Thiriyuzhichil is a dance ritual performed by Pulluvas in Kerala (South India) to alleviate the fear of snakes, to appease the snake and to be blessed with babies. This is more popular in the districts of Trichur, Calicut and Palghat and it is performed in HinduTemples and shrines meant for snakes. By performing this, the queen of snakes could be appeased. The performer starts dancing holding a torch in his hand using various types of music instruments.
A schedule caste group in Kerala. They belong to the Hindu religion. The term pullu means a bird of omen. There are many sub-divisions within the Pulluva community, the majority known as Nagampatikal. There are also pulluvars who are not Naagampatikal, known as Pretampatikal.
Kerala is a state on the southwestern Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions. Spread over 38,863 km2 (15,005 sq mi), Kerala is the twenty-second largest Indian state by area. It is bordered by Karnataka to the north and northeast, Tamil Nadu to the east and south, and the Lakshadweep Sea to the west. With 33,387,677 inhabitants as per the 2011 Census, Kerala is the thirteenth-largest Indian state by population. It is divided into 14 districts with the capital being Thiruvananthapuram. Malayalam is the most widely spoken language and is also the official language of the state.
South India is the area including the five southern Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana, as well as the three union territories of Andaman and Nicobar islands,Lakshadweep and Puducherry, occupying 19% of India's area. Covering the southern part of the peninsular Deccan Plateau, South India is bounded by the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Arabian Sea in the west and the Indian Ocean in the south. The geography of the region is diverse with two mountain ranges–the Western and Eastern Ghats, bordering the plateau heartland. Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Tungabhadra, Periyar and Vaigai rivers are important non-perennial sources of water. Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Kochi, Trivandrum, Visakhapatnam, Madurai, Mysore, Mangalore and Kozhikode are the largest urban areas.
Thiri Uzhichchil is also performed as one of the items in Ayyappan Vilakku festival. This item is performed early morning at about 3 am after the Ayappa Jananam (Birth of Ayyappa) ritual and the Paal kindi ezhunnaLLippu (ritual procession of Ayyappa bringing tiger's milk).
In the case of Thiri Uzhichchil in Ayyappan viLakku, the accompaniments are ilaththaaLam(cymbal) and Chenda (traditional Keralite drum). The Velichapaadu after uranju thuLLal (trance-like shivering and jumping continuously) starts with one thiri (flaming torch) and increases it to two and three and even goes up to five thiris. The thiri or pandam is a flaming torch made of group of cotton wicks strapped together by coconut leaf fronds. The wicks are fuelled by coconut oil, into which they are dipped before the performance.
He wipes the flames on the body especially the arms, chest and back continuously dancing to the tune of the drums.
The dance is a form of worship, Nrithya Pooja, on the eight sides of the ambalam (shrine) - in case of Ayyappan ViLakku the temple is constructed purely with banana stems without using any metallic items - with intricate steps and each section of the dance, ending with a crescendo on one of the eight sides.
In addition to wiping the flames on the body, the performer also sticks the torch into the waist part of the kachcha (traditional dress) both on front and back side so that the flames almost touches his chin. The crescendo of the drumming and the dance culminates when he wipes the torch so vigorously on his arms, chest and back that it almost goes out. After the performance the performer offers the torch to all the spectator devotees to warm their palms and touch the palms to their faces (just like the traditional way Hindus take the camphor offering).
The Velichappadu usually wears the white dothi and both red and black kachcha and also ties up the "waist belt of bells" (aramaNi) during the performance.
Aarti also spelled arti, arati, arathi, aarthi is a Hindu religious ritual of worship, a part of puja, in which light is offered to one or more deities. Aarti(s) also refers to the songs sung in praise of the deity, when the light is being offered.
Fire eating is the act of putting a flaming object into the mouth and extinguishing it. A fire eater can be an entertainer, a street performer, part of a sideshow or a circus act but has also been part of spiritual tradition in India.
Fire performance is a group of performance arts or skills that involve the manipulation of fire. Fire performance typically involves equipment or other objects made with one or more wicks which are designed to sustain a large enough flame to create a visual effect.
The Sabarimala temple is a temple complex located at Sabarimala inside the Periyar Tiger Reserve in Pathanamthitta district, Kerala, India. It is the site of the one of the largest annual pilgrimage in the world with an estimate of between 17 million and 50 million devotees visiting every year. The temple is dedicated to the Hindu celibate deity Ayyappan also known as Dharma Sastha, who according to belief is the son of Shiva and Mohini, the feminine incarnation of Vishnu. The traditions of Sabarimala are a confluence of Shaivism, Shaktism, Vaishnavism, and other Śramaṇa traditions.
