Nalacharitham

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Nalacharitham is a Kathakali play (Aattakatha) written by Unnayi Warrier. Based on the Mahabharatha, it tells the story of King Nalan and his consort Damayanthi. The play consists of four parts – called First, Second, Third and Fourth Day – each part being long enough to be performed over a full night. The source of the story is the tale of Nalan and Damayanthi as told in the Mahabharatha . In the 18th century, Unnayi Warrier structured the contents of this story as Nalacharitham Attakatha to suit the art-form Kathakali. Nalacharitham is considered the most romantic work of art constructed on the classical basement of Kathakali, which has earned it the epithet of being the Shakuntalam of Malayalam literature.^[1]