Kodungallur Theri Pattu | Lyrics

She went to the golden abode, she arrived, she arrived. The Mother of Kodungallur has arrived to take residence.

If you are a student of folklore or a musician looking for accurate , note that there is no single "holy book" of Theri. The lyrics are oral and vary by family ( tharavad ), folk artist ( Panan or Velan community), and region. Kodungallur Theri Pattu Lyrics

: The lyrics often appropriate classical Hindu myths (such as those of Rama, Ravana, and Sakuntala) and retell them with bawdy or expletive-laden language as a form of social subversion. She went to the golden abode, she arrived, she arrived

| English Transliteration | Malayalam (Simple Script) | English Translation | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Naddaya nadu vilayadi pomittum | നാട്ടിലെ നാട് വിളയാടി പോമിട്ടും | Having danced through the lands of the country, | | Bhutaganangalum deviyalum | ഭൂതഗണങ്ങളും ദേവിയാളും | The spirits and the Goddess, | | Aayiram kambulla eyni kodamithu | ആയിരം കമ്പുള്ള ഏണി കൊടാമിത്ത് | Having brought a bamboo ladder with a thousand rungs, | | Kodungalloor ammade punje thalli | കൊടുങ്ങല്ലൂർ അമ്മയുടെ പുഞ്ചേ തള്ളി | Pushed it into the paddy field of Kodungallur Mother, | | Valla theri paattum pachayil padanum | വല്ല തെരി പ്പാട്ടും പച്ചയിൽ പാടണം | We have to sing some obscene song directly, | | Allengil ammakku kopamanu | അല്ലെങ്കിൽ അമ്മയ്ക്കു കോപമാണ് | Otherwise, Mother will be angry. | The lyrics are oral and vary by family

Often called , the tradition is the central musical offering of the festival. The songs are purposely filled with sexually explicit words, raw abuse, and provocative references that would be considered obscene in any other context. But in the unique setting of the Kodungallur Kurumba Bhagavathy temple, this "bawdy" music is the primary language of worship. It is a "celebration of raw energy and fierce devotion, an expression of ‘tamasic’ power" dedicated to the goddess in her most ferocious form.