The Kalakshetra Foundation

About

About The Kalakshetra Foundation

The Kalakshetra Foundation is a government institution in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, established in 1936. Campusbells lists it under General. Approvals and accreditation: ISO 9001.

At a time of intense national awareness, when people in India were seeking the neglected and forgotten treasures of the past, Rukmini Devi extended her interest in dance and music to the crafts which made each dance performance an aesthetic experience. Textiles were central to the costumes and backdrops of the dance drama she was creating. For this she sought the weavers and dyers and the designs of traditional textiles.

In September 1937, just one year after the founding of Kalakshetra, assisted by a grant from the government, Rukmini Devi set up a Weaving Centre with one loom in a thatched shed. It was part of her holistic and ambitious vision to preserve and revive a tradition that had withered under British rule. Broadly, that tradition was the South Indian aesthetic, reflected as much in the neat simplicity of her choreography for Bharata Natyam as it was in the patterns of the saris produced at the Weaving Centre she now had.

As described on the institution’s website (kalakshetra.in)

At a glance

Key facts

Established

1936

Ownership

Public / Government

Approvals and accreditation

ISO 9001

Stream

General

Location

Chennai, Tamil Nadu

Institution type

Standalone Institution Under Ministry

Management

Central Government

AISHE code

S-8953

Gallery

Campus photos

Photos: kalakshetra.in

Campus life

Facilities at The Kalakshetra Foundation

• Laboratory
• Lab
• Research Centre
• Hostel