging of the long shuixiu sleeves\n\nPerformed by College of Art, Chengdu Sport University\nDirected by 로봉

Teaching and Learning with Intangible Cultural Heritage in Asia and the Pacific\n\nLiving heritage is all around us. Bringing living heritage to school teaching will enhance education quality, enliven the experiences of students and teachers, and contribute to keeping this heritage alive for current and future generations. Whoever you are — teacher, school director, student, parent, heritage practitioner — you have a vital role to play in this process. Check out this animation series to learn more!\n\nCredit: Produced in UNESCO-ICHCAP-APCEIU partnership, with additional support from Chengdu Culture and Tourism Development Group L.L.C.\nContent development : Vanessa Achilles, Duong Bich Hanh\nCoordination : Hangying Li\nProduction : GotU Agency https://gotu.agency/ produced by Nathalie Barbé\nContributors : Kyungah Bang, Khyam Bahadur Bishwokarma, Ritu Dikshit, Sheleg Geva, Alexander Golub, Makara Hong, Aigul Khalafova, Min Jung Kim, Montakarn Suvanatap Kittipaisalsilp, Mark Manns, Majer Massanov, Ichiro Miyazawa, Weonmo Park, Neerana Shakya, Nilesh Sharma, Milin Singthalamake, Nipuna Shrestha, Pavin Unakul, Viktoriya Zakharova.

Teaching and Learning with Intangible Cultural Heritage in Asia and the Pacific\n\nLiving heritage is all around us. Bringing living heritage to school teaching will enhance education quality, enliven the experiences of students and teachers, and contribute to keeping this heritage alive for current and future generations. Whoever you are — teacher, school director, student, parent, heritage practitioner — you have a vital role to play in this process. Check out this animation series to learn more!\n\nCredit: Produced in UNESCO-ICHCAP-APCEIU partnership, with additional support from Chengdu Culture and Tourism Development Group L.L.C.\nContent development : Vanessa Achilles, Duong Bich Hanh\nCoordination : Hangying Li\nProduction : GotU Agency https://gotu.agency/ produced by Nathalie Barbé\nContributors : Kyungah Bang, Khyam Bahadur Bishwokarma, Ritu Dikshit, Sheleg Geva, Alexander Golub, Makara Hong, Aigul Khalafova, Min Jung Kim, Montakarn Suvanatap Kittipaisalsilp, Mark Manns, Majer Massanov, Ichiro Miyazawa, Weonmo Park, Neerana Shakya, Nilesh Sharma, Milin Singthalamake, Nipuna Shrestha, Pavin Unakul, Viktoriya Zakharova.

Teaching and Learning with Intangible Cultural Heritage in Asia and the Pacific\n\nLiving heritage is all around us. Bringing living heritage to school teaching will enhance education quality, enliven the experiences of students and teachers, and contribute to keeping this heritage alive for current and future generations. Whoever you are — teacher, school director, student, parent, heritage practitioner — you have a vital role to play in this process. Check out this animation series to learn more!\n\nCredit: Produced in UNESCO-ICHCAP-APCEIU partnership, with additional support from Chengdu Culture and Tourism Development Group L.L.C. \nContent development : Vanessa Achilles, Duong Bich Hanh\nCoordination : Hangying Li\nProduction : GotU Agency https://gotu.agency/ produced by Nathalie Barbé.\nContributors : Kyungah Bang, Khyam Bahadur Bishwokarma, Ritu Dikshit, Sheleg Geva, Alexander Golub, Makara Hong, Aigul Khalafova, Min Jung Kim, Montakarn Suvanatap Kittipaisalsilp, Mark Manns, Majer Massanov, Ichiro Miyazawa, Weonmo Park, Neerana Shakya, Nilesh Sharma, Milin Singthalamake, Nipuna Shrestha, Pavin Unakul, Viktoriya Zakharova.

