Interpreting Ritualistic Landscape of India; Kalamezhuth Paatt, a Case Example.

In India the concept of a ritual landscape is used for places where religious rituals were
established long ago but are still practiced to this day. In this thesis, I call these tangible yet
intangible, contemporary yet ancient landscapes ‘ritualistic’; they are landscapes where the
rituals conducted are so deeply embedded that they form its very soul. The ritual in its
authentic form can only exist in that landscape and cannot be removed and placed
somewhere else.
The unique ritual of the Indian state of Kerala, known as Kalamezhuth Paatt, is used to
comprehend the concept of ritualistic landscape. This ritual art involves creating beautiful
and vibrant powder drawings on the ground, accompanied by songs and percussion music,
and is dedicated to different gods and goddesses in Kerala. These rituals are performed
inside built spaces as well as in open ones, and there is a strong relationship between each
ritual and the associated cultural space. As a result, a prominent and unique settlement
pattern can be observed in regions where the ritual is practiced.
As a patron of the ceremony, it is my responsibility to ensure its continuation, as it has been
a part of my family's ritual practice for many generations, so autoethnography is taken as a
research approach. Nonetheless, its history, architecture, and tangible and intangible
cultural heritage captivate me, and my fascination extends beyond a purely spiritual realm.
I comprehend this ritual as a cultural phenomenon and a community affair, as different skill�based groups are involved in the ritual. The research is concerned with the documentation
of the tangible and intangible aspects of the ritual, mapping the results and it engages with
social science research methods using non-participant observation as well as semi�structured qualitative interviews. Ultimately, my work considers the definition of the term
‘ritualistic landscape’, with an understanding of its inherent character and components.