Travancore and Tinnevelly, which form the southernmost end of India, have been very little affected by Islam, and hence have preserved traits of Hindu culture and civilization which are not found anywhere else. The dramatic representations can be divided into three classes :—
(1) Indigenous, as the kūttu, āṭṭam, etc., including (a) those acted in temples, and (b) those acted in public places other than temples ;
(2) Imported, yātrās ; and
(3) Devil-dances and propitiatory dances, such as the Fire-dance, Bhadrakálí-dance, etc.