Pulikali - the dance of the tigers

Pulikali is a folk art form which is a couple of centuries old. It is also known as kaduvakali. Puli in Malayalam means panther and kaduva – tiger. The dancers doing the pulikali wear tiger masks and paint their bodies with yellow and black to look like a tiger. The scene enacted is often that of tigers being hunted by hunters or tigers hunting and eating goats.

Udukku and thakil are the instruments used as accompaniment to the dance. Every year, on the fourth day of the Onam celebrations, there is a grand Pulikali program at Swaraj Ground in Thrissur (trichur).