Mudiyettu, the ritual theatre of Kerala's Bhagavati Kavus, is on UNESCO's Representative List

Background

Mudiyettu is a ritual dance drama from Kerala based on the mythological tale of a battle between the goddess Kali and the demon Darika. It was inscribed in 2010 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It is a community ritual in which the entire village participates, held after the summer crops have been harvested. Performers purify themselves through fasting and prayer, then draw a huge image of the goddess, called kalam, on the temple floor with coloured powders. Mudiyettu is performed annually in Bhagavati Kavus, the temples of the goddess, in villages along the rivers Chalakkudy Puzha, Periyar and Moovattupuzha. Responsibility for its transmission lies with the elders and senior performers, who engage the younger generation as apprentices during the performance.