Poorakkali - 5

Presented here is an excerpt from a Poorakkali performance. Lyrics: ‘O, Narayana, I pray…O, Master, Narayana…long ago when the Pandavas…were troubled so much by the Kauravas…that they couldn’t live in their own kingdom…and thus wandered the land disguised…O, Narayana, I pray…O, Master, Narayana, I pray’

Poorakkali is a ritual art form of Kerala. This dance is performed as a ritual at many temples dedicated to Goddess Devi in the Kannur and Kasaragod districts of the state. Only men do the dance and the performance is around a lighted traditional lamp.