3 weeks ago
Kerala's ancient serpent-worship folk music comes alive in Delhi
In a big hall in the city of Delhi, people gathered to hear a very old kind of music from Kerala, a state in the south of India.
This music is called Pulluvan Pattu.
For many hundreds of years, people in Kerala have sung it to worship snakes, which they believe are special and holy.
The songs were passed down by word of mouth from parents to children for a very long time.
On August 9, singers and musicians came together at the India Habitat Centre to perform it.
The show was part of a big music festival called the IHC Lok Sangeet Sammelan 2026.
Two groups, the India Habitat Centre and Anwesha Kala Kendra, helped organise the evening.
The performers were led by Sathyanarayanan P, a well-known singer of this music who won a special award in 2024.
He played with four other musicians who helped recreate the sound of this ancient ritual.
The audience got to hear music that has been kept alive for centuries through the Pulluva community.
India Habitat Centre (IHC) and Anwesha Kala Kendra presented the second evening of the IHC Lok Sangeet Sammelan 2026 on August 9.
The evening celebrated Kerala through a special performance of Pulluvan Pattu, a centuries-old ritual folk tradition tied to serpent worship.
The performance took place in the Stein Auditorium at the India Habitat Centre in Delhi.
The Sree Sankaran Memorial Pulluvan Pattu Kala Samithi, led by Sathyanarayanan P, presented the performance.
Sathyanarayanan P is a Kerala Folklore Academy 2024 Guru Pooja Award recipient, joined by Bindhu K P, Suresh Babu E, Sreejith P and Sreejil P.
- Who
- India Habitat Centre and Anwesha Kala Kendra organised the evening; the Sree Sankaran Memorial Pulluvan Pattu Kala Samithi, led by Sathyanarayanan P and joined by Bindhu K P, Suresh Babu E, Sreejith P and Sreejil P, performed.
- What
- A special performance of Pulluvan Pattu, Kerala's centuries-old ritual folk music tradition tied to serpent worship.
- Where
- Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Centre, Delhi.
- When
- August 9, the second evening of the IHC Lok Sangeet Sammelan 2026.
- Why
- To celebrate Kerala's folk heritage as part of the IHC Lok Sangeet Sammelan and to keep India's folk and classical arts alive.
Key facts
- Event
- IHC Lok Sangeet Sammelan 2026 - second evening
- Tradition
- Pulluvan Pattu (Kerala serpent-worship ritual folk music)
- Date
- August 9
- Venue
- Stein Auditorium, India Habitat Centre, Delhi
- Organisers
- India Habitat Centre and Anwesha Kala Kendra
- Performing group
- Sree Sankaran Memorial Pulluvan Pattu Kala Samithi
- Lead artist
- Sathyanarayanan P (Kerala Folklore Academy 2024 Guru Pooja Award recipient)
- Other performers
- Bindhu K P, Suresh Babu E, Sreejith P, Sreejil P
Sources
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