64 Kalas (चतुःषष्टिः कलाः)

Kala (Samskrit: कला) or Art is a vital component of the Ancient Indian Education System. They are disciplines, a student acquires knowledge of, during the course of training in the गुरुकुलम् ॥ Gurukula. They are called as चतुःषष्टिः कलाः ॥ Chatusshashti Kala since they are 64 in number.

परिचयः ॥ Introduction

भारतवर्षः ॥ Bharatavarsha (Ancient Indian Sub-continent) has always attached great value to knowledge. Talking of India's knowledge tradition, Kapil Kapoor says, "India's knowledge tradition is ancient and uninterrupted like the flow of the river Ganga."

ज्ञानम् ॥ Jnana (Knowledge) has been at the centre of all speculations in India. There are three terms that appear in all discussions related to knowledge:

• दर्शनम् ॥ Darshana
• ज्ञानम् ॥ Jnana
• विद्या ॥ Vidya

दर्शनम् ॥ Darshana literally means "a point of view" which leads to ज्ञानम् ॥ Jnana (knowledge). When this knowledge, gathered about a particular domain is organized and systematized for purposes of चिन्तनम् ॥ Chintana (reflection) and अध्यापनम् ॥ Adhyapana (pedagogy), it attains the status of विद्या ॥ Vidya (discipline).

The tradition always talks of a combination 18 major विद्याः ॥ Vidyas (disciplines of knowledge) and 64 कलाः ॥ kalas (arts) while referring to the curriculum of Ancient Indian Education

The 18 विद्याः ॥ Vidyas include:

• चतुर्वेदाः ॥ The Four Vedas: ऋग्वेदः ॥ Rigveda, यजुर्वेदः ॥ Yajurveda, सामवेदः ॥ Samaveda and अथर्ववेदः ॥ Atharvaveda
• चत्वारः उपवेदाः ॥ The Four subsidiary Vedas: आयुर्वेदः ॥ Ayurveda (medicine), धनुर्वेदः ॥ Dhanurveda (weaponry), गान्धर्ववेदः ॥ Gandharvaveda (music) and शिल्पशास्त्रम् ॥ Shilpashastra (architecture)

• चत्वारि उपाङ्गानि ॥ The Four Upangas: पुराणम् ॥ Purana, न्यायः ॥ Nyaya, मीमांसा ॥ Mimamsa, धर्मशास्त्रम् ॥ Dharma Shastra

• षड्वेदाङ्गानि ॥ The Six Vedangas (Auxiliary Sciences): शिक्षा ॥ Shiksha (phonetics), व्याकरणम् ॥ Vyakarana (grammar), छन्दस् ॥ Chandas (metre), ज्योतिष् ॥ Jyotish (astronomy), कल्पः ॥ Kalpa (ritual) and निरुक्तम् ॥ Nirukta (etymology)

However, as far as the कलाः ॥ kalas (arts) are concerned, there are competing enumerations of 64.

Which are the 64 Kalas ?

As mentioned above, there are slight variations regarding the enumeration of the 64 कलाः ॥ Kalas (arts). The mention of these arts occur in:

• शैवतन्त्राणि ॥ Shaivatantras
• महाभारतम् ॥ Mahabharata by व्यासमहर्षिः ॥ Vyasa Maharshi
• कामसूत्रम् ॥ Kamasutra by वात्स्यायनः ॥ Vatsyayana
• नाट्यशास्त्रम् ॥ Natya Shastra by भरतमुनिः ॥ Bharatamuni
• भगवतपुराणम् ॥ Bhagavata Purana by व्यासमहर्षिः ॥ Vyasa Maharshi
• शुक्रनीतिः ॥ Shukraneeti by शुक्राचार्यः ॥ Shukracharya
• शिवतत्त्वरत्नाकरः ॥ Shivatattvaratnakara by बसवराजेन्द्रः ॥ Basavarajendra

The list of the 64 Kalas in these texts have been juxtaposed in the following table:

