Margam Kali and the Making of Christian Memory in Kerala

The Margam Kali is one of the very few traditional Christian art forms in India that owes its genesis solely to the social environment it was nourished in. The term margam, or “path,” refers to the “way” of St. Thomas, one of the Apostles who is traditionally believed to have brought Christianity to the Malabar coast in AD 52. The story it recites might not have historical veracity, but over the last seven or so centuries, Margam Kali evolved into a performative archive for the St. Thomas Christians, or Nasranis (Nazarenes), of Kerala.

 

History and Evolution 

As mentioned, the story of Margam Kali begins with the foundational narrative of the St. Thomas Christians.

The arrival of the Apostle Thomas on the Malabar coast. This event created a margam that the community preserves through this ritual performance. 

 

 

The first generations of Kerala’s Christians did not live in isolation. They were part of a world rich with thriving Dravidian cultures. As a result, their religious expression inevitably absorbed the patterns of the land, articulating a new faith through the local customs, language, and artistic sensibilities that surrounded them. As such, in its earliest form, Margam Kali functioned as a type of folk catechism, a way to transmit faith through verse and gesture long before printed texts were common. Initially an art form performed exclusively by men, it was a vibrant expression of their shared history and belief, deeply integrated into the social rhythms of their lives. The core narrative songs, known as the Margam Pattu, or “Song of the Way” (we will discuss it below), were passed down orally through the indigenous asan (teacher) tradition. Crucially, the performance was not a formal church ritual but an integral part of community life. It unfolded in homes during marriage feasts and other gatherings. This context blurred the line between devotion and celebration.

 

 

The community’s profound cultural blending is encoded in its history. To give an example, the Nayar community of Kerala used to follow a system where inheritance passed from uncle to nephew (Marumakkathayam). This social structure created a unique space for West Asian merchants (Christians, Jews, and Muslims) who came to India for trade and often stayed for extended periods. Over centuries of cross-cultural interactions and intermarriages, these settlers formed families and established deep roots. The title of Nasrani Mappila, where the honorific Mappila, meaning “son of the maternal uncle” (and thus an ideal bridegroom), was shared with local Jewish and Muslim communities. The Nasranis thus emerged from this syncretic union of a West Asian faith and a local Indian social system. This layered history is audible in the language of the Margam Pattu (the song that accompanies Margam Kali) itself, which weaves together Malayalam with traces of older Tamil and the sacred Syriac that connected the community to its West Asian liturgical roots. 

 

 

 

Performance and Motifs

The Sacred Circle 

A Margam Kali performance is defined by its sacred geometry. Twelve dancers, representing the twelve apostles, position themselves in a circle around a single indigenous bronze lamp, the nilavilakku. This lamp, often topped with a cross, symbolizes Christ as the “light of the world” and serves as the unwavering axis of the performance. The circle itself, a recurring motif in Keralite ritualistic art forms (Thiruvathira, Kolkkali, Poorakali, etc., to cite a few), signifies the unity, eternity, and unbroken fellowship of the disciples. In other words, while the narrative content is distinctly Christian, the physical and aesthetic language is drawn from a common cultural well. The Christian community adapted this familiar structure, transforming a shared mode of expression into a vessel for its own sacred story.  

 

 

The auditory landscape of Margam Kali is also strikingly intimate. The performance relies almost exclusively on the rhythmic, patterned clapping of the dancers’ hands and the vocal lead of the asan (master), who controls the tempo and narrative. While the singer may sometimes use two small, palm-sized cymbals, the absence of other instruments focuses attention on the human elements of voice and rhythm, creating a soundscape of pure devotion that echoes the Syrian liturgical chanting traditions. 

The choreography 

The choreography is composed of measured walking, turning, graceful leaps, and rotations. These movements, known collectively as adavu, are not abstract. Each sequence corresponds directly to an episode in the unfolding story of the Margam Pattu. Their gestures and footwork are curated to mirror the narrative’s emotional arc, from the slow, contemplative circles of prayer to the vigorous and joyful exclamations of divine triumph. 

 

 

 

Attire and Symbolism 

The traditional costume is simple yet deeply symbolic, representing purity and light, and reflecting the historic attire of the community. A simple white Mundu, or a long cloth, is worn around the waist, often with a red or golden border. It is complemented by a white blouse known as a Chatta. Finally, the traditional Christian jewelry, including Mekka Mothiram (large earrings for the upper earlobe), Thoda (round golden ear studs), and heavy silver ankle bracelets called Thala, are used as adornment. 

