Kunchan Nambiar’s divine Kalakkathu Bhavanam

Once upon a time, a young mizhavu (a big copper drum used as percussion instrument in Koodiyattam and Koothu) player in the court of the king of Chambakassery was being rebuked by the chakyar as he slept off during a Chakyarkoothu performance held in Ambalapuzha Sreekrishna temple. The dejected young man decided to take revenge on chakyar through his invention which came out in the form of a solo and satirical dance form containing elements of drama and music named as Thullal. The viewers of Chakyarkoothu left the hall as they were impressed by the pure Malayalam satirical and humorous Ottanthullal performance of Kunchan as opposed to the sanskritised Malayalam performance of Chakyar Koothu. Thus the performer and the creator of the local art form of Ottanthullal, Kunchan Nambiar who is also considered to be the master of Malayalam satirist poetry was born.

Kunchan Nambiar: One among the triumvirate of ancient Malayalam poetry along with Thunchath Ezuthachan and Cherusseri Namboothiri, Kunchan Nambiar was born in 1705 in Kalakkathu Bhavanam,Killikurusimangalam in Lakkidi Perur village, Palakkad dt. He spent his early childhood in Killikurussimangalam,boyhood at Kudamalur and youth at Ambalapuzha. He learnt Kalari Payattu and Sanskrit from great masters before moving to the court of King Marthanda Varma of Travancore, where he was an established poet. It is believed that Nambiar died in Ambalapuzha in 1770 at the age of 65, reportedly due to rabies.

Thullal: Thullal is a satirical solo performance combining dance and recitation of stories in
verse. The three types of  Thullal – Ottan, Sheethankan and Parayan is categorized  based on the costume, style and also the metre and rhythm of the Thullal songs. Nambiar has composed of at least 21 Otttan, 11 Seethankan and 9 Parayan compositions. The most important of Nambiar's Thullals are: Syamanthakam, Ghoshayathra, Kiratham, Santhanagopalam, Patracharitham, Karthaveeryarjunavijayam, Bakavadham, Kalyanasaugandhikam, Hariniswayamvaram, Thripuradahanam and Sabha Pravesham. Ottanthullal, a performer with green makeup and a colourful costume (decorated with a long red and white band and painted wooden ornaments), acts and dances while reciting the simple  witty songs   written in simple language accompanied by the  maddalam and the cheyyam as instruments. In Seethankan thullal, the artist wears a head gear and armlets made of tender coconut leaves. The metre and rhythm of the Ottanthullal songs and dance are of high tempo compared to Sheethankanthullal which is very slow. In Paraya Thullal the skirt worn around the waist is red in color and the make up is very basic. The pace and tempo of this Thullal is the slowest. Thullal songs are poignant satires stabbing each and every section of the caste and inequality ridden 18th century Kerala society. Nambiar blends the mythological characters from the Puranas and the common men together thereby transporting the audience to a new world which they like. Pandit Nehru compared Ottanthullal to a poor man’s Kathakali.

Kallakathu Nambiar madhom/Kunchan Nambiar smarakam:

When we travel 2 kms in the Lakkidi Kottupatha (Ottapalam Palakkad road)–Thiruvilwamala route we reach Killikurusimangalam, a pious and pristine village blessed culturally and spiritually with the life memories of Padmasri Mani Madhava Chakyar and by the presence of Kalakkath bhavanam, the birth home of the Thullal maestro, Kunchan Nambiar alongside the famous Killikurusimangalam Mahedava temple. Nambiar’s ancestral home, Kalakkath bhavanam is a traditional naalkettu, which is preserved as a smarakam or memorial by the state government since 1976  with the aim of propagating the ideals and philosophy of Kunchan Nambiar .