Theyyam is a popular ritual form of worship in Kerala, India, predominantly in the Kolathunadu area and also in South Canara and Kodagu of Karnataka as a living cult with several thousand-year-old traditions, rituals and customs. The performers of Theyyam belong to the lower caste community, and have an important position in Theyyam. The people of these districts consider Theyyam itself as a channel to a God and they thus seek blessings from Theyyam. A similar custom is followed in the Mangalore region of neighbouring Karnataka known as Bhuta Kola.
Vavar meaning vavu = "moon" & vindavar = "who splits", is also known as Vavaraswami an Ardent devotee & The messenger of Lord Ayyappan. There is a shrine dedicated to Vavaraswami at Sabarimala, as well as Vavaraswami's mosque at Erumely next to an Ayyappa temple. The devotion of Vavaraswami to Ayyappan and the key role that the Islamic Masjid has in the Ayyappa Pilgrimage, highlights the communal harmony in Kerala. The devotion of Vavaraswami also highlights the relevance of Ayyappa devotion for members of all faiths, and the equality shown to all, whether they are Muslims, Hindus or Christians.
Nagaradhane is a form of snake worship which, along with Bhuta Kola, is one of the unique traditions prevalent in Coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Kasaragod alternatively known as Tulu Nadu, practiced by Tuluva community members. Snakes are not just seen as deities, but as an animal species which should be respected, appeased and protected for multiple social, religious and ecological reasons.
The origin of the dances of Sri Lanka lies with the indigenous people of Sri Lanka, the Veddas and "yakkas".
Mannarasala Sree Nagaraja Temple(Malayalam: മണണാറശ്ശാല ശ്രീ നാഗരാജാക്ഷേത്രം) is a very ancient and internationally known centre of pilgrimage for the devotees of serpent gods (Nagaraja). The famous Nagaraja temple "Mannarasala" is nestled in a forest glade, like most snake temples. The Mannarasala Temple has over 30,000 images of snakes along the paths and among the trees, and is the largest such temple in Kerala. Women seeking fertility come to worship here, and upon the birth of their child come to hold thanksgiving ceremonies here, often bringing new snake images as offerings.A special turmeric paste which is available at the temple is credited with curative powers.
Pulluvan Paattu is serpent worship performed in the houses of the lower castes as well as those of the higher castes, in addition to serpent temples. The pulluvar of Kerala are closely connected to the serpent worship. One group considers the snake gods their presiding deity and perform sacrifices and sing songs.
Karnataka has a variety of traditional arts, including folk dance and puppetry.
Pulikkali is a recreational folk art from the state of Kerala. It is performed by trained artists to entertain people on the occasion of Onam, an annual harvest festival, celebrated mainly in the Indian state of Kerala. On the fourth day of Onam celebrations, performers painted like tigers and hunters in bright yellow, red, and black dance to the beats of instruments like Udukku and Thakil. Literal meaning of Pulikkali is the 'play of the tigers' hence the performance revolve around the theme of tiger hunting. The folk art is mainly practiced in Thrissur district of Kerala. Best place to watch the show is at Thrissur on the fourth day of Onam, where Pulikkali troupes from all over the district assemble to display their skills. The festival attracts thousands of people to the Thrissur city. Pulikkali is also performed during various other festive seasons.
Maalikapurathamma is the goddess who is worshipped in a subsidiary shrine at Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple. Maalikapurathamma Temple is visited after having darshan of Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple.Malikappurathamma is also called Manchambika and Mancha mathavu.
Chirakkadavu Mahadevar Temple is situated between the Kollam-Theni route of the National Highway 183, about 32 km east of the Akshra Nagari, Kottayam city and 3 km south of Ponkunnam en route to Manimala and Erumely.
Theeyaattam also known as Theeyaattu (Tīyāttu) is a traditional dance form. There were two types of Theeyaattam - Bhadrakali Theeyaattu and Ayyappan Theeyaattu. Bhadrakali Theeyattu is performed by Theeyaattunnis whereas Ayyappan Theeyaattu is performed by Tīyyādi Nambiars (Ambalavasi).
MULLUTHARA is a traditional performing art in Kerala, India.
The Kottankulangara Devi Temple is a Hindu temple to the goddess Durga Bhagavathy or Aadi Shakthi, the supreme mother of power, located in the village of Chavara, Kerala, India.
Sarpam Thullal or Nagakalam Pattu, is a unique form of mystical ritual associated generally with ancestral temples or tharavadus predominantly in state of Kerala. From ancient times many family houses in Kerala have special snake shrines called Kavu or Pambin Kavu where this exotic and spectacular ritual performance is associated to, it is generally conducted to appease the snake gods and thereby to bring prosperity to the family.
Achankovil Sastha Temple is a Hindu temple and one of the 108 Sasthalayas, located in Pathanapuram tehsil of Kollam district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is also one among the famed Pancha Sastha temples in Kerala, the other four being Kulathupuzha, Aryankavu, Sabarimala and Kanthamala temples. The temple is near the origin of the famous Achankovil river, named after the locality.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
