Theyyam is a form of ritual performance usually seen in the temples of North Kerala. While there are a few hundred different variety of Theyyams, nearly all of them have performers painted in rich colours and adoring elaborate costumes. As soon as the ritual begins, the performer or Theyyam enters a trans-like situation and is considered God. At the end of the performances, attending devotees seek blessings from the Theyyam and ask for solutions to their problems.
Some Theyyam performances can be fierce, involving the performer jumping across fire or even dancing with torches on the body. Kandanar Kelan Theyyam is one such Theyyam where the performer, helped by two assistants, jumps over the blaze. Here is a collection of images from a Kandanad Kelan Theyyam held in Kunnaru Village in Kannur district, Kerala.
A Theyyam artist jumps over the fire during Kandanar Kelan Theyyam. Click on the thumbnails below for more images from the Theyyam.
A version of this story was published in Vara, the inflight magazine of Maldivian Airline.
I went to Trivandrum with an open mind to discover the city. I saw under the urban masquerade, the essence of what Kerala is known for – long beaches, coconut groves, unlimited Ayurveda and heritage buildings with a touch of history.
Besides the ubiquitous state-sponsored signs that welcome every visitor to the “God’s Own Country,” it would be hard to set Trivandram apart from any other city at its first sight. The signs of a true country of God, however, begins showing up on getting away from the wide arterial roads, when the city reveals itself as a leafy and charming seaside town disguised under the hood of an urban expanse.
Padmanabhaswamy Temple
Trivandrum’s large buildings and busy traffic is limited to the main MG Road that runs through its commercial center. Slip into the smaller streets leading out from here and it morphs into a quiet old place, more like a village where houses with spacious gardens, tall coconut trees and shaded empty roads replace the rush hour of the main street.
Fort Kochi’s sea-face is more known for its Chinese Fishing Nets. But there is plenty of activity that goes on regularly around these nets. On the beach next to it, you usually sea fishermen throwing nets, standing on the shore. And near the the ferry station next to nets, motor-boats arrive with their catch of king-fish and squids that gets auctioned to a small gathering of buyers. The king-fish that this fisherman was holding was sold at Rs.800/kg.
