page_title: Culture of Thrissur
section_title: Puli Kali
hierarchical_section_title: Culture of Thrissur / Puli Kali
caption_attribution_description: English: Kanimangalam, Thrissur, Kerala, India
context_page_description: Thrissur formerly known as Trichur, is a city in the Kerala state of India. It is the headquarters of the Thrissur District. It is known as the 'Cultural Capital of Kerala'. The culture of the city can be termed as predominantly South Indian. Residents of Thrissur are known as Thrissukkar; they are an important part of the South Indian weltanschauung. Thrissur, the cradle of culture of Kerala is decorated with Vadakkunnathan Temple, from where the name derived. The old name was 'Thrishivaperur' derived from "Thiru Shiva Perur" or "Land of Lord Shiva". The Thrissur Pooram, celebrated during April–May is top on the list of cultural attraction of South India.
  Thrissur is referred to as the cultural nerve center of the state of Kerala. Representing the rich cultural heritage and traditional legacy of the state of Kerala, Thrissur houses several literary and cultural societies that impart training in performing arts of the region. Thrissur celebrates numerous religious and social festivals with much pomp and glory. Onam, Pooram and Pulikkali are some of the prominent festivals of the local population of Thrissur.
context_section_description: .
  Puli Kali also known as Kaduvakali is a colorful recreational folk art from Thrissur. It is performed by trained artists to entertain people on the occasion of Onam, an annual harvest festival, celebrated mainly in Kerala. On the fourth day of Onam celebrations (Nalaam Onam), performers painted like tigers and hunters in bright yellow, red, and black dance to the beats of instruments like Udukku and Thakil. Literal meaning of Pulikali is the 'play of the tigers' hence the performance revolve around the theme of tiger hunting.
  On the fourth day of Onam, the Pulikkali groups or 'sangams' as they are called, from all four corners of Thrissur move in a procession, dancing, pouncing and shaking their bellies to the beat of the drums through the streets to the Swaraj Round, Thrissur situated in the heart of the city. Scenes such as the tiger preying on an animal, and a tiger being hunted by a game-hunter are enacted beautifully in between. Thousands of spectators line the streets enjoying the dance, cheering the dancers some of them even trying to join in.
  The groups assemble at Naduvilal in the Swaraj Round, Thrissur in front of the Vadakkunnathan Temple and offer a coconut each to the deity of the Ganapati shrine (Naduvilal Ganapati Kovil) here, before going on a procession around the ground. The procession also include floats from each village. The different troupes vie with each other to make the best floats as well as the best dressed tigers.
  A striking feature of this folk art is the colorful appearance of the performers. A particular combination of tempera powder and varnish or enamel is used to make the paint. First of all, the dancers remove the hair from the body, and then, the base coat of paint is applied on them. It takes two to three hours for the coating to dry. After that, the second coat of paint is applied with enhanced design. This entire procedure takes at least five to seven hours. A large number of artists gather to apply paint on the tigers. It is a meticulous process and often starts from the wee hours in the morning.
caption: Kanimangalam Valiyalukkal Bhagavathi Temple
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