Kathivanoor Veeran

The hero-warrior Theyyam: a tragic love story from Mangad to Kudagu, performed with blazing swordplay in a kalari arena.

Kathivanoor Veeran is the deified warrior Mandappan of the Thiyya community. The performance re-enacts his life: the performer displays kalaripayattu-style sword and shield combat, and a symbolic burning of the pyre recalls his death. It is one of the most physically demanding and emotionally charged Theyyams, and usually performed in the early hours by the Vannan community.

The legend

Mandappan, a spirited young man from Mangad near Kannur, was thrown out by his father and walked to Kathivanoor in Kudagu (Coorg). There he married Chemmarathi. When enemies attacked, he fought valiantly but, discovering he had left his ring and one finger on the battlefield, returned and was killed. Chemmarathi threw herself on his pyre. Both were deified.