theeyattu: the fire dance
Theeyattu:the fire dance
Kerala the place which contributed Adishankara to the philosophical world and Kathakali to the world of culture is also a place of ritual arts. The culture and arts of Kerala has grown along with the kavu, temples, festivals etc.since the ancient times.Theeyattu is such a ritual art for the well being of devotees and considered to be the best to pacify the goddess Bhadrakali.Thrikkariyoor in Ernakulam district is the birth place of this art.This ritual is performed by a group of people called theeyattunnikal in every month on the thiruvathira day.Earlier the ritual was known as deepattom means dance with light and it later became theeyattom(the fire dance). It is performed mostly in Bhadrakali temples. Two types of theeyattu is performed-Ayyappan and Bhadrakali.The storyline of theeyattu is the killing of the demon Darika by goddess Bhadrakali.She tells it to lord Siva while holding the head of darika in her hand.
Kerala:under the States Recognition Act of 1956, Travancore-Cochin state and Malabar were united to form the State of
theeyattunnikal : they are the performers of theeyattu.the legend is, once to save his people from small pox, Thrikkariyoorappan(Lord Siva) himself lit a light from the shrine and blessed that this will ward off all diseases and dangers.he handed the light over to a unni(a Brahmin boy before upanayanom) and he took it by his left hand. Later others distanced themselves from him and anew generation called theeyattunnikal had borne. in central travancore they are known as Nambis.
Ayyappan: the hindu god who had an unnatural birth.his mother is lord vishnu and father is lord siva.vishnu in disguise of mohini(as a woman) attracted siva and gave birth to a boy from her thigh.he had been adopted by the king of Pandalam and called him ayyappan.he is a chronic bachelor and now worshipped at sabarimala in pathanamthitta district of Kerala.
Adishankara is the Hindu sage Shri. Shankaracharyar who became a sanyasin at a very young age. He advocated the 'one - god' philosophy or adwaita
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Kerala has a rich tradition of artist rituals associated with worship of Devi (GodMother) in the form of Bhadrakali. This may be traced to the region's strong Dravidian and Tribal cultural roots. Remarkable similarity of these rituals to those of African and South American Tribal rituals of Sorcery and Black Magic is perhaps not accidental. Recent findings in Anthropology point towards a common heritage of all human races.
All these rituals are performed in places of worship called "Kavu" (roughly translated as grove) or small temples. Besides general welfare of the village, these rituals aim at warding off of such calamities like Small Pox and other epidemic diseases, by the benevolence of the goddess. This belief is stemmed in the story of Bhadrakali defeating and killing Darikasura, whose associates terrorised the entire universe by spreading terrible contagious diseases.
Theeyattu is one of such performing arts, popular in the central part of Kerala. Like most others of similar lines, Theeyattu also is accompanied by a number of mandatory rituals, some of them artistic and others purely ritualistic, often associated with Bhadrakali worship.
Kalamezhuthu & Pattu
The word Kalamezhuthu may be roughly translated as Powder Drawing. This is a magnificent form drawing performed by drawing large figures using coloured powders. No tools like brush are used for the purpose. The powder is spread on the floor in the desired pattern with bare hands, letting it in a thin stream between the thumb and the index finger. These large pictures are drawn on the floor of the temple hall or specially prepared pandal (pavilion) rendered sacred by purifying rituals and decorated elegantly with tender leaves and colourful flowers. The picture (called Kalam) is drawn according to stringent guidelines in respect of pattern, details and dimensions.
Theeyattu
The performance part of the art is done by a single actor called Theeyattunni. He enters the venue, lighted by a huge oil lamp, with the make up of goddess Bhadrakali, minus the headgear. He chants several hymns invoking the benevolence of various gods for the success of the performance and welfare of the audience. He wears the huge headgear in front of the audience. From that moment onwards he represents the goddess. The performance is presented as if Bhadrakali is reporting the incidents leading to the killing of Darikasura to her father, Lord Siva, represented here by the lighted lamp.
The performance develops through several chants, dances of thandava style, gestures and gesticulations. The gestures are rarely in strict accordance with Hastha Mudras of classical dance. The script, prose or verse, of the goddess is rendered by the actor, whereas all others are rendered by one of the accompanists.
The act is concluded by the enacting of the killing of Darikasura, representing the destruction of evil.
CONTACT DETAILS OF A RENOWNED THEEYATTU ARTIST
V. Sasidhara Sarma
Thekkedathu House
Ullala, Thalayazham P.O.
Vaikom - 686 607
Kerala, INDIA
Phone : (+91) 04829 - 224906
9446270810(Mob)
Email : sasidharasarma@hotmail.com
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