Vishnumoorthy Theyyam is a Thiyya community temple ritual form of dance worship in
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...
and
Karnataka
Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
.
Theyyam
Theyyam (/ t̪eːjjəm/; romanised: ''teyyam'') are Hindu ritualistic dance forms practiced in northern Kerala and some parts of Karnataka. Theyyam is also known as Kaḷiyāṭṭaṁ or Tiṟa. Theyyam consists of traditions, rituals and c ...
consisted of several thousand-year-old traditions, rituals and customs. The performance includes complicated rites and rituals. The peculiar drum-beats can be heard up to a distance of 2 km from where the performance of the Vishnumoorthi Theyyam takes place. The enactment involving the
Narasimha
Narasimha ( sa, नरसिंह, lit=man-lion, ), sometimes rendered Narasingha, is the fourth avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. He is regarded to have incarnated in the form of a part-lion, part-man being to slay Hiranyakashipu, to end rel ...
Avatar
Avatar (, ; ), is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means "descent". It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, goddess or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearanc ...
of
Lord Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...
by the Koladhari especially thrills the devotees and the spectators as a result of the body movements involved in it.
Story of Vishnumoorthi
![Vishnumoorthi Theyyam](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/09/Vishnumoorthi_Theyyam.jpg)
The most popular part of the Vaishnava Theyyam is the depiction of Vishnumoorthi. It is associated with
Nileshwar
Nileshwaram or Nileshwar or Neeleswaram is a municipality and a major town in Kasaragod District, state of Kerala, India. It is one of the three municipalities in Kasaragod district; the others are Kasaragod and Kanhangad. Nileshwaram is loca ...
and
Jeppu Kudupady - Mangalore. It tells the story of Palanthai Kannan, a great devotee of
Lord Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...
. Palanthai Kannan, a native of
Nileshwar
Nileshwaram or Nileshwar or Neeleswaram is a municipality and a major town in Kasaragod District, state of Kerala, India. It is one of the three municipalities in Kasaragod district; the others are Kasaragod and Kanhangad. Nileshwaram is loca ...
in his boyhood, tried to pick mangoes from a mango tree owned by Kuruvat Kurup. Without considering his age or the thirst for food, Kuruvat Kurup and his bodyguards beat him and drove away from
Nileshwar
Nileshwaram or Nileshwar or Neeleswaram is a municipality and a major town in Kasaragod District, state of Kerala, India. It is one of the three municipalities in Kasaragod district; the others are Kasaragod and Kanhangad. Nileshwaram is loca ...
. After that incident, Palanthai Kannan went to
Jeppu Kudupady - Mangalore,
kunchadka
Kunchadkahttps://www.kdkgowdas.com/families/kunchadka. is a small village in the southern state of Karnataka, India.Village code= 2723700 Aletty, Dakshina Kannada, Karnataka It is located in the Aletty Village, Sullia taluk of Dakshina Kannada ...
-
Sullia
Sullia (also known as Sulya) is a town in the Dakshina Kannada district of the state of Karnataka, India. It is the headquarters of the Sullia taluk. Sullia taluk is one of the seven talukas of Dakshina Kannada district. Its administrative ...
and took shelter in a
Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...
temple there. When there, he obtained the blessings of
Lord Vishnu
Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism.
Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...
and years later, he returned to his homeland,
Nileshwar
Nileshwaram or Nileshwar or Neeleswaram is a municipality and a major town in Kasaragod District, state of Kerala, India. It is one of the three municipalities in Kasaragod district; the others are Kasaragod and Kanhangad. Nileshwaram is loca ...
. On the way, Palanthai Kannan stayed one day in Moolapally in the house of a blacksmith
ow near the railway lineand rested in the Kanakkappalli Anikkil
Tharavadu
Tharavad () (തറവാട്), is the Malayalam word for the ancestral home of aristocratic families in Kerala, which usually served as the common house for the joint family system practiced in the state. The German linguist Hermann Gunder ...
[situated near the
Nileshwar
Nileshwaram or Nileshwar or Neeleswaram is a municipality and a major town in Kasaragod District, state of Kerala, India. It is one of the three municipalities in Kasaragod district; the others are Kasaragod and Kanhangad. Nileshwaram is loca ...
bus stand, on the Koroth - N.H. Road, and once up on a time famous as a center of martial arts and education]. Then he proceeded to Kundon Kadavu and leaving his Olakkuda [umbrella] and Churika [shield], went to Kadalikulam [a pond near
Nileshwar
Nileshwaram or Nileshwar or Neeleswaram is a municipality and a major town in Kasaragod District, state of Kerala, India. It is one of the three municipalities in Kasaragod district; the others are Kasaragod and Kanhangad. Nileshwaram is loca ...
