Written on January 29, 2011
An exciting art form associated with Onam, Pullikalli is a 200 year old folk art which is mostly found in the district of Trissur. “Pulli kalli” when translated means “tiger play” in Malayalam. One place where one could definitely find this art form is at the Swaraj round at Trissur on the fourth Day of Onam. Male Performers painted in tiger shades; dance through the streets to the beats of the drums with contrasting colors and tiger faces on the belly makes it a very fascinating event.
Different stories have been associated with this art form’s origin. One version is that The King of Kochi, “Shaktan Tamburan” introduced this colorful folk art to make Onam more colorful with a dance that reflected the wild and macho spirit of the force. There are many country side stories associated with the myths of King “Mahaballi” with tigers. The only fact with no contradiction is that the art form is associated with Onam and is from The District of Trissur.
The tiger faces are painted on the belly and strips and dots are painted all over legs and hands. A readymade tiger mask is used to cover the head. The colors include back, yellow and white. One could identify a few other flashy colored tigers too. Paint formed with a combination of color powder and varnish is used to color up the shaven body …
