Attams or more specifically "elaki attams" are sequences of acting within a story acted out with the help of
mudras without support from vocal music. The actor has the freedom to change the script to suit his own
individual preferences. The actor will be supported ably by Chenda, Maddalam, and Elathalam(compulsory),
Chengila(not very compulsory).

The following are only some examples. 'Kailasa Udharanam' and 'Tapas Attam' are very important but not described
here (willbe added later). Two of the many references are:
1. 'Kathakali Prakaram'- pages 95 to 142 by Pannisheri Nanu Pillai.
2. 'Kathakaliyile Manodharmangal' by Chavara Appukuttan Pillai.

1. VANA VARNANA - Bhima in Kalyana Saugandhika.

Modern man looks at the forest, indeed the birthplace of primates, with a certain wonder and a certain respect.
Kathakali characters are no exception. When Pandavas were living in the forest, one day, a flower, not seen before,
wafted by the wind, comes and falls at the feet of Panchali. Exhilarated by its beauty and smell, Panchali asks
Bhima to bring her more such flowers. To her pleasure Bhima is ready to go at once. But Panchali asks him what he
shall do for food and drink on the way. Bhima thinks and says " Food and Drink! Oh, this side glance(look) of your's.
This look of longing. This look of anticipation. The very thought fills me up. I dont need any food and drink at all.
Let me go." He takes his mace and off he goes.

Ulsaham (Enthusiasm ) is his Sdhayi Bhavam (Permanent Feature).

"Let me go at once in search of this flower" says Bhima "The scented wind is blowing from the southern side. Let me
go that way". After walking some distance he sees a huge moumtain called Gandhamadana, and three ways. He
decides to take the middle one which goes over the mountain. After going further "The forest is getting thicker. Big
trees, big branches in all directions. The forest looks like a huge dark vessel into which even light can not penetrate.
This is my (Bhima's) way. Nothing can hinder me" . So saying he pulls down many trees. Sometimes he shatters
the trees with his mace. Suddenly he sees an elephant. "Oh! Elephant". He describes it. Its trunck. Sharp ears.
The itching sensation in the body. It takes some mud and throws on the body. Oh good. Then it sucks water and
throws on the body. Somewhat better. Slowly it starts dosing even though alert at times. A very huge python is
approaching steadily. Suddenly it catches hold of the elephant's hind leg. The elephant wakes up and tries to
disengage the python.

The python pulls to one side. The elephant kicks and drags to the other side. This goes on for some time.
Bhima looks to the other side where a hungry lion is looking for food. It comes running and strikes the elephants
head and eats part of the brain and goes off. The python completes the rest .

"Oh my god, how ruthless!" says Bhima and proceeds on his way.

2. UDYANA VARNANA - Nala in Nalacharitham 2nd day

Descriptions of Gardens are found in most dance forms of India and Abroad. These are also common in Kathakali.
Newly married Nala and Damayanthi are walking in the garden. When Nala was lovingly looking at Damayanthi a
flower falls on Damayanthi. Nala is overjoyed and thinks that this is a kindness nature has shown on his wife.
Nala says " On seeing the arrival of their queen, the trees and climbers are showing happiness by dropping flowers
on you." He tells her " See that tree. When I used to be alone the tree used to hug the climber and seemingly laugh
at my condition". Then he looks at the tree and says " Dear Tree, Look at me now. See how fortunate I am with my
beautiful wife."

Both wander about. A bumble bee flies towards Damayanthi. Immediately Nala protects her face with a kerchief.
He looks at the bee and then at Damayanthi. He says " On seeing your face the bee thought it was a flower and
came to drink the nector."

Nala and Damayanthi listen to the various sounds coming out of the garden. Damayanti says " It appears that the
whole garden is thrilled. The flowers are blooming and smiling. Cuckoos are singing and the bees are dancing.
Gentle winds are blowing and rubbing against our bodies. How beautiful the whole garden looks." Then Nala says that
the sun is going down and it is time for for them to go back and takes her away.