Teaching and Learning with Intangible Cultural Heritage in Asia and the Pacific\n\nLiving heritage is all around us. Bringing living heritage to school teaching will enhance education quality, enliven the experiences of students and teachers, and contribute to keeping this heritage alive for current and future generations. Whoever you are — teacher, school director, student, parent, heritage practitioner — you have a vital role to play in this process. Check out this animation series to learn more!\n\nCredit: Produced in UNESCO-ICHCAP-APCEIU partnership, with additional support from Chengdu Culture and Tourism Development Group L.L.C.\nContent development : Vanessa Achilles, Duong Bich Hanh\nCoordination : Hangying Li\nProduction : GotU Agency https://gotu.agency/ produced by Nathalie Barbé\nContributors : Kyungah Bang, Khyam Bahadur Bishwokarma, Ritu Dikshit, Sheleg Geva, Alexander Golub, Makara Hong, Aigul Khalafova, Min Jung Kim, Montakarn Suvanatap Kittipaisalsilp, Mark Manns, Majer Massanov, Ichiro Miyazawa, Weonmo Park, Neerana Shakya, Nilesh Sharma, Milin Singthalamake, Nipuna Shrestha, Pavin Unakul, Viktoriya Zakharova.

Teaching and Learning with Intangible Cultural Heritage in Asia and the Pacific\n\nLiving heritage is all around us. Bringing living heritage to school teaching will enhance education quality, enliven the experiences of students and teachers, and contribute to keeping this heritage alive for current and future generations. Whoever you are — teacher, school director, student, parent, heritage practitioner — you have a vital role to play in this process. Check out this animation series to learn more!\n\nCredit: Produced in UNESCO-ICHCAP-APCEIU partnership, with additional support from Chengdu Culture and Tourism Development Group L.L.C.\nContent development : Vanessa Achilles, Duong Bich Hanh\nCoordination : Hangying Li\nProduction : GotU Agency https://gotu.agency/ produced by Nathalie Barbé\nContributors : Kyungah Bang, Khyam Bahadur Bishwokarma, Ritu Dikshit, Sheleg Geva, Alexander Golub, Makara Hong, Aigul Khalafova, Min Jung Kim, Montakarn Suvanatap Kittipaisalsilp, Mark Manns, Majer Massanov, Ichiro Miyazawa, Weonmo Park, Neerana Shakya, Nilesh Sharma, Milin Singthalamake, Nipuna Shrestha, Pavin Unakul, Viktoriya Zakharova.

Teaching and Learning with Intangible Cultural Heritage in Asia and the Pacific\n\nLiving heritage is all around us. Bringing living heritage to school teaching will enhance education quality, enliven the experiences of students and teachers, and contribute to keeping this heritage alive for current and future generations. Whoever you are — teacher, school director, student, parent, heritage practitioner — you have a vital role to play in this process. Check out this animation series to learn more!\n\nCredit: Produced in UNESCO-ICHCAP-APCEIU partnership, with additional support from Chengdu Culture and Tourism Development Group L.L.C.\nContent development : Vanessa Achilles, Duong Bich Hanh\nCoordination : Hangying Li\nProduction : GotU Agency https://gotu.agency/ produced by Nathalie Barbé\nContributors : Kyungah Bang, Khyam Bahadur Bishwokarma, Ritu Dikshit, Sheleg Geva, Alexander Golub, Makara Hong, Aigul Khalafova, Min Jung Kim, Montakarn Suvanatap Kittipaisalsilp, Mark Manns, Majer Massanov, Ichiro Miyazawa, Weonmo Park, Neerana Shakya, Nilesh Sharma, Milin Singthalamake, Nipuna Shrestha, Pavin Unakul, Viktoriya Zakharova.

William Jeffery highlighted the value of the Yapese fish weirs and how they, and the associated intangible cultural heritage can be used to assist modern-day approaches to marine ecological conservation, in addition to keeping traditional sustainable fishing practices alive.