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Ritual Arts > Velakali

Velakali, a dance evolve from the martial culture, is performed in some temples as a spectacle  during festivals in which the whole village participates. This dance originated in Ambalapuzha which gained importance in the16th century AD as a coastal principality ruled by a Brahmin Raja having the family name 'Devanarayana'. Most of these Rajas were great patrons of art  and learning. One Devanarayana who lived in the18^th century had encouraged many poets and artists in his royal court. During the 17-18^th centuries, the coastal principality of Ambalpuzha had commercial contacts with the Portuguese and Dutch. Several wars were fought in the sea with these powers by the raja and his predecessors. Velakali was conceived as a reminiscence of these armed conflicts, a re-enactment  of those wars waged in the sea and land. The dance  form assumed the shape of an earlier art  called Naikkan Tullal.

Velakali is basically a group dance held in the open air  as an exhibition of the martial feats in front of the raja of Ambalapuzha, who wanted to see how his soldiers had waged the battles. This show meant to be witnessed by the deity of the temple which is taken out in procession to the courtyard of the temple on a caparisoned  elephant. The play consist of a procession in the beginning in which, the dancers walk in line through the village road holding the sword made of rattan in the right-hand  and a shield in the left. They move elegantly keeping their pace to  the rhythm followed by a hilarious group of villagers encouraging the dancers by jumping and singing and waving small colourful flags. By dusk 'Kulathil vela' or the play on the bank of the tank commences. The dancers take their position on the bank of the temple tank and with weapons in their  hands start the play moving their  bodies. Their movements get reflected in the water probably reminding one of the war in the sea or lakes. On the other side of the tank the caparisoned elephant  with the deity takes position. The dancers do not change their position but exhibit only the swaying of their bodies to the rhythm of Velappara, the main percussion instrument. Then the dancers disperse to assemble again in the southern quadrangle of the temple to start the regular exhibition of the feats. There the deity appears on the elephant. By about 8.p.m 'Tirumunpil vela' or the play before the divine presence of the deity, start. All the numbers in the repertoire of Velakali, consisting of solo, dual and group performances of the Payattu (fight) are shown in detail.

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Patayani is a ritualistic dance, which literally means an array of common people. Patayani involves many powerful themes of esoteric appeal. The whole village activity corporate in this popular art. The figures in Patayani consists of Pisachu, Kali, Karakkura, Pillatini, Bhairavi, Kalan etc. The masks are painted with a grotesque surrealistic touch. The round eyes and the triangular ears and abnormal size of the head gear give a touch of super human dimension.

Pillatini literally means one who devours. In the song accompanying the dance a child is described as dwelling the blue mountains top from where she is invoked by the chanting of meaningless syllables and with burning torches (making them blaze by throwing of a powder). The spirit is supposed to descend from the heights and occupy the painted mask of sheath worn by the dancer. This Kolam is called 'Pillatini' because its main action is pouncing on a symbolic child with a cannibalistic hunger. This Kolam is danced as a ritual to ward off evil eye on a family or its off springs. Kalan Kolam is another variety in the Patayani with black colour predominating the facial make up of the dancer. Kalan is the god of death. The Kolam appears as the symbol of time and shows how the human soul (in the epic theme of Markandeya) is chased by Yamadharma. The narrative of the story tells about a Brahmin who had no children. He performed penance to Lord Shiva who asked the Brahmin whether he wanted a child with little intelligence who would live for a hundred years or one who was highly intelligent but would have a short life. The Brahmin asked for a great and glorious child. This is how Markandeya was born. He was destined to live for sixteen years only. When his sixteenth year came Markandeya started rigorous penance. When Yama visited him, he embraced the Sivalinga so that Yama could not take him away without involving the Sivalinga also. While Yama tried to take the life of the boy Shiva opened his third eye and Yama was turned to ashes. This drama is enacted in Kalan Kolam. The character of Shiva is not represented as such. The last moments of the pangs of death of the god of death form a dramatic sequence. The actor rushed into the crowd and creates in the congregation a sense of  contact with the invisible world, people move away in awe. Sometimes the Kolam snatches away a boy from the crowd signifying the hunt of Markandeya. In a subtle way, the same actor enacts the chaser and the chased suggesting the unending drama of life and death. There also emerges a third concept of 'Kala Kala' the supreme custodian of time or the destroyer of the destroyer. The great cosmic dancer, Shiva is symbolized in the ritual and the Kolam is also known as 'Kalari' or the enemy of Kala.

Kala is defeated by Kala Kala who ultimately subjects himself to extreme suffering, struggles hard and collapses only to be awakened to resume the drama of chase. Lord Shiva again comes to bring back Yama to real life.

Patayani is associated with the Devi (goddess) temples of Central Travancore area. At least in a dozen village temples the art finds its existence, with the active corporation of the villagers who share the ritual experience and the responsibilities. The Velan (the sorcerer) plays on his percussion instrument 'Para' when the areca tree is uprooted and ceremoniously placed at the temple premises as the flagstaff of the festival for 28 days which has to conclude on the 'Bharani' day in the month of Meenam. The 'Velichappadu' who is from the Nayar caste gets possessed and dances to the rhythm of the Para and officiates the ritual of uprooting and placing the flagstaff with the help of the villagers. The Mannan (village washerman) who is also in charge of plucking coconuts supplies the areca sheaths and other materials with which the masks are made. The Kaniyan paints the masks. On the next day of the flag hosting ceremony, the villagers assemble in the temple around 10 in the night with lighted torches and go thrice around the shrine articulating meaningless syllables meant for invoking the subordinate spirits who pay homage to the main deity. This is technically called 'Chuttupatayani' or Patayani with torches. This process continue for 18 days. On the 19^th day the villagers reach the temple in procession singing boat songs in group in a rhythm peculiar to the rowing of a country boat. In front of the temple before a lighted lamp the neighbouring villagers conduct a group dance called 'Kappoli' as a gesture of corporation to the celebrations. In dancing they show a number of acrobatic martial feat accompanied by singing. The first item proper in the series is 'Tavati' in which six to seven experts dance the basic rhythms of Patayani to the accompaniment of the drum called 'Tappu' a round wooden instrument covered with thick hide.

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