3. SHABDA VARNANA - Hanuman in Kalyana Saugandhikam

While Bhima goes in search of the flower, here Hanuman is sitting doing Tapas with mind concentrated on Sri Rama.
When he hears the terrible noises made by Bhima in the forest he feels disturbed in doing his Tapas. He thinks
"What is the reason for this?". Then the sounds become bigger. "What is this?" he thinks "The sounds are
getting bigger. Such a terrible noise. Is the sea coming up thinking that the time is ripe for the great deluge(Pralaya).
Birds are flying helter - skelter. Trees look shocked. Even Kali Yuga is not here. Then what is it ?
Are mountains quarrelimng with each other? No, That cant be it. Indra had cut off the wings of mountains
so that they dont quarrel. Is the sea changing its position? No it cant be. The sea has promised it will not change
its position again. It cant break the promise."

Hanuman starts looking for clues. "I see elephants and lions running in fear of somebody. Oh a huge man is coming
this way. Oh, a hero is coming. He is pulling out trees and throwing it here and there. Okay. Let him come near,
We will see."

4. THANDEDATTAM - Ravana in Bali Vadham

After his theranottam Ravana is seen sitting on a stool. He says to himself " I am enjoying a lot of happiness.
What is the reason for this?" Thinks. " Yes I know it. I did Tapas to Brahma and received all necessary boons.
Afeterwards I won all ten directions. I also defeated my elder brother Vaishravana. Then I lifted Kailas mountain
when Siva and Parvathi were having a misunderstanding. Parvathi got frightened and embraced Siva in fear.
Siva was so happy he gave a divine sword called Chandrahasa. Now the whole world is afraid of me. That is why
I am enjoying so much happiness. " He goes and sits on the stool. He looks far away. " Who is coming from
a distance. he is coming fast. Oh it is Akamba. Okay. Let me find out what news he has for me."

5. ASHRAMA VARNA - Arjuna in Kiratham

Arjuna wants to do Tapas to Lord Siva and he is looking a suitable place in the Himalayan slopes.
He comes to place where there is an Ashram. Arjuna looks closely at the place. " Oh. What a beautiful place
this is. A small river in which a very pure water is flowing. Some hermits are takimng bath in the river.
Some hermits are standing in the water and doing Tapsas. Some are facing the Sun. Some are standing
in between five fires. Arjuna salutes the Hermits from far. Arjuna says to himself " Look at this young one of
a deer. It is looking for its mother. It seems to be hungry and thirsty. Nearby a female tiger is feeding its young
ones. The little deer goes towards the tigress and pushes the young tiger cubs aside and starts drinking milk
from the Tigress. The Tigress looks lovingly at the young deer and even licks its body as if it were its own child.
How beautiful. How fulfilling."
Again he looks " Here on this side a mongoose and a serpent forgetting their enemity are hugging each other.
Thisplace is really strange and made divine by saints and hermits. Let me start my Tapas somewhere nearby."
A sloka called "Shikhini Shalabha" can also be selected instead of the above if time permts.

6. AN ATTAM BASED ON A SLOKA

Sansrit slokas are sometimes shown in mudras and it has a pleasing and exhilarating effect. Different actors
use slokas as per his own taste and liking. However the slokas are taught to students during their training period.
An example is given below.

Sloka:
Kusumo Kusumolpatti Shrooyathena Chathushyathe
Bale thava Mukhambuje Pashya Neelolpaladwayam

Meaning:
A flower blooming inside another flower is not known to history. But, my dear, in your lotus like face are
seen two blue Neelolpala flowers (eyes).

7. A CONVERSATION BASED ON A SLOKA

Sanskrit slokas can also be used to express an intent. One such example is a sloka used by Arjuna addressed
to Mathali the charioteer in Kalakeya Vadham.

Sloka:
Pitha: Kushalee Mama hritha Bhujaam
Naatha Sachee Vallabha:
Maatha: kim nu Pralomacha Kushalinee
Soonurjayanthasthayo
Preethim va Kushchate Thadikshnavidhow
Cheta Samutkanuthe
Sutha: tvam Radhamashu Chodaya vayam
Dharmadivam Mathala

Meaning:
The husband of Indrani and the lord of gods my father - Is he in good health? His son Jayantha - Is he
stictly following the commands of his father? Oh, I am impatient to see all of them.

