Kandanar Kelan Theyyam is a must watch fire Theyyam which everyone can only watch holding their breath.
kandanar-kelan-theyyam at cherukunnu punnacheri sree chittiyil tharavadu temple
Myth or Story Behid the Theyyam
A lady named Meladath Chakki who was a Land Lord near at Kunaru, Ramanthali near Payyanrur got a baby boy from a the Poonkumbam forest in Wayanadu. She named her Kelan and raised him like her Son. Grown up as an intelligent and brave young man, Kelan bought happiness to his mother.
With Kelan’s hard work the fields of Kunnaru got a good harvest. His mother asked Kelan to produce a good harvest in her place at Wayanadu. So Kelan left for Wayanadu with his bows and arrows. Before he left he drank toddy from his house and took some toddy with him.
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After reaching Poonkumbam he cleaned the place by cutting all the four bushes and forests. He only left behing a gooseberry tree in the fourth jungle. On that gooseberry tree two snakes lived named Kali and Karali. After that he set fire from all four sides of one jungle and came out from fire adventurously. He like the game of coming out from fire so after burning three jungles and coming out of the fire he set fire the fourth jungle with the gooseberry tree but this time the fire was large the he couldn’t come out so he climbed on top of the gooseberry tree. The two snakes climbed on kelans chest and bite him. They all fell into the fire and burned to ashes.
Vayanat Kulavan, another warrior god was passing by the burnt forest when he saw the image of Kandanar Kelan in the ashes. With his bow he traced out Kandanar Kelan and gave back his life.
Vayanattu Kulavan blessed Kelan and name him as Kandanar Kelan and give seat next to him in the left side and also weapons.
To show how he escapes from fire this theyyam runs through fire. To show the four jungles first the ‘melari’ is made in to four and then joined together and coconut leaves burned over it and the theyyam runs through the fire.
The theyyam is an embodiment of the Kandanar Kelan and how he shows his anger towards the fire for burning him up. The theyyam very prominently has two snakes drawn on his chest that depict the snakes that perished with him in the fire. Kandanar Kelan runs through the fire dressed in his silk and wearing metal anklets, perhaps the only theyyam to do so.
People can only watch the dangerous performance of Kandanar Kelan by holding their breath.
Kandanar Kelan Videos
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