Thullal - Types
Thullal is classified into threey types - each has its own distinctive costumes and ornaments.
1) Seethankanthullal 2) Parayan Thullal 3) Ottan Thullal
1) Seethankanthullal 2) Parayan Thullal 3) Ottan Thullal
Seethankan Thullal
It is one of the three forms of thullal. The songs and dance in Seethankanthullal are slower than Ottanthullal in metre, rhythm and tempo. The costume is fascinating. The dancer wears a black cloth around his head with a band of tender palm leaves that give the impression of a crown.
Ornaments representing the full-blown lotus, made once more of palm leaf, adorn the upper arms and wrists, ankle belts, and the feet. The chest is covered with a profusion of bead necklaces and over this is tied a cross-belt. A red cloth is draped round the waist and a long length of white cloth, rather like a bandage, is looped again and again around a waist-string and fixed above this.
Ornaments representing the full-blown lotus, made once more of palm leaf, adorn the upper arms and wrists, ankle belts, and the feet. The chest is covered with a profusion of bead necklaces and over this is tied a cross-belt. A red cloth is draped round the waist and a long length of white cloth, rather like a bandage, is looped again and again around a waist-string and fixed above this.
Parayan Thullal
Slowest in tempo among the three thullals. Even the stance and posture of the performer is different from that of the two thullals.
In this, the dancer stays erect and explains the meaning of the songs by gestures. There is very little dance element as well as action.
In this, the dancer stays erect and explains the meaning of the songs by gestures. There is very little dance element as well as action.
Ottan Thullal
This is the most popular among the Thullals. In this performance, the actor wears a long tape of cloth of white and red colour looped around a waist – string to form a knee – length skirt. A chest plate adorned by various types of coloured beads, glass and tinsel, and other ornaments are used. Wooden bangles painted with bright colours are worn on the wrist and wooden ornaments are worn on the shoulders. Tinkling bells are tied to the legs just above the calf. The lips are reddened, the eyes and eyebrows thickly blackened, and a caste mark is added to the centre of the brow. The metre and rhythm of Ottan thullal songs are fastpaced and the dance too has a high tempo.
In a presentation, the Thullal dancers abides by a set sequence of preliminaries before beginning the actual performance. These carry names such as Mannarang, Ganapathi, Pallivattam and Bhoopathi and are all items of decorative dance with a lot of footwork and no symbolic meaning to convey. The steps and movemnts are unique to each piece. The purpose is similar to the Todayam of Kathakali, but unlike the latter, singing is absent.
In a presentation, the Thullal dancers abides by a set sequence of preliminaries before beginning the actual performance. These carry names such as Mannarang, Ganapathi, Pallivattam and Bhoopathi and are all items of decorative dance with a lot of footwork and no symbolic meaning to convey. The steps and movemnts are unique to each piece. The purpose is similar to the Todayam of Kathakali, but unlike the latter, singing is absent.
