Padayani is the ritual art form involving masks performed in Bhadrakali temples of Central Travancore in Kerala with due dedications. The dance is performed to worship goddess Bhadrakali. The very spirit of central Travancore finds its appearance in Padayani as that of Malabar in Theyyam.
The text of this is derived from the tribal ethos and rooted in the Siva and Shakthi cult, which have all tartaric rituals. It is the ritual sacrifice performed by the village before the primal Goddess.
The bhoothagana, servants of lord Siva, danced in front of Bhadrakali who killed Daruka to avoid the destruction of the whole world. In memory of this incident, the participants wear masks (kolam) made of spathes of the areca palm using one to hundreds. The colours used to make kolam are purely natural. They are made of the green of the spathe itself (kamukin pacha), kari (carbon), manjalpodi (turmeric powder), sindooram, terra-cotta powder, and charcoal.
Only a single type of instrument is used to associate the song,. The songs are in simple Malayalam and have been handed down from the ancestors over the years.
The art form starts with heating the musical instrument, thappu (Thappu Choodakkal). In good old days there were eighteen types of musical instruments used in the padayani performances. Today the most important instrument is “Thappu” (A percussion instrument with a wooden ring covered with leather on one side). The instrument is faced towards the fire and the instrument tuned. Madan, Marutha, Yakshi, Pakshi, Kalan kolam and Bhairavi kolam are the different characters in padayani.
During the performance a number of realistic characters also appear on the arena.
and improvised dialogues to add amusement. A highly theatrical story is provided by the characters that perform comedy. This is illustrated in the presentation of ‘paradesis’ (exiles) to the Kolam.
These characters are on a par with the ‘Paala Kolams’ in significance.Marutha is the little ones and they dance to make fun along with the songs. The kolam is performed by men as well as children. Kalan Kolam is the major attraction in Padayani. This is about a child who is begging for his life to lord Siva while death comes in his 16th birthday. At that time Kalan, the God of death comes and he is trying to take the life of Markandaya, the boy. Bhairavi kolam is for worship Goddess. It is the biggest kolam and uses many laths of areca tree. The kolam is headed by more than one person due to its heavy weight.
Another speciality in padayani is different rhythmic ensemble. They are the rarest of the rare “Thaalaas” prevalent only in South Kerala. Some of the major Thaalaas are ‘Marma’ ‘Valiya Lakshmi’ ‘Cheriya Lakshmi’, ‘Champa’, ‘Kaarika’, ‘Kumba’, ‘Adantha’, They represent the characters with moments of acting which all basically based on rare rhythms. All these rhythms start mainly from a wider canvas and recede towards a conical structure.
Padayani performances last for twenty-eight days in the courtyard of Kaali temple. The performer maintains strict spiritual discipline (Vratham) for days together prior to the actual performance. There are different varieties of effigies to represent like Yakshi palkshi, Kaalan, Kuthira, Maadan, marutha, Pisach, Ganapathi, Bhairavi and Kaajiramaala. There are effigies with masks and crowns.
The symphony and rhythm of padayani reflect the rhythms of rural life. Humour is widely used in padayani and they portrays stories with historical background also.
After the kolam thullal is over, there will be ritual called pooppada which is the end of the padayani festival.
