CHAPTER II

KELIPATRAM- A RITUAL TRADITION OF NORTH MALABAR

Kelipatram had been a popular and colorful ritual art in North Malabar, since the second half of the last century. This was performed by the Yogi Gurukkals ¹, is a commemorate  the beggary of Lord Siva. The silent Kelipatra would carrying a skull shaped plate for begging the right hand and in left he take a brass bell. Peoples waiting in the concerned day for the sacred blessings was a common seen in these days. The ritual beggary denotes the suppression of the ego deep rooted within him. And hence it was considered as the one of the best way to attain moksha or salvation. Beggary denotes the complete surrender of the material life and we have seen a lot of examples to this, for instance, the story of Lord Budha and Mahavira ². Their followers were known in the name of Bhikshus. But in modern times these divine rituals were vanished in the vast sky of Kerala folk culture.

2.1 AHARYABHINAYA AND PRE- RITUALS OF KELIPATRAM

The Kelipatram costumes as a shivayogi they used a crown with the would of kumizh or murikku normally known as soft woods. Where chandrakala or crescent, Godess Ganga and serpant or the sacred snakes were carved beautifully and deccorataed with  flowers of thumpa, chempakam, chekki and pichakam ³. They will have a skull shaped bowl and a cane in right hand and a brass bell in left as mentioned early. The red cloth, the red upaveetha in shoulders and the body is smeared with ash would made them a real Sivarupa and the devotees had the feelings of sivadarsana as seeing the kelipatra. One going to perform kelipatra would start dressing from near a siva temple in the village. First step is bathing the temple pond before sunrise. As per the puranas the river Ganga originating from the head of Lord Siva and hence the river water was considered to heavenly and sacred. So the artist would purify the water with rare sacred hymns. Then performs suryanamaskara and smears the whole body with ash. This ceremony is called Gangaye unarthal” or araising Ganga. This is the custom that, before the sunrise the kelipatra reache at least seven houses nearby the temples. They keep silence throughout the ritual. In house the kelipatra take three pradakshinas in the court yard and then receiving bhikha from the house owner in his bowl. After this he gave a little portion of rice and sacred ash to the devotee and gave his blessings to them. Then he returned near the pond and through some grains to the fishes in the pond. It resembles the ritual  which have performed in a Bhairavan theyyam. The name kelipatram was derived from a Malayalam word which means ‘kelvi’ means hearing.

