Karuvalamma

Who is Karuvalamma?

Karuvalamma, also called Karuval Bhagavathi, is a goddess of the mantramurti group, the deities who belong to the families of mantra practice in North Malabar. She is called the most important of them, and the elder sister of Kuttichathan, who is also known as Shastappan. Eighteen mantra families are said to worship her along with her brother.

The story

Two stories are told. In the first, Shiva and Parvati took birth on earth as a couple of the Valluva community and had two children, a son and a daughter. Shiva did not take them to Kailasa. The son was given to a grieving bullock that had no calf, and became Kuttichathan. The daughter was named Karuval because she was born on Karuval hill, and she lived as a goddess of the forest, travelling through the mountains and working wonders.

In the second, a childless Brahmin couple of Kattummad Illam in Kannur district prayed to Shiva and were given a daughter, who showed miraculous powers as she grew and came to be worshipped as Karuval Bhagavathi.

Hero photo: Kuttappan Chettan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What you will see

Her ritual is held in the mantra families’ own halls and shrines, and the way she appears differs from place to place. The photograph above shows an evening appearance in red and white attire with a green headdress. Because she belongs to the same group as Kuttichathan, the two are sometimes held together.

Koladhari: the person who takes on the kolam, the deity’s form. See Theyyam words explained.

In the tradition

Kattummad Illam is named as her home. Her Theyyam is associated with the household worship of the mantra families, and visitors are most likely to meet her at a family shrine and not at a public temple.

Quick answers

Who is Karuvalamma in Theyyam?

Karuvalamma, also called Karuval Bhagavathi, is a goddess of the mantramurti group, the deities who belong to the families of mantra practice in North Malabar. She is called the most important of them, and the elder sister of Kuttichathan, who is also known as Shastappan. Eighteen mantra families are said to worship her along with her brother.

What does Karuvalamma Theyyam look like?

Her ritual is held in the mantra families’ own halls and shrines, and the way she appears differs from place to place. The photograph above shows an evening appearance in red and white attire with a green headdress. Because she belongs to the same group as Kuttichathan, the two are sometimes held together.

Stories vary by shrine, family and teller; this is a general summary, not a definitive version.