Kadathanadu (Vatakara) was a former feudatory (of Kolathunad) city-state in present-day Kerala, on the Malabar Coast. The region is most known for being the area where the events of the Vadakkan Pattukal, a set of warrior ballads from Kerala, took place, and for being one of the heartlands of Kerala's native martial art, Kalarippayattu.