Padayani, also called Padeni, is a traditional folk dance and a ritual art form of Kerala performed in Bhagavati temples. Translated as a 'row of warriors', Padayani is an art form that blends music, dance, theatre, satire, masks and paintings. There are different kinds of Padayani performances in Kerala and Neelamperoor Padayani is the only kind in which effigies are made instead of dances being performed using masks and headgear. It is held at Neelamperoor, Kuttanadu taluk, Alappuzha district, Kerala. Padayani is regarded as a remnant of the Dravidian forms of worship that existed before the advent of Brahmanism. Neelamperoor Padayani represents a synthesis of both Hindu and Buddhist cultures.
