Theyyam travel guide

Theyyam Travel Guide © www.vengara.com

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Theyyam Theyyam is a popular Hindu ritual of worship in North Kerala, India. As a living cult with several thousand-year-old traditions, rituals and customs, it embraces almost all the castes and classes of the Hindu religion in this region. The term Theyyam is a corrupt form of Daivam or God. People of these districts consider Theyyam itself as a God and they seek blessings from this Theyyam. Theyyam performances require ritualistic arrangements and also the involvement of traditional performing communities. Therefore, it is considered as ritual performance, and not as merely performing art. Theyyam usually take place either within the area of a small shrine or in the yard of an ancestral house. The first stage of almost all Theyam performances are either a tottam pattu in which a performer with simple costume and minimal make up comes before the shrine and recites the invocatory songs or tales of the deity, or comes before the shrine wearing a more elaborate costume and make up as vellattam which performs ritual dance. Some Theyyam do not have tottam pattu as its tale is confined to the invocatory songs. But on the other hand some Theyyam do have an elaborate tottam pattu which lasts for several hours.

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Madayil Chamundi Theyyam

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Performance

After the singing of tottam pattu and performing some rituals, the performer retires to prepare for the actual Theyyam performance, a process beginning with the application of intricate facial make-up whose every line is symbolic, and ending with the donning of the elaborate costume. The most sacred part of the costume, the headdress, is put on before the shrine's sanctum after which, as drum beats, the performer looks at his reflection in a small hand-mirror. This is one of Theyyam’s most conceptually crucial and intimate moments as what he sees in the mirror is not his own image, but of a powerful divine being which he represents.

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The performer along with the drummers recites the particular ritual song, which describes the myths and legends, of the deity of the shrine or the folk deity to be propitiated (called “thottam”). This is accompanied by the playing of folk musical instruments. After finishing this primary ritualistic part of the invocation, the performer appears as theyyam with proper make-up and costumes .

Rituals

The first part of the theyyam performance is usually known as Vellattam or Thottam. It is performed without proper make-up or any decorative costume. Only a small, red headdress is worn on this occasion.

Thottam

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The costumes of Theyyam are made out of cutting and painting coconut sheaths in black, white and red patterns, fresh coconut fronds form skirts, fashioning breasts out of dry coconut shells and tying a red cloth around the waist. The facial decorations are intricately designed with enriched symbolism.

Theyyam Costumes

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The dance or invocation is generally performed in front of the village Temple (Kavu). It is also performed in the houses as ancestor-worship with elaborate rites and rituals. There is no stage or curtain or other such arrangements for the performance. The devotees would be standing or some of them would be sitting on a sacred tree in front of the shrine

Temple

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Theyyam’ performers belong to one of the Hindu communities (Malayan, Vannan, Velan (Thuzhuvelan), Koppalan, Mavilan, Chingatthan, Panan, Parayan, Pampatharavan, anhuttan, Munnuttan etc.). Each individual caste has the right to perform certain deities and all performers must poses a wide range of extraordinary skills. They must know the ritual and character of every deity.

Performers

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Customs

After wearing the headdress the actual moment of "becoming" the deity, the moment of crossing the line, as he stares into a small hand-held mirror. It is at this point that, almost imperceptibly, he slips into another state of being, his eyes widening as they focus not on his own reflection, but on the enigmatic features of a divine being. This is the moment of fusion, the defining moment known as mukhadarshanam, or the seeing of the face. It is the moment when a mortal becomes a god.

Just after initial performance, theyyam starts blessing the devotees. In this elevated state theyyam assumes super human and divine powers—speaking, moving, blessing and even healing as a god or goddess.

There are lots of related ritual performance along with theyyam performances. In some occasions temple priest (komaram / Velichappadu) will jump through wooden pyre just before theyyam peformance starts..

Blessings

Man to God

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Theyyam Season

Theyyam season begins with end of October and ends in May month next year. During these times, theyyam will be performed in more than 500 temples / kavus of Kannur and Kasargod districts. Theyyam will be performed as a part of yearly temple festival or as a separate prayer by a family or individuals . There are more than 450 types of theyyams, most of them are closely related each other.

Theyyam Season

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How to reach

Kannur (theyyam location)

Nearest Airports Calicut (Kozhikode) Airport (Distance: 90 km to Kannur) Mangalore Airport (Distance: 143 km to Kannur) Cochin Airport (Distance: 291 km to Kannur)

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• We arrange to pick you from Nearest Railway stations or Bus stations of Kannur to accommodations

• We provide homestay facilities near theyyam locations.

• We provide transportation to reach different theyyam locations.

• Our exclusive theyyam calendar help to identify theyyam festival locations where you can see maximum number of theyyams with shortest available time

• We connect you with homestays and hotels in Kannur & Kasargod districts .

• We provide guide services to understand and experience theyyam in depth.

• We help you to interact with theyyam performers.

• We help you to reach other tourist attractions in Kerala.

Our Services

Vehicle Services

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Homestay facilities

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Homestay facilities

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Kitchen facilities Sit out

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Theyyam travel guide

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