 

 

The Margam Kali Pattu 

The Margam Pattu, or “Song of the Way,” is the soul of the performance. Based on the narrative of the Acts of Thomas, its prototype consists of 14 stanzas (padas). The story recounts: 

• The arrival of St. Thomas on the Kerala coast.
• His mission to build a celestial palace for a king (here, Christ), leading to his imprisonment when the local King misunderstood his spiritual work.
• The king’s miraculous conversion after his deceased brother has a divine vision of the heavenly palace.
• The subsequent persecution and eventual martyrdom of St. Thomas. 

Through this sung narrative, abstract theology is translated into tangible human experience, making the Margam Pattu the spiritual core of the entire performance. 

 

 

Relevance in Repurpose 

By the late 1950s and 1960s, Margam Kali had faded from common practice and was nearly extinct. The tradition was reclaimed from the brink thanks to the dedicated research and promotion efforts of Kerala folklorists like Chummar Choondal and Jacob Vellian. Their work, along with the promotional activities of the Knanaya Christian community commission Hadusha, brought this vital art form back into the cultural limelight (unfortunately, the intra-community tensions and centuries of schisms have largely reduced the Margam Kali’s identity into an exclusively Knanaya tradition). 

This revival marked a significant shift in the performance’s context, illustrating a process known as folklorism, where a tradition moves from its intimate, private setting to public stages and cultural showcases. A key turning point was the inclusion of Margam Kali as a competition item at the Kerala State School Youth Festival. This vastly broadened its participation and visibility, introducing it to new generations.  

 

 

The transition also brought a major social change. What was once an exclusively male performance became predominantly one for women and girls in these modern competitive contexts, demonstrating the art’s capacity to adapt to evolving social norms. 

 

 

This modern adaptation, while crucial for survival, introduces new complexities that are a predictable outcome of folklorism. When ritual is transformed into performance for a public stage, there are both benefits, such as preservation and visibility, and drawbacks, like the loss of authentic context and a focus on spectacle over spirit. Artists have raised their concerns about the probability that the focus on winning trophies will overshadow the deeper understanding of Margam Kali’s cultural and spiritual significance. 

The move to the stage has also brought aesthetic changes, with more elaborate and vibrant costumes designed for greater visual appeal. Simultaneously, the digital age has offered new avenues for preservation. The internet and social media are now used to share performances and create a digital archive, helping to connect the global Malayali diaspora to this unique element of their heritage. 

 

Conclusion

Margam Kali has journeyed from a syncretic ritual in community courtyards to a celebrated symbol of Kerala’s rich cultural landscape. For St. Thomas Christians, it remains a powerful vessel of identity in the form of a cultural memory of their apostolic origins and their hybridized heritage. For the wider world, it stands as a powerful example of cultural resilience, demonstrating how an ancient tradition can negotiate with modernity not only to survive, but to thrive. In other words, Margam Kali serves as a compelling case study in cultural hybridity, demonstrating how a community’s identity is forged, if we take Homi K. Bhabha’s view, in the “third space” of cultural negotiation.

 

References

1. Choondal, Chummar. Margamkali Aattaprakaram. Kottayam: Hadusa Publications, 1987.
2. Ipe, Ann. “A Content Analysis of the Changes in Margamkali and Its Present Scenario.” Xavierian Research Journal
3. Neumann, Kerstin. Moon God Siva and Sacred Thomas: The Religious Community of the Knanaya in Kerala. PhD diss., Philipps-Universität Marburg, 1998.
4. Puthussery, July. Idiom and Ideology: A Study of the Christian Performance Tradition of Kerala. PhD diss., University of Kerala
5. Easo, Bivitha. That Cross That Bends: Community and Caste among Syrian Christians of Kerala. PhD diss., University of Hyderabad, 2020.
6. Perczel, István. “Studies on the Syriac and Garshuni Malayalam Manuscript Heritage of the St. Thomas Christians.” In Syriac Christianity in India, various chapters, CEU Conferences
7. Article about the Palayur Church, Pinklungi.
8. Video reference for Margam Kali performed at Kerala School Kalolsavam.