Oyilattam
Encyclopedia
Oyilattam is a folk dance with origins in the Madurai
region of Tamil Nadu
. The dance has its origins in southern Tamil Nadu
and is primarily performed in Madurai district
, Tirunelveli district
and Tiruchirapalli district. It was traditionally a dance where a few men would stand in a row and perform rhythmic steps to the musical accompaniment, with the number of dancers increasing; over the past ten years women have also started performing this dance. Typically, the musical accompaniment is the Thavil
and the performers have coloured handkerchiefs tied to their fingers and wear ankle bells. Oyilattam is one of the folk arts identified for mainstreaming by the Tamil University. Mainly Oyilattam is performed at village festivals. It is basically describing the great epics like ramayana, mahabaratha and also lord muruga's history.
Madurai
Madurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
region of Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
. The dance has its origins in southern Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
and is primarily performed in Madurai district
Madurai District
Madurai district is one of the 32 districts of the state of Tamil Nadu, in southeastern India. The city of Madurai serves as the district headquarters. It houses the world famous Sri Meenakshi Sundareshwarar temple and is situated on the banks of river Vaigai. Thiruparankundram is one of the major...
, Tirunelveli district
Tirunelveli District
Tirunelveli District is a district of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. The city of Tirunelveli is the district headquarters. A unique feature of this district is that it encompasses all five geographical traditions of Tamil Literature; kurinji , mullai , marudham , neithal and palai...
and Tiruchirapalli district. It was traditionally a dance where a few men would stand in a row and perform rhythmic steps to the musical accompaniment, with the number of dancers increasing; over the past ten years women have also started performing this dance. Typically, the musical accompaniment is the Thavil
Thavil
The thavil or tavil is a barrel shaped drum from South India. It is used in temple, folk and Carnatic music, often accompanying the nadaswaram. The thavil and the nadaswaram are essential ingredients of traditional festivals and ceremonies in South India.The thavil consists of a cylindrical shell...
and the performers have coloured handkerchiefs tied to their fingers and wear ankle bells. Oyilattam is one of the folk arts identified for mainstreaming by the Tamil University. Mainly Oyilattam is performed at village festivals. It is basically describing the great epics like ramayana, mahabaratha and also lord muruga's history.