Now Reading: Children revive traditional Pulikali with banana leaves in Kurampala
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Children revive traditional Pulikali with banana leaves in Kurampala
Children in Kurampala, Pandalam, are reviving the traditional Pulikali folk performance this Onam. The young performers travel door-to-door wearing costumes made from dried banana leaves and handmade tiger masks. Children dressed as hunters accompany them with toy guns, recreating the village tiger-hunt sequence that symbolises good triumphing over evil. Thrissur and Palakkad host larger Pulikali events with elaborate body paint taking up to seven hours.
The Kurampala initiative uses locally available materials, making it an eco-friendly version of the 200-year-old tradition linked to the royal era of Cochin. Thiruvonam, the main day of Onam, falls on August 26, 2026.
Indian Opinion Analysis
ABPLive frames the story as a grassroots revival: children using banana leaves and handmade masks to keep the tradition alive door-to-door. Business Today instead profiles the established Thrissur-scale Pulikali, emphasising elaborate body paint, drum beats and the 200-year royal heritage. Neither is critical of any actor, but the two pieces present different facets of the same festival. ABPLive omits the older, paint-heavy version, Business Today omits the eco-friendly children's initiative. Together they show a tradition that survives both as a mass spectacle and as a simple village practice.
Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral
Sources (2): news.abplive.com (neutral report), businesstoday.in (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources.
