Kathakali is an ancient form of drama dance and music depicting stories which come mainly from the two ancient epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabhrata. Makeup and costume are very important, the different colours and shapes painted on the face define who is the hero and who the villain, sometimes papier mache padding is used to make the face larger and more frightening. Costumes and headgear are large, bulky and heavy, these performers have to be strong and fit, the training can take many years. Hand gestures are important for the characters to tell the story, there are 24 basic gestures, some with one hand and some with two, in all the combined ways to form the hands, there are an amazing 470 symbols.