November 16, 2006
- Theyyam, the Rhythm of Ancient Culture
Sun is yet to rise in the West. The early morning wind is filled with the rhythmic beats of traditional drums and the ‘Thottam’ song awaking the people in the village that the chief dancer is ready to perform the ‘theyyam’ after a short interval.
Theyyam is an art -form with a rare combination of dance, accompanied by the musical instrument ‘chenda,’ which reflects the very existence of tribal culture.
A very popular and outstanding ritual art form of Northern Kerala especially now found in the border district of Kasaragod and Kannur and is usually performed during Kaliyattam, which starts in November or December.
Background
As a living culture with centuries-old beliefs, rituals and customes, it embraces all the classes of the Hindu religion. Based on the Sangam literature, its origin traces back to 1,500 years. There is also a mention about Theyyam in several Jain and Buddhist texts.
According to the famous historical book ‘Kolathiri, Parasurama sanctioned the festival Kaliyattam to the people of Kerala that lasts for 3 to 4 days. It is he who assigned the responsibility of Theyyam to the indigenous communities like Velan, Panan, Malayan and Vannan.
Theyyam is generally performed during the occasion of Kaliyattam in front of the Tharavadu or the house where a joint family resides and in Thanam or the village shrine.
Usually it is performed in an open theatre. As a part of ritual the chief dancer who propitiates the central deity, before the performance, has to observe vegetarianism and must reside inside the ‘Aniyara’ or the green room and he has to finish his supper before the sun set as a legacy of Jainism.
Performance
There are different stages in a Theyyam performance. The first part is ‘Vellattam’ which is performed in the night with less make-up and with light costumes. Only a small head dress is worn on the chief dancer’s head. The dancer along with the drummers recites the song, which describes myths and legends of the deity on which he will be performing.
These songs often related to local history. The narration includes the heroism and tragic tale of these deities. For instance, Makkam was considered to be an immoral women by her beloved brothers. The jealousy of their wives made her a victim of suspicion and made them dump her into a deep well and later she was elevated as a chaste woman.
After this ritual, the dancer returns to the green room. He reappears after a short break with full make-up which includes red or green colored costumes and face paintings. These costumes include leaf dress and some of them made from the tender coconut leaves, ‘Tazha Adai’, ‘Muti’ or head dress and other body decorations and these are prepared by a craftsman who must possess a good knowledge about primary and secondary colours.
The chief dancer comes in front of the shrine called as ‘Sthanam’ and gradually metamorphoses as the particular deity of the shrine. After observing certain rituals it is time to put the head dress on. The dance with the rhythms of music instruments like ‘chenda’, ‘kozhal tuti’. Normally the main deity is accompanied by a number of dancers, who dance with him with shield and sword as a continuation of the culture of weapon.
The dance has different types of steps known as ‘Kalasams’ and each ‘Kalasam’ is repeated systematically. A Theyyam performance includes the combination of vocal recitation, background musical instruments, dance and totally different make up and costumes.
To become a good performer one has to master the skill of dancing. It is imparted through Gurukula system at a very early age of 7 to 8 years.
Instructions here are imparted during the morning hours. Good training in ‘Kalaripayattu’ is must for an artiste who performs the role of the main deities. An eminent dancer teaches his sons, nephew and relatives. In certain dance items like ‘Muchilot Bhagavathi’ and ‘Kankattu Bagavathi’ the dancer has to wear burning wicks around his waist and observe fire walk.
In that case he has to master the method of weight distribution by moving the legs, shoulder and hands.
As a powerful social instrument Theyyam is mainly intended to propagate Hindu mythology among the rural masses. This continued patronage of its ritualistic observation still makes it one of the most popular ritual art form of the Northern Kerala.
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