Kuttichathan is a

demigod A demigod or demigoddess is a part-human and part-divine offspring of a deity and a human, or a human or non-human creature that is accorded divine status after death, or someone who has attained the "divine spark" ( spiritual enlightenment). A ...

in the folklore of Malabari Hindus, depicted as a portly adolescent boy, sometimes described as having a '' kutumi''. Kuttichathan's tricks (such as turning food into excrement, and beds turning into beds of thorn) cause great trouble to his victims but never do serious harm. He is said to demand food in exchange for freedom from his harassment. Most of the chathan temples in Kerala belong to the

Kalari Panicker Kalari Panicker / Kalari Kurup is an ethnic group belonging to the Hindu religion, who live in the South Malabar and central parts of the Indian state of Kerala. They were well known as the masters of Kalari tradition, having their ''Nalpatheeradi ...

and

Thiyya The Ezhavas () are a community with origins in the region of India presently known as Kerala, where in the 2010s they constituted about 23% of the population and were reported to be the largest Hindu community. They are also known as ''Ilhava'' ...

castes. Some Hindus in Malabar believe that sacrificing a

cockerel The chicken (''Gallus gallus domesticus'') is a domestication, domesticated junglefowl species, with attributes of wild species such as the grey junglefowl, grey and the Ceylon junglefowl that are originally from Southeastern Asia. Rooster ...

on a regular basis with the correct

incantation An incantation, a spell, a charm, an enchantment or a bewitchery, is a magical formula intended to trigger a magical effect on a person or objects. The formula can be spoken, sung or chanted. An incantation can also be performed during ceremo ...

s will appease Kuttichathan, and that he will otherwise terrorize their families. Kuttichathan also appears in pop culture, such as in the 1984 Malayalam film ''

My Dear Kuttichathan ''My Dear Kuttichathan'' () is a 1984 Indian Malayalam-language fantasy film directed by Jijo Punnoose and produced by his father Navodaya Appachan under Navodaya Studio. It was the first Indian film to be filmed in 3D format. With screenplay ...

.''

References

External links

Therayattam – Worship Dances of Malabar.
A 1958 documentary showing worship dances of Malabar, with a dance dedicated to Kuttichathan shown at 09:30. Indian Ministry of Information,

OCLC OCLC, Inc., doing business as OCLC, See also: is an American nonprofit cooperative organization "that provides shared technology services, original research, and community programs for its membership and the library community at large". It was ...

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Demons {{myth-stub