Theyyam: The Indian Ritual Where 'Lowest' Castes Become Gods

Around 1800, a traveller on the Kerala coast recorded a rule: a Nair was "expected instantly to cut down" any man of certain lower castes who touched him. On the same coast, on certain nights, men from communities that order ranked among the lowest become gods, and people of the higher castes come to them to be blessed. This is theyyam, usually translated as "dancing the gods", from North Malabar. What happens to a man on the night he becomes a god, and the morning after? Told from the old records, a British officer's notes from 1895 and the performers' own words. Chapters 0:00 A god for one night 0:39 Dancing the gods 1:36 Five hours to become Gulikan 2:25 How a man becomes a god 3:56 The people they could not do without 4:47 The god who argues back 5:48 Outside the wall 6:40 The morning after 7:24 Riven Sources: F. Buchanan, A Journey from Madras (1807); F. Fawcett, Nayars of Malabar (1901); E. Thurston, Castes and Tribes of Southern India (1909); R. Freeman (1999); The Caravan (2021); The News Minute (2023); PTI (2020). Two scenes illustrating the Pottan legend are AI-generated. Credits. Video (CC BY-SA 4.0): Indartica / Prasoon Kiran for the Wikimedia Foundation; Sahya Digital Conservation Foundation; Karavali Wikimedians; Athulvis; Vishnumaya Suresh. Video (CC BY): Hareesh Pallam, Kumar Upasana, Explore Kannur, Travelling Tripod Films, Picography by Aswin, Oxlaey. Photos (CC BY-SA 4.0): Navaneeth Krishnan S, Shagil Kannur, KaustubhShrm, Photosbysid, Funsukh Wangudu, Artoffabhi, Vijayanrajapuram, Atheenasiji, Gnoeee; (CC BY-SA 3.0): Augustus Binu, Vijayakumarblathur; (CC BY): Vaikoovery, Vinayankavullapura; via Wikimedia Commons. Music by Scott Buckley (www.scottbuckley.com.au), CC BY 4.0: I Walk With Ghosts, Shadows and Dust, Katabasis I, Katabasis II, Penumbra, Memories of Stone, Unraveling, At The End Of All Things, Decoherence. Venu alap by T Sashidhar with V V Ravi, recorded by xserra (freesound.org/s/125852), CC BY 4.0. Sound: "Fire Torch_Whoosh 2" by kev_durr (freesound.org/s/426209), CC BY 4.0. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Padma Shri citation (padmaawards.gov.in) shown under fair use. #theyyam #kerala #india