Mudiyettu
Context:
- Recently,the traditional temple ritual theatre of Mudiyettu is performed by Thirumariyoor Kunjan Marar Smaraka Gurukulam in Irinjalakuda.
About Mudiyettu:
- Mudiyettu is a ritual dance drama from the state of Kerala.
- It is based on the mythological tale of a battle between the goddess Kali and the demon Darika.
- It is a community ritual and generally the whole village participates.
- Mudiyettu performers purify themselves through fastings and prayers.
- After that they draw a huge image of goddess Kali also called as kalam on the temple floor with coloured powders.
- Through this they invoke the spirit of the goddess.
- Mudiyettu is performed annually in ‘Bhagavati Kavus’ which are the temples of the goddess in different villages along the rivers called Chalakkudy Puzha, Periyar and Moovattupuzha.
- The important aspect of this ritual is Mutual cooperation and collective participation of each caste which instils and strengthens common identity and mutual bonding in the community.
- Responsibility for the transmission of the ritual lies with the elders and senior performers to engage the younger generation as apprentices during the course of the performance.
- Mudiyettu also serves as an important cultural site for transmission of traditional values, ethics, morals and also aesthetic norms of the community to the next generation.
- It is also inscribed on the UNESCO representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2010.
