Kavadi Attam

Understand

Where Kavadi Attam comes from

Kavadi Attam is the central act of the Tamil Murugan festival of Thaipusam (in January-February). The kavadi — a decorated semi-circular wooden arch carried on the body of the devotee by straps — is offered in fulfilment of vows to Lord Murugan, and the carrying of the kavadi in procession to the temple is itself the dance. The kavadi tradition is millennia-old, with roots in the South Indian Murugan cult that the Sangam literature and the Tirumurai hymns document in detail. Today the Tamil diaspora brings the tradition to Malaysia (the Batu Caves festival), Singapore, Sri Lanka, Réunion and other Tamil heartlands outside India.

How it's practiced

Kavadi Attam is performed by the devotee-dancer, walking in procession to a Murugan temple while carrying the kavadi (the decorated wooden arch) strapped to the body, often paired with small pots of milk (pal kavadi) or a vel skewer piercing the cheeks. The procession is accompanied by musicians playing the thavil drum and nadaswaram, with the devotee in a state of religious devotion and usually moving to a slow, rhythmic chant. The dance is the procession itself, with the devotee's footwork rhythmically matching the drums and with occasional spinning and prostration at the temple threshold. Costume is the white dhoti and bare chest of the devotee in penance, with the kavadi bright with flowers and peacock feathers.