This 400 year old kalakkathu veedu with earthen walls echoes to us the thullal songs which Nambiar composed. When we enter the padipura (gate house), we can view the Kallithattu (stage) for staging different art forms including Thullal. To the right of Kallithattu is this beautiful bhavanam with a nadumuttam and a hall with a mizhavu placed. There are five small rooms in addition to thekkini and vadakini portions, kitchen and dining hall. When we move forward from the hall, we can see the machakam (pooja room) with kedavilak (lamp) placed in fornt of Dharmasastha, the family god. To the north side of the house, there is a small dark room where Kunchan was born and if we are ready to strain our eyes, we could find four lines scribbled by the famous Malayalam poet, P.Kunhiraman Nair. The excerpt goes like this:

Thulavarshakaarinullil

Ponnoolpolave

Irangivann soundaryadevathe kavithe thozham

(Pranamam to the great poet by another great poet)

The steep wooden stairs take us to three small rooms where the famous artisan Paul kallanod has marvellously created three sculptures symbolically representing three thullals (ottan, sheethankan and paryan). When we come down below the pathayapura (barn yard), there is a management office and above that Kunchan smaraka vayansala (library) with very good collection of rare books. There is a training centre in the premises which provides three year courses in Thullal, mridangam and Bharatnatyam administered by the Kerala Kalamandalam.  Various programmes are arranged on May 5th (Kunchan Day) as a tribute to the great artist.  A distinguished Thullal artist every year is awarded the Kunchan Award. The centre also celebrates Vijayadasami by holding the Vidyarambham ceremony. Kunchan Nambiar has the rare distinction of having two memorials in the state - one at his birthplace in Palakkad district and another at Ambalappuzha in Alappuzha district, where he spent most of his life and created the new art form.

Thanks to the chakyar who in some way helped in producing such a renowned creative genius like Kunchan Kalakkathu Nambiar and loads of praises should be showered on the state government for preserving this memorial which upholds the culture, tradition and various art forms of Kerala.

Getting there: Palakkad to Ottapalam route

Palakkad to lakkidi kootupatha (28 kms)

Lakkidi to Killikurusimangalam (2 kms)

Neraest railway station:Lakkidi (a small station), Major station: Ottapalam.

Ponkuzhi Sreerama temple, Wayanad: A testimony to the epic, Ramayana

Some journeys always ravish our eyes and illuminate our souls by making us silently admire the colours of the spirit which the mother nature wears. Our travel from Kozhikode (Calicut) to Bangalore through the sprawling spice plantations, lush green hilly ranges and the widespread cultivation of Wayanad amidst the jerking upward moving curvy roads always makes us imbibe the abundance of life.

Before we enter the Muthanga forest in the Kerala–Karnataka border’s busy NH 212 Wayanad–Mysore route, 15 kms from Sultan Bathery, in a serene and calm place on the sides of the peacefully flowing Ponkuzhi river nestled with tall bamboo trees is the famous Ponkuzhi Sreerama Sita temple, with the main deities, Rama, Sita, Lakshmana and Hanuman. This temple constructed in the Kerala style architecture with a natural pond reminds us of some tales from the great scripture, Ramayana.

The shrine of Ponkuzhiappan (Sreerama) or the Ponkuzhi Sreerama temple situated in an incredibly environmentally sensitive area   has two important shrines (one for Sreerama and other for Seetha devi and Hanuman) on both sides of the road. This temple is also famous for ‘Pithrutharpanam’ (paying homage to ancestors).

The Ramayana tale: The versions of Ramayana, Mahabaratha or any other scriptures differs in each place and are set in various backgrounds, but all these convey a good and meaningful message for the upliftment of humanity.

“Thermele karyeti sumantrarodum koode
Valmikimunipravaasramopandathinkal
Vankaatil kondakalanjinagunee poniduka
Shankikavenda nee njan chonadhu kelkevindu”

(Aadhyatma Ramayanam, Uttarakhandam 3 rd part,125-128 lines)

These lines taken from Thunchath Ezuthachan’s Aadhyatma Ramayana sums up the tale revolving around this punyakshetra. Srirama after waging a war with Ravana to rescue his wife Seetha made her undergo agnipareeksha (fire ordeal) to test her chastity. On returning to Ayodya with Seetha, one washerman indirectly criticized the King of Ayodya, Sreerama, for accepting his wife who had lived in another man’s house. Eventhough Sreerama knew it to be a baseless accusation against his pativrata wife Seetha, he being a great king who paid importance to his people’s thoughts and decisions ordered his brother Lakshmana to abandon the pregnant Seetha in the dense forest. It’s believed that Lakshmana abandonded Seetha in the dense forest of Ponkuzhi.

The legendary pond, Seetha theertham: The dejected Seetha couldn’t control her tears and on the right side of the Seetha devi temple, a mosses covered pond is formed which is said to be the result of Seetha’s tears. The sage, Valmiki’s disciples saw the crying Seetha and took her to Valmiki’s ashram at Pulpally, Wayanad where her sons, Lava and Kusa was born.

