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Kalam - Kalampattu
 The Kalam in the Kali cult, denotes a floor painting of the
goddess. Before the form of the goddess is painted, a Chakra in the tantrik
structure is drawn using two colours, white and yellow made respectively of rice
and turmeric flour. On the north eastern corner (minakon) is the place in which
the image of Kali is proposed to be drawn. At the centre of this drawing, a
bronze oil lamp is lit in the belief that with the lighting of the lamp on the
Chakra, the goddess has made her divine presence at the spot. Before the lamp is
placed on the floor a plantain leaf with offerings to the goddess like paddy,
rice, coconut etc is placed.
Painting the image of the goddess, using herbal and grain
powders of different kind is a consummate art. The dhulisilpam (the powder made
image) attains supreme perfection by meticulous care in furnishing all its
subtle details. To paint an image of Kali with sixty-four arms, more than fifteen
persons is required. The Kalam is painted in multi colour. The Kalampattu begins
with the beginning of the Kalam itself. The Brahmin priest is assigned the
privilege of doing the first special puja of the image before the onset of the
Kalampattu.
Kalampattu is a kind of song sung by persons belonging to
different castes which are lower down in the caste hierarchy. Kaniyan draws the
Kalam of Gandharva, and Pulluva that of serpents. Vannan uses a stringed
instrument called Nantuni. The Kurup who sings Kalampattu uses a percussion
instrument with cymbals and gong as accompaniments.
The paintings of the Kalam
commences with a ritual called Uchappattu (noon songs). The Kalam would be
completed by evening. The singers sit in a thatched shed in front of the
courtyard of the temple or the house in which the ritual is conducted. The shed
is decorated elaborately with plantain trunks, with leaves and bunch of
fruits, tender coconut leaves, gold coloured tender coconut bunches, mango
leaves and flowers. Inside the shed beneath the thatched roofing is a red
canopy. The floor is plastered with cow dung. The painting of the goddess is made
on this plastered floor. The size and dimension of the image of Kali are decided
according to the deity. Normally, the image has sixteen hands with a weapon in
each hand. The size of the image can be as big as to have sixty four arms and
breasts each big as five paras (measures) of rice heaped and bedecked with paddy
stalks malted into delicate forms. Ornaments of a rich variety are drawn on the
image with coloured powder. The song goes on without a break round the clock. It
starts with an invocation to Ganapathy, the god that clears his devotees path of
all hurdles, passes on to the story of the confrontation between Kali and her
demon-rival, Darika and ends up with the slaying of the demon by the goddess.
The entire song is known by the name tottam, which means 'to awaken the deity'.
To mark the end of the ritual of Kalampattu, the figure of Kali
is wiped out, starting from the feet upwards, but keeping the breast untouched.
The powder used for painting the breasts is then worshipfully collected for
distribution as prasadam to the devotees.
The Kalampattu is associated with some ritualistic dance
performances. The dancer is the descendant of a line of ritual dancers, the
counterparts of the oracle and the shaman. The ritual dance is known as itum
kurum chavittu. The goddess is believed to enter into the body of the ritual
dancer and into the Kalam and the presence is manifested differently in the two
media. In the dance, the goddess express herself through the ritual dance, while
in the Kalam, she makes her presence felt by its flowing patterns and colours. As
the ritual dancer gets possessed by goddess, his limbs move and he utters
uncontrollably. The movements and utterances rise slowly in a crescendo and
reach their highest pitch and then abruptly stop. The possession leaves the body
and the dancer falls exhausted and unconscious. The ritual dancer visits the
houses of the devotees and receives offerings to the goddess in the form of
rice, coconuts which are the symbols of fertility. Kali may bless or curse with
her disease, the small pox. Such blessing or curse is considered
her playfullness or revelry, 'amma vilayattam'. If Kali is wreaking her wrath,
the disease might take a fatal turn and is taken to be an omen of impending doom
on the land.
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