A sharp roar pierces through the atmosphere, while the powerful pounding produced from local instruments packs the air around it. This symphony of sounds unravels as the backdrop for a dance that is so unique in its kind. This eccentric form of art is called “Puliyattam”. We come from a country that not only incorporates stories of deities (Bharatanatyam) into its art form, but also the beauty of nature by depicting animals. Puliyattam is one of the several art forms that sheds a spotlight on the Indian tiger, foreshadowed by its name.

Dating back several centuries, this exuberant style of dance originates from the state of Tamil Nadu. The wildly played instruments with their thunderous roar, propel the dancers to tap into the psyche of the wild beast, The Puli. With wild leaps and calculated motions, the dance weaves into a majestic scene. The performance starts off at a slow pace gradually picking up speed along with fast movement and lofty jumps imitating the unpredictable nature of a tiger.

 

Puliyattam crosses the mundane boundaries of an ordinary art form, it adds a touch of realism by tying a goat to a nearby pole while the performers pretend to seize upon the helpless creature by enacting the pouncing movements of a tiger with proficiency. This dance form usually consists of a troupe of six dancers whose bodies are painted by local artists with vivacious yellow and black hues transforming them into the exact replica of a tiger.

 

The costume includes ferocious looking fangs, convincing headgear, paws with claws and a long tail that conjures an accurate picture of the savage beast. Apart from the tiger, the dancers are often adorned in the beautiful spots of a leopard or the eerie dark shades of a black panther. The art form is now very rarely performed in Tamil Nadu but is still performed in Kerala (Pulikali), Andhra Pradesh (Pulivesham) and Karnataka (Hulivesha). Pulliyatam not only brings preservation of our wildlife into the spotlight but pays homage to our national animal, The Tiger.

 

Tamil Nadu is a state rich in culture and legacy; Puliyaatam is one of the social traditions that shares a piece of this ancient culture and heritage. Since the beginning of time, Indian culture believes in dance to be form of expression, filled with open minded thoughts and has supported created freedom of the artists, thus ours is the only culture that manages to find beauty in the moments of the savage beast that patrols our jungles.