Pulikkali Folk Art of Kerala | 27 Aug 2020
Why in News
Pulikkali will be held online in Kerala this year due to Covid-19 pandemic.
Key Points
- Pulikkali (Puli means Leopard/Tiger and Kali means Play in Malayalam) is a recreational street folk art performed on the fourth day of Onam celebrations.
- Onam (August–September) is a Hindu rice harvest festival of Kerala celebrated to commemorate King Mahabali.
- The folk art is mainly practiced in Thrissur district of Kerala.
- The main theme of this folk art is tiger hunting with participants playing the role of tiger and hunter.
- Performers paint their bodies like tigers and hunters and dance on streets to the beats of traditional percussion instruments such as thakil, udukku and chenda.
- It was introduced by Maharaja Rama Varma Sakthan Thampuran, the then Maharaja of Cochin.
- Another key event which takes place during Onam is Aranmula Boat Race, the oldest river boat festival in Kerala.
- It takes place at Aranmula in Pampa river, near a Sree Parthasarathy temple in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala.
- Some Other Art Forms of Kerala: