Folklore Art - Kalamezhuthu

Type : Bagavathi Kalam

Description : Invoking the Mother Goddess. The worship of the Divine Mother was prevalent from the banks of Nile to the Sindhu in pre-Vedic times. In kerala, Devi and kali are two aspects of Mother Nature, the creative and the destructive force deeply imprinted in our collective unconscious. The figure of kali with multiple arms, one carrying the bleeding head of a demon evokes primordial fury and fear.

The rituals :

The drawing of the Kalam starts in the afternoon. Expert hands draw the figures in an hour or two. First the border line is drawn. And from the central line the figure takes its shape. The thick backdrop is formed by filling black, burnt husk of paddy. Over this backdrop, the picture emerges in lively colours from head to feet. After decorating the figure with ornamentation, lighted bell-metal lamps are placed on the four corners. In a sanctified moment, life dawns in the eyes of the figure. Offerings heaped are all agricultural products familiar to the farmers of kerala. Lighted lamps, the red-coloured dress, the sickle, jingling girdle, and ankle bells of the oracle are placed on a pedestal. Leafy decorations flutter above the Kalam.

The ceremonies begin well after twilight. With kalam puja the deity is evoked. In deepening dusk, under flickering lights, this is sacred ground indeed! Nearby, the small shrine dedicated to the object of worship is alit. The percussion -dominant music in rising tempo, resonates quickening the heart beats of the devotees. The song narrates the legend associated with the picture drawn. The figure illustrates the most dramatic moment of the story. Legends and myths vary from region to region.

Thiri uzhichil is a stylised dance performed around the kalam holding a flaming flywhisk. Then the oracle in trance, intensify the drama. Wiping out this meticulously drawn kalam in frenzy by the possessed is the grand finale. The devotees humbled by the experience, stand subdued and silent; receive prasadam: a handful of the powder that was the kalam.