The 10-day harvest festival of Onam is an occasion to enjoy the sadhya thali, make floral decorations, watch boat races and play games, all to honour the homecoming of the kind-hearted and much-beloved demon king Mahabali. On the fourth day of the celebrations, one of Kerala’s most spectacular indigenous art forms is performed: Pulikali. Also known as Kaduvakali in some places, this is the dance of the tiger where performers dress up as puli (tiger).

　　Here’s the lowdown on the significance of Pulikali, a folk dance of Kerala, and where you can see it.

　　Origins And Preparation

　　The origin of Pulikali dates back over 200 years, when Rama Varma Sakthan Thampuran, the then maharaja of Cochin, is said to have introduced it. Decked out as tigers with natural paint applied to their bodies and moving like one, the Pulikkettikali performance was immensely enjoyed by the locals. The oldest style of the dance still survives to this day in Thrissur, said to have originated in a procession associated with the pancha-taking ceremony of the Pattani Muslims.

　　Performers who dance in the guise of a puli are called pulikalikkar. The dance is performed to the rhythm of vadyamelam (an orchestra native to Kerala). The pulikalikkar continue to use body paint, with stripes being that of a dark yellow and black colour. To resemble the puli, it is mandatory to start with big spots from the back of the body. The spots become smaller as they reach the front of the body to the belly.

　　One of the major characteristics of a pulikalikkar is their big belly, says Professor A Balakrishnan, the head of the department of history at University College, Thiruvananthapuram. "Artistes start Pulikali preparations two or three months before Onam. They make their bellies big by eating a lot so that they can have a better performance," he says.

　　The varayan puli or the tiger can have up to six types of stripes. The paint is applied only after removing body hair. Achieving the resemblance of a tiger on the body of the artist requires considerable effort. Today, performers accessorise with face masks to more clearly resemble the animal they are assigned. The face mask is created by cutting a piece of paper and using glue to attach the teeth, which are made by cutting and shaping chooral (the common rattan plant). The tongue is usually made by cutting a bicycle tube and the chin and face of the mask are glued together with hair. The final touch-up for the pulikaran involves applying the appropriate shades of the conventional colours for the face.

　　Seeing A Pulikali Performance

　　During the days of Onam, the pulikottu or the beats that usually accompany the dance, reverberate through Thrissur. No other place has this special rhythm except the Pulikali of Thrissur. The pulikalikkars perform the dance to the beat of this uniquely engaging asura rhythm with bells attached to their waist.

　　There are special Pulikali troupes called Pulimada, Melakot, Viyyur, Kottapuram Centre, Viyyur Desam, Ayanthol and more who take part in the festivities. Before the Pulikali performance, pulikalikkars undertake 41 days of fasting from the first day of Karkidakam to the fourth day of Onam, after which their bodies are painted for the performance in the evening. The rituals for getting into costume begin the night before Pulikali.

　　Tableaus are set up for spectators to see the performance. Interestingly, Thrissur has its own tiger festival that is also much revered and loved. In the southern districts during Onam, tiger games are held with dried banana leaves used as a costume and palm leaves for a face mask. A man in the guise of a hunter completes the setup.

　　Where To See Pulikali

　　The Swaraj Round of Thrissur is the only place to see Pulikali in action. Dancers arrive at the site only after offering coconuts to Lord Ganesha at the Vadakkumnathan Temple.

　　Other Onam Performances To Watch

　　Kummattikali

　　This colourful mask dance of Kerala takes place in the Thrissur district, Palakkad district and parts of South Malabar. Performers go from house to house from the first day of Uthradam to the fourth day of Onam. Their costumes are prepared by tying the whole body with parpataka grass (fine-leaved fumitory). Also known as kummatti grass, it is collected and braided in a particular manner and then tied on the body with rope and the stem of the poison-nut tree. Gods, humans and animals appear in Kummattikkali. The characters or faces that the artists put on include that of Shiva, Brahma, Rama, Krishna, Ganesha, Kirathamoorthy, Dhaarikan, Kali and so on. The kummatti who wears the mask of a motherly figure leads the performance. These days, fanciful costumes along with other folk art forms are used to entertain people.

　　Thiruvathirakali

　　This is a unique dance by women that is performed in small groups. Mainly showcased on the occasion of Onam and Thiruvathira, the dance takes place around a traditional wick lamp called the nilaviḷakku. A container (kindi) filled with water, an arippara or barrel of rice and ashtamangalayam (set of eight auspicious elements) are arranged near the lamp. The dancers coordinate their hand movements as they clap upwards and downwards in a rhythm and in tune with the songs they sing. Women are dressed in the traditional Keralite attire of a mundum neriyatum or a sari. Hair is tied in a bun and decorated with jasmine flowers and a small bunch of dasapushpam (10 sacred flowers). Thiruvathirakali usually begins in praise of Ganesha followed by a prayer to Saraswati called Saraswati Vandanam. Songs in praise of Shiva and Vishnu, folk tales, and Kathakali songs are also performed by singers in the background.

　　Onathallu

　　Believed to have originated in central Kerala, Onathallu is one of the oldest games of the Onam festival. It is a form of martial arts and exercises that make use of one’s hands and body and was performed as entertainment for the upper-class people of the village. It is also viewed as an opportunity to showcase the knowledge and the strength of the martial artist, learnt during the month of Karkidakam. The performance is mostly held in the Thrissur district and is most popular in Pallassana.