Here’s where the tribal rhythm goes wild
KOCHI: Kalleli Oorali Appooppan rules over a pantheon of 999 hill deities. At the sacred grove inside Konny reserve forest he is awakened through kumbha pattu, a ritual art form that dates back to ancient times. Bamboos and stones come together to make their mysterious music, a wild tribal rhythm that resonates in the primeval stillness of the night. “Kalleli Kavu is the only place of worship where this art is still performed,” says P V Shantakumar, temple committee president.
A ritual that springs from an age-old agrarian culture, kumbha pattu involves the rendering of songs to the accompaniment of indigenous instruments. “The kumbham is nothing but a bamboo stick shaped according to some specifications.
Then there are farm implements like iron sickles, dried arcanut leaves and tree skins. In the beginning they used to sit around bonfire and sing the praises of Oorali Appooppan,” he says. Smooth, pumpkin-shaped boulders are picked from the near-by river for kumbha pattu. “They make a very distinctive sound when tapped with the dry bamboo piece. In the silence of the night it will instantly draw your attention,” he adds.
The ritual pays reverence to all five elements, its lyrics stemming from the wild ecology that surrounds the temple. The song is basically a plea for protection from all evil and unknown energies.
“Settlers who were scared of animal attacks and other threats of the wild used to invoke Oorali Appoppan, their guardian deity, through the ritual. It’s believed that Kumbha pattu will erase all fears from your mind, refreshing your heart and spirit,” he says.
Kalleli kavu is a place that celebrates the Dravidian culture and its practices are totally different from the regular tantric procedures.
“We don’t follow the vedic style of pooja. Padayanai, pongala, mudiyattam and azhi pooja are the major rituals. Grilled tubers are distributed as offering along with porridge made of bamboo rice. We follow the ancient customs and rituals only.
There are no dance or music programmes even during the festival days,” he says. Kumbha pattu is conducted on all auspicious occasions and usually it starts in the evening, continuing till the early hours of the dawn. “In the song everything from the birth of the deity to the purpose of his incarnation are explained. Now we are conducting a 10-day ritual that started on the day of Vishu,” he says.
Passed down orally to generations, the kumbha song contains many obsolete names and terms.You will come across erstwhile geographic areas like Malanad and Thulunad,” he says. Practised by a particular caste, usually an elderly member of the community leads the ritual with other singers.
“And it’s Kokkathod Gopalan Asan who heads the team now. I think kumbha pattu is one among the toughest ritual songs as it’s not easy learning centuries-old tribal slang. It takes a lot of time and dedication to master the art,” he adds.