Cultural Archive

Imagine a small temple in a regular village suddenly thrust into the spotlight thanks to an award from UNESCO. In 2023 three young conservation architects helped restore a centuries old wooden mandapam in the Kunnamangalam Devi Temple under a project initiated by the Archival and Research Project (ARPO). In Episode 10 of the SAGA series, Manu S Pillai sits down with Swathy Subramanian, Ritu Sara Thomas, and Savita Rajan for a discussion around Kerala architecture, the challen

In Episode 9 of SAGA, we engage with two powerful voices from marginalised tribal groups in Kerala: Manikuttan Paniyan and Bindu Irulam. In the first half of the episode, Manikuttan takes us through the story of the Paniya community, and its past and present. In the second half, Bindu introduces us to the lore, song, poetry, and language of the Kattunayakar tribe. Both ultimately hope their tribal identity will be preserved and protected as younger generations engage with the

How did a young Muslim boy grow fascinated with Kerala’s Jewish history? Meet Thoufeek Zakriya, a calligrapher, chef, researcher and one of the few people to have spent over two decades closely documenting the Jewish heritage of Kerala. What began as a childhood curiosity grew into a lifelong journey of learning Hebrew, studying Jewish manuscripts and inscriptions, and recording the stories, memories and traditions of the Jewish communities that once flourished along the Mala

Legend places the arrival of Christianity in Kerala in 52 CE. While that date is much debated, for well over a millennium now, Kerala has been home to a distinct Christian community known as the Nasranis or Syrian Christians. Many books and accounts exist on their religious history. But relatively less is known of the social, cultural, and political position of these Malayali Christians in pre-colonial Kerala. In Episode 7 of Saga, Manu S Pillai sits down with Pallikonam Raje

The maharajahs of Travancore are well placed in popular imagination, with their links to the Sri Padmanabhaswamy Temple. However, the system of succession followed in their family was unusual. For no ruler could be succeeded by his son, and the queen was not the ruler's wife but his sister. As a result, history has focussed more on the royal sisters (Ranis), while the wives (Ammachis) and children (Tampis) of the maharajahs have faded from the record. In Episode 6 of Saga, Ma

Among Kerala's several ritual dance forms, some are well known, and others less so. It is this second space that the Theeyattu, or dance of fire, today occupies. Performed by a small community, with only a handful of Theeyattu-Unnis still practising the tradition, in many ways this is a fading dance form and sacred rite. In Episode 5 of Saga, Manu S Pillai meets two committed hereditary practitioners, Sasidhara Sarma and his son Sreejith Sarma, to discuss the Theeyattu, its e

Episode 4 of the SAGA series explores the story of Sangamagrama Madhava, the 14th–15th century mathematical genius whose groundbreaking work laid the foundations for what would later become known as the Kerala School of Mathematics. Yet, remarkably, his most celebrated mathematical text remains undiscovered. Join Manu S Pillai in conversation with Litty Chacko, a Malayalam teacher who has spent over 25 years chasing Madhava's legacy. As they decode how mathematics hid inside

The third episode takes us into one of Kerala’s most fascinating and lesser-discussed histories—the royal family of Cochin. This was a dynasty where princes became communists, princesses spun khadi in response to Mahatma Gandhi’s call, and matriliny shaped complex and intimate domestic worlds. Manu S Pillai is joined by Prasanna Varma, a literary translator whose father and husband both belong to the Cochin royal family. Through personal anecdotes and historical insight, the

Scholar Dr Ajmal Mueen joins Manu S Pillai to discuss the Mishkal mosque and its history, the Mappilas, and issues concerning heritage that face the Muslim community in Kerala.

From political processions to temple festivals, victory celebrations to even weddings, the chenda is one of Kerala's most iconic, ubiquitous musical instruments. Join Manu S Pillai in Arpo's Saga series as he sits down with Deepu Menon, a young chenda performer, to understand the life of a modern chenda artist, how the art form is evolving in the 21st century world, and what an elementary lesson in playing the chenda feels and looks like.