In The Land of Theyyams
Hailing from Kannur, district in the northern part of Kerala and having a kavu (temple) near your house, theyyam can be a very common sight, often taken as granted. But that's the only one time in the year where all the people in your locality come together to make it a grand success and wait in anticipation for its next arrival.
As Wikipedia puts it, theyyam is a popular ritual form of worship of North Malabar in Kerala, predominant in districts like Kasargod, Kannur, Kozhikode etc. A similar custom is also followed in Karnataka known as Bhuta Kola.
The kavu near my house is Valapattanam Muchilotu Kavu. The chief goddess here is Muchilotu Bhagavathi. She is mainly related with Vaniyan community. There are also other deities like Puloor Kali, Parithi Veeran, Guligan, Pothi, Chamundi, Nerambil Bhagavathi etc. Kaliyaatam or the annual festival attached to the shrines takes place from 25th till 29th Jan.
There are many stories related to Muchilotu Bhagavathi. The one that I had heard from my family members is written below:
Long time ago there was a young Brahmin girl. She was well known for her wisdom and intelligence. As women of that time were not allowed to excel in any areas, naturally she had a lot of enemies. The pundits wanted to defame and insult her and so they decided to hold a debate competition. Around that time her marriage was also fixed.After many rounds of debating, the pundits asked her two questions: "Which is the most painful of pains and which is the most pleasurable of all pleasures?". To this she replied that the most painful pain is the pain of giving birth and most pleasurable is the pleasure of making love. Gasps and shock filled the hall. Pundits began making rude remarks. "How can a very young girl, who is not even married say all of this without even experiencing it? She cannot be a virgin. She is an insult to our society." They turned a deaf ear to her pleading and expelled her from the community.
Traumatized by the experience, she walked northwards and reached Karivellur Shiva temple. She prayed to Lord Shiva, standing on burning coals. At that time a Vaniyan man was passing by.He had a pot of oil.She requested him to pour oil on to the coals but he was reluctant.At last he gave in and poured it, thus the girl immolated herself. Lord Shiva sent her back to earth with some boons to redeem the earth. The vaniyan man, filled with grief on seeing her immolation, kept the pot in the prayer room of his house. To his surprise, the empty pot was overflowing with oil. His wife began to see the reflection of the girl in the well. The man thus came to the conclusion that the girl is not an ordinary one. So he decided to build a kavu for her. As these miracles took place in Muchilotu province where the vaniya community lived, the goddess came to be known as the Muchilotu Bhagavathi.
On other days, theyyam performers dress up as other deities and performs ritual dance. But the main attraction is on 29th, the last day of the festival ,where theyyam performer dresses up as Muchilotu Bhagavathi and performs the ritual dance, reenacting her story. With the ornamental head gear and the red dress shimmering in the light of the sun, that form is a sight to behold. Worshippers from all over the place swarm to get a glance of that magnificent form.
Prasad which is served during lunch time of the last day has another story behind it. Another vague story which my mother recalls. It is said that a child came to the temple asking for food , but the people there did not have any to offer. So Bhagavathi appeared and told them that no one should leave the kavu with empty stomach. Till now the people in the kavu cook and serve food till everyone had their fill.
Each theyyam and kavu has a story behind it and that's what keeps the people of the locality united. This sacred art form is passed on from generations to generations, reminding us about the heroes, heroes who later turned to Gods etc who risked their lives for the sake of humanity.
Experiencing this for the fifth time, I should say that each day during that festive week is a new experience for me. Waking up to the devotional songs of Bhagavathi in the morning is just another feeling. Looking forward to the evenings and early mornings when theyyams danced to the ritual songs, helping ladies of the neighborhood to chop vegetables, running around with camera to get better shots, enjoying little kids' laughter and their frolicking.... Well that's something that I would not exchange for any materialistic things.
For those who are yet to experience and witness this wonderful event, I welcome you to the land of Theyyams. Experience it for you'll never forget it.
