Book explores Kerala's folk art tradition Theyyam

New Delhi: A new book delves into the folk art tradition of Theyyam, tracing its journey and also explaining how it highlights the pluralistic nature of Kerala's society.

One of the highly captivating folklore arts traditions of India, Theyyam is a colourful and religiously deep-rooted Dravidian ritual and pantheistic form. It is derived from and still sustained in the northern villages of Kerala, the present-day Kasaragod and Kannur districts.

While a temple festival places the Brahmin (in Kerala, the Namputiri) at the centre and reinforces the existing social order, Theyyam in total contrast places the lower caste as the main performer and worshipped as a manifestation of a temporarily incarnated divine power, perhaps providing an outlet for protest in the name of god.

Both interestingly co-exist. Irrespective of caste or creed difference, all of them attend Theyyam performances and pay their obeisance.

K K Gopalakrishnan looks at this folk-art tradition with all the experience and expertise of an insider. He hails from the Hindu matrilineal family Kamballoore Kottayil which has patronised Theyyam for over three centuries, including a Muslim Theyyam.

He points out that when lower-caste protagonists manifest into the supernatural beings as Theyyam, even their upper-caste proprietors bow their heads before them in devotion. The Theyyam interrogates and criticizes any impropriety they had committed earlier, showing recrimination. On the other side, the devotees enjoy the mighty presence of their favourite god or goddess communicating with them directly in the ecstasy of delivering oracles.

"During those fleeting moments, it is not the performance of a physical body but the dance of the performer's soul identifying with the form's spirit. It transports the devotees to a blissful cosmos; they can feel it as if they have got bound to the performer. Such rare instances make the performer feel out of sorts, physically, for a longer time on his return, as he too feels transported to another space," the author says.

Concepts such as mother, nature, fertility and agriculture, spirit and ghost, ancestors, animal, reptile and warrior, among others, are worshipped as Theyyam which refers to both the form and the performance. Interestingly, while it is men from a few particular communities who hereditarily perform, most Theyyams are women worshipped as mother goddesses.

The author also introduces readers to Muslim Theyyams, highlighting the tradition of religious harmony in northern Kerala.

"These Theyyams are either the spirit of someone who was extraordinarily virtuous and devout or someone who is known for his wickedness and brazen taunts aimed at women and hence got killed by God's will," he says.

With the help of extensive photos, the author draws attention to all the components of attire and costuming including moustaches, fangs, artificial eyes, masks, headgears, and standard requirements such as weapons and musical instruments.

Theyyams traditionally take place in 'kavs' or sacred groves but of late, kavs are fast disappearing in Kerala.

This means the deity is gradually deprived of its province and performance space. And rituals are becoming performative for the sake of entertainment, Gopalakrishnan says.