Context
Recently, a Tholpavakoothu performance by renowned artist Ramachandra Pulavar was held at Kanakakkunnu, Thiruvananthapuram, as part of Onam celebrations. Tholpavakoothu is a traditional form of shadow puppetry associated with Kerala.
Explanation
- Tholpavakoothu literally refers to a leather-puppet play: thol means leather, pava means doll/puppet and koothu means performance.
- It is a traditional shadow-puppet theatre of Kerala, particularly associated with the Palakkad region.
- Traditionally, performances are conducted in specially constructed theatre spaces called Koothumadams attached to Bhagavathi temples.
- The puppets are made from leather, traditionally deer or buffalo hide, and their shadows are projected onto a white screen using lamps.
- Its narratives are primarily drawn from the Kamba Ramayana, the Tamil version of the Ramayana composed by Kamban.
- Performances traditionally accompany temple festivals and may continue for several nights.
- The art combines puppetry, storytelling, music, ritual and oral tradition.
- Pulavars, the traditional performers, manipulate the puppets and narrate the story.
- It represents Kerala’s distinctive tradition of ritual theatre and intangible cultural heritage.
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Tholpavakoothu: Kerala’s Shadow Puppetry Tradition