My Kerala

Poothan and Thira is a ritualistic art form found in the South Malabar region of Kerala in India, in which people dance in costumes representing Poothan, Shiva’s lieutenant, and Thira, the goddess Kali, to the accompaniment of drummers. It is usually performed once or twice a year in villages or towns to cleanse them of…

Poorakkali (Malayalam: α┤¬α╡éα┤░α┤éα┤òα┤│α┤┐) is a traditional dance ritual performed by men during the nine-day Pooram festival in Bhagavathy temples across North Malabar in Kerala State of south India. The Pooram festival begins with the Karthika asterism and concludes with the Pooram asterism of the month of Meenam according to the Malayalam calendar (corresponding to the…

Panchavadyam( α┤¬α┤₧α╡ìα┤Üα┤╡α┤╛α┤ªα╡ìα┤»α┤é Malayalam), literally meaning an orchestra of five instruments, is basically a temple art form that has evolved in Kerala. Of the five instruments, four — timila, maddalam, ilathalam and idakka — belong to the percussion category, while the fifth one, kombu, is a wind instrument. Much like any chenda melam, panchavadyam too is…

Ottamthullal or Ottanthullal (Malayalam:α┤ôα┤ƒα╡ìα┤ƒα┤¿α╡ìΓÇì α┤ñα╡üα┤│α╡ìα┤│α┤▓α╡ìΓÇì, is a type of performing art from Kerala, India. The art form was created during the 18th century by legendary Malayalam poet Kalakkaththu Kunchan Nambiar. The story goes that Nambiar, who was playing the mizhavu for a Chakyar Koothu show, dozed off in the middle of the performance, thus inviting…

Oppana (Malayalam: α┤Æα┤¬α╡ìα┤¬α┤¿) is a popular form of social entertainment among the Mappila community of Kerala, south India, prevalent all over, especially in the northern district of Malappuram. The Oppana Pattu might have come from Tamil culture. The Malayalam word Oppana Pattu is the derivation of Tamil word ‘Oppanai Pattu’. In Tmail ‘Oppanai’ means make…

Nangi╟Är K┼½thu or Nangyar Koothu is an allied traditional art of Kutiyattam, an age-old Sanskrit drama tradition of India. It is performed traditionally by the women of the Ambalavasi Nambiar community of Kerala, known as Nangyaramma, but has transcended the caste barrier since the second half of the 20th century. Nangiarkoothu, an offshoot of Kutiyattam,…

Mudiyett or Mudiyettu is a traditional ritual theatre and folk dance drama from Kerala that enacts the mythological tale of a battle between the goddess Kali and the demon Darika. The ritual is a part of the bhagavathi or bhadrakali cult. The dance is performed by a set of people known as Kuruppanmar and is…

Mohiniyattam, also spelled Mohiniattam (Malayalam: α┤«α╡ïα┤╣α┤┐α┤¿α┤┐α┤»α┤╛α┤ƒα╡ìα┤ƒα┤é), is a classical dance form from Kerala, India. Believed to have originated in 16th century CE,[citation needed] it is one of the eight Indian classical dance forms recognized by the Sangeet Natak Akademi. It is considered a very graceful form of dance meant to be performed as solo recitals…

Margam Kali (Malayalam:α┤«α┤╛α┤░α╡ìΓÇìα┤ùα╡ìα┤ùα┤éα┤òα┤│α┤┐) is one of the ancient group dance of Kerala practiced by Saint Thomas Christians. The dance form was practiced by the Saint Thomas Christians before the arrival of Portuguese missionaries in Kerala. History There are several different opinions on the origin of Margamkali. Three are: It is traced back to Jewish wedding…

Marathukali is a variant of Poorakkali. Poorakkali is a traditional dance ritual performed by men during the nine-day Pooram festival in Bhagavathy temples across Northern Kerala (formerly known as Kolathunadu), south India. Marathukali is a form of Poorakali performed by two parties competently. The ordinary play lacks the competent mood displayed in Marathukali. Big disputes…