'Pulikkali' draws huge crowd in Kerala's Thrissur

Artists wearing tiger masks and painting their bodies with stripes of the big cat enthralled spectators by dancing to the beat of drums as part of the week-long Onam celebrations in this town on Friday.

Known as 'puli kali' in local parlance, the tiger dance began here, with the participants imitating the feline movements passing through the roads and streets.

Believed to have been introduced by the erstwhile ruler of Cochin, Maharaja Rama Varma Sakthan Thampuran, two centuries ago, the folk art form held annually as part of Onam festivities is a symbolic representation of bravery and wild spirit.

A large number of trained artists, painted as tigers and hunters, danced to the beats of instruments such as 'udukku' and 'takil' as part of the annual event.

The town, known as the cultural capital of Kerala, saw a huge crowd with people from various parts of the state witnessing the dance.