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It
is a ritual dance to propitiate goddess Kaali, performed by members of the
'Mannan' community of South Malabar.
A troupe of dancers dress up as Kaali (the Thira) and the accompanying
spirits (the Poothams) who were created along with the goddess for the
destruction of the evil Daarikan.
The Poothams wear masks while the spirits don semicircular wooden crowns.
The dance is staged before houses and village shrines between November and
May every year.