The tale of the divine in red-Theyyam the festival and spatial planning of Kavu is quite intriguing to explore and interpret. The mystical dance of Theyyam evokes a different experience for each individual. At times it makes you marvel, astounds, inspires with the colours, energizes with the music, and arouse mystery with the trance.
One thousand emotions to narrate, this time one chapter from the many Theyyam for the travel lovers. If you are new to Theyyam and wondering what is it, read the prologue before the tale.
AndaloorKavu
The merger of folk and classical culture in Theyyam makes Andaloor a unique place to visit and learn more.
Kavu is located at Dharmadom, Kannur, Kerala. Theyyam here is based on the Ramayana story and the prominent theyyam is 'Daivathar' (embodiment of Rama). The yearly festival is celebrated in the first week of the month Kumbam of the Malayalam calendar (mid-February)and last for 07 days. In festive times island transforms into an ensemble of enchanted music and movement. A temporal transformation happens in this period where all roads lead to Kavu and its collective rituals.
Dharmadam was earlier known as Dharmapattanam and as the name suggests, it used to be a Buddhist stronghold from the 4th century BC to the 10th century. It means the place of Dharma(ethics) in the Buddhist sense. Andaloor Kavu -the name is derived from 'Andar-Villoor-Kavu' which means the Sacred Grove that houses the Sacred Arrow of the protector deity. The festival is celebrated in togetherness by four desams (regions)of the island. During the festive days, the entire island follows a vegetarian diet and offers rice flakes, jaggery, and plantains to guests as prasad.
History and cultural influences:
Multiple layers of cultural and political reign have shaped the land. It is believed that Buddhism was practised here followed by the Dravidian practise of nature worship and Aryan invasion in latter times introducing classical texts and concepts. Andaloor before the existence of Kavu used to be a forest land with greenery, a river flowing through its sides, and lush paddy fields.
It used to have an agrarian life with harmony to nature and its seasons. Worship of trees, nature, and its sacred groves existed as part of the Dravidian practice. Celebration of the festival in Makaram after the second agrarian cultivation and festive rituals in the land suggests that the Kavu originated from a farming community.
With the Aryan invasion, most of the Dravidians of the lowland(seafront) Kerala shifted to highland, who are now referred to as tribals. A stark resemblance between the nature worship of tribes and the structure of Kavu can be noticed on observation. Some groups of the Dravidians continued their life in the lowland. Their interactions with Aryans lead to the amalgamation of folk and classic in beliefs, rituals, and lifestyle. It is also evident from the historical layers, urban fabric, and spatial hierarchy of the Kavu.
Later the fabric of the land and Kavu was altered by a myth during the Aryan era.
The myth
"Along the river came a wooden box to the hands of maid Radha, opening which she found a light beam "and even though many priests tried to receive the box, the box only could be received by Radha belonging to a lower caste. The box was believed to be a symbol of Rama -the Hindu deity.
which was respected by the people and further the Kavu was constructed celebrating the god and the saga-Ramayana. In time, an organic transformation of Kavu and surrounding influenced by the classic tale and folk beliefs happened.
Influence of Ramayana in spatial planning of the Kavu:
The Andaloor-Kavu exist as the only sacred grove where such an elaborate depiction of Ramayana is presented. Even though it does not follow the exact sequence of the Ramayana, the theatrical fierce dance enacted with exerts from Sundarakanda and Yudhakanda is spellbinding.
The Kavu consists of two sacred groves with shrines of deities -the major shrine complex termed as MeleKavu(upper shrine) and ThazheKavu (lower shrine) filled with plants and rare trees.MeleKavu consists of permanent temple structures with rest houses, pond, etc, and has housing for various deities. The ThazheKavu is more a serene Sacred Grove with only forest growth typical to a Kavu. It houses rare species typical of the Myristica swamps, notably Syzygium Travancoricum, an endangered endemic plant.
It possesses an old-world charm where you can feel chills even at noon and climb the tree and feel comfortable in nature's abode.
Andaloor-Melekavu (PC :Prajul Pradeep)
Level differences in site establish the hierarchy between the Kavu and suit the yearly performance of the tale, where Melekavu is Ram's abode and Thazhekavu is Lanka. Melekavu has been planned to set the hierarchical order with an approach way suiting kingdom. Andaloor houses shrines very simple in architectural detailing suiting the Kavu-typology.Thazhekaavu here is interpreted as Ashokavanika in Lanka.
Check out the video of Andaloorkavu festival, beautifully captured by Prajul Pradeep
Kavu as a social gathering space:
Along with understating the transformation during Theyyam, it's interesting to understand the role of Kavu as a social space.
In the olden days when meet-ups and talks used to happen around paddy fields, riverbanks etc, Kavu used to be the prominent gathering spot of the society. A centre for worship, interaction, discussions on ideologies; a venue for art and cultural programs of the neighbourhood, and thus the most prominent public gathering spaces of the region.
Visual documentary of the festival :
Andaloorkavu festival visuals (PC : 1,3 Sarin Raghuraman ;2,5-Prajul Pradeep;4,6 Roshin Chengara )
Rituals associated with the Ramayana :
Along with the spatial planning of the Kavu, extracts of the Ramayana story in its ornate form can be visualized in Theyyam.
Some very exciting Theyyam and rituals you would like to attend are
Thazhekavu during the' Kudavaravu'-beginning of the festival the sacred grove is lit up in candles and shines in its full glory.
The high energy 'Meyyalkoodal'-men representing the monkey army in procession from Melekavu to Thaazhekavu. The movement enthusiasm and the run is a sure shot watch.
Lankadhahanm(Lanka burned )symbolically represented by the 100s of lamps and procession.
Balisugriva yudha at Melekavu, in the late afternoon it's a treat to watch with some peanuts to munch on and the adrenaline rush it offers.
Aattam at Thazhekavu-represents war between Rama and Ravana in Lanka and is performed by Bapporan(Hanuman) and Angakkaran (Laxman) during late-night hours.
What excites me the best is how uniquely the classical text in all its beauty has been performed with organized movement between two Kavu and how aesthetically the dance captures various emotion-the wrath, anger, glory, bliss, unity, and art.
Understanding the evolution of the Kavu with relation to the myth opens up an insight into the beauty of organic + planned transformation in time. The transformation from breathtaking silence to the colours of Theyym- thira is a treat to the senses. In time small changes in the mode of worship and ritual have happened, but the best part is the collective celebration devoid of religion, appreciation of nature and agrarian life is still carried on in the present times.
Let's celebrate the lore and this beautiful blend of cultures with love.
Travel tips:
Travel time: Visit on February midweek(Kumbam 1 to 7 of Malayalam calendar)
The best time to visit for diverse performances is between Kumbam 3 and 7.
Nearest airport: Kannur international airport (CNN), India.
Nearest railway station: Thalassery, The place is well connected by road, getting a local guide would help in easy access.
Strict vegetarian diet to be followed while attending the festival.
Recommending stay near Muzhapilangad beach area for a serene view and its 5 km from Andaloor.
For more Theyyam photographs check out:
If you are interested to know about the architectural detailing of kavu recommending watching this video by Swaroop. K.Mohan
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Reference:
· Ponmudi,sri Andallor kshetra smaranika-1981
· Nootandukalude kaavu-M.P.Balakrishnan-(Ponmudi,sri Andallor kshetra smaranika-1981)
· Myth in building the hierarchy of spaces -Morphology study-Sarga. G.S-(2016-Facebook post)
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