Kanuur Kathakali Theatre, Sree Parassini Kkadavu, Sinkarimelam

VALAPATTAM RIVER

Sacred waters travel for ages keep our secrets, wishes, desires, hopes and fears.
Waters that wash thousands of bodies and souls. How many indeed?

The dhoti or doti in Hindi, called mundu in Malayalam, is the traditional garment of men's wear in India. It is a rectangular piece of unstitched cloth, usually around 7 yards long, wrapped around the waist and the legs, and knotted at the waist. In periods of religion devoutness they are be far from meat and mates for forty days and they wearing black dhotis.

A poor young couple with their baby daughter, they bath their baby at the river for good luck.
Happy people. Sometimes happiness and love is the only effort to start a family.

A mother and a daughter, the baby having a bath at the sacred waters of the river Valapattam, a unique moment and I was so lucky because they let me share that moment with them!

The Sree Muthappan Parassinikkadavu Temple.

Sree Muthappan is the most popular local god in the Kannur District of north Kerala state, south India. Muthappan is also the theyyam performed in the famous Parassinikkadavu temple 16 km north of Kannur town. This temple is in the banks of Valapattam river.

THE KATHAKALI PERFORMANCE

The Kathakali Theatre is participate only by men.

Kathakali (Malayalam is a highly stylised classical Indian dance-drama noted for its attractive
make-up of characters, their elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements presented in tune with the anchor playback music and complementary percussion. It originated in the country's southern state of Kerala during the 16th century AD, approximately between 1555 and 1605, and has been updated over the years with improved looks, refined gestures and added themes besides more ornate singing and precise drumming. Kathakali re-enact stories largely from the Hindu epics.
Traditionally, a Kathakali performance is usually conducted at night and ends in early morning.

The make-up procedure usually take 3-4 hours and they use only natural products from herbs, various mineral ores and pigments. They are ground on a stone and mixed with coconut oil before being applied on the face.

A distinguishing characteristic of this art form is that the actors never speak but use hand gestures, expressions and rhythmic dancing instead of dialogue (but for a couple of rare characters). The training can often last for 8-10 years, and is intensive. In Kathakali, the story
is enacted purely by the movements of the hands (called mudras or hand gestures) and by facial expressions (rasas) and bodily movements. There are 14 basic mudras, the permutation and

combination of which would add up a chunk of the hand gestures in vogue today. The mudras are a form of sign language used to tell the story.

Dancers also undergo special practice sessions to learn control each of face muscle.

Some characters also have their features enhanced, such as an enlarged nose or an elaborate moustache. There are made using elaborately cut paper which is stuck to the face with a mixture of thick rice paste and calcium carbonate. Dancers also often place a "chundanga seed" (variety of eggplant which bears small fruits) a kind of liquid acid under their lower eyelid before the performance to turn the white of their eyes red and look more scaring to the audience.

Kathakali is usually performed in front of the huge Kalivilakku (kali meaning dance; vilakku meaning lamp) with its thick wick sunk till the neck in coconut oil. Traditionally, this lamp used to provide sole light when the plays used to be performed inside temples, palaces or abodes houses of nobles and aristocrats.

One of the most interesting aspects of Kathakali is its elaborate make-up code. It depends from the color for example Pachcha (meaning green) has green as the dominant colour and is used to portray noble male characters.

During the temple's celebration and ceremony, young girls hold offerings for
the temple for the god, like fruits and rice...

The importance of dogs to Sree Muthappan

A few years back temple authorities decided to reduce the number of dogs inside the temple, they took some dogs and puppies away. Surprisingly from that very day, the performer of the Sree Muthappan Theyyam was unable to perform (it is said that the sprit of Sree Muthappan enters his body and the performer becomes God till the theyyam performance is finished). Since the dogs was taken away from the temple, Sree Muthappan does not enter the theyyam performer's body. Knowing this, the Dogs were bought back to the temple. From that day onwards theyyam performance was as usual. There are two bronze carved dogs at the entrance of the temple to symbolise the trustworthiness of bodyguards of God. When the prasad is ready it is first served to a dog that is always ready inside the temple. In our days dogs are mixed with people in and out of the temple!

Muthappan Theyyam as Lord Vishnu

A night ceremony of the Sinkarimelam, with men performers dancing and playing drums and cymbals. The members performing it moved their bodies rhythmically even as the sticks fell on the Chendas (traditional drums) in unison. This is the real India I was looking to taste. Ecstasy!