8. SWARGA VARNANA -Arjuna in Kalakeya Vadham

Arjuna goes to heaven on the invitation of his father, Indra. After taking permission from Indrani he goes out to see all
the places in Swarga. First he sees a building, his father's palace. It is so huge with four entrances. It is made of
materials superior to gold and jewels of the world. Then he goes ahead and sees Iravatha. Here he describes it as an
huge elephant with four horns. He is afraid to touch it. Then he thinks that animals in Swarga can't be cruel like in the
world and so thinking he goes and touches and salutes Iravatha. He also describes the churning of the white sea
by gods and demons with many details and how Iravatha also came out of the white sea due to this churning.

He walks on and sees his father's (Indra's) horse. It is described as being white and its mane is sizzling like
the waves of the white sea from which it came. He touches and salutes the horse also. Then he goes to see the river
of the sky (or milky way). He sees many birds by this river and how the birds fly and play is also shown.

Then he sees the heavenly ladies. Some are collecting flowers, and one of them comes late and asks for some
flowers for making garland. The others refuse. She goes to the Kalpa Vriksha and says 'please give me some flowers'.
Immediately a shower of flowers occurs which she collects in her clothes and goes to make garlands chiding the others
"See.. I also got flowers".

After this he sees the music and dance of the heavenly ladies. First it starts with the adjustments of various instruments
Thamburu, Mridangam, Veena and then the actual music starts along with the striking of cymbols. Then two or three
types of dances are shown.
Then comes juggling of balls.
It is described by a sloka thus:

Sloka:

Ekopi Thraya Iva Bhathi Kandukoyam
Kanthayaa: Karathala Raktharaktha:
Abhrastho Nayanamareechi Neelaneelo
Bhumau Talcharana Naghamshu Gaurgaura:

Meaning:

One ball looks like three balls. When it is in the hands of the juggler, it takes the redness of the hands, when it
goes up it takes the blueness of the eyes, when it strikes the ground it becomes white from the whiteness of the leg nails.

Once a juggled ball falls down. Then she, the juggler, somehow manages to proceed and remarks "See.. how I can do it".
At one time a garment slips from a lady's body and she adjusts the cloth showing shameful shyness (Lajja).
Then the ladies go in for a Kummi dance.

As Arjuna was enjoying this dance, suddenly somebody calls him. Arjuna feels scared. 'Oh God, where am I?' he says,
and then he beats a hasty retreat.

9. TAPAS ATTAM

[Background: Mali, Sumali and Malyavan were three brothers ruling Sri Lanka. During a war between them and Indra, Indra requested help from Lord Vishnu and as a consequence Lord Vishnu killed Mali. Sumali and Malyavan escaped to Patala. Kaikasi was the daughter of Sumali. She wandered in the forest.  She begot three boys through a great sage called Vishravassu. (Vishravassu had an earlier son called Vaishravana who became the richest among all people.) The eldest boy of Kaikasi was Ravana followed by Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana.]
SCENE 1: When Ravana was a young boy (Kutti Ravana vesham), one day he was sleeping on his mothers lap in a place called madhuvanam. At that time Kaikasi sees Vaishravana flying overhead in his vimana (mythical aeroplane). She thinks “Oh, that is Vaishravana, technically a brother of my son who is sleeping on my lap. He is rich and strong. My son is so poor and weak. While thinking thus a drop of tear from her eyes drops on Ravana’s face. Ravana suddenly wakes up and sees his mother crying. When he knew the reason he could not bear it. He says he is going to do tapas to Brahma to get boons so that he will be strong and rich.
SCENE 2: ATTAM SCENE (The tapas itself is shown as a part of autobiographical narration of adult ravana)
Ravana (adult Ravana, not kutti Ravana) is sitting on a stool. He thinks “Why am I so happy? How did I become so rich and strong? Oh yes. It is because of the tapas I did. What made me do the tapas? When I was a young boy, one day I was sleeping on my mother’s lap in a place called Madhuvanam. A drop of tear from her eyes falls on my face. I asked her why she was crying. She said she saw Vaishravana flying overhead in his vimana (plane). She told me Vaishravan was a brother of mine now flying in a plane. He is rich and strong. I am so poor and weak. When I heard this comparison between me and my brother, I could not bear it. I thought - I am going to do tapas to Brahma to get boons so that I will be strong and rich.
 “I made five different types of fires (while doing tapas gods are approached through Agni the god of fire). Then I started my tapas. I asked my brothers to stand guard and also keep the fires burning. Then I fully concentrated on tapas. Time passed but Brahma did not appear. I looked. Why is Brahma not appearing? I doubled my concentration. Time passed. Brahma is not appearing. Still not appearing? I cut one of my heads and put it in the fire. Waited, Brahma did not come. One more head rolls. Still no Brahma comes. Heads roll and roll. No Brahma. Only one head is left. First I thought of stopping my tapas. But no! Never! That will be an insult to me and my family. It is better to die than stop. Also when I die Brahma will be judged as being partial. With great determination I swung the sword at my last neck, when, lo and behold, suddenly Brahma appeared and caught my hand. I looked at him with still un-subsided, but gradually subsiding anger. Brahma asked me what boons I wanted. I asked for a boon that I should win all the worlds and have all the wealth and fame and that I should not be killed except by man. I also asked him to give boons for my brothers.”
In the next scene Ravana asks Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana what boons they got. Unfortunately Kumbhakarna’s tongue got twisted while asking for boon and he got ‘sleep’ instead of becoming the ‘king of gods’. Ravana laughed it off.  As for Vibhishana, he being a bhaktha of Vishnu, asked for Vishnu’s blessings and got it. Ravana laughs it off and also decides to conquer all the worlds and starts preparing his grand army for the big conquest of the worlds.
[This method of presentation with a peculiar sequence has a tremendous dramatic affect. The main actor redoes a small part of what happened to kutti Ravana vesham, and this gives a view of the high contrast between the boy and the man Ravana. Similarly the presence of Kumbhakarna and Vibhishana in the subsequent scene offers a good smile on the face of the viewer at the end of the play.]
               
