Plan A Trip

Share

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn   Whatsapp
SEE PACKAGES
Plan a Trip

Onam Pulikali Tiger Dance

Thrissur, Kerala, India
01 Sep 2023

Start Date
01 Sep 2023

End Date
25

Things to do

5

Visiter ratings
Plan a Trip
enquire now

About Onam Pulikali Tiger Dance

Onam is one of the most celebrated festivals of Kerala State. It is being celebrated on the harvest of new crop. The joy of festivity with colour of happiness can be easily observed in the festival of Onam.

On the fourth day of Onam , people celebrate the Pulikali Play . Pulikali means Tiger and the Pulikali Play exhibit the haunting and hide – seek activities of a tiger from hunters and also the haunting activities of Tigers.

If you have never seen a procession of tigers on two legs,you can watch it in show of Pulikali Play . It is not about any carnival inside the circus tents. The event takes place at the Swaraj ground in Thrissur district of Kerala. Pulikali,  is an event that has become a synonymous with the festival of Onam in Kerala. The tigers are not really brought from forests or from a circus to perform here but they are  men dressed and painted as tigers. 

The origin of Pulikali is supposed to be 200 yrs back with the King Ramama. It is said that he has introduced the folk art during Muharram. Mohemeddan soldiers of the British army stationed in Thrissur in the Pattalam area used to celebrate Muharram with great fervor. Along with the celebrations, they used to perform the art form decked as tigers  with peculiar steps resembling the tiger, then known as 'Pulikkettikali' which was immensely enjoyed by the locals. Pulikali in Trichur is held in memory of this event.

There have been changes in the gate-up of Pulikali dancers. In the early days, masks were not used at all and participants would have themselves painted all over, on their faces as well. But now, readymade masks, cosmetic teeth, tongues, beards and mustaches are used by the participants along with the paint on their bodies. The tigers also wear a broad belt with jingles around their waist.

 

To perform in the play groups of local men get their bodies and faces painted  to resemble tigers. Apart from the true colours of a tiger, you would also come across other colours and patterns and even the facial features of lion on the bodies of performers. It is a  time-consuming and quite a labour to undo the make-up, which is mostly done with oil paints. The theme of the performance is playing hide-and-seek with a hunter with a gun. The event generates a great deal of excitement both for the spectators from near and far and for the performers.

It is very amusing to spectators and mostly to children watching a huge group of man look like tigers wandering on the roads near Swaraj ground while going to perform in the specified location.

It is not just a amusement only , it is also a journey where the patience of performers is being checked because oil paintings carved on the fresh saved bodies of the performers to convert the human body  into the that of a  tiger takes much time and also it is very irritating one. After the show when the painting is being removed, it pains too much.

However it allures the participating candidates and also the viewers to watch the show with a great zeal .

Family Holidays
Pilgrimage
enquire now

Thrissur Travel Guide

₹2,200

Price Starts
1689

Rating Count
2005

Visited
14

Agents

Thrissur Tour Packages

Beautiful Dubai 16000
Chennai, Kerala, Madurai, Salem, Karnataka, Bangalore, Delhi, Mumbai, Kota, Gujarat, Trichur, Palghat, Hyderabad, Andhra, Pradesh, Punjab, Kolkata, Thrissur

Beautiful Dubai 16000

From₹16,000/-
5 Days
Enquire Now
Experience 5 Days Madurai Tour Package
Chennai, Bangalore, Karnataka, Madurai, Salem, Tamil, Nadu, Kerala, Gujrat, Gujarat, Thrissur, Trichur, Trichy, Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Punjab, Kota