There are small tea shops in front of the temple where we get nice vegetarian food and snacks like tasty Neiappams. So, if you cross this area on your trip to Mysore or Bangalore from Calicut or vice versa, please do enjoy the striking beauty of this temple and it’s surroundings.

The wailing Kavalapara kottaram

The early morning mist of December and the visit to the temple in the whee hours of morning when the gentle cool breeze caress us softly brings back lots of sparkling memories of childhood. My visit to Eruppe siva temple in the premises of the dilapidated Kavalapara Kottaram (near Shoranur/Cheruvanoor in Palakkad Dt.) made my mind travel to those byegone carefree days. Kavalapara Kottaram (palace), one of the most important monuments in valluvanad’s history, which once stood as a symbol of grandeur has now become a breeding ground of snakes and moths.

Kavalapara swaroopam and it’s greatnesss: The residence of the legendary landowning family (janmis) of Moopil nairs (Nair feudal rulers), Kavalapara swaroopam was a unique and prosperous state which contained  96 desams lying between Kanniampuram thodu in the east till Ongallur maadu in the west with Nila/Bharatapuzha flowing in the south. As per Kottaram Shankunni’s ‘Ithihyamala’, the people of Kavalapara swaroopam is believed to be the descendants of  Pariyapatta Pantheerakulam’s Karakkal amma, a child of Vararuchi  (a Brahmin saint) and  a Pulayar woman. The most accepted story of the origin of Kavalapara taken from the Gazette of Malabar states that the Moopil nair family acquired 12 square miles of rocky land in Nedunganadu from Cheraman Perumal. The moopil nair accepted the land finding it to be not all rocks gave the name, Kavalapara, the false rock. According to Dr.A.Sreedara Menon, the famous historian, the origin of Kavalapara swaroopam is believed to be between 1090 to 1102 AD. The 17000 acres land of Kavalapara swaroopam under Valluvanad and erstwhile Cochin state had a large portion of paddy fields and major portion of it was under that peculiar sort of land tenure known only to Malabar and called Kanom tenure. The tallest and powerful komban (tusker) Chakravorty belonged to Kavalapara moopil nair. Kavalapara rulers were one among the very few Nair rulers who got the ‘kottaram‘ status to their wide spread mansion. This kottaram has attracted many tourists and witnessed so many historical incidents. However, today’s generation cannot even see one tenth part of this royal palace. During the Mappila rebellion in 1921, various people from different parts came seeking help to the kavalapara kottaram. The Moopil nair without any hestitation provided 10 cents of land to the needy and also constructed homes for them. The rich legacy of Kavalappara swaroopam even threatened the Zamorins in Malabar. The biggest pooram (festival) in Malabar used to take place in the Aryankav temple in Kavalapara, which was owned by the Kavalapara moopil nair family. The handmade horses or kuthiras from 69 desams worshiping the goddess is the peculiarity of this famous pooram. The famous Eruppe siva temple with syamboo  siva linga  was also built by the Kavalapara moopil nair. The architect of modern Kavalapara is Col. Appukuttanunni moopil nair who was the ruler from 1910 to 1925.

The fall of Kavalapara swaroopam and kottaram: The riches to rags transition of Kavalapara swaroopam and kottaram began after the death of the head of the family, Karakatt Kumaran Raman Kochunni Moopil Nair in 1964. The marumakkathayam system (matrilineal inheritance) which prevailed in Kerala created disputes among the family members, which led to court cases since 1967 and now the remnants of Kottaram and its surroundings are administered by the receiver. Sri O.P Balakrishnan in his book, ‘Kavalapara charithravum paithrakavum’ has reaveled that the court cases of kottaram has reached even the privy council of London and even the UK law students have ‘Kavalapara papers’ in their curriculum to study. The main buildings of the palace have been auctioned in 1980s and the only left is the Malika chuvadu and Ootupara (Dining hall). These two left buildings whispers to us many hidden tales surrounding the Kavalapara swaroopam and kottaram.

No proper measures have been taken by the state governments to preserve this valuable heritage. The archealogical department should take appropriate action as early as possible to conserve atleast the left out structures as this ruined kottaram and the neglected 10000 rare records throws light on Kerala’s medieval history.

