There are a lot of art forms in Kerala that derive their roots from the martial traditions of the land, especially the famed Kalaripayattu. However, Poorakkali, the folk/ritualistic art of Malabar, is probably the only one that kept the mannerisms of Kalaripayattu intact by utilizing its steps as a tool to enhance the gracefulness of the latter. Calendar-specific and extremely physical, Poorakkali marks a conjunction of ritual and tradition for the Malabaris.
From Blood to Love: Mythology and Materialism
Poorakkali, as the name suggests, is associated with “Pooram,” a word that is now synonymous with “Festival” in Kerala. Interestingly, Northern Malabar particularly lacks traditional Poorams as usually seen in Middle Kerala and further down South. So what exactly is the Pooram of the Malabaris?
To be concise, Poorakkali is a devotional art focusing on the revival of Kamadeva, the Hindu God of Love. According to the (local) legend, Shiva, who was indulging in extreme meditation after the loss of his wife Sati, was approached by her reincarnation, Goddess Parvati. The Adiyogi’s absence in a metaphysical sense had brought forth a lot of issues in the mortal world, so it was up to Parvati, his eternal consort, to wake him up. However, as she failed to invoke any emotion in Shiva, the Devas assigned Kama, the God of Love, to shoot his arrow at Shiva. It worked, but Shiva, being the destroyer himself, opened his third eye out of anger and turned Kamadeva into ashes.
But what happens to the world if Love itself ceases to exist? The question was too scary to ignore, so with Shiva’s blessings, some Goddesses, including Kama’s wife Rati, were tasked to meditate and materialize a mental image of Kamadeva, through which he was resurrected. In other words, Kama loses his body and becomes an ever-present embodiment of passion.
Tradition holds that the women on earth later started celebrating this revival of Love, resulting in the Pooram rituals in Malabar. Associated with various Bhagavati (Goddess) temples in Malabar, in the early stages of the Pooram preparations (during the Malayalam month of Meenam), young girls still follow the ritual of offering flowers to the Kaman, an idol of Kamadeva made from sand.
From Traditions to the Stage: Setting up the Poorakkali
Contrary to the expectation born out of one’s familiarity with the myth, Poorakkali, the dance performance, does not involve women. It is an exclusively male performance that involves months of rigorous training and, if performed religiously, Vrtam (a form of asceticism) leading up to the day of the performance. The training involves a Panikker, or the teacher, guiding a group of men to an extremely athletic circular dance performance, which occasionally involves acrobatic moves to outmaneuver their rivals in a competitive setting. While one might find it fitting to disassociate what was just described from the modern “dance battles,” that is precisely what competitive Poorakkali is in essence, especially when it becomes Maruthukali, a purely competitive rendition involving various Kavus (worship places) battling it out.
The Performance and Motifs
Because of the athleticism involved, Poorakkali includes very simple attire to wear. In fact, as far as the dressing is concerned, Poorakkali could be the simplest of all the performing art forms in Kerala. The silk cloth resembles the Kacha and Chura used in Kalaripayattu, as it employs similar steps and movements. At the middle of this circular performance is a “nilavilakku,” or a lamp, signifying the presence of the divine. It is believed that the Gods themselves visit the stage and dance with the performers because of the electrifying steps and invocations that mimic the celebrations in the Heavens. Other than this, there are no accessories, instruments, or flamboyance involved. The Panikker leads the song, the performers follow the rhythms and move in acute synchronicity, and the only sounds that fill the air become the Poorakkali Pattu (the Pooram Song), the occasional claps involved, and the stomping of the feet.
Poorakkali Pattu: The Song of Gods
Although Poorakkali is the celebration of a tradition, the Pattu is much more than that. With extremely complicated Malayalam and Sanskrit meters ebbing inside every stanza, it is one of the frontrunners of Malayalam lyricism in modern cultural spheres. The rhythms are arranged in a fashion to complement the evolution of the performance in real-time, with a gradual increase in tempo leading up to an explosive climax with vigorous steps that involve the whole bodies of a dozen performers. As the competitions have no age limits, the rhyming portions and their repetitions over months of strenuous practice turn the Pattu into an embedded memory for all those involved. Sometimes, the same Panikkers of various teams are involved in debates on the Shastras, or scriptures, as a parallel event, giving the whole event another dimension of enjoyment.
The most interesting part of the Pattu is probably its content. Although Pooram is a celebration of Kamadeva, the lyrics can describe epics and Puranas like the Mahabharata and Ramayana, as they form a part of the larger body of beliefs.
Conclusion
As with most of the known art forms in Kerala, Poorakkali too has risen from the confines of traditional practices and become a performance for the general public. Not only is it an important competitive item in the Kerala State School Kalolsavam, but it is also used competitively during other regional festivals in Kerala. For example, Onam, a harvest festival and Kerala’s official state festival, sees several Clubs in Northern Malabar organizing Poorakkali competitions, inspired by the traditional competitions seen between different Kavu (sacred worship places for families) during the Pooram. Although still not a popular art form across Kerala, the Poorakkali continues to thrive through youngsters and the organizers who pride it as their cultural icon.
References
- Chandrashekara U. M., Sathian P. Joseph & Sreejith K. A., “Ecological and socio-cultural dimensions of sacred groves of Northern Kerala” — Man in India (paper, 2002).
- K. K. N. Kurup (Ed.). (2017). Poorakkali and Maruthukali: A performance of male dancers in the Bhagavathi temples of Malabar (Prakashika Series No. 38). National Mission for Manuscripts & New Bharatiya Book Corporation.
- Haritha, K. (2021). Experience, meaning and ritual: The many lives of Thottam songs in North Malabar, Kerala (M.Phil. dissertation). University of Hyderabad.
- Balagopal, N., & Ramaswamy, L. (2020). Poorakkali — A ritualistic, martial and melodious musical art form of North Malabar. International Journal of Creative Research Thoughts (IJCRT), 8(7), 527–529.
- Poorakkali; Kerala Tourism
- Porrakkali by Polika
- Video reference