PULIKALI

Image ID: 117616611

Caption : Pic 10.... (file pic) Pulikkali (tiger-dance) is held every year as part of the harvest festival Onam celebrations (this year onam falls on August 23,2010).The dance is performed mainly in Thrissur district. Artists have their body painted for the Pulikkali event and dance wildly in a particular rhythm to the beat of drums on the fourth day of the Onam festival .The dance usually mimes hunting moves and tactics. One of the few animal mimetic dances of primordial origin and the only folk art that involves painting of the human body on a large scale, it was originally introduced to Kerala as part of the Moharam festivities by Tamil speaking Muslims. Initially more than 1000 painted enthusiasts took part in the dance, but now the number has dwindled to fewer than 200 because of the cost factor. The Kerala Tourism Department now offers financial aid to keep the show going. Photo: K_K_Mustafah 16/08/2010