"During the month of Muharram - the first month of the Islamic calendar - in regions of Central and South India, people dress up as tigers as part of a cultural practice that goes back centuries. They wear masks, paint tiger stripes on their bodies, and move and act like a tiger. There is even a "tiger dance." Some sources say that, within the context of Muharram, the purpose of imitating a tiger is to show that Imam Hussein’s bravery and strength can be comparable to that of a tiger. (During Muharram, Shia Muslims mourn the death and sacrifice of the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, Imam Hussein ibn Ali, in the battle of Kerbala).
This practice of imitating tigers is also seen in other rituals in different regions of India, such as in Kerala, where people are dressed as tigers to celebrate the harvest each year. It's known as Puli kali (tiger dance). In Tamil Nadu, it's known as Puliyattam. In Andhra Pradesh, it's called Pulivesham.
It is unclear where the cultural practice of imitating tigers began from and how it spread and blended into different communities around India."
