THEYYAM - BHAGAVATHY
THEYYAM OR THEYYATTAM IS A POPULAR HINDU RITUAL FORM OF WORSHIP OF NORTH MALABAR IN KERALA STATE, INDIA, PREDOMINANT IN THE KOLATHUNADU AREA (CONSISTING OF PRESENT-DAY KASARGOD, KANNUR, MANANTHAVADY TALUK OF WAYANAD AND VADAKARA & KOYILANDY TALUKS OF KOZHIKODE OF KERALA STATE. AS A LIVING CULT WITH SEVERAL THOUSAND-YEAR-OLD TRADITIONS, RITUALS AND CUSTOMS, IT EMBRACES ALMOST ALL THE CASTES AND CLASSES OF THE HINDU RELIGION IN THIS REGION. THE PERFORMERS OF THEYYAM BELONG TO THE INDIGENOUS TRIBAL COMMUNITY, AND HAVE AN IMPORTANT POSITION IN THEYYAM. THIS IS UNIQUE, SINCE ONLY IN KERALA, DO BOTH THE UPPER-CASTE BRAHMINS AND LOWER-CASTE TRIBALS SHARE AN IMPORTANT POSITION IN A MAJOR FORM OF WORSHIP. THE TERM THEYYAM IS A CORRUPT FORM OF DEVAM OR GOD. PEOPLE OF THESE DISTRICTS CONSIDER THEYYAM ITSELF AS A GOD AND THEY SEEK BLESSINGS FROM THIS SIMILAR CUSTOM IS FOLLOWED IN THE TULU NADU REGION OF NEIGHBOURING KARNATAKA KNOWN AS BHUTA KOLA
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Keywords: cultural, dance, india, kerala, theyyam, traditional
