This is a votive offering performed in Bhagavathy temples. The costume of the dancer is as in Velichapppadu Thullal, red scarf on the head and a red flowery clothe at the waist. Anklets are tied to the legs. The performer goes round the deity, dancing to the rhymes set by chenda, maddalam, thimila and elathalam. After worshipping the deity he gets over a one wheeld polatform over which is the pillar like utholakam. There is a hook at one end of the utholakam to which is attached the backside skin of the dancer. This end is then raised up. Hooked to the uthjolakam, the dancer is thus suspend in the air almost horizontally in which posture he executes certain physical feats and dance movements and the whole platform is taken round the temple deity thrice.sometimes the make-up of the dancer will be in the shape of garuda, the mythological bird, hence the dance os called garudan thookam.

Technorati Tags: