Kandakarnan

By Alex in Pictures, Religion, Travel on Feb 5, 2008 at 5:27 am

Theyyam is an ancient ritual worship that is still practiced in Malabar, the northern region of Kerala (southern part of India).

This one above is Kandakarnan, a spirit who eats dead bodies. The dancer’s costumes are made from cloth and coconut leaves, with ornately designed, not to mention tall, headgear. The ring of fire completes the costume (goes to show how brave the dancer is – I imagine the costume is quite flammable).

Beelzebug has a few more fascinating photos: Link


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  1. ravi
    Feb 5th, 2008 at 6:00 am

    Alex, just a little correction. Malabar area (which includes Kerala) is in South of India.
    Thanks.

  2. Adam Fuhrer
    Feb 5th, 2008 at 7:49 am

    Wow, this is very safe!

  3. Daniel Kim
    Feb 5th, 2008 at 8:35 am

    For some reason, this looks like a giant palm-leaf Dalek.

    We . . . will . . . ster-i-lize!

  4. Ali S.
    Feb 5th, 2008 at 3:47 pm

    @Daniel Kim

    Perhaps, this is the first Dalek prototype!?

  5. su.wei
    Feb 5th, 2008 at 4:20 pm

    whoa! i wonder how many people have died/been seriously injured while doing this…

  6. Alex
    Feb 5th, 2008 at 4:37 pm

    Thanks ravi – as I wrote it, Malabar is in the northern part of Kerala, right? I’ll change it anyhow.


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