Thai Paradevatha

Who is Thai Paradevatha?

Thai Paradevatha is the mother goddess of the Kolathu region, the old Kolathunadu around Kannur and Kasaragod. Thai means mother, and paradevatha is the patron deity of a family, a clan or a place. She is understood as a fierce form of Bhadrakali, and is also called Valiya Thamburatti, the great lady, and Kalariyal Bhagavathi.

She is held at many kavus, tharavadus and temples across North Malabar. Writers describe her as the main deity of the Kolathiri rulers, which is one reason she appears so widely.

The story

In the tale told about her, Sati, the wife of Shiva, died after her father Daksha insulted her at his sacrifice. Shiva, in his anger, created Bhadrakali, who broke up the sacrifice. Later, in a war between gods and demons, she was born again to destroy the demon Darika, who is said to have had the strength of seven elephants. She fought him for seven days and defeated him on the eighth.

Some tellings say that in her fury the world began to shake, and that Shiva lay in her path so that the earth would be spared. When her task was done, Shiva sent her to earth to protect people and gave her the Kolathu land. Accounts differ on details such as her birth from Shiva’s third eye, so treat these as the common outlines and not the one fixed version.

Hero photo: Vaikoovery, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What you will see

Thai Paradevatha is easy to recognise by her crown. It is a very tall frame of bamboo covered in red cloth, with black cloth used as well, and it rises far above the koladhari, the person who takes the kolam. The face is painted and the attire below is red, with a patterned skirt. The ritual starts with a thottam, the sung invocation of her story, and she is often held at a shrine together with guardian deities.

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

In the tradition

The Vannan community keeps this Theyyam. In some accounts four places mark the edges of the Kolathu land that was given to her: Madayi Kavu in the north, Kalarivathukkal in the south, a hill at Mamanikunnu in the east, and the Annapoorneshwari temple at Cherukunnu in the west. The Madayi Kavu festival is one of the best known occasions on which she is held.

Quick answers

Who is Thai Paradevatha in Theyyam?

Thai Paradevatha is the mother goddess of the Kolathu region, the old Kolathunadu around Kannur and Kasaragod. *Thai* means mother, and *paradevatha* is the patron deity of a family, a clan or a place. She is understood as a fierce form of Bhadrakali, and is also called Valiya Thamburatti, the great lady, and Kalariyal Bhagavathi. She is held at many kavus, tharavadus and temples across North Malabar. Writers describe her as the main deity of the Kolathiri rulers, which is one reason she appears so widely.

What does Thai Paradevatha Theyyam look like?

Thai Paradevatha is easy to recognise by her crown. It is a very tall frame of bamboo covered in red cloth, with black cloth used as well, and it rises far above the koladhari, the person who takes the kolam. The face is painted and the attire below is red, with a patterned skirt. The ritual starts with a thottam, the sung invocation of her story, and she is often held at a shrine together with guardian deities.

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