"perumkaliyattom is the other name for theyyam"

myths about 'sree muthappan'

Sree Muthappan is believed to be the personification of two divine figures - Thiruvappana and Vellatom. Fundamentally the dual divine figures Thiruvappana and vellatom are not very different from the theyyakaliyattom of the north Malabar region. Though Sree Muthappan represents a single god, it represents two godly figures, Vishnu (with fish-shaped crown) Shiva (a crescent-shaped crown).Sri Muthappan as a theyyam is performed year-round whereas other theyyams are seasonal (lasting October to May).Several Muthappan Temples are seen in different parts of Kannur andKasaragode district. This shows the popularity of the God in the minds of the people of these two districts. Each madappura has its own tradition.

One interesting story relating to the God Muthappan is about the Nileshwar Muthappan Madappura. The Sree Muthappan temple near National Highway No 17 in Nileshwar has a rich heritage. It tells philosophical, devotional and educational importance ofNileshwar.There is an interesting story regarding the construction of Sree Muthappan Temple. An elder member of the Koroth family regularly visited the place now known as the Muthappan temple and drunk madhu (Toddy) a kind of intoxicating drink. He was a famous scholar and got the title Ezhuthachan for his commendable achievement as a teacher. Before drinking madhu as a devotee he pour some drop of madhu on the nearby Jack fruit.tree by telling it is for the god Muthappan. He regularly repeated the practice. Several years after the death of the above mentioned scholar the natives experienced serious troubles and they examined it with the assistance of an astrolleger. The astrolloger reveals the wonder that as a result of the regular practice of giving madhu to God Muthappan, the God started residing there. After the death of the scholar he did not get the madhu. That created disturbances in the area. Then the natives erected a Muthappan temple there. Koroth family got the right of Koymma [patron] in the temple.As a result of the formation of a committee and the great work done by the members of the committee the temple developed as famous and daily hundreds of people visited there. There is a strong belief that the God will cure all diseases and will give prosperity to the devotees. The devotees will get Payakutti from the temple and stood developing as a great temple like the Sree Muthappan temple at Parassinikadavu

preparations for theyyam

Costume and Make-upTo get the appearance of super-human, peculiar and colourful costume and make-up are used in theyyam dances. Essential componentc of the costume of theyyam dancer are the leaves of coconut tree which are cut and made into different shapes and sizes.Headgear of the dancers is unique and special. Structure of massive headgear and uduthukettu (waist-dress) is usually prepared from arecanut tree and bamboo. Lighted wicks are often fixed on the waist dress and are specific of Theyyattom.Mudi (face) is decorated with a red cloth and colored papers. Red colored flowers are also used for an even more attractive appearance.

a performer perform as" karinkaly"

the theme of theyyam

Theyyam is performed by male members of particular castes only. Malayan, Pulayan, Vannan, Anjoottan, Munnutton, Velan, Chungathan, Koppalan and Mayilon are some of the castes who perform theyyam.Theyyam dance has its roots in the ancient tribal culture of Kerala dating back to the Dravidian age. It lays great importance to worship of heroes and ancestral spirits. Theyyam sees a wonderful amalgamation of dance, mime and music. Chenda, veekku chenda, elathalam and kurumkuzhal are the musical instruments used in theyyatom.There are about 450 known forms of "theyyams" and each has got its own myth and style of costumes, make-up, choreography and songs.Influence of prominent Hindu sects of Shakteyas (followers of Mother Goddess Shakti), Vaishnavites (followers of Lord Vishnu) and Shaivites (followers of Lord Shiva) is apparent on Theyyam cult.Theyyam is supported by a vast literature of folk songs. Besides the theme of worshiping Mother Goddesses and animals, Theyyam also narrates the tales and woes of people who lost their lives in battlefield, pangs of women who committed suicide or persons killed by the local chieftains. Such people are honoured through theyyams performed in front of shrines.

theyyam "the God's dance"

Theyyam is a popular ritual art of north Kerala. It is rich in culture and is essentially a dance festival. Theyyam is said to be corrupted form of the word 'Deivam' meaning God and 'Aattam' means dance. The meaning of Theyyam thus becomes 'God's dance'. In Theyyam people worship deity and dancer is also the deity. In this art devotees worship Mother Goddess. Though animals, serpents and trees are also worshiped by many.

Season of Theyyam continues for six months beginning from the Malayalam month of Thullam (October-November) and continues till Edavam (May-June). Most Theyyam festivals are held in the region of Valapattanam River of Kannur and Chandragiri River of Kasargod. Prominent amongst all places is the Theyyam of Malabar region in north Kerala.

Practice of Theyyam as Worship

Muthappan Theyyam as Lord Vishnu & Lord ShivaUnder the impact of Aryan religions, the cult of Theyyam had changed substantially incorporating new trends and sub cults along with its tribal character.In a different way, it can be stated that all prominent characteristics of a primitive tribal religious worship had widened the stream of Theyyam cult and made it a deep rooted folk religion of the millions. For instance, the cult of Mother Goddesses had an important place in Theyyam. Besides this, the practice like spirit-worship, hero-worship, masathi-worship, tree-worship, ancestor-worship, animal worship, serpent-worship, worship of the goddesses of disease and gramaadevata-worship are included in the main stream of Theyyam cult. Under the influence of Aryan myths and legends, a large number of Brahminical gods and goddesses had infiltrated as separate cults into Theyyam. Along with these gods and goddesses there exist innumerable folk gods and goddesses. Most of these goddesses are known as Bhagavathis as a matter ofsanskritisationDifferent branches of Brahminical religion such as Saktism, Vaishnavism and Saivism now dominate the cult of Theyyam. However the forms of propitiation and other rituals are continuation of a historical past. In several cult-centers, blood offering is forbidden under the influence of Buddhism, Jainism and Brahmanism. In such centres separate places outside the outer wall of the shrine are selected for blood offering and preparation of the traditional kalam known as vatakkanvathil. The Theyyam deities propitiated throughcock-sacrifice will not enter inside such shrines walls. This is a good example of a long-standing cultural synthesis of ‘little’ and ‘great’ cultures.

On account of the later origin of Vaishnavism in Kerala, it has no wide-spread influence on Theyyam cult. Only a few eities are available under this category. This may probably be due to the lesser influence of Vishnu on the village folkwho had an uninterrupted tradition of the worship of Mother goddess for fertility and the god Siva and his son Murukan for protection and security even during the Sangam age. Two major Theyyam deities of Vaishnavism are Vishnumoorthi and Daivathar. Vaishnavism was very popular in Tuluva country during the 13th century under Vishnuvardhana of Hoysalas. He was a great champion of Vaishnavism. Most probably he was deified as Vishnumoorthi and propitiated in the Bhoota cult of Tuluva and then propitiated as a prominent folk deity in the Theyyam also. The legend of Vishnumoorthi is identified the God’s migration from Mangalore to Kolathunadu.All other categories of Theyyam deities can be incorporated in Saivism and Saktism. Even ancestors, heroes, animals etc are deified and included in those categories. In brief Theyyam provides a good example for the religious evolution and its different stages in Hinduism.