Vettakkorumakan

Who is Vettakkorumakan?

Vettakkorumakan is a god worshipped mainly in Malabar, the northern part of Kerala. He is remembered as a son of Shiva and Parvati, and in the old tellings he was the chief deity of the Chera kings and later the family deity of the Kurumbranad rulers. The name is usually explained as “the son born of a hunt”. Some writers say the older and more correct form is Vettakkarumakan, and that the spelling with oru is a later change.

The story

In the common telling, Shiva took the form of a hunter, the Kirata, to give a weapon to Arjuna, and Parvati was with him as a huntress. Their son was born in that time. He grew into a restless boy who fought demons but also troubled the gods and sages. Those who suffered went to Vishnu.

Vishnu came as an old hunter and showed the boy a golden dagger, the churika. The boy agreed to give up his bow and protect people in exchange for it. He left Kailasa and came to North Kerala, entering the fort at Balussery, which is why the Balussery Kotta shrine is so important to his worship. Another strand of the story ties him to the Kolathiri rulers of the Kannur region. The details differ between shrines and families.

Hero photo: Rahul Chandran R, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What you will see

Songs sung before the ritual describe him as a dark hunter with a bow, arrow and dagger, with a crown of peacock feathers and a crescent moon. In the photograph above, the koladhari, the person who takes the kolam, is in red attire with a crown and ornaments, holding a sword. The ritual often includes the pattu songs and, in some places, the breaking of coconuts. A man dressed for the occasion may circle the kalam and take the dagger from the deity.

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

In the tradition

Vettakkorumakan is held at many kottams and kavus in North Malabar, and several forms are recorded, among them Pallivettakkorumakan. He appears in the stories of other Theyyams too. In the tale of Vairajathan, the two meet and fight together for the Kolathiri king.

Quick answers

Who is Vettakkorumakan in Theyyam?

Vettakkorumakan is a god worshipped mainly in Malabar, the northern part of Kerala. He is remembered as a son of Shiva and Parvati, and in the old tellings he was the chief deity of the Chera kings and later the family deity of the Kurumbranad rulers. The name is usually explained as “the son born of a hunt”. Some writers say the older and more correct form is *Vettakkarumakan*, and that the spelling with *oru* is a later change.

What does Vettakkorumakan Theyyam look like?

Songs sung before the ritual describe him as a dark hunter with a bow, arrow and dagger, with a crown of peacock feathers and a crescent moon. In the photograph above, the koladhari, the person who takes the kolam, is in red attire with a crown and ornaments, holding a sword. The ritual often includes the *pattu* songs and, in some places, the breaking of coconuts. A man dressed for the occasion may circle the kalam and take the dagger from the deity.

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