The temple village of Pallasana has a rich legacy of ‘Avittathallu,’ a traditional wrestling contest that blends youthfulness and rural simplicity. Over the years, it has turned symbolic and ritualistic, with those involved in the annual event shrugging off its fierce history.
The traditional sport where rivals are ‘thrashed’ with bare hands is held at the Kiratha Moorthy temple a day after Thiruvonam. On Tuesday, over 100 wrestlers competed in the event by symbolically thrashing one another.
“Onathallu or Avittathallu is an integral part of the tradition of the Thallumandam area of Pallasana. Thallumandam can be roughly translated as a locality of ‘beaters.’ The ritual changed with the insight of modern times and the wrestlers now thrash the opponent without causing physical injury,” says Pallasana Dwaraka Krishnan, an exponent of folk dance Kanyarkali.
Legend has it that Avittathallu evolved to keep alive the memories of an old battle waged by the villagers against Kuthiravattathu Nair, chieftain of a nearby area who killed a local chieftain, Pallasana Kuroor Nampidi, by treachery.
Both the chieftains were subservient to the Zamorin of Kozhikode. Enraged at the killing of their chieftain, the villagers of Pallasana went on the rampage and destroyed almost the entire fortune of Kuthiravattathu Nair. It is believed that the villagers approached the Zamorin seeking supernatural powers to keep “wicked” persons like Kuthiravattathu Nair at bay. The Zamorin gave them a bronze statue of Kiratha Mooorthi, the presiding deity of Balussery Fort. The local people say human sacrifices were held at the temple long ago.
“The wrestling competition is, in fact, a warning to people who employ dishonest ways to capture power, position, and money. It helps people to remain vigilant against external aggressors,” says V. Sudheesh, a resident of the area. “Unlike classical martial arts, it lacks the niceties of form. In the good old days, it tested the stamina or physical power of the participants,” he adds.
In Avittathallu, the rules are simple. Getting the opponent to the ground by any means is its only rule. “Palakkad villages have numerous distinct traditions and customs. This is one of the exceptional forms of celebration in the entire Kerala,’’ said Shaji Mullookkaran, who is engaged in photo documentation of the unique cultural diversities of Palakkad.
