Puliyoor Kali
പുലിയൂർ കാളി
The tigress goddess, daughter of the tiger pair, and the best known of the tiger deities.
- Category
- Goddess (tiger deity)
- Daughter of
- Pulikandan and Pulikarinkali
- Kept by
- The Vannan community
- Also called
- Cheriya Thamburatti, when with her mother
Who is Puliyoor Kali?
Puliyoor Kali is the daughter of the tiger deities in the Puli Daivam family and is a tigress goddess. She appears alone in many shrines. When she appears with her mother, the mother is called Valiya Thamburatti and she is Cheriya Thamburatti, and in some places she appears with her brother Puliyoor Kannan.
The story
The stories say that Shiva and Parvati took the forms of a tiger and a tigress, and that the tigress gave birth to cubs in a cave beneath a rock. Puliyoor Kali was the daughter. The sources differ on the number and names of her brothers.
Hero photo: Kuttappan Chettan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What you will see
She is described as fierce, with angry postures, yet graceful in her steps, and she spins in place with her tall headdress. Photographs show a very large, round, tiered red headdress and an orange-red painted face. At one moment the sacred headdress is lowered to touch the ground in reverence.
In the tradition
Puliyoor Kali is kept by members of the Vannan community.
She is among the most intense of the tiger deities. Stay behind the boundary. Photography and video are not allowed at some rituals, so ask your guide first.
Quick answers
Who is Puliyoor Kali in Theyyam?
Puliyoor Kali is the daughter of the tiger deities in the Puli Daivam family and is a tigress goddess. She appears alone in many shrines. When she appears with her mother, the mother is called Valiya Thamburatti and she is Cheriya Thamburatti, and in some places she appears with her brother Puliyoor Kannan.
What does Puliyoor Kali Theyyam look like?
She is described as fierce, with angry postures, yet graceful in her steps, and she spins in place with her tall headdress. Photographs show a very large, round, tiered red headdress and an orange-red painted face. At one moment the sacred headdress is lowered to touch the ground in reverence.
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 tripSources and further reading: Hindu Blog: Puliyoor Kali Theyyam, Kerala Tourism: Various types of Theyyam. Stories vary by shrine, family and teller; this is a general summary, not a definitive version.
More Theyyams
Muchilot Bhagavathi
മുച്ചിലോട്ട് ഭഗവതി · Goddesses
A learned woman who became a goddess, and one of the most graceful of all Theyyams.
Uchitta Bhagavathy
ഉച്ചിട്ട · Goddesses
A beloved goddess whom women pray to for safe childbirth.
Vasoorimala
വസൂരിമാല · Goddesses
The goddess associated with epidemic disease, worshipped for healing.
Arya Poonkani
ആര്യപൂങ്കന്നി · Goddesses
A goddess who crossed the sea and found a friend in a Muslim sailor.