Theeyattu is a religious ritual mainly performed in the middle part of Kerala. It is mainly performed in Kali (Hindu goddess) temples and in Brahmin houses. It is a dance form. There are mainly two types of Theeyattu , one is Ayyappan (Hindu god) Theeyattu and the other one is Bhadra Kali Theeyattu. Ayyappan Theeyattu is mainly related to Ayyappa and the Bhadra Kali Theeyattu is related to Kali. Ayyappan Theeyattu is mainly performed in northen parts of Kerala. Mainly Theeyattu is prformed as a form of thanks giving. Theeyattu is usually performed by a small group of temple bound communities called the Unni. Theeyattu is still a ritual offering made every Friday at the Pallippurathu Kaavu temple near Kottayam town.Theeyattu is mainly transferred through generations, so there is no evidence left today about starting stages of this ritual.

Theeyattu is a combination of Kottu (drum), Pattu (song), Chitra rachana (drawing) Abhinayam (acting), Meyvazhakam(body flexibility). An actor who performs this dance should have a deep knowledge in these areas. Most of the rituals in these type got hammered by the people’s attraction towards the western culture, but Koothu, Koodiyyattam, Mudiyettu, Theeyattu etc still very much exits in Kerala. Theeyattu is mainly performed in temple so it is not often performed in a public stage, but the Kalamezhuthu which is a part of Theeyattu, can be performed in public.