Kerala is a beautiful state with a diversity of cultures and art forms. One such ancient form of dance-drama is Mudiyettu. It presents a dramatized version of the Puranic story of Darika-Vadha. Kerala's later classical art forms such as Krishnanattom and Kathakali share certain elements of style, presentation, costumes, and choreography with Mudiyettu.
Mudiyettu is usually performed at Bhadrakali temples as an offering to Goddess Bhadrakali. The story of Kali, especially the one detailing how she killed the asura Darika, is the theme of many folk songs and is presented in several visual art forms in these temples. It represents the good and evil aspects of mankind as well as the never-ending struggle between dharma and adharma.
An Outline of the Story
Darika, an asura, performed rigorous austerities to please Lord Brahma and gain boons which made him invincible to men, asuras, and gods. By virtue of this boon, he became supreme and had gained massive strength. In addition, he had also gotten a boon whereby if a drop of blood from his body was shed and fell on the ground, 1000 warriors would immediately appear from that drop. In due time, Darika with Danavendra and other asuras attacked the Svarga-Loka and took possession of it. All the Devtas were in distress and reached out to Narada. He listed all the misdeeds of Darika on a palm leaf and conveyed it to Lord Shiva in Kailasa. Narada pleaded with Shiva that the peril from Darika should somehow be ended. As one of the boons Darika hadn’t asked was to make him unassailable to women, Shiva enraged by the atrocities of Darika opened the third eye which rose Bhadrakali. She set out to fight Darika. On the way, in the forest of Mahakala, she met Vetali, who had an insatiable thirst for blood. Vetali agreed to go with Bhadrakali and drink every drop of blood shed from Darika’s body before it could touch the ground.
Once they reached Darika’s capital, Bhadrakali challenged Darika to a fight. He accepted the challenge. In no time, he realized he was going to lose to her, so he fled from one world to another, finally hiding in a cave in Patala. Bhadrakali followed him there as well and chopped off his head. Both Darika and Danavendra's heads were later presented to Shiva.
Characters, Costume and Makeup, Musical Instruments and Singing
Shiva, Narada, Darika, Danavendra, Bhadrakali, Kooli, and Koimbidar (Nandikeshvara) are the main characters in Mudiyettu. Chayiliyam (red pigment), Manayola (yellow pigment), Mashi (a black eye-paste), Manjal (turmeric), Rice paste, Caustic lime, Indigo, and other ingredients are used for the makeup on the face. The head-gears (mudi’s) and ornaments are made of wood and Jewelled with artistic positioning of glass pieces, peacock feathers, and even the shell of beetles.
Uruttuchenda (cylindrical percussion), Veekkuchenda (drums), Ilathalam (cymbals), and Shankkh (conch) are the instruments used during the performances. The literary composition of the prose and verse is in a mixture of Malayalam, Sanskrit, and Tamil languages. The texts are orally handed down from generation to generation due to which it has changed. The songs are sung in the typical Sopana style of Kerala.
The Performance
The dance drama is usually performed at the beginning of the Malayalam month of Vrischikam (Nov-Dec) in the Bhadrakali temples of Kerala. The performances continue till the end of May. The rituals and performances vary slightly from one temple to another.
Before the actual performance, a large image (Kalam) of Bhadrakali is drawn on the floor of the Valiyambalam of the temple by the members of the Kurup community who are experts in this work. They use different materials like powdered rice, paddy chap charcoal, turmeric, leaves of the Vaka tree, slaked lime, etc. to draw the beautiful image of Bhadrakali.
When the drawing of the Kalam is over, a place of the performance of the Mudiyettu is chosen and announced to the public by beating drums and other musical instruments. This is called Kotti-ariyippu (Kottu = drum-beating and ariyippu = announcement). Once the puja at the temple is over, puja is performed at the Kalam with Kalam-pattu (song). The Kalam-pattu is a hymn in praise of Bhadrakali in which there is a detailed description of the features of Bhadrakali from head to foot. Once the puja is done, the Kalam is wiped off and the mixture of colored powders used for drawing the Kalam is distributed among the devotees present as prasadam.
As soon as the Kalam is erased and the prasadam is distributed, the proceedings for the presentation of Mudiyettu begin. Mudiyettu is performed in a large open space in the temple compound. No special stage or platform is necessary for the performance. The only stage requirements are a NilavJiakku (lamp) about four feet in height, a wooden stool, and a Tiraseela (curtain). The main acting area is around the NilavJiakku. The performance begins with Vandana-shloka (invocation song). During the performance, it is said that the actor who plays the part of Kali often takes leave of his senses, runs around the temple again and again, and frequently loses all self-control.
Mudiyettu is conducted by devotees in the belief that it will ward off the epidemic of smallpox, protect the people from enemies and ensure prosperity and happiness for the villagers. From the beginning till the end of a Mudiyettu performance, burning torches are held aloft. Powdered pine resin tellipodi, when burnt sends out smoke that has germicidal properties. This may be the scientific basis for the belief that Mudiyettu will prevent an outbreak of smallpox or other such diseases.
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