10. KAILASA UDDHARANAM

[Background and Previous scene: After receiving the boons, and widening his kingdom in all directions, Ravana  lives in Sri Lanka with great pomp and splendor. One day he sees Saint Narada approaching his palace singing songs in praise of him ‘Jaya jaya Ravana, Lanka Pathe’. Happily he receives Narada and seats him next to him. After telling Narada about the victory of his son Indrajith on Indra, Ravana tells Narada “Now there is nobody on earth or other worlds who can fight with me”. To this Narada replies “ Very true indeed, but there is one huge monkey called Bali who says he can defeat you. He even said that you are just like a blade of grass to him. Well let him say what he wants. You are unbeatable.” Then Narada says ‘let us go there and see him’. Both decide to go. But Ravana takes his famous sword called “Chandrahasam”. Then Narada asks the history of this sword. Ravana’s Attam Starts.]
Ravana says “I received this sword from Lord Siva. It happened thus. Once when I was conquering new places and expanding my empire I happened to be going across the Kailasa mountain. The plane got stuck on the mountain unable to move forward. I got down from the plane and looked at the mountain. (Looks from one end to the other first horizontally and then vertically.) So huge it was. Then I decided to lift it with my bare hand and keep it aside and move forward. I started sticking my hands under it one by one. Then I tried to lift it. It doesn’t  move. I put more force and more force. It moved just a bit. I pushed harder and harder, slowly it started moving then again and again and it moved easily. Then I lifted it up with my hands and started juggling it (exaggeration evident).
“At that particular time Lord Siva was quarreling with his wife Parvathi. Why did they fight? The story is as follows. Parvathi had gone for enjoying swimming and bathing in some beautiful pond. At that time Siva opened his jata (disheveled long hair) and called Ganga for some entertainment after asking Ganapathi and Subramania to go for some errands. Somehow becoming suspicious, right at that time, Parvathi came back in a hurry with wet clothes and saw Siva with Ganga. Siva was wondering what to do and it was at that time that Ravana started lifting the Kailasa. When Kailasa started shaking Parvathi got scared and ran to Siva and hugged him. So the quarrel ended and Siva was happy.
“As a reward Siva called me and gave me this famous Chandrahasa sword.”
Then Narada and Ravana leave to meet Bali. Ravana wanted to take the sword along with him, but Narada suggested that the sword is not required for teaching a lesson to Bali who is after all an unarmed  monkey.