Experience 5 Days Madurai Tour Package

From₹10,000/-
5 Days
Enquire Now
Thrissur Tour Packages

Things to do in Thrissur

view all things to do in Thrissur

Ongoing & Upcoming Events in India

Chad Sukra
Meghalaya, India

Chad Sukra

Start Date 28 Apr 2024
1 Days
Enquire Now

Similar Events in India

Mopin Festival
Arunachal Pradesh, India

Mopin Festival

Start Date 05 Apr 2024
1 Days
Enquire Now
Holi Party
Maharashtra, India

Holi Party

Start Date 24 Mar 2024
1 Days
Enquire Now

Most Popular Events in India

Bihu Festival
Assam, India

Bihu Festival

Start Date 14 Apr 2024
1 Days
Enquire Now
Diwali
India

Diwali

Start Date 29 Oct 2024
1 Days
Enquire Now
Datta Jayanti
Maharashtra, India

Datta Jayanti

Start Date 26 Dec 2024
1 Days
Enquire Now
Kumbh Mela
Allahabad, India

Kumbh Mela

Start Date 13 Jan 2025
1 Days
Enquire Now
Velankanni
Tamil Nadu, India

Velankanni

Start Date 29 Aug 2024
1 Days
Enquire Now

Trip Ideas of India

Top 10 Temples Of Kerala
 
Top 10 Temples Of Kerala

Enquire Now
Unexplored Places In South India That Are All Kinds Of Beautiful
 
Unexplored Places In South India That Are All Kinds Of Beautiful

Enquire Now
5 Most Beautiful Royal Princesses In Indian History
 
5 Most Beautiful Royal Princesses In Indian History

Enquire Now
Famous Temples In India That Everyone Must Visit
 
Famous Temples In India That Everyone Must Visit

Enquire Now
Top List Of Mysterious Temples In The World
 
Top List Of Mysterious Temples In The World

Enquire Now
Celebrate Holi 2024 With Long Weekend
 
Celebrate Holi 2024 With Long Weekend

Enquire Now
Vacation Horoscope 2019 Travel According To Your Zodiac Sign Guide
 
Vacation Horoscope 2019 Travel According To Your Zodiac Sign Guide

Enquire Now
Make Your Christmas Celebration An Amazing One This 2024 – Visit These Top 15 Places In India!
 
Make Your Christmas Celebration An Amazing One This 2024 – Visit These Top 15 Places In India!

Enquire Now
Top 10 Travel Agents For Rajasthan From Jaipur
 
Top 10 Travel Agents For Rajasthan From Jaipur

Enquire Now
Top 11 Travel Agents For Rajasthan From Delhi
 
Top 11 Travel Agents For Rajasthan From Delhi

Enquire Now

75,000+

TRAVEL AGENTS

1,00,00,000+

HAPPY TRAVELERS

10,000+

PLACES SERVED
Travel Packages: » Kashmir Packages » Manali Packages » Shimla Packages » Goa Packages » Sikkim Packages » Ooty Packages » Darjeeling Packages » Gangtok Packages » Lonavala Packages » Leh Packages » Madurai Packages » Kedarnath Packages » Assam Packages » Kanyakumari Packages » Rameswaram Packages » Kerala Packages » Auli Packages » Munnar Packages » Mahabaleshwar Packages » Ladakh Packages
Latest destinations: » Sikkim » Gangtok » Chandigarh » Guwahati » Chardham » Ooty » Mysore » Kodaikanal » Manali » Shimla » Meghalaya » Wayanad » Manikaran » Chopta » Allahabad » Panchgani » Goa » Assam » Auli » Andaman » Haridwar » Rishikesh » Kashmir » Cherrapunjee » Mahabaleshwar » Lonavala » Tamil Nadu » Leh » Kerala » Kullu
Latest activities: » Is it a Fairy Ride or Ferry Ride in Mumbai ? » Explore the beautiful Interiors » Visiting The Museum of Utensils » Visiting the Rat Colony, Kolkata » Kabbaladurga Night Trek in Kanakapura, Bangalore » Street Food at Chandni Chowk Market » Morning heritage walk at Lodi Gardens » Taste the Variety of Spicy Indian Cuisines » Ride of Delhi Eye at Kalindi Kunj, Delhi » Nashik Wine Trip » A visit to Rajasthani Village » Rock Climbing in Delhi » A Traditional Stay at Durag Niwas Guest House, Jodhpur » Ride on the Mumbai Local Train » Slum Tour of Bombay » Private cooking class in an Indian home » Get ready for Sahastradhara visit in Dehradun, Uttarakhand » Create your own water world with Kayaking in Goa » Mumbai Midnight Cycling Trip » Travel to the space at Nehru Planetarium, Delhi » Try Bamboo Rafting in Periyar » Sipping Cups Of Tea In Assam » Shake a leg at Raahgiri Day » Walk Across the Living Root Bridge » Shimla Toy Train Ride » Get Married In Indian Style » Design Your Hands With Mehandi » Qawwali music at Nizamuddin Dargah » Rappelling at Rishikesh » Fun N Food Village Delhi
© Copyright All Rights Reserved
calendar-event-busy