Mudiyettu is a traditional theatre performance from Kerala that tells mythological tales about the battle between Kali and the demon Darika.
It is a ritual associated with the Bhagavathi or Bhadrakali cult. Traditionally, the dance is performed every year between February and May, following the harvesting season, in bhadrakali (Bhagavati Kavus), the temples of the Mother Goddess in different villages along the rivers Chalakkudy Puzha, Periyar, and Moovattupuzha.
Mudiyettu is a communal undertaking that involves every caste of the village in its various roles. Parayan caste members contribute bamboo artifacts and leather hides for the drums, while Thandan caste members furnish the areca nut fronds used in making the masks and headgear. Those who paint the masks come from the Ganakan community, and those who light the country torches come from the Kuruvan community. The Veluthedan (Patiyan) caste is responsible for washing the cloth used to make the deity's dress while the Maran caste takes care of preparing torches and supplying oil for them. By cooperating and participating in the ritual, each caste reinforces its common identity and bonds with its neighbors.
The process begins when villagers arrive at the temple on an appointed day early in the morning after harvesting the summer crops. Then, Mudiyettu artists first purify themselves through prayer and fasting, and draw a huge image of goddess Kali, called kalam, on the temple floor with colored powders, which invokes the goddess's spirit. This sets the stage for the next dramatic action, in which Narada implores Shiva to contain the demon Darika, who is immune to defeat by mortals. However, Shiva commands that Darika dies at the hands of Kali.
Because this is a community-based art form, it is also the community that has encouraged and trained the next generation, allowing the art form to survive. There is no school for teaching these techniques, so their survival depends almost exclusively on their transmission through the Guru-Shishya Parampara. Through mutual cooperation and collective participation in rituals, each caste develops and strengthens a sense of shared identity and togetherness in the community. In order for its transmission to occur, the elders and senior performers must engage the younger generation as apprentices and teach them during the performance. In addition to serving as an important cultural landmark for the transmission of traditional values, ethics, moral codes, and aesthetic norms to the next generation, Mudiyettu also ensures continuity and relevance for the present time.
References
(https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/mudiyettu-ritual-theatre-and-dance-drama-of-kerala-00345) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mudiyett)