Neeliyar Bhagavathi

നീലിയാർ ഭഗവതി

A woman called Neeli, wronged in life and honoured as a gentle mother goddess in a sacred grove at Mangattuparamba.

Category: Goddess, a woman honoured as a mother
Grove: Neeliyar Kottam, Mangattuparamba, Kannur
Kept by: The Vannan community
Known by: A very tall crown, said to reach twenty feet

Who is Neeliyar Bhagavathi?

Neeliyar Bhagavathi is a goddess of Kannur district whose shrine is a sacred grove, Neeliyar Kottam, at Mangattuparamba. She is remembered as a woman named Neeli who was wronged in life, and she is honoured today as a calm, protective mother. Her Theyyam is among the most powerful and the most quiet in the region.

The story

The tellings agree on the outline and differ on the detail. Neeli was killed. In one account a local ruler betrayed her, and in another her own father was made to take her life after chieftains spoke against her. She was then worshipped as a goddess.

A well-known part of the story concerns a learned Brahmin, Kalakkatu Namboothiri, who met her at a pond. Others who came to bathe there met her too. She offered them oil and a lamp, and he was spared when he took what she offered and called her mother. She asked him to set down his umbrella only in a place where a cow and a tiger live together in peace, and her grove is said to be that place.

Hero photo: FarEnd2018, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What you will see

The koladhari, the person who takes the kolam, is from the Vannan community. The face is painted in red and the Theyyam wears a very tall crown, which one source puts at twenty feet. Her ritual is known as the ottathira, a single appearance. She is a calm presence, and her blessing is often described as that of a mother.

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

In the tradition

The grove at Mangattuparamba is looked after by a family of the Kulala community, and devotees come to make offerings through the year, not only during the Theyyam season. The goddess is also remembered in other kavus and tharavadus of the region.

A note for visitors

Neeliyar Kottam is a place of worship and a grove. Keep your voice low, do not touch the sacred objects, and follow your guide’s lead on where visitors may stand. Photography and video are not allowed at some rituals, so ask your guide first.

Quick answers

Who is Neeliyar Bhagavathi in Theyyam?

What does Neeliyar Bhagavathi Theyyam look like?

The koladhari, the person who takes the kolam, is from the Vannan community. The face is painted in red and the Theyyam wears a very tall crown, which one source puts at twenty feet. Her ritual is known as the *ottathira*, a single appearance. She is a calm presence, and her blessing is often described as that of a mother.

Learn about the Theyyams with a local guide

Our guided trips explain each deity’s story as you see it, and are planned with you on enquiry. We never publish ritual dates or venues, and confirm the right nights with you closer to travel.

Enquire about a trip

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