A morning of classes at Kerala Kalamandalam

Kerala Kalamandalam was founded in 1930 by the poet Vallathol Narayana Menon to save Kerala's classical performing arts, which were then in decline. It moved to its present campus on the banks of the Bharathapuzha river at Cheruthuruthy, about 30 km north of Thrissur, and is now a deemed university. Students join young and train for years in a traditional teacher-student system.

Mornings are when the campus comes alive. In open-sided halls called kalari, Kathakali students practise eye exercises, facial expressions and the strenuous leg work that underpins the art, while elsewhere Mohiniyattam dancers work on their swaying movements, and chenda drummers beat out rhythms on wooden blocks before moving to the drums. Visitors walk quietly between halls and watch from the edges.

We arrange a guide who explains what each group is practising, and where possible a short conversation with a teacher. The old Koothambalam, a traditional theatre on campus, is also worth seeing. Kalamandalam runs a visitor programme for watching classes; access, timings and holidays change, so check current status before you travel. Classes do not run on Sundays or during vacations.