MUDIYETTU
It is believed that various forms of arts worshipping goddess Bhadrakaali prevailed much before the origin of temples. Once the worship of gods and goddesses started at the temples, various types of arts used to be performed to please goddess Bhadrakaali at Bhadrakaali temples. By and large, many of them were ruined while others continued to be performed systematically and in a more dramatic manner. "Mudiyettu" is one among them, a mixture of entertainment and devotion. The period of origin of Mudiyettu is un-traceable. This art is more of a ritual than dramatic. "Theeyaattu" is another ritual performed in Bhadrakaali temples. Mudiyettu is the story of the war of Bhadrakaali with the two notorious Asuras Daarikan and Daanavendran, eventually Killing them, while in Theeyaattu, Bhadrakaali reports to Lord Paramasiva after the assassination and briefs the whole incident. Mudiyettu, compared to other forms of temple arts, is presented without much of `mudras', facemasks and facial expressions, but with facial make-ups and `chutti' (artwork done on face with rice paste) which makes the characters simple and more acceptable to the viewers. Originally these characters used to perform with speech and dance, but later on rhythmic steps were introduced which gives more life to the characters and makes the performance more interesting.
Mudiyettu is a ritual art where viewers also participate in the performance. Once the artists get separated, ie, since they `come to the light', the scene becomes more dramatic. It can be inferred that the character `Kooli' in Mudiyettu is the first of its kind to amuse the viewers by comic speech and action.
The story of Mudiyettu goes like this: Daarika and Daanavendra were two notorious Asuras, born to Daarumathi and Daanamathi. In order to achieve more powers, they performed severe penance and Lord Brahma was finally forced to appear before them. They demanded the boon for immortality, but Lord Brahma declined this request as death was inevitable for anybody once taken birth. The Asura brothers then compromised with the boon that no males can ever kill them. Lord Brahma then asked them why they did not demand that females also could not kill them. The asuras enraged by the pride of the boon they got, retorted "It is a disgrace to us and our community to demand likewise.How how dare a female kill us as long as we are strong enough for anyone to harm us?". Annoyed by the pride of these Asuras and sensing their evil intentions, Lord Brahma curses them-"Let you be killed by a female". This part of the story is not performed in Mudiyettu. Following are the sequence of scenes presented.
Mudiyettu may well be considered older than all other existing theatre forms of our country. It is definitely older than Koodiyattam, as the dramatic concept is much cruder and folklorish. Moreover, it belongs to the period when worship was conducted in "Kavu" (grove), for temples were yet unknown in these parts of the country. Worship of nature as mother was a salient feature of our culture and no wonder this is evident in most of our ritualistic art forms.
There are few distinguishing features of Mudiyettu, which highlight its ritualistic nature. The absence of a restricted and designated stage ensures the viewers' involvement, which is an essential aspect of Mudiyettu. The near-total absence of Hasthamudras (Hand gestures) perhaps the most important element of acting in Kathakali, Koodiyattam and the like is a clue to its ancestry.
The theme of the performance is the well-known story of the incarnation of Bhadrakali as the compilation of the positive forces of the universe and as the sum total of the strength of all the gods. It was essential as the adversary was the concentration of all that are evil, viz., ferocity, oppression and disease. Mudiyettu has succeeded in presenting both these adversaries in their full glory through well-composed flowing movements in unison with an awe-inspiring performance by percussionists, the like of which can be witnessed only in Kerala.
Mudiyettu was considered the ultimate remedy against the most dreaded epidemic, Small Pox. Still, popular belief is strong as is indicated by the rush of devotees wanting the blessing of the actor performing as Kali. Blessing of the entire village by him at the end of the performance is an essential part of the performance.
There are few mandatory rituals needed to be performed before Mudiyettu is performed at a venue. These include Kalamezhuthu and Pattu and Kuruthi (Sacrifice). The former is to please the deity herself whereas the latter is intended for her Bhoothagana (the army of demons).
There are many scenes in the performance like the Narada delivering the message to Lord Shiva the stress is on three important scenes namely, (i) Darikan's entry, (ii) Kali's entry and (iii) the fight.
Perhaps the earliest existence of comic characters in Theatre can be found in Kooli and Koimpadar. The former, a representative of the demon warriors is a fore-runner of Bheeru in Kathakali, who tries to amuse the audience by crude extempore actions, while the latter relies more on subtle comments following a recognized script and behaves rather like the Vidooshaka of Sanskrit Theatre. However, the real duty of these two during the performance is attending to the various chores related to the sequence and assisting the main performers, much like the buffoons of a circus.
Facial Make-up and the headgear of Kali are classic examples of our rich tradition in sculpture and other handicrafts.
Theeyattu can be considered a by-product of Mudiyettu, though many Theeyattu artists today tend to disagree. However, as indicated by rather well developed Abhinaya (Acting) using Hasthamudras (Hand gestures), Theeyattu is much younger to Mudiyettu, which in the pure form is absolute without any gestural acting.
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