Text	महाभारतम्	कामसूत्रम्	नात्यशास्त्रम्	भागवतपुराणम्	शैवतन्त्राणि	शुक्रनीतिः	शिवतत्वरत्नाकरः
1					Singing	Geet - Singing	History
2					Playing on various musical instruments	Vadya – Playing musical instruments	Poetry
3					Dancing	Nrtya - Dancing	Calligraphy
4					Acting, gesticulation, mimicry	Visheshakchhadya - Forhead decoration with paper, leaves etc.	Metrical compositions
5					Drawing, Painting, Calligraphy	Tandul-kusumabalivikar - use of colored rice grains and flower for worship.	Dancing
6					Painting figures of various designs on the various parts of the body with musk paste and other fragrant substances.	PushpastaraN - Floral carpets	Evaluating precious stones
7					Preparing for use in worship various designs with grains of rice, flowers, etc	Dashnavsanangrag - Decaration of nails and body	Wrestling
8					Preparing a bed of flowers	Manibhumika karma - Floor decoration with pearls or precious stones.	Cooking
9					Colouring the teeth and other limbs and articles of wearing apparel	Shayanrachana – Bed arrangement.	Magic
10					Paving a floor with Precious stones	Udakvadya - Jalataranga-Series of water pots for creating music.	Shoe-making
11					Preparing a bed	Udakaghat - Sprinkling with water cannons.	Thieving
12					Using a pot full of water as a musical instrument and treading on water	Chitrashycha yoga – Herbal preparations for weakening of enemy	Iron smithery
13					Showing miracles of various kinds	Malyagranthanvikalpa - Preparation of floral garlands and hair bands	Painting
14					Preparing chaplets and wreathe of flowers	Shekarkapidyojan – Ladies hair styling.	Gardening
15					making ornaments of flowers for ears, braid	Nepathyaprayog - Body make-up with cloth, ornaments and flowers.	Carpentry
16					Modes of beautifying the body with clothes and ornaments of various kinds	KarNapatrabhanga - Ear ornaments preparation.	Hair-dressing
17					Painting ornamental figures on ears	Gandhayukti - Making scented dhupa.	Hunting
18					Making perfumes and cosmetics of various kinds	BhushaNyojan - Ornamental make-up	Trading
19					Making ornaments of various designs	Endrajal – Magic / mesmerism.	Agriculture
20					Jugglery	Kauchumaryog - Preparation of sex tonics. Sixty-four arts of ancient India Page 8	Animal husbandry
21					Appearing in various guises of one's choice	Hastlaghav- Hand magic.	making medicines,
22					Sleight of hand	Vichitrashakayushbhakshyavikar kriya- Culinary preparations- sweets etc.	leather work,
23					Culinary art	Panakrasa Ragasav yojan- Making sharbat or syrups.	driving,
24					Making drinks of various tastes and colours and spirituous liquors of various kinds	Suchivan Karm –Needle work-Embroidery	fishing,
25					Weaving and needle-work of various kinds	Sutra krida –Hand puppets show	speech-making
26					Working puppets by strings	Veenadamruvadya-Playing musical instruments like veena or damru	singing
27					Making musical instruments of various kinds	Pahelika - Solving riddles.	playing musical instruments
28					Solving riddles	Pratimala- An interesting style of reading text or poem.	preparing manuscripts
29					Capping verses	Durvachakyog - Reciting text which is difficult to pronounce and understand.	garland-making,
30					Skill in uttering tongue twisters	Pustak Vachan –Book reading	dyeing
31					The art of reading manuscripts easily and quickly	Natakakhyalika darshan -Dramatics	body-care
32					Dramaturgy and story writing	Kavya Samasyapurti – Solving riddles.	use of weapons
33					Completion of incomplete verses or part verses	Pattikavetrayanvikalpa - Furniture making.	making moulds
34					Making ligatures, canes, arrows	Takshyakarm –Cutting wood to proper size and shape.	performing pUjll (daily worship)
35					Spindle work	TakshyaN - Carpentry.	inlay work
36					Carpentry	Vastuvidya - Civil engineering / architecture.	arranging flowers
37					Architecture	Roopyaratna Pariksha - Valuations of gems and coins.	preparing scents
38					Testing valuable metals and precious stones	Dhatuwad- Mixing of metals like brass.	bangle-making
39					Alchemy	Maniragakar Dyana- Idientification of pearls and gems.	stitching
40					Colouring precious stones	Vrukshaurveda- knowledge of Botany.	making ornaments
41					Knowledge of latent minerals	Meshkukkutlavakyuddhavidhi – Knowledge of bird/ animal fighting for gambling.	making sweets
42					Nursing and treating plants	Shukasarika Pralapan - training of bird to speak.	home-planning
43					Setting game rams, cocks, quails to fight as sport	Utsadan-Samvahan-Keshmardankaushal- Body massage and hair care.	training animals
44					teaching parrots and other birds to imitate human speech	Akshyarmushti kathan-Secret word codes for communication or Mushti sanket - Secret communication through fingers (used by traders in auctions).	training birds
45					Making an enemy quit his place by means of a charm	Mlenchhit Vikalpa- Secret communication through gestures.	coding
46					Cleaning and dressing the hair	Deshbhasha vidyan –Knowledge of foreign languages.	making instruments/machines
47					Reading letters removed from one's sight and divining the nature of substances held within one's palm	Pushpashakatika- Decoration of vehicles with flowers.	training memory
48					Knowledge of books written in the language of Barbarians	Nimittadyana – Knowledge of auspicious date and time for a particular work.	physical exercise
49					Fluently talking in the different Indian dialects	Yantramatruka- Knowledge of instruments or machines	yogic practices
50					Reading good or bad omens	DharaNmatruka- Remembering heard sentences.
51					Making diagrams by means of letters arranged in different orders as mystical formulae to be worshipped or worn as an amulet	Sampathya-
52					Splitting hard substances such as diamonds into two or more pieces of different shapes	Manasi Kavya Kriya – To complete incomplete poem or its part.
53					Reading the thoughts of others and bringing them out in a verse	Abhidhankosha-
54					Lexicography	Chandodyan
55					Knowledge of prosody	Kriyakalpa –Poetry forms
56					Increasing the number of an object by various devices	Chalitak Yog –Conceal body or speech.
57					Playing tricks	Vastragopan – covering parts of body with cloth.
58					Showing off one's clothes as made of a superior texture than what they actually are	Dhyutavishesh-
59					Playing at dice	Aakarsh kriya - Playing with dices.
60					Attracting remote objects	Balakridanak
61					Playing childrens' games	Vainayiki dyna – Behavior with known and unknown persons.
62					The Practice of charms	Vaijayiki Dynan –Knowledge of victory.
63					Fore knowledge of the party going to win in a debate	Vyayam –Physical exercise.
64					Keeping goblins and vampires under one's control