Puliyattam

Understand

Where Puliyattam comes from

Puliyattam (literally 'tiger dance') is one of the oldest Tamil folk-art traditions, with the painted-performer style having roots in the older carnival / hunt-simulation dances of the Tamil country. The art is now rarely performed in Tamil Nadu itself, but is kept alive by related forms in Kerala (Pulikali), Andhra Pradesh (Pulivesham) and Karnataka (Hulivesha). In its classic form, Puliyattam was performed at the festival of Mariamman and other temple celebrations, particularly in the Kongu and Madurai regions of Tamil Nadu.

How it's practiced

Puliyattam is performed by a troupe of 4-6 dancers in heavy yellow-and-black body paint that mimics the tiger's hide, with ferocious fanged masks, ears, paws with claws and a long tail. The dancers stalk and leap in coordinated sequences to the wild drumming of the dhol, occasionally acting out a hunt sequence in which a small animal (or a person costumed as such) is 'caught' by the tigers. The dance is performed at temple festivals and at village carnivals, with the troupe often traveling between villages over the festival season. Costume is the full body paint and the headgear; the dancers wear minimal clothing underneath the paint.