Visits since 1 Apr 2023 11,838,242
Visits since 1 Jan 2007 53,699,831
Heli Tourism

Theyyam Ritual Artform

The great stories of Kerala are often retold using art forms. It is here that our legends truly come to life. Theyyam is a famous ritual art form that originated in North Kerala which brings to life the great stories of our State. It encompasses dance, mime and music. It exalts the beliefs of the ancient tribals who gave a lot of importance to the worship of heroes and the spirits of their ancestors. The ceremonious dance is accompanied by the chorus of such musical instruments as Chenda, Elathalam, Kurumkuzal and Veekkuchenda. There are over 400 separate Theyyams, each with their own music, style and choreography. The most prominent among these are Raktha Chamundi, Kari Chamundi, Muchilottu Bhagavathi, Wayanadu Kulaven, Gulikan and Pottan.

Each artist represents a hero with great power. Performers wear heavy make-up and adorn flamboyant costumes. The headgear and ornaments are truly majestic and fill one with a sense of awe and wonder. From December to April, there are Theyyam performances in many temples of Kannur and Kasaragod. Karivalloor, Nileswaram, Kurumathoor, Cherukunnu, Ezhom and Kunnathoorpadi in North Malabar are places where Theyyams are performed annually (Kaliyattam) and draw huge crowds.

Do you wish to add content or help us find mistakes in this web page? 

NB: You should not submit anything else other than addition / correction of page content.

For travel related requirements like accommodation, tour packages, transportation etc please click here.

next
District Tourism Promotion Councils KTDC KTIL Thenmala Ecotourism Promotion Society BRDC Sargaalaya SIHMK Responsible Tourism Mission KITTS Adventure Tourism Muziris Heritage saathi nidhi Sahapedia
Department of Tourism, Government of Kerala, Park View, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India - 695 033
Phone: +91 471 2321132, Fax: +91 471 2322279, E-mail: info@keralatourism.org.
All rights reserved © Kerala Tourism 2024. Copyright | Terms of Use | Cookie Policy | Contact Us.
Developed & Maintained by Invis.
x
We use cookies to improve user experience, and analyze website traffic. For these reasons, we may share your site usage data with our analytics partners. More info. CLOSE