Kummattikali

Understand

Where Kummattikali comes from

Kummattikali (or Kummatti Kali) is the colourful mask-dance of central Kerala, prevalent in Thrissur, Palakkad and parts of South Malabar. The pristine / original form is preserved in the Bhadrakali temple in Palakkad district. The dance is performed during the Onam festival when Kummattikali troupes move from house to house collecting jaggery, rice or small amounts of cash while entertaining the household — a tradition especially beloved by children. The themes of Kummattikali are mostly drawn from the Ramayana and the story of Darika Vadham, and the dance is rooted in Shaiva mythology.

How it's practiced

Kummattikali performers wear a heavily-painted colourful wooden mask depicting characters drawn from Shaiva and Vaishnava mythology — Krishna, Narada, Kiratha, Darika, or hunters — and a skirt woven out of plaited grass. Some performers cover their whole body with bunches of grass for a bushier appearance. The mask has a 'talla' attached externally to give the appearance of a toothless open mouth. Dancers carry long sticks of residuary agricultural produce called kummattikali — from which the dance gets its name — and strike them rhythmically to the vibrating string of a bow-like instrument called an onavillu (made from areca-nut wood). A 'Thamma' (an old woman) walks in front with the help of a stick as a symbolic mother of every being.