Therukoothu Traditions of the Kallakurichi Region

Abstract

Koothu (dance-drama) truly belongs to folk culture. So whether we call them folk koothus or simply koothu, they are one and the same. The development of koothu is drama itself. It is often performed in the open spaces of villages, without any stage, hall, or such facilities. These koothus are not performed by the common folk themselves but are performed for the people — folk artists are the ones who perform these koothus. These can also be called village dramas. "Village drama holds national importance. It is a key element of a country's cultural heritage, one that brings out the people's inner thoughts, character, art, culture, and way of life" — writes Thiru Su. Vidyanandan, elaborating on the characteristics of folk drama. "The artists who perform koothus were also called koothadis (koothu performers)." There is also a saying that a koothadi looks to the east, while a hired laborer looks to the west. The reason is that koothus generally continue until dawn — this all-night performance is called kazhaikoothu. Performances like Kaniyan koothu, however, also take place during the day. Among the artists, men generally took on the larger share. Men also took on the roles of women. Later, as koothus too were affected by the passage of time, women began to find a place in them as well. The performers drew their material for koothus both from Puranas and epics, and from the everyday lives of ordinary people. Koothus with strict, planned, written formats are not common. They continue to exist mainly through oral tradition and memory. The form and content of koothus change depending on the gathered audience. Koothus also change according to the mental state/mood of the performers. Koothus are of many kinds. During the Sangam period, Kuravai koothu was widely prevalent. As offshoots of this, forms like Aychiyar Kuravai and Kunrak Kuravai flourished. The Silapathikaram mentions eleven types of koothu. Thus, many of the koothus mentioned in literature of that era have since gone out of practice. In ancient times, there were war-related koothus such as Veri Kuravai, Thunangai, Veriyaattu, Velikoothu, Vazhpavai, and Thudikkoothu, performed in battlefield-like settings; religious/devotional koothus such as Kuravai, Thunangai, Veriyaattu, Kodukotti, Pandarangam, Valli Koothu, Ariya Koothu, and Pavai Koothu; and recreational/entertainment koothus such as Thunangai, Valli Koothu, Ariya Koothu, Pavai Koothu, and Kurrak Koothu. Many of these have faded away and vanished over time, though a few can still be seen today. These can broadly be divided into two categories: those based on storytelling, and those that showcase physical skill/performance. Among the story-based koothus, they can further be divided into koothus performed by humans and koothus performed by puppets. Human koothus (Manidha koothu): examples include Therukoothu, Kaniyan koothu, and Dappankoothu. Puppet koothus (Bommai koothu): examples include Thol Paavai koothu (leather shadow puppetry) and Bommalaattam (string puppetry).