Mappila Theyyam

Who is Mappila Theyyam?

“Mappila” is the local word for the Muslims of the Malabar coast. Mappila Theyyams are Theyyams whose figures are Muslim: sailors, imams, a woman who worked in a palace kitchen, a magician. They are held mainly in Kasaragod district and parts of Kannur, and kept by the Mavilan, Koppalan and Vannan communities, with the cooperation of Hindus and Muslims. About fifteen are recorded. The figures are mostly the spirits of Mappilas who became linked with local deities, and the spoken parts of the ritual mention the arrival of Islam on the Kerala coast and the harmony of the two communities.

The story

Among the male figures the common names are Aali, Aandi, Mukri, Pokker, Bappiriyan, Kunhali, Mammu and Mammad. The female figures are most often called Ummachi and Naithiyar. Aali Theyyam, Kalanthan Mukri, Bappiriyan and Ummachi have their own pages. The sources also name Koyi Mammad, Naithiyar and Beevi, but we have not yet found enough to describe them.

One well-known story is told at a family shrine whose main deity is Karinchamundi. It says that Kalanthan, the mukri (a mosque officer) of a nearby mosque, died mysteriously in the river, and that the goddess then declared that he and she should be worshipped together. In the festival he appears as a Mappila Theyyam alongside the Chamundi Theyyam. A news report tells it with an imam fishing at night who follows a light from one bank to the other and is drawn under the water, and the goddess then declares the two are to be worshipped together.

A second story names the figure Ali Mappila, a feared magician in the tale. The goddess Chamundi took the form of a beautiful woman bathing at a pond, and as he chased her, she persuaded him to remove his protective amulet and overcame him. In this telling she spared his life, made him repent, and gave him a place at the shrine. A koladhari told a magazine that he believes the goddess changes him into Ali on the day. The two stories differ, which is normal in oral tradition.

Hero photo: Mithunrajkeekkamkot, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What you will see

Mappila Theyyams usually have less ornament, face painting and headgear than the great Theyyams such as Chamundi. Some begin with the Muslim call to prayer, the banku, and a prayer, before the ritual.

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

In the tradition

People of both faiths pray to the figure, with folded hands, and ask for relief from their troubles. In one account, the koladhari comforts people who weep and tells them that all will be well. A fact-check by BOOM looked at a viral video of this tradition and concluded that it records a long-standing shared practice, not a takeover of temples, as the video’s caption claimed.

Quick answers

Who is Mappila Theyyam in Theyyam?

“Mappila” is the local word for the Muslims of the Malabar coast. Mappila Theyyams are Theyyams whose figures are Muslim: sailors, imams, a woman who worked in a palace kitchen, a magician. They are held mainly in Kasaragod district and parts of Kannur, and kept by the Mavilan, Koppalan and Vannan communities, with the cooperation of Hindus and Muslims. About fifteen are recorded. The figures are mostly the spirits of Mappilas who became linked with local deities, and the spoken parts of the ritual mention the arrival of Islam on the Kerala coast and the harmony of the two communities.

What does Mappila Theyyam Theyyam look like?

Mappila Theyyams usually have less ornament, face painting and headgear than the great Theyyams such as Chamundi. Some begin with the Muslim call to prayer, the banku, and a prayer, before the ritual.

Sources and further reading: Mappila Theyyam (Wikipedia), Kerala Tourism: Mappila Theyyam, The Week: A Theyyam artist on wearing a Muslim costume, BOOM: Fact check on Mappila Theyyam, The News Minute: How Theyyam crosses religious boundaries. Stories vary by shrine, family and teller; this is a general summary, not a definitive version.