About Us

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15 Glorious Years of Rhythm, Tradition & Excellence

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Founded in 2010, Kalavadhyam began its humble journey as Kalavadhyam Chenda Kalari, with a passionate vision to preserve, promote, and teach the rich traditional art form of Kerala the Chenda Melam.

From conducting our first classes with just four students in an open ground in Bengaluru, to performing historic arangettams and achieving prestigious milestones across Karnataka, our journey has been nothing short of a rhythmic revolution.

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Our Journey Through the Years

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2010 – The spark was lit. Kalavadhyam was founded and the first Chenda classes were promoted in Bengaluru.

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2011 – Classes officially began in Malleshpalya with 4 students. A second learning center was added at Vidyaranyapura.

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2013 – A significant partnership began with Global Residential School, training 68 students through weekend sessions.

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2014 – A full-fledged batch was started in RT Nagar, expanding the student base and community reach.

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2015 – A landmark moment. Our students performed their first arangettam at the sacred Thriuvullakkavu Sri Dharmashastha Temple in Thrissur under the guidance of the legendary Peruvanam Sankaranarayanan Marar, with Sri Peruvanam Kuttan Marar as our special guest.

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2016 – A game-changing batch launched at Ramamurthy Nagar, nurturing the next wave of committed learners and future artists.

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2017 – Vidyaranyapura (Ex Branch) evolved into our second major branch in association with Kerala Samajam. That year, history was created at HAL Ayyappan Temple, Bengaluru, with Karnataka’s first-ever complete Panchari Melam Arangettam, featuring over 100 artists across two batches.

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2019 – Expansion continued with a new batch at Mysore Road. Our students made their first-ever entry into the iconic Peruvanam Pooram. Another record was created with a multi-discipline arangettam including Panchari Melam, Kombu Pattu, Kuzhal Pattu, and Edakka Sopana Sangeetham — a Karnataka-first led by Kalavadhyam.

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2022 – Yet another historic moment! Karnataka witnessed its first Pandi Melam Arangettam, with Peruvanam Satheesan Marar as the chief guest — a proud milestone for the Kalavadhyam family.
Started Bharatanatyam classes under the mentorship of Guru Smt. Divya Mani

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2023 – A new chapter began with the fourth batch at Sarjapur Road, welcoming 18 students.
Kalavadhyam became Karnataka’s first Chenda Academy with University Affiliation from Sanchari Kala Parishad.
We also performed for the first time at the revered Kollur Mookambika Temple, uniting all Kalavadhyam artists in divine harmony.

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2024 – The temple once again echoed with tradition as we hosted the first Ilathaalam Arangettam at Kollur Mookambika Temple.

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2025 – Kalavadhyam continues to break new ground, setting up its first Kurum Kuzhal batch, expanding our musical horizons further.

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Today & Beyond
 

With over 15 years of dedication, Kalavadhyam stands proud as one of the pioneering Chenda Melam institutions in Karnataka, shaping students into not just performers but torchbearers of Kerala’s cultural legacy.

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Whether it's Chenda, Edakka, Ilathaalam, Kombu, Kurum Kuzhal, Sopana Sangeetham, Bharatanatyam, or traditional temple arts — Kalavadhyam is committed to taking this timeless art to greater heights, one beat at a time.


Some Major Milestones

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Kalavadhyam Academy has consistently set benchmarks in the field of traditional Kerala art forms, becoming a pioneering institution in Bengaluru. Some of our most significant milestones include:

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• First Academy in Bengaluru to train students in the complete Panchari Melam, starting from Pathikaalam, and successfully conducting their Arangettam performances.

• First Academy in Bengaluru to organize a large-scale Arangettam featuring over 100 students and artists, showcasing the strength and unity of our performing community.

• Pioneers in Pandi Melam Training – Kalavadhyam is the only academy in Bengaluru to have trained students in Pandi Melam and conducted its Arangettam in Bengaluru.

• First Academy in Bengaluru whose students have performed in prestigious temple festivals including Peruvanam Pooram, Thrissur Pooram, Trippunithura Vrischikolsavam, Karuvanthala Bharanai, and Thaikkatussery Pooram, among others.

• Trailblazers in Women's Participation – Kalavadhyam is the first academy from Bengaluru to have its women artists perform in major Melams both in Kerala and Bengaluru.

• Historic Edakka & Sopana Sangeetham Arangettam – Kalavadhyam proudly hosted the first-ever Edakka and Sopana Sangeetham Arangettam by a female student from Bengaluru.

• University Affiliation – Kalavadhyam is the first and only academy in Bengaluru to receive university affiliation for its Chenda courses, adding academic value to traditional training.

• Unique Arangettam in Kollur Mookambika Temple – Kalavadhyam is the first academy in Bengaluru to train students in Ilathaalam and Kurum Kuzhal and organize their Arangettam at the sacred Kollur Mookambika Temple.

• In a duration of 15 years, Kalavadhyam Academy has trained over 800 students in Chenda under the guidance of gurunaadhan Shri Kalavadhyam Dheeraj Edat