Theyyam

The history of Theyyam - *Origins*: Theyyam is a ritual art form that originated in North Kerala and is considered to be extremely ancient, with traits that originated during the earliest periods of Neolithic, Chalcolithic settlement and expression. - *Legendary History*: According to the legendary Keralolpathi, Parasurama sanctioned festivals like Kaliyattam, Puravela and Daivattam or Theyyattam to the people of the North Malabar region. He also assigned the responsibility of performing the Theyyam dance to the indigenous tribal communities. - *Ancestor Worship*: Theyyam may have its origins from Ancestor worship. It has been observed that a vast majority of the Theyyam deities have their origin from people who were in the backward castes of the Kerala's caste system. - *Evolution*: The ancestor worship ritual was later evolved into the elaborate dance ritual that is seen nowadays. Incorporating many other local beliefs. *Muthappan Theyyam* ¹ ²: - *Deity*: Muthappan Theyyam is a ritualistic dance performed in honor of Muthappan, a deity commonly worshiped in the Kannur, Kasargod, Kozhikode, Malappuram region of Kerala and Coorg region of Karnataka in India. - *Affiliation*: Muthappan is considered as the personification of two Hindu gods—Vishnu and Shiva. - *Temples* : The shrine where Muthappan is worshipped is called Madappura. The Parassinikadavu Madappura is the most important. - *Rituals*: The rituals are related to Shakteyam where Panja-ma-kara are offered, sometimes including madyam (toddy) and mamsam (generally flesh, in this case - fish). - *Performance*: The dance or invocation is generally performed in front of the village shrine or in the houses as ancestor-worship with elaborate rites and rituals. - *Performers*: The ritual performers of Muthappan Theyyam belong to the Vannan community of Kerala. The puja rituals and rites for Muthappan are performed by the Thiyyar community. - *Myths*: Muthappan is believed to be the personification of two divine figures — Thiruvappana and Vellatom. The dual divine figures Thiruvappana and Vellatom are similar to those of the Theyyamkaliyattem of the northern Malabar region. Though Sree Muthappan is worshiped as a single deity, it actually represents an integrated or unified form of two gods: Vishnu (with a fish-shaped crown) and Shiva (with a crescent-shaped crown).