Kalakshetra Art Village is located on 100 acres of land at Thiruvanmiyur in South Chennai. This Institution has come up with the idea of promotion and cultivation of different types of Art Forms that were prevalent in India but now have gradually lost their importance. In order to revive these forms of classical dances, attempts have been made by many. But the attempt of Rukmini Devi Arundale has been successful.
Rukmini Devi Arundale succeeded in imparting a sense of reverence in the minds and hearts of people for these obsolete dance forms. These dances were confined in the circle of the Devdasis and Courtesans and so were looked down upon by the orthodox Indian society. But these dances required skill and practice and were best forms of Classical dances in India.
So, in a Gurukul System the dances are taught to students at Kalakshetra Art Village. There is a theater inside the Kalakshetra; this was constructed in the form of Natyashastra and several Sanskrit scholars come here to stage dances. In 1936 Kalakshetra was founded by Rukmini Devi Arundale. Different types of Art forms were amalgamated together in the Kalakshetra Art Village. There is a huge Banyan Tree in the centre of the Kalakshetra Art Village and dances are performed inside the cottages and often in open ground.
The Crafts section at the Kalakshetra Art Village is reputed for its bold attempt in reviving the lost glory of the South Indian Art forms. The traditional Indian Sari which was so long extinct with the arrival of new ones was once again given priority. Their exquisite beauty was beyond compare and so those unique patterns needed care and concern. There is a hand block printing works at Kalakshetra Art Village. This unit creates beautiful designs from hand carved wooden blocks in order to make nice and gorgeous sarees. Moreover this section of Kalakshetra Art Village serves as a centre for helping the poor and destitute women who lives on the income from here.
