Chettia Vadyam is performed at festivals and rituals at Hindu temples and Christian churches. The music belongs to the farmer community of Kerala and is related to agricultural activities through the year. The performance features the thappu drumming and is called 'Chettia Vadyam' or 'Thappu melam'. Three thappu players are the main instrumentalists and dancers; the leader changes the rhythm according to his intuition and the others follow.