Andalur Kavu: Story of Theyyams

In the Dharmadam village of Thalassery, one can find the sacred groves of Andalur Kavu which as it seems is a serene piece of land with many myths & legends. The reason one considers the place to be a sacred grove is based on the belief that the Yudhakandam mentioned in Ramayana is said to have happened here. The people of the village are considered to be the Vanaras who were ruled by the Monkey King – Sugreeva of Kishkinda. The place is also considered to be sacred for having the presence of sacred weapons of the gods in the places around the groves.

It’s not clear when the Kavu came into existence but as per legends it is believed to have been the work of Lord Parasurama. A very common belief considers that Lord Rama broke the Bow during  the Sita Swayamvara ceremony & the spark from the arrow is said to have fallen here at the grove in a 3 pronged way. The place where the spark fell was consecrated by Parasurama upon the request of Narada as kavu for Rama, Lakshmana & Hanuman. The deities in these Kavu do not carry the name as per mythology but they are called Daivathar (Rama who is the main deity), Ankakkaran (Lakshmana) & Bappooran (Hanuman). The kavu also has a temple for Devi Sita. The kavu has two temples called Mele Kavu & Thazhe Kavu. These two sites are considered to be places in the Ramayana, Mele Kavu symbolises Ayodhya & Tazhe Kavu is Darika (Lanka). The rituals at the temple are conducted by local priests who belong to the local castes. The temple duties are done under the supervision of the Ooralanmaars. The old Kavu which was present here was made of thatched roofs & mud walls but over the years they have been changed to modern structures. The old groves with medicinal plants & flora have now shrunk but it still retains the old grove like environment.

The most important event at the Andalur Kavu is the annual festival called Thira which is conducted during the months of February & is the time when the whole village devotes itself to rituals here. The people in the whole village of Dharmadam adopt vegetarianism during the festival period. No person consumes fish or meat or liquor to keep them pious. The festival is a colourful affair with the Theyyam performances like none other. During the festival period around 39 Theyyams perform & 10 of these stories & performances are what attract people. The most important theyyam is Daivathar who is considered to be Lord Himself. The Yudhakandam is the story of how Bali & Sugreeva fought one another in presence of Lord Rama to survive, ending in the death of Bali by an arrow shot by Lord Rama. The other performance which is quite colourful is enacting the life of Lord Rama’s sons Luv & Kush with Devi Sita during their exile. The people of the village also take part in the festival by dressing themselves in white dhoti & a vest to relive the life of the vanara’s who were the army of Lord Rama in the battle with Ravana. The young men & boys run around the kavu celebrating the win of good over evil which is a sight for all to behold. Though most of the Theyyam performances here are taken from the Ramayana, historians believe that they could just be a coincidence as the names of the characters do not match with any characters in the Ramayana. This may be a coincidence but the fact that the stories are not heresy is one to consider.

The Andalur Kavu temple now houses a museum for all to understand the heritage & history of this place. The museum also has a life-size figure of the Theyyam which helps visitors understand the grandeur of the performance & costume of the artists. There are many myths surrounding the kavu and some cannot be understood due to the lack of written texts. But what is important for all is that the beliefs of people are strong & they have passed on these beliefs over generations. The sacred grove is a place to be & the festival is one to participate for all.