Introduction

In various regions of India, we find retellings of Mahabharata in written, oral and ritual performance traditions. Almost all of these retellings contain subtle and not so subtle variations compared to Vyasa's epic. In the eastern region, the first Bengali version [1] by Kabi Sanjay (early 15$^{th}$ century) is noteworthy for its remarkable variations. In Oriya there is a version by Sarala Dasa (15$^{th}$ century) and in Assamese there is a version by Rama Saraswati (16$^{th}$ century). The variations of these versions from Vyasa have been documented [2]. We can also read [3] about the variations in the south, namely, Villi (Tamil), Kumara Vyasa (Kannada), Ezhuttacchan (Malayalam) and Nannayya-Tikkana-Yerrapragda (Telugu). There has been extensive study of the mythic, ritualistic and dramatic forms associated with Draupadi as a village Goddess in Tamil Nadu [4]. It is in the background of this large canvas that we need to encounter, appreciate, and study four variations on a Mahabharata episode that involve abhicara from oral, ritual and performance tradition of Kerala. It is to be mentioned that this episode is absent from well-known written retellings of the Mahabharata in Malayalam. So far, we have located this episode in (1) Kuratti Thottam [5,6] associated with the Theyyam performance of northern Kerala, (2) Nizhalkkuttu Pattu [7], a section of Mavaratam Pattu, a folk Mahabharata once popular in southern Kerala, (3) Nizhalkkuttu Pattu associated with a ritual called Pallippana [8] and (4) Nizhalkkuttu attakatha [9], the literary text for a popular Kathakali play.