Devakoothu - The Only Theyyam Ritual Performance by Woman
<p>Devakoothu is one of the 400 forms of Theyyam (Ritual worship art) characters of gods performed in the temples of Kerala. Devakoothu is the only Theyyam ritual art performed by a woman, and it takes place every two years. Except for Devakoothu, all other Theyyam characters are performed by men usually from lower caste according to Brahmanical Hindu traditional structure. Traditionally, this is performed by people who’s family have been associated with the dance for generations. Thottam Pattu is the ritualistic song that accompanies the Theyyam performance elaborating the legends related to the deities. I remember during festival time in my hometown (Kerala), we used to hear this every day in loudspeakers which are placed from the temple gate to the main road. It has all the beauty of poetry, rhythm and it just opens up one to new grammars of storytelling.</p>
<p><a href="https://medium.com/thumbi/devakoottha-theyyam-6457390addf"><strong>Read More</strong></a></p>