Sandwiched between the Arabian Sea and the Western Ghats in South India, is the tiny strip of land that is Kerala, which lies fairly insulated from rest of the region even while remaining very much a part of it. This has nurtured the development of a way of life that is unique and characteristic to this region, quite at variance with the traditions of its immediate neighbors. Traditions of art, architecture, dance, drama and music, rich with the ethos of this unique culture, have developed and existed here since ancient times.

The indigenous musical style of Sopan Sangeetham, that unmistakably evokes the essence of the Keralan ethos and which is rendered as an offering before the sanctum sanctorum of a temple, has unfortunately remained confined to ritual performance-offering and dance-drama tradition and has been unable to come into its own as a distinct classical genre of music. This is despite rich possibilities and its illustrious history of development, literary spanning centuries. This book performances the important task of presenting the first ever scholarly work on Sopana Sangeetham in particular, and the performance arts culture of Kerala, in general. It will prove to be an invaluable reference to students as well as aficionados of music, dance, performing arts and the cultural sociology of Kerala.