2.2 THE MYTH BEHIND THIS RITUAL ART

The myth Behind the origin of Kelipatra is this; Once there was a despute arises among the Trimurtis ( the three gods, Brahma, Vishnu and Siva ). The question is that once on a vaikunda yekadesi day (auspicious day of Vishnu), goddess Saraswathi reminded Brahma to meet lord Vishnu,his father to seek blessings. Brahma the lord of creation out of ego refused to do so. Saraswathi puzzled by his behavior still pleaded him to go to the abode of Vishnu. Brahma felt he was the most powerful of the three gods and so told Saraswaathy that while naming the Trimurtis his name is uttered first.similarly his function of creation tops the three. There after the other two lords should meet him to get his blessings. Saraswathy warned him that his ego will lead to serious consequences. Not hearing to her advice the four headed Brahmas at on the lotus seat with arrogance. Lord siva and Vishnu knew that what happening. They believed tha an egoof a creator will cause dire consequences and therefore should be timely checked to save the universe. Both lords decide to visit Brahma with a plan in mind. they meet at Brahma’s residence.seeing both siva and Vishnu coming their home, Saraswathy rushes to greet them. Brahma still remained seated, instead of getting up and offering the guest hospitality. Saraswathy with a folded hands as a mark of respect and devotion remarked that she and Brahma were planning to visit Vishnu on the auspicious day. Vishnu replied that they had come to seek Brahma’s help to settle a despute. Hearing this Brahma bloated up with pride and laughingly told Saraswathy that even the two lords need him to resolve problems. Siva and Vishnu looked at eachother in a secrecy smile and thought it’s the right time to bring up the issue that they have planned. Siva told that he felt lord Vishnu to be the supreme power and Lord Vishnu denied that Siva is more powerful than him. Thus who was the strongest of the two was the matter of dispute. Both declared the other was the most powerful than himself. When they asked Brahmas opinion about the supreme power he laughed out of pride and declaredthat indeed he was the most powerful and superiorto Siva and Vishnu. Siva challenged that no one had ever seen his crown and if there is one who could then he would indeed be the most powerful one in the universe. Brahma laughed out of ego and challenge that why no one have attempted such an easy task up to now. And said that he will see Siva’s crown by raising himself from the ground. He challenged Vishnu on this. And lord Vishnu said that since he feels he is always one step lower than Siva therefore he will try to seek sivas feet for blessing. As the context started, Siva kept increasing in length as Brahma arose from the ground. Vishnu took the form of a boar and started digging the ground to see the feet of Siva. Meanwhile brahma lifted himself up to seek siva’s crown. as he decended up and up he began to see it was very far off. Suddenly he felt that the journey to reach lord Sivas crown is very far indeed. But not giving up he travelled far and far until he came across an object coming from the top. It was a flower in form of a women and he asked who she was and were she was from. Declared that she was “kaithapoo”the flower that decorates sivas crown, as she had fell from the crown she is travelling towards the earth.Brahma tired of his long travel in search of the crown asked how far was sivas crown. She warned Brahma that he can never see the crown because the distance is infinite. She also calculated the time Brahma took from earth to reach that meeting point as thousand Brahmavarshas. One Brahmavarsha is the life span of a human being taken as hundred years and she had already crossed fifty thousand rahmavarashas from the crown of lord siva. Brahma unwilling to accept the defeat pleaded her to commit a lie that he had seen sivas crown and travelled together with her to earth. After much  persuavasion kaithapoo agreed. Therefore Brahma went back with kaithapoo to seek his victory word with Vishnu. Vishnu took a form of a boar, dug deep in the soil and successfully sought sivas feet and touched it out of veneration.siva was moved by the act of Vishnu and immedietly bowed down and stretched his hands to lift lord Vishnu. Vishnu then looked up and got the vision of lord Sivas crown. They hugged in love and respect. After some time, Brahma reached with kaithapoo and told Siva and Vishnu that he saw the crown. And Kaithapoo agreed as per Brahma’s instruction. Siva knowing the truth cursed Brahma that due to this ego, arrogance, and also for lying, he will never be woreshiped on earth by human beings. He also cursed Kaithapoo   for being an  accomplish in that lie, that she will there after lie with snakes. And that kaithapoo flowers will not be used in poojas or any other functions. He then informed Brahma about Vishnus deed of touching the feet to see the crown. He further advised Brahma that there is no need to   go far, for whoever touches his feet, he will automatically bent down to them. He said in life, one must always be humple in that way one don’t need to seek God long but God himself will come to them.

When heard the lie told by Brahma, Lord Siva angered  and  Beheaded Lord Brahma and went in search of alms as a way of penance to redeem his sins.  This was the myth behind the emergence of Kapaleswara form of Lord Siva.

2.3 YOGI COMMUNITY OF KERALA

Yogis of north malabar are variably called as choyis, jogi, or chothees in different places. And now they reside an area between Kozhkode and Kasargod. In the beginning they were priests, teachers and practiced ritualistic prayers. It is believed that they were called yogis because they were people; traditionally practicing  the art of yoga. Peoples migrated from outer Kerala were commonly called as Gurikkal or kurikkal is the reason for the cast name. it is also heared that the kurikkal position was awarded from the Kadri temple at the dakshina kannada of Karnataka state and the ceremony was known as kurikal mangalam (an auspicious ceremony of one transferred as a Gurikkal ). Such kurikkals of high priest hood were practiced Kelipatra. Their  tharavadu (collective name for joined family ) are called as ‘matas’ ( the house of Brahmins ), Vellikoth, puliyangottu, kanhangad, yogiswra mata, valiyamata, padinjarematam, koroth, vannadi, nuchchil, parayangathu, pallipiriyathu, chekyattu, mepayil, kokkeri, chemberi, chingapuram, mezhur and allanchery etc some among the thirty matas in north Malabar. They were the traditional woreshipers of Bhairava and various mother Godess. Here is the story related to the origin of yogicast as mentioned early Lord Siva wandered tweleve years with carrying the skull in his hand. After all lord Vishnu cut his little finger put it in the skull and thus the skull got filled. Fourty eight yogeeswaras were  emerged from the skull.another tradition is that the yogis come in Kerala from Aryanadu with Annapoorneswary in her woodenship called’ Marakkalm’. May be “choyi ambalam” called pura is situated near the famous Annapoorneswari temple of Cherukunnu, at Kannur district. There are four streams among Choyi cast called keerillaswami, Vayanosami, katoswami, and Kathiro swami’’.