Patayani

Patayani, which literally means 'rows of army/soldiers', is a weeklong ritual dance, held in many of the Bhadrakali temples on the banks of the Pamba river (chiefly Pathanamthitta and Alappuzha districts) during the Malayalam months of Meenam and Medam (March-April). The theme for the performance is the slaying of the demon Daarika by the goddess Kali.

In earlier days, the patayani performances used to last 28 days, each day being a different ritual. Now it has been reduced to ten days or one week or sometimes even one day. It brings together people from many communities – parayars (who make the thappu, the percussion instrument used in patayani), carpenters (who build the wooden frames for patayani and also create and sing the songs), ganakas (who make the masks), thandans ( who get the raw material for the masks which are made from arecanut pods, dry coconut leaves, palm leaves, etc.), kaniyars (who draw the figures) and others.

Various kolams(roles or forms taken on by performers) are performed as part of patayani, chief among them being Bhairavi (Kali), Yakshi (a goddess), Pakshi (bird) and Kaalan (god of death). The headgear for each kolam is intricately designed using the raw materials mentioned earlier. The colours used to paint the head gear are all natural – red from stones, yellow from turmeric, black from burnt coconut shells, and so on. Some of the kolams can be so huge that they have to be transported to the place of performance.

The story of patayani is associated with the unabated wrath of Goddess Kali after killing Daarika, which cooled down when dancers performed the kolams before her on the suggestion of Lord Subramanya. Hence patayani is performed to keep the goddess in good humour. People often sponsor patayani performances as a devotional offering.

The dances are characterized by distinctive steps for each kolam as well as reciting and enacting folk/mythological stories, humorous dialogues, etc. The performance usually ends with a procession of the kolams in front of the deity.

Some of the more well known patayani performances are those of Kadammanitta, Othara and Ezhumattur.