Woman theyyam tells tale of a lost ‘devatha’

Kannur: In an otherwise male dominated world of theyyam performance, Ambujakshi of the Kattuparambu family of Madayi stands tall.
Now in her late 50s, Ambujakshi donned the colours of devakkoothu, the only performance by a woman at Thekkumbad Kulom temple near Cherukunnu on Friday.

This was her fourth performance in the past six years, after her predecessor, K P Lakshmi Amma, stepped back owing to ill health.

Though there are over 400 forms of theyyam characters, which include female characters as well, this is the only place where a woman performs, experts said.

The performance was preceded by 41 days of stringent vratha.

Though she was nervous while performaning for the first time in 2012, Ambujakshi said her husband Kannan Panikkar, also a theyyam artist, encouraged her.

Though the rituals are somewhat like theyyam, and has a narrative , the steps are simple, resembling the koodiyattam and nangiar koothu, according to temple treasurer Gopi Krishnan.

“However, since the rites and rituals are associated with theyyam, and it is performed in a kaavu, as part of ‘kaliyattam, people relate it with theyyam and hence the name ‘female theyyam’ he said.

According to the tradition, the female performer is brought from across the water body near the temple via a country boat and she is taken back in similar fashion. The rites and rituals are strict and hence the performance has a unique distinction, said Gopi Krishnan.

The entire performance is based on the narration of a mythical story about a group of six devathas from the heaven coming to pluck flowers from the Thekkumbad Kulom premises. Among them, one devatha lost her way.

The residents built a hut for her, where she stayed for three days, praying to Narada, to take her back.

On the third day, Narada came with new cloths and took her back.

The devakkoothu is performed in memory of the lost devatha and her return, and the story is narrated in the form of a song by the performer. Though Narada has a major role in the entire narrative, he appears only for a few minutes in the performance and was portrayed by a young boy, Amal Suresh.