https://indianpedia.org/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=KanyarkaliKanyarkali - Revision history2026-07-31T08:14:48ZRevision history for this page on the wikiMediaWiki 1.45.4https://indianpedia.org/index.php?title=Kanyarkali&diff=468939&oldid=prevJoseph678 at 23:42, 14 February 20262026-02-14T23:42:34Z<p></p>
<p><b>New page</b></p><div>{{Short description|Indian folk dance ritual}}<br />
[[File:Kanyarkali.jpg|thumb|A kanyarkali Performance]]<br />
<br />
[[File:Kanyarkali in Panthal.jpg|thumb|Vettuvakanakkar Porattu]]<br />
[[File:Ashan Sri Pallassana Dwarakakrishnan.jpg|thumb|right|Ashan Late Pallassana K. Dwarakakrishnan Nair]]<br />
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}<br />
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2019}}<br />
[[File:Vattakalipallassana.JPG|thumb|Vattakali being performed]]<br />
'''Kanniyar Kali''' is a folk dance ritual performed in the temples of villages in the [[taluk]]s of [[Alathur]] and [[Chittur]], [[Palakkad district|Palakkad]] district, [[Kerala]], India. The event is usually a part of [[Vishu]] celebrations, occurring after the Vela (village fair) in the months of April and May. It is an agricultural festival dance of the [[Nair]] castes.<ref>{{cite book |title=Malayalam Literary Survey, Volume 1, Issue 2-4 |publisher=Kerala Sahithya Akademi|year=1977 |page=185}}</ref> Kanniyar Kali, despite the name of the Virgin, does not have anything to do with the [[Kannaki]] cult.<ref>{{cite book |last1=T. Madhava Menon |title=A Handbook of Kerala, Volume 2 |publisher=International School of Dravidian Linguistics, 2002 |page=423}}</ref> <br />
[[File:Erattakudan2.JPG|thumb|The Erattakudan purattu of kanyarkali]] Kanniyar Kali is in no way connected with the [[Kaniyar]] community, a community of authentic astrologers of Kerala.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chummar Choondal |title=Studies in Folklore of Kerala |publisher=College Book House |page=78}}</ref><br />
<br />
== Performance ==<br />
The dance is performed at night and ends at dawn, and is conducted for four consecutive nights. In certain villages it is conducted only for three consecutive nights.{{Citation needed|date=September 2025}}<br />
<br />
The dance starts with the men of the community gathering in the temples and performing a rhythmic circular dance called ''vattakali'' (literally meaning "a circular dance"). The vattakali is followed by several ''puraattu''{{cn|date=September 2021}}, which literally means farce. The purattu does not have a standard format, but each lasts for about an hour. The purattu depict the life and social customs of various castes and tribes of medieval Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Since the purattu depict various heterogeneous castes and tribes, the various purattus have different costumes, style of dancing and songs with different tempos. Certain purattu which depict fierce tribes or warrior tribes have performances resembling stick fights and martial movements whereas certain other purattus have slow and rhythmic movements. Certain purattus are laced with humor and depict a scenario wherein a long lost husband and wife have a reunion.<ref>{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00520537/|title = Traditions orales dans le monde indien|chapter = Les (Petites) vertus de la farce. Imaginaire et société dans un théâtre populaire du Kérala|series = Purusartha n°18|year = 1996|pages = 343–366|publisher = EHESS | last1=Tarabout | first1=Gilles | last2=Vitalyos | first2=Dominique }}</ref><br />
<br />
It is performed in a specially made square stage called a [[pandal]]. The pandal is located in front of the temple or its premises. It consists of a lighted lamp in the centre and consists of a roof supported by nine pillars. The singers occupy the central position of the stage and the dancers dance along the periphery of the pandal in a circular manner.<br />
<br />
The songs are mostly in [[Malayalam]] and certain purattus have songs in which there is a heavy influence of Tamil.<br />
<br />
The accompanying instruments are the [[elatalam]], [[chenda]] and the chengalam. [[Madhalam|Maddalam]] is an accompaniment in vattakali.<br />
<br />
The participants are solely men; women are represented by [[cross-dressing]] men who imitate the body language and way of speaking of women.<br />
<br />
In the last decade, women have made their debut Kanyarkali performance in a Desappanthal at [[Kakkayur]].{{cn|date=March 2025}}<br />
<br />
==References==<br />
{{Reflist}}<br />
<br />
== External links ==<br />
{{commons category|Kanyarkali}}<br />
*[https://www.tattamangalam.com/newsite/2001/04/22/kanyar-kali-announcement-of-the-year-1966/ Old (1966) KanyarKali Announcement]<br />
*[https://www.tattamangalam.com/newsite/2013/02/21/kanyarkali-2012-photos-2/ 2012 Tattamangalam Kanyarkali photos]<br />
*[http://www.tattamangalam.com/newsite/2012/01/05/kanyarkali-1992-photos/ 1992 Tattamangalam Kanyar Kali] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230326082545/http://www.tattamangalam.com/newsite/2012/01/05/kanyarkali-1992-photos/ |date=26 March 2023 }}<br />
*[http://kanyarkali-palakkad.blogspot.in/ Girijavallabhan Blog on Kanyarkali]<br />
*[http://bp0.blogger.com/_pPLZpYqWVgY/SIMlGxvcm7I/AAAAAAAAACA/fUXAmp_rADI/s1600-h/13.jpg Kanniyaar Kali at Tattamangalam]<br />
*[http://bp3.blogger.com/_pPLZpYqWVgY/SIMkahMEaJI/AAAAAAAAAB4/O7V7Fh6Nqvc/s1600-h/11.jpg Purattu acts in Kanniyaar Kali]<br />
*[http://bp2.blogger.com/_pPLZpYqWVgY/SIMjFHRJY2I/AAAAAAAAABw/1zW7qQv-Gm0/s1600-h/1.jpg Introducing Porrattu]<br />
*[http://tattamangalam.bizhat.com/souhrida2005May/ Images of Porratu dances performed at Sreekurumba Temple, Tattamangalam, Palakkad]<br />
li Photos]<br />
{{Culture of Kerala}}<br />
{{Tourism in Kerala}}<br />
<br />
[[Category:Hindu festivals in Kerala]]<br />
[[Category:Dances of Kerala]]<br />
[[Category:Folk festivals in India]]<br />
[[Category:Dance festivals in India]]<br />
[[Category:Festivals in Palakkad district]]<br />
[[Category:April observances]]<br />
[[Category:May observances]]<br />
[[Category:Hindu dance traditions]]</div>Joseph678