Yodha Cultural Village Thekkady
Yodha Cultural Village Thekkady
Yodha Cultural Village Thekkady
4.8
9:00 AM - 9:15 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 9:15 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 9:15 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 9:15 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 9:15 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 9:15 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 9:15 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 9:15 PM
About
We offer an unequaled range of cultural programs and events focusing on art, like keral’s traditional art kathakali, kalarippayattu and magic show. Our mission is to deepen your understanding and enhance your appreciation of the achievements of civilizations around the world. For travelers, kerala’s performing arts makes the feel of a different land easy to sink in, it affords them a peep into history and a deep meaningful understanding of the Kerala social structure.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.8
255 reviews
Excellent
220
Very good
28
Average
5
Poor
2
Terrible
0
John M
42 contributions
Jan 2025 • Couples
Enjoyed the dance show although it wasn’t of the highest quality apart from the singer and drummer who were excellent. Surprised that half the audience wanted selfies with the dancers (one of whom clearly didn’t enjoy the photo session).
However the martial arts display was a completely different level of performance. Very accomplished and impressive skills and clearly the result of years of dedicated training and practice. The fire display was especially dramatic. Highly recommended.
However the martial arts display was a completely different level of performance. Very accomplished and impressive skills and clearly the result of years of dedicated training and practice. The fire display was especially dramatic. Highly recommended.
Written 9 January 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NANDINI GUNOO
Mauritius4 contributions
Nov 2024 • Couples
We had the chance to attend both a Kathakali and Kalaripayattu show, and the performances were absolutely amazing. The artists were incredibly talented, and the entire experience was captivating.
I was honored to be chosen to perform with them, and I’m truly grateful for the opportunity. It made the experience even more special. Highly recommend attending these shows if you’re in Kerala! its just 300INR per show
I was honored to be chosen to perform with them, and I’m truly grateful for the opportunity. It made the experience even more special. Highly recommend attending these shows if you’re in Kerala! its just 300INR per show
Written 2 December 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Priya C
1 contribution
Dec 2024 • Couples
Guys....If you're visiting Thekkady, you must visit Yodha Cultural Village.
This place is more than you read on Google or in reviews anywhere.
It's just AMAZINGGGGG🤩🤩
Add this place in your bucket to visit for sure.
#marshal art 👌👌
This place is more than you read on Google or in reviews anywhere.
It's just AMAZINGGGGG🤩🤩
Add this place in your bucket to visit for sure.
#marshal art 👌👌
Written 16 December 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ezhil
Chennai (Madras), India1 contribution
Sept 2024 • Couples
This is a must visit place in Kumily / thekkady. The Kalari show was mind blowing. The one hour show went very well . It was worth the ticket. The front row should be avoided if u have young children. The Kathakali show was good.
Written 1 October 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
ashish
Bengaluru, India289 contributions
Dec 2023 • Family
As others have written, you can buy tickets to the Kalaripayattu (martial arts) show but avoid Kathakali. Price is on the higher side for both here (300/- vs 200/- elsewhere).
While I am no dance connoisseur, the overall presentation of the Kathakali show leaves a lot out. If the one hour duration, 15 minutes are spent in seating people, 25 in showing intro and basic gestures, and just 10 minutes of actual dance. Even that is boring.
Kalaripayattu is little better since stunts and actions are always more exciting but still underwhelming. 2nd or 3rd seating is preferable since they ask 1st row occupiers to move in this last act. Body flexibility exercises, long jump, and fire jumps show real talent, but other fight scenes feel scripted. Kids will love this though.
Entry and exit management is pathetic. A single narrow gate and stairs are used for both entry/exit for both shows without proper waiting place. Since your ticket has seat numbers allocated, you should not rush and get in at last.
Overall, go for Kalaripayattu since you don't have a lot to do in Thekkady but keep expectations low and stay away from the crowd while getting in and out.
While I am no dance connoisseur, the overall presentation of the Kathakali show leaves a lot out. If the one hour duration, 15 minutes are spent in seating people, 25 in showing intro and basic gestures, and just 10 minutes of actual dance. Even that is boring.
Kalaripayattu is little better since stunts and actions are always more exciting but still underwhelming. 2nd or 3rd seating is preferable since they ask 1st row occupiers to move in this last act. Body flexibility exercises, long jump, and fire jumps show real talent, but other fight scenes feel scripted. Kids will love this though.
Entry and exit management is pathetic. A single narrow gate and stairs are used for both entry/exit for both shows without proper waiting place. Since your ticket has seat numbers allocated, you should not rush and get in at last.
Overall, go for Kalaripayattu since you don't have a lot to do in Thekkady but keep expectations low and stay away from the crowd while getting in and out.
Written 2 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
neeta p
1 contribution
Jan 2024 • Family
We attended both Katthakali and Kalaripayattu show. Its great to see 2 dimentions of Kerala culture. In Kathakali dance the artist facial expression was amazing. The martial are performance was outstanding. Everyone in the family loved the performance. It was superb demonstration of team collaboration, artist diciplinary moves and the couragious acts. Ticket pricr is bit expensive, its 300 rps per person but worth attending the shows
Written 12 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sneha D
Kolkata (Calcutta), India13 contributions
Jun 2023 • Family
A Culturally rich event. The artists of both kathakali and kalarippayattu(one of the oldest martial arts form of india) give immense amount of effort in this show. The ticket price for each show is 200 rupees per person and the show time is 1hr for each.we went there on weekday , on that day they had 2shows for kathakali (5pm and 7pm) and Kalarippayattu show timing was 6pm. If the sound system for the kalarippayattu show can be revamped, because it was echoing and the voice was not clear then the experience will be even better (not a major complaint though)
Written 13 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for the suggestion
Written 3 July 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Keras G
16 contributions
Jan 2024 • Couples
We booked the Periyar reserve jeep safari tour from Yodha Cultural Village Thekkady, and this review is for the jeep safari tour only.
Even though the brochure shows a 70% chance of seeing wildlife, in my opinion, the true chances of seeing wildlife is close to nil (we didn't see any wildlife and the driver doesn't make any attempt to spot wildlife). The route of the safari is such that it is not conducive to spotting wildlife. The safari is mainly a viewpoint tour. The road is extremely rough and bumpy and people with back and neck problems should exercise great caution. The safari stops at three viewpoints of mountains - and that's basically it. Considering the very rough road and that it's a mountain viewpoint only, it provides a very low value for the time and money spent. The Periyar lake boat cruise is far superior to the jeep safari. It's well organized, very scenic and peaceful, and has a significantly higher probability of spotting wildlife (we saw deer, boar, cormorants, and kingfishers).
To further add to our disappointment our jeep driver was aloof and unhelpful. We were lucky to be joined by other safari jeeps and those drivers helped in answering our questions. The worst part of our trip was that our driver completely skipped the third viewpoint. He had already exited the park after the second viewpoint and it was too late for us to question and remedy. For those interested in the mountain viewpoints of the reserve, it would be better to book the jeep safari through a dedicated Safari provider rather than through the Yodha Cultural Village (which mainly hosts the traditional art shows of Kathakali and Kalarippayattu).
Even though the brochure shows a 70% chance of seeing wildlife, in my opinion, the true chances of seeing wildlife is close to nil (we didn't see any wildlife and the driver doesn't make any attempt to spot wildlife). The route of the safari is such that it is not conducive to spotting wildlife. The safari is mainly a viewpoint tour. The road is extremely rough and bumpy and people with back and neck problems should exercise great caution. The safari stops at three viewpoints of mountains - and that's basically it. Considering the very rough road and that it's a mountain viewpoint only, it provides a very low value for the time and money spent. The Periyar lake boat cruise is far superior to the jeep safari. It's well organized, very scenic and peaceful, and has a significantly higher probability of spotting wildlife (we saw deer, boar, cormorants, and kingfishers).
To further add to our disappointment our jeep driver was aloof and unhelpful. We were lucky to be joined by other safari jeeps and those drivers helped in answering our questions. The worst part of our trip was that our driver completely skipped the third viewpoint. He had already exited the park after the second viewpoint and it was too late for us to question and remedy. For those interested in the mountain viewpoints of the reserve, it would be better to book the jeep safari through a dedicated Safari provider rather than through the Yodha Cultural Village (which mainly hosts the traditional art shows of Kathakali and Kalarippayattu).
Written 19 January 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dr. Priyanka Purohit
3 contributions
Nov 2022 • Family
We had a wonderful experience to see the old age cultural show of kathakali here. We were amazed by their facial expressions, dancing skills, the music, the singing, the clothing attire, etc. The ticket was also reasonably fair Rs. 200 per person. Hats off to their efforts and skills which the have been learning for more than 12 yrs they say. We were disappointed to have missed the martial arts show, but I would highly recommend to cover both martial arts and kathakali show. It generally starts from 5 pm. It's 1 hr show each.
Written 15 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for your valuable comment. Thank you for joining us. Thank you very much for enjoying our program. Your opinion will be useful for us
Written 23 December 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Nani R
15 contributions
Jan 2022 • Couples
Kalariyapattu show was amazing. The fire show, the sword fights, flexible swords fight, bamboo spear fight etc.... Everything is amazing. It's affordable and excellent show.The artists have passion for their martial art, that makes it even more enjoyable to watch their performance. Glad they're preserving it even today. Must watch if you're in kumily and definitely worth your time.
Written 1 January 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It is great pleasure to receive the good words from you. Heartful thanks sir.
Written 8 January 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
What is the show timings and how far is it from Tiger reserve bus boarding point?
Written 12 December 2022
What is the show timings and how far is it from Tiger reserve bus boarding point
Written 12 December 2022
You can walk upto their counter and book on the spot...do it in the morning when u reach Thekkady for the evening show. However sharing mob numbers if you want to do it in advance
Shinoj Yodha 9846583242
Nidhi Yodha 9747487747
Sarath Yodha 9847445351
Mahesh Yodha 7034227117
Speak to any one of them and I hope the needful will be done. Enjoy your trip. Regards
Written 24 February 2020
Each program Rs. 200 Rupees only per person
Written 5 June 2019
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