Amid the wailing sounds of children crying, the shrill kuzhal being played, and the rumbling sound of a chenda, the loud footsteps echo. As the crowd gathers at the Koolom Thayakavu temple in anticipation, a red figure makes her way through the swarm. While she performs in front of the people, Ambujakshi looks majestic; the performance is divine. She is no longer herself; Valliamma, the goddess, has taken over.
In the artistically rich state of Kerala, Theyyam is performed predominantly in the North Malabar region. Although Theyyam has been traditionally practised by men since ancient times, there exists one form which is performed solely by women. Devakoothu , performed in the Thekkumbad Kulom temple in the district of Kannur, is based on a myth about a goddess who got lost in the island.
Due to a lack of records, the exact period during which the art was developed is unknown, but according to the people, it is believed to be centuries old.
Legend has it that devakoothu is rooted in a tale that tells the story of injustice towards a goddess. According to the tale, once, while a group of devathas (goddesses) were walking through devalokam (heaven), they came across an island on earth filled with intoxicating flowers. While the goddesses were making their way through the creepers in search of the flowers, they got lost. All goddesses except one made it out. The trapped godess, who was saved by a villager, prayed to Narada, who took the deity to Koolom. Even after returning to devalokam, her fond experiences on Earth stayed with her. Once in every two years, in the month of Dhanu, she visits the island to meet and bless the people.
Among the few women who choose to practice Devakoothu, Ambujakshi of Malayanvalappi is a woman who holds a special place to the people of Thekkumbad. She started performing at the age of 45, after Kattuparambil Lakshmiyamma, who performed the art for almost fourteen years, decided to retire from the stage. Ambujakshi, who was a sweeper at the Post Office, took on the mantle and performed for the first time in 2012. She had to observe a 41-day penance, during which she would wake up early, recite the mantras to evoke the god and practise for the performance. Currently, MV Ambujakshi is the only woman who is practicing the art form.
Devakoothu is not merely a spiritual form of expression. Being the only form of theyyam performed by women out of the 456 forms that exists, Devakoothu breaks barriers and challenges the norms set by theyyam itself. The presence of women in male-dominated art forms has been showing a shift in the recent times, and this specific form of art challenges the sanctimony of certain art forms. Women like Ambujakshi being in the forefront, reclaiming their places in the cultural forms, gives a reminder that women have also been an integral part of it and will continue to be.
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