Permanent Pictorial Cancellation inaugural day covers

Description: In Kerala, Theyyam is performed mainly in the North Malabar region and includes the neighbouring Tulunadu region of Karnataka, which follows a similar custom as Bhoota Kola. Theyyam is a Hindu religious ritual. It includes traditions, rituals and customs associated with the temples and holy shrines of Malabar. The people of this region consider Theyyam as the medium of God and thus they seek blessings from Theyyam. It begins on the tenth day of the Malayalam month Thulam, which falls in October, and is known as Patham-Udayam and continues for seven months from May to mid-June until the end of the Edavam month. 

A large part of this religious festival celebrated in the present times is extremely ancient and has features that originated in the Neolithic, Chalcolithic and early periods of expression. There are about 400 types of Theyyams including Vettakorumakan, Kathivanoor Veeran, Vishnumoorthy Theyyams, Muchilot Bhagavathi and Sri Muthappan. The word Theyyams comes from Daivam (God). Theyyams may have originated from ancestor worship. It has been observed that most of the Theyyams originated from people belonging to the backward castes of Kerala's caste system. The ancestor worship ritual later evolved into an elaborate dance ritual that is celebrated. It incorporates many other local beliefs.