Women in Indian Folklore: A Study of The Vadakkan Pattukal , Ballads of Northern Kerala, South India

This article examines the portrayal of women’s images in the Vadakkan Pattukal , the ballads of northern Kerala, and how these images are used culturally in the context of their performance by lower-caste peasant women in Kerala, South India. As a genre of folk songs orally transmitted by these women for generations, the Vadakkan Pattukal serves as a vital alternative to mainstream literature. Drawing on ethnographic research and oral sources, this study explores how mythical female heroines are represented in these ballads, depicting the self-images of the women themselves. The Vadakkan Pattukal must be perceived as a medium that articulates and subverts power relationships in society through alternative imaginaries, though it sometimes paradoxically reinforces varied gender roles in the family and society. By situating these performances in the context of the farming fields where they are sung, this research shows how deeply caste and gender intertwine in these women’s lives while transforming their daily agricultural labour into a powerful space for collective storytelling and solidarity. Ultimately, this study reveals the crucial role of regional folklore in recording hidden women’s voices and acts of everyday resistance, thereby ensuring that the historical agency of marginalised women is not erased by official, patriarchal archives.