Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Faculty Publications Article Faculty Publications -Articles Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Mohan P, Aswathy; Ashraf, Muhammed Niyas; Varghese, Anna Title A name given to the resource K???an???am Performance: K???a Devotion, Ritual Ecology, and Colonial Transformation in South India Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 01-01-2025 Source A related resource from which the described resource is derived Religions;Volume;16;Issue;12;Article No.;1503; Identifier An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16121503" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16121503</a> <br /><br /><a href="https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105025758917?origin=resultslist" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105025758917?origin=resultslist</a> Coverage The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant Mohan P A., Department of International Studies, Political Science and History, CHRIST University, Bengaluru, 560029, India; Ashraf M.N., Department of History, GITAM (Deemed to be University), Bengaluru, 560064, India, Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, Ghent University, Campus Boekentoren, Gent, 9000, Belgium; Varghese A., Department of International Studies, Political Science and History, CHRIST University, Bengaluru, 560029, India Description An account of the resource This paper critically explores K???an???am, a Sanskrit ritual dance-theater tradition from Kerala, as a product of socio-political and religious transformations in early modern South India. Conceived in the mid-17th century by the Zamorin King M?nav?da, author of the Sanskrit text K???ag?ti, K???an???am was both a devotional offering to Lord K???a and a strategic expression of ritual sovereignty. Rooted in K???a bhakti (devotion), the tradition reflects how religious performance was mobilized to assert political legitimacy, particularly amid rivalry with regional powers such as Travancore. The Guruvayur Sri Krishna Temple, situated in the Malabar region of northern Kerala and central to the performance of K???an???am, emerged as a vital sacred space where royal patronage, ritual authority, and caste hierarchy intersected. The performances exclusivity restricted to Hindu audiences within temple premises reinforced patterns of spatial control and caste-based exclusion. Institutional support codified the tradition, sustaining it across generations within a narrow sociocultural framework. With the decline of Zamorin rule and the onset of colonialism, K???an???am faced structural disruptions. Colonial interventions in temple administration, landholding, and religious patronage weakened its ritual foundations. Guruvayurs transformation into a public devotional center reflected wider shifts in ritual ecology and sacred geography under colonial modernity. In both the colonial and postcolonial periods, K???an???am struggled to survive, nearly facing extinction before its revival under the Guruvayur temples custodianship. By examining K???a devotion, royal ambition, caste dynamics, and colonial transformation, this paper offers a critical lens on Keralas evolving religious and cultural landscapes. 2025 by the authors. Subject The topic of the resource caste; colonialism; k???a devotion; K???an???am; postcolonial transformation; sacred space; zamorin Publisher An entity responsible for making the resource available Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI) Relation A related resource ISSN: 20771444; Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Article Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource All Open Access; Gold Open Access; Green Open Access Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource online