Gulikan is a fierce Theyyam deity associated with the inauspicious kāla (Gulika-kāla of Jyotish). Born from Shiva's foot to kill a demon, he is both feared and propitiated in coastal Kerala. Theyyam (from teyyam = deyvam, god) is a living possession-ritual unique to north Kerala and bordering Tulu Nadu. During the Theyyam performance (October–May), the spirit of the deity descends into a consecrated performer who dons elaborate makeup (thēppu), sometimes 30-foot headdresses, and enacts the d
Deities
