What is "puttara"

Puttara is a Malayalam word for a platform where flowers are kept. It is a seven-tired platform and located in the south-west corner of every kalari. Here is where the guardian deity is located. Flowers, incense and water is offered to the deity every day. Before each person starts practicing, they pray to the deity. Not only is the kalari a temple of learning, it is also a temple of religious worship.