A group of Kavady dancers performing in a temple ground, Kerala, India
Kavadiyattam, It is a ritual dance offering in Subramanya (Lord Muruga) Temples. Basically of Tamil origin, Kavadiyattam is widely prevalent in the Subramanya temples all over Kerala during the festival seasons. Dressed in bright yellow or saffron robes, devotees performing kavadiyattam smear vibhoothi (ash) all over their body. Each one carries on his shoulder an ornate Kavadi - a huge bow, richly decorated with peacock feathers, Kavadies are usually of different sizes and shapes, (ranging from six to ten feet high) each with its own significance. A Pookavadi is one decorated with brightly coloured artificial flowers; a mayilpeeli kavadi decorated using only peacock feathers and ambalakavadi, one shaped like the gopuram (tower) of a temple. The dancers dance balancing the Kavadi on their shoulder. The rhythm of the dance increase with the rising beats of percussion instruments like udukku, chenda, nadaswaram etc., accompanying the procession.
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Photo credit: © Imagery India / Alamy / Afripics
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Keywords: action, art, carnival, celebration, classical, colorful, colourful, cultural, culture, dance, entertainment, ethnic, event, festival, festive, festivity, gaiety, gala, historical, horizontal, india, indian, kaavady, kerala, occasion, onam, performance, skill, skillful, traditional, travel
