Adavi Thullal is a ritual performed by Velanmar (Velan community) in certain Kerala temples and sacred places. The dance ritual is performed to propitiate Shiva or to get the blessings of Shiva. In Adavi Thullal, the person performs a vigorous and intense dance in trance by lifting up certain things. There are different types of Adavi thullal, some of them include Veliyadavi, Anayadavi, Ayirikkal Adavi and Ayiravalli Adavi.
In Veliyadavi the person performing the ritual enters into a
trance and pulls our rattan (chooral) and covers the body with it. He then
performs the ritual.
The person performing Ayirikkal Adavi lifts up a red-hot huge
iron chain and performs actions in trance.
The person performing Ayiram Valiyadavi enters into a trance
and breaks more than 1000 coconut in one sitting.
The person performing Anayadavi lifts up a pana (a type of palm
tree) and performs the dance in trance.