Vayanattu Kulavan (Thondachan)
Wayanatu Kulavan is the main idol of worship of the Thiya community in North Kerala. First Theya Wayanatu Kulavan is also known as Thondachan. Thondachan means the oldest person. Vayanattu Kulavan is actually a deity who emerged from Lord Shiva’s left thigh.
Madhu (Toddy) used to come out of the coconut trees in the Madhuvanam of Kailasam. One day, Lord Shiva dressed as a hunter and went out hunting, saw this and then drank the Toddy that came out daily and became intoxicated. Goddess Parvati found the coconut trees where Lord Shiva regularly sipped Toddy, and Goddess Parvati carried Toddy to the top of the coconut tree using her mantra power and end Shiva’s Toddy drinking. The next day Lord Shiva came to drink the Toddy and got angry seeing that no Toddy was coming out of the coconut. He immediately struck his thigh and created a deity and assigned him to the task of regularly collecting Toddy from the top of the coconut tree. So the divine gave Toddy from the coconut to Lord Shiva every day.
But Divyan, who was taking Toddy frequently from coconut tree, also started drinking Toddy regularly. Knowing this, Lord Shiva told the divine not to hunt in his Kadali forest and drink Toddy from there. But the divinity disobeyed Lord Shiva’s advice and hunted in the Kadali forest and drank Toddy from there. Lord Shiva, who was very angry, knew this and in the fierce anger of Lord Shiva, both the eyes of that Divyan burst out. Divyan apologized to Lord Shiva. An angry Lord Shiva pardoned him. Then they gave him a fire light made by bambo, bow, arrow and fake eyes and sent him to the Malanad. But due to heat of fire light, the god threw away the fake eyes, fire light and the seed pot and they landed in the house of Adiparampan Kannan in Wayanad. Kannan was given divine vision to take these two inside. So Divyan came to Wayanad and is called Wayanad Kulavan.
Once the Wayanatu Kulavan God came to Local king Fort and told the king in dream that his story should be performed as Theyam, accordig to that Wayanat Kulavan performed as Theyyam . The Wayanatu Kulavan is depicted as an old man with bow and arrow, and fake eyes. Palm flowers are the prasad of Wayanat Kulavan. Besides the Thiyas, the Nair Nambiar community also has Wayanat Kulavan and Kotams. The Theyyam of Wayanat are mostly performed in houses rather than the Kavu. It is believed that Wayanatu Kulavan is the God who is on call.
