KOCHI: The Chengannur Mahadeva temple is home to a unique festival called Thriputharattu, a festival that celebrates the menstruation of Goddess Parvati, in honour of feminine energy. On learning about this unique festival, Gujarat-based Malayali scholar and dance exponent Ayswaria Wariar delved into its history.
Inspired by the stories that emerged during research, Ayswaria created a mohiniyattam dance-drama titled ‘Devi: The Goddess Within and Beyond’. Recently showcased at the Soorya Festival, the production delicately brings menstruation - an essential and powerful aspect of womanhood - into the spotlight.
“Chengannur Mahadeva Temple is probably one of the only two temples that celebrate the menstruation of the Goddess. The other is the Kamakhya Temple in Assam,” notes Ayswaria, who hails from Kozhikode.
“I researched the history, visited the temple, and spoke with many experts. I learnt that the festival begins when priests notice signs of menstruation on the goddess’s enapudava (vesture). The vestments are then taken to the senior women of the Thazhamon Madom, who confirm the occurrence.
“Once confirmed, the sanctum sanctorum of the Goddess is closed, and she is ceremonially moved to a special area in the temple known as the thriputhu (period) room. For the next four days, the goddess is attended to by women helpers, and special pujas are conducted. On the final day, the Goddess’s idol is taken to the Mithrapuzha Kadavu along the Pampa River for aaraattu (holy bath) with celebrations.”
Ayswaria chose this theme for her latest dance-drama, which was first presented at ‘Abhivyakti – the City Arts Project Festival’ held recently at Gujarat University in Ahmedabad. Soorya Festival is the second stage of the production.
“The Thriputharattu festival deeply moved me. Even now, many people shy away from discussing menstruation. Young girls use code words or euphemisms to describe their periods. There still are women who feel ashamed to talk about it,” says Ayswaria.
“This stigma often leads to poor self-care. It’s disheartening that such an essential aspect of life is still considered taboo by many. However, looking back at our roots, one realises that menstruation was once celebrated. Our ancestors understood that a woman’s menstrual cycle symbolised the power of creation itself. This was my greatest takeaway from my research about this festival — it reminded me of the wisdom embedded in our traditions.”
Ayswaria says she envisioned the production as a dance theatre to connect the audience with the ritual’s origins, and also underscore the need for social change. For that, she introduced the character of a ‘sutradhar’ (narrator), who would guide the narrative through intermittent dialogues and narration.
Ayswaria scripted the narrations herself and portrayed the Goddess on stage. In the production, she integrated traditional ‘kaikottikali’ songs alongside compositions by Kavalam Narayana Panicker.
The Malayalam script for the central theme was written by Aravind Shankaradhyanam, which was further enriched with Kaikottikkali songs and ‘chollukal’ that easily blend with mohiniyattam. The lyrics, entirely in Malayalam, were sung in the authentic Sopanam style by N N Sivaprasad.
The musical ensemble, featuring traditional instruments such as the edakka, mridangam, flute, and violin, created an organic and deeply rooted soundscape that complemented the performance.
The dance-drama depicts the journey of the Goddess, from the moment she begins her menstruation to the final day when she is bathed in the Pampa River and reunited with Lord Shiva.
“We also highlight how, whether male or female, we all go through a spiritual journey in life, step by step, growing closer to the divine. We are all on this path. Even though we are human, we carry that divine essence within us – the concept of Tattvamasi. This is the final message we want to convey to the people,” Ayswaria explains.
Notably, the visual elements of the production, using traditional props, were given as much importance as the performance itself. “We used Kalamkari paintings and a two-tone ‘thiraseela’ — a hand-held curtain — to convey specific ideas. Additionally, we incorporated an ornamental, frilled cloth fan used to decorate deities in Kerala called ‘thirutada’,” adds Ayswaria.
“The Kalamkari paintings, which feature symbols associated with the Goddess on five backdrop drapes, were created by Gayatri Dhanuturi, one of my students and an alumna of the fine arts department at MS University, Vadodara. I provided her with specific images, and she did an amazing job.”
While mohiniyattam is traditionally a solo dance style, Ayswaria adapted it to group choreography. Ten dancers, along with the ‘sutradhar’, were involved in the performance.
“Throughout the dance drama, the celebration of womanhood is emphasised. Just like the Goddess, every young girl in our homes embodies both divine feminine energy,” she says.
“They all deserve to be celebrated.”