The Bhairavan Theyyam had already finished his performance and was sitting in the grove dispensing blessings to the gathered crowd, by the time we arrived.  Orange painted face, with yellow marked forehead, eyes covered with silver ornaments, and two silver pincers attached to the puffed-up cheeks.  He sat there in all the regalia, but what caught my eye the most was the headgear that was studded with glass and shone in the afternoon sun.  The Theyyam’s persona and energy spoke volumes of the deity he was personifying for the day.

Legend/Story: A form of Lord Shiva as a seeker of alms, the Bhairavan Theyyam is known as being created by the Lord for destroying the pride and ego elements of mankind.  Lord Shiva is mostly associated as the destructor in the Trimurti, and it is always the destruction of self, ego, and pride that He assists with, thereby bringing out the God particle that all humans are made of.