Mullakkal temple in Thrissur comes alive with Tholpavakoothu from tonight

Erumappetty: The ‘Koothumaadom’ at the ancient Nelluvayi Mullakkal Bhagavathy Temple in Thrissur comes alive with performances of ‘Tholpavakoothu’ (ritualistic shadow puppetry) from the night of March 15, which coincides with the first day of the ‘Meenam’ month, as per the Malayalam calendar.

The Koothumaadom - the venue of the Tholpavakoothu performances, the temple premises and the entire Mullakkal region will be immersed in Tholpavakoothu vibes at night in the coming days.

Regular Tholpavakoothu performances have been conducted at Mullakkal Temple for the last 150 years. During the last few years, Koonathara Lakshmana Pulavar and team have been performing the art form. Lakshmana Pulavar took over the role after the demise of Killimangalam Unni, who had led the Tholpavakoothu team at Mullakkal temple for nearly 50 years.

Tholpavakoothu is conducted as a ritual at the temple from the first day of Meenam. The performances still take place at the ancient Koothumaadom of the temple, which is believed to be several centuries old.

The first seven days of the Tholpavakoothu performances are held under the aegis of the Cochin Devaswom Board, and the next three days are sponsored by the Kuttanchery, Muringathery and Nelluvayi ‘desoms’ (villages) as ‘desakoothu’. On subsequent days, they are conducted as offerings booked by devotees.

Many devotees offer the Tholpavakoothu performances in order to propitiate the deity to help them overcome physical ailments and fulfil their goals. Reciting the name and ‘naalu’ (zodiac star) of the devotees who offer Tholpavakoothu is a major highlight of the performances.

Tholpavakoothu performances at Mullakkal temple are based on the Ramayana and include episodes such as Kumbhakarna Vadham (slaying of Kumbhakarna), Athikaya Vadham (killing of Athikaya), Indrajith Peruma (glory of Indrajith), Ravana Vadham (slaying of Ravana) and Sri Rama Pattabhishekam (coronation of Rama). The Tholpavakoothu season, which lasts a month, concludes with Pattabhishekam.

Starting at 10 pm, the performances will continue until daybreak on most days. Tholpavakoothu is presented in a language which is a mixture of Tamil and Malayalam.

On the days when Tholpavakoothu is performed, women residents of the village conduct the ritual ‘kalam karikkal’, where traditional hearths are prepared near the Koothambalam and on the temple premises, which is a major offering to the deity.