Market junction] for taking bath. Within a short time the news of the arrival of Palanthai Kannan spread in the all across
Nileshwar
Nileshwaram or Nileshwar or Neeleswaram is a municipality and a major town in Kasaragod District, state of Kerala, India. It is one of the three municipalities in Kasaragod district; the others are Kasaragod and Kanhangad. Nileshwaram is loca ...
. Hearing the news, Kuruvat Kurup and his men came to the Kadalikulam and killed Palanthai Kannan. The God Vishnu who accompanied his ardent devotee Palanthai Kannan was provoked and destroyed the everything near by Kuruvat tharavad.Kuruvat kurup was frightened and called up an astrologer. He identified the presence of God and advised Kurup to a make a Kettikkolam for lord Vishnu and build a shrine for the God.Kuruvat kurup and his family members build a shrine for the god Vishnu by carrying stones by themselves and also made a Kettikkolam for the God. That time onwards, he became known as the Vishnumoorthi and began to reside in Vaikundeswara Temple,
Kottappuram, Kasaragod, Kottappuram,
Nileshwar
Nileshwaram or Nileshwar or Neeleswaram is a municipality and a major town in Kasaragod District, state of Kerala, India. It is one of the three municipalities in Kasaragod district; the others are Kasaragod and Kanhangad. Nileshwaram is loca ...
. Vishnumoorthi theyyam is also believed to be The Narasinha Avatar of Lord Mahavishnu who came to save his dear devotee Prahlada from his father, The Asura king Hiranya Kasipu by breaking the pillar. This Theyyakolam is dancing all major maniyani (Yadava's Tharavadu, Theeyya and Nair Tharavadu). This kolam was worn by Malayan in special community. This Theyyakolam is dancing Edakkad Nadal, the Chalil Vishnu Moorthy temple, Nambiar family Chalil Veluva is following the same Theyakolam in Chalil Vishnumoorthy in Edakkad, Nadal every year in February.Marathakkad sri iver paradevatha kshethram,kuppam,taliparamba on makaram 25 to makaram 28.Kanavath vishnnumoorthy kshethram,kannapuram, mottammal, kannur.Sree Vishnu Murthy temple, Cheemeni ( Cheemeni Mundya )is a famous Kavu of Vishnumurthy .Thousands of devotees visiting there during the period of Kaliyattam. Devotees believe that Bajanamirikkal at Cheemeni Mundya is a remedy for snake bite and skin deceases.This theyyam is also performed in all major Muchilot Kavu as an ''upadevatha'' of Muchilot Bhagavathi.
Vishnumoorthi in Ottakolams
Ottakkolam is very famous in the payyannur area. Kinathil arayalin keezhil and annur kurinji temple are famous for the yearly festival featuring Ottakkolam.
In Ottakolams,
eaning only one TheyyamVishnumoorthi Theyyam enters into the pyre and returns amongst the midst of the devotees
nown as Agnipravesam It is repeated several times and it is believed that performing this act 104 times helped the Koladhari to become a Panikker. In April 2008, Ottakkolam was performed in a grand manner in Velu Vayal Ottakkuthiru,
Nileshwar
Nileshwaram or Nileshwar or Neeleswaram is a municipality and a major town in Kasaragod District, state of Kerala, India. It is one of the three municipalities in Kasaragod district; the others are Kasaragod and Kanhangad. Nileshwaram is loca ...
with the presence of thousands of devotees after a gap of 47 years. It is associated with Veethuveppu
rite related to agriculture Four people take kayar
ope
Ope () is a locality situated in Östersund Municipality, Jämtland County, Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of ...
from Vishnumoorthi and become Kayattukar. Their duty is to protect agricultural land from cattle. With the kayar
ope
Ope () is a locality situated in Östersund Municipality, Jämtland County, Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of ...
and vadi
odthey roam the area from Karyamkode to Thalachai and catch them with the kayar or drive them away using the vadi.
References
External links
{{commons category, Vishnumoorthy Theyyam
Theyyam