CURRENT ISSUE » XXIX.2 (Summer 2016)
Sugato Mukherjee / “The Living Gods of Malabar”
Theyyam is an ancient religious tradition of Malabar in North Kerala, India. A hierarchy of gods and goddesses are believed to be embodied in flesh and blood by oracles, who use ritual music, dance, and chanting to portray and invoke the deities. Vellan, who has been a Theyyam practitioner for eight years, takes a drink of coconut water before entering into his trance.
Theyyam is an ancient religious tradition of Malabar in North Kerala, India. A hierarchy of gods and goddesses are believed to be embodied in flesh and blood by oracles, who use ritual music, dance, and chanting to portray and invoke the deities. Vellan, who has been a Theyyam practitioner for eight years, takes a drink of coconut water before entering into his trance.
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