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    Photos from India

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    Each theyyam has a distinctive costume. This includes elaborate jewellery, body paints, make-up and most importantly gigantic headdresses or <i>mudi</i>. Extreme attention and care are given to to this aspect of the tradition. As time progresses, one can observe a change in the costume and headdress of the theyyam signifying a change in the ritual’s phase. Views[467] The village elders or representatives of various houses and clans, seek blessings and advice from the theyyam towards the end of the ritual. The theyyam also distributes <i>prasādam<i> during the ritual. <i>Prasādam</i> is an offering of generosity to the Hindu deity, which is blessed and returned to the gathering. Views[412] Seen above is the <i>kavu</i>, the village shrine where the ritual is performed. The theyyam chants and performs rituals to the deity. Sacrifices are also made. Seen alongside are the temple musicians. Views[371] The agility and speed at which the theyyam moves keep the gathering spellbound. The complicated series of moves takes up to a decade of training to acquire. <br><br> While the event is of great religious intensity and significance and has sustained itself on the involvement and support of the local people, it is on a decline. This has been attributed mostly to the younger generation of families involved in the ritual moving away from home or seeking alternate labor. Views[352] <i>Theyyam</i> is a tradition that is followed in the <i>Kolathunādu</i> region of Kerala, a southern state in India. It is unique as it brings in different castes together in a major form of worship at the <i>Kavu</i>, the shrine in a village and has traits that are known to date back to the neolithic and chalcolithic eras. The name derives from the Malayalam word <i>Deivam</i> meaning God. In the art forms <i>kathakali</i> and <i>Kūṭiyāṭṭaṃ</i>, actors play the part of god. But in theyyam, the performers actually become God, acquiring magical powers for the duration of the ceremony. <br><br> Seen above is the theyyam, <i>Gulikan</i>. The atmosphere is calm but the anticipation and waiting for what He would do next always raises a sense of excitement and fear. Views[853]
     

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