Theyyam, The Dancing Gods

The cult of the Theyyams is exclusive to the north of Kerala, southwest India, and consists of a deity assuming a living form through a ritual performance. The main characteristic of this cult is that the performer is supposed to be transformed into the divinity, it is not merely a representation b...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Filipe Pereira
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nordic Anthropological Film Association (NAFA) 2018-05-01
Series:Journal of Anthropological Films
Subjects:
Online Access:https://boap.uib.no/index.php/jaf/article/view/1369
Description
Summary:The cult of the Theyyams is exclusive to the north of Kerala, southwest India, and consists of a deity assuming a living form through a ritual performance. The main characteristic of this cult is that the performer is supposed to be transformed into the divinity, it is not merely a representation but a living god or goddess that is present to the believers, and everybody behaves according to that assumption. The main type of ceremony with the participation of Theyyams is the kaliyattam, a “danced story”, which happens during a festival organized annually in a village or family temple. The performers belong to the lower castes or tribes of the traditional social stratification system. The documentary follows Rajesh Peruvannan, a Theyyam performer, in the process of transformation into the condition of a living god. 
ISSN:2535-437X