Velichappadu in Malayalam translates as Revealer of Light, is the oracle or mediator between a deity and devotees at a Hindu temple in Kerala.
[2] As followers of Goddess Bhadrakali (Kannagi), they are seen dressed in red, body smeared with turmeric powder and adorned with heavy ritual ornaments and garlands.
Here they perform a frantic dance called thullal, usually accompanied by beatings of drums and cymbals, and gets into a trance with the spirit of the presiding deity.
During the thullal a Velichappadu may also cut his forehead with his sword offering his blood to the deity as a symbol of unshakable faith.
Kakkarissi Natakam is a satirical dance-drama based on the puranic legends of Lord Siva and his consort Parvati when they assumed human forms as Kakkalan and Kakkathi[5] - a nomadic tribe of fortune tellers.