Ritualants of Kerala

(Immortal Symbols at the Verge of Irreparable Deterioration)

-Part 1-

The land of Kerala holds one of the top-most positions among many countries believing in hereditary accomplishments and traditional faiths and from time immemorial practicing them in a customary manner. Ritualant forms have a significant role among such modes. The ritualants have a major significance in the social life of Keralites. These are based on traditional faith or are according to certain "shastras."

Any action originating from a deep faith and resulting in a desired successful manner has its human tendency to convert such action into repetitive method or consider it as an inspiration. Though it is difficult to point out a beginning to the origin of such performing arts, it is to be believed that ritualant forms must have made a start in social circles in this manner. Though faith and meditation must have made a preliminary opening for the ritualant forms, it is to be comprehended that in early period, such performing arts and religious beliefs hardly had any connection between them. Ritualant forms appear to have had links with different incidents in social life in the beginning viz. Warding off sickness, accomplishment of wealth and grains, liberation from spirits etc. Our ancestors believed that one's good or bad fortune was controlled by a matchless power. That was the period when practice of chanting mantras and performing religious ceremonies was very much popular.

It is heartening to note that when the mantravadis (One who practices mantras) utilized the ritualants as a medium to control negative elements or to please the negative elements, such performing arts underwent a severe twist. Yet those performing arts did not bind it only to mantras. The influence of ritualant  was utilized for safe-hunting, abundance in harvests, victory in wars and reduction in the sufferings of human life.

As time passed those art forms opened up with propagation of various other art forms. Ritualant forms were used to display talents on important festive occasions and religious days in temples. Soon, ritualant, which gained fame through this method, came to be known as "uchatana kala". (Art of rendering). The practice of chanting mantra, which paved a way on its own to aforesaid performing art in the beginning, was very much apparent in "uchchatana kala". It is a matter of significance that ritualant forms which constituted its traditional geographical influence and also had a touch of social element in it. It is worth noticing that the importance of the performing art form lies not in topic, but in narration, not in the content but in the style of expression. The performing arts, which are going to be discussed in these pages, need to be analyzed, keeping these points in mind.

The presentation of ritualant was brimming with dramatics. The manner in which the presentation was done had a lot of importance. That type of varied approach helped to differentiate one community from another and one country from another country. It is to be believed that the action oriented method of presentation in a ritualant, which paved way to dramatics. The ritualant forms, which contained dramatics, are very many viz. Theyyaattam, Theeyaattu, Ayyappan koothu, MutiyEttu, kaaliyoottu, Paanengali, Maariyaattam and malayikooththu. According to anthropologists copying of any 'Performance' is a "Myth". It is noteworthy that in Kerala the every performing art is well defined and categorized. The significant ones among ritualant performances are identified - kooththu, Attam, Attu, Paattu, OOttu, Thullal, kali etc.

Well defined ones among the ritual arts are as mentioned below:

Kooththu: kunnal kooththu, malayi kooththu, vannaan kooththu, and chutala kooththu.

Attam: kotha moori aattam, theyyaattam, thira yaattam, and kavadiyattam

Paattu: kalam paattu, gandharvan paattu, kuRunthinipaattu, plluva paattu, sarppa paattu.

OOttu: Important one is kaaliyoottu.

Thullal: kolam thullal, sarppam thullal, bhootham thullal

Kali: sangha kali, poora kali, kummaatti kali, kanyar kali.

We shall enter into details about various "Anushtana Kalas" (Ritual art forms) from second part of this series.

Translated by

Lakshmy N

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