Theechamundi

The fire Chamundi: the performer leaps dozens of times into a blazing pyre of wood, a sight that leaves every visitor speechless.

Theechamundi (thee = fire) is the most dramatic fire Theyyam. A huge pyre of firewood (meleri) is lit and reduced to a mound of glowing embers; the performer, protected only by a coconut-frond costume and the hands of his helpers, throws himself into it again and again, sometimes over a hundred times through the night. It is performed by the Malayan community, usually in the small hours, and is a highlight at many Kannur kavus.