A SAMITY FOR CHARITY-SOCIAL SERVICE-ARTS AND CULTURE
Sunday 14 February 2016
Chettikulangara Kuthiyottam.....
Chettikulangara Kuthiyottam
“AMME SARANAM DEVI SARANAM!!
CHETTIKULANGARA
AMME SARANAM!!!!”
Kuthiyottam is
performed as an important offering to the deity. It is a symbolic human
sacrifice to appease goddess Kali. It is believed that the origin of
kuthiyottam is from blood sacrifice to please the ferocious Goddess Kali and
the ritual has moderated over time, possibly under the influence of Buddhism.
Kuthiyottam sponsors who vow to offer kuthiyottam adopt two or four
pre-pubescent who are to symbolically sacrificed on behalf of the sponsor.
They are adopted on the day of shivaratri and
brought to the sponsors house where a canopy is erected and a shrine of Kali is
constructed. They are taught kuthiyottam steps by trained performers. On the
day of “Bharani” the boys are bathed and dressed up as kings with paper crown,
bangles, fac. Their abdominal skin is pierced with silver or golden thread the
ritual is known as Chooral Muriyal the name comes from Chooral(cane), as cane
threads were used earlier and muri(cut). They are then taken to the temple,
accompanied by pompous procession. In the front of the sanctum sanctorum they
dance to four songs praising the goddess and thread is then removed and offered
to the goddess. These boys are may not take part in kuthiyottam again.
“Kuthiyottam is a blend of
dance, music and ritual. The boys perform folk dance to Kuthiyottam folk song.
In every house vowed to offer kuthiyottam, performance by trained artist will
also be hosted alongside teaching the boys Kuthiyottam. Kuthiyottam folk song
has tanavattam tala. Kuthiyottam used to be done only in houses in the 13 Karas
of the Chettikulangara Temple but after a recent Deva Prashnam it was allowed
to conduct Kuthiyottam in the houses outside of outside of the 13 Karas.
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