 

Mekedatu and Sangama:A leap in to tranquility

“I could wish my days to be bound each to each by natural piety” (Wordsworth’s poem, ‘My heart leaps up when I behold’)

Do you often get pissed off with the life in a city like Bangalore? Have you ever wished for a retreat from the mundane city life? Then, be ready for a wonderful trip to Mekedatu /Mekedaatu through the outskirts of Bangalore enjoying the countryside views.

We started our trip to Mekedatu one fine afternoon when the sun god was beautifully smiling at us. The overcrowded city and traffic congestion made our trip less enjoyable in the beginning. The annoying snail pace journey for 60 kms till Kanakapura made us crave more and more to be in the lap of nature. As we crossed Kanakpura, the whole scenario changed. The rhythmic swaying of the tall areca palms and coconut trees on both sides of the road made us think it to be the welcome gesture of mother nature. The magnificent beauty of grasslands, valleys and mountains is mesmerizing. The animals gazing in the open land, the long row of cow dung smeared small houses and the village dwellers leading their animals back to homes in the evening create a certain sense of spiritual serenity, far away from the hustle and bustle of city. The long ride through the Mugguru forest leading to Sangama and Mekedatu rejuvenated our spirits.

Sangama is the place where the confluence of rivers Arkavati and kaveri happens. The scene of rivers merging in to one at the backdrop of beautiful mountains is quite amazing. We need to cross the river in a coracle (round shaped boats) to the other side to board the bus to Mekedatu, which is 4 kms from there. Mekedatu' means 'goat's leap' in Kannada. It is said that a goat being chased by a tiger made a hopeless attempt to save its life by jumping from one side of the gorge crossing the river below, whereas the tiger couldn’t jump. As per one myth, the goat (meke) that is believed to have leapt across the Kaveri was Lord Siva in disguise. The goat’s hoove shaped holes can be found on the rocks and it is believed that only celestial goats could have marked their footprints in such hard rocks. The water flows very fast through the gorge, creating pits in the rocky riverbed. The hollow rock formation as Cauvery gushes through a natural ravine is a rare sight and should never be missed So, why to miss this chance of double dhamaka of enjoying the scenic beauty and boat ride of Sangam and also admiring the extraordinary rock formation made by the raging Cauvery river at Mekedatu. If you are a fish lover, there are many food stalls which sells fried fish. There is a KSTDC Mayura hotel at Sangam which provides good food.

How to reach:

Bangalore to Kanakpura (62 kms)

Kanakpura to Sangam (38 kms)

Mysore to Kanakpura (97 kms)

Kanakpura to Sangam (38 kms)

 

Halebidu: An unrivalled epitome of Hoysala Architecture

I was awestruck when I first saw the architectural marvel of Hoysala times, ie, Hoysaleswara temple, Halebidu. The intricate carvings of gods and goddesses engraved on this monument made me wonder about the craftsmanship of the workers who might have toiled day and night to create such an excellent stone temple.

The home to best Hoysala creations, Halebidu/Halebeedu (Hale means old and beedu means capital in kannada) earlier known as Dorasamudra/Dwarasamudra was the capital of Hoysala empire in the 12th century. Dedicated to the two aspects of life (feminine and masculine), this Shaivism tradition twin-temple has two shiva lingas of Hoysaleswara and Shantaleswara and two Nandis facing the respective siva lingas. The beautiful sculptures and picturesque friezes made of soapstone depict stories from Hindu epics such as the Ramayana, the Mahabaratha and the Bhagavatha purana. The work of this temple is said to have started in 1121AD during the reign of king Vishnuvardana and completed in 1160AD by Kedaroja. An informative and useful museum with sculptures of different avatars of lord shiva and vishnu, Parvati, Saraswati, Brahma and many Jain ascetics, copper plates, gold coins and catching wooden carvings is situated in the temple premises.

It is an understatement to say Halebidu is marvellous. The magnificence of the inscriptions on the outer walls of the temple cannot be described. In short, I would say, it’s an epitome of perfection. Yes, it is a lovely wonder of art.

Do treat your eyes with a feast when you are anywhere in Karnataka by visting this uncomparable stone creation.

How to reach: From Bangalore 215 kms and from Hassan 32 kms

(From Bangalore, take diversion to Hassan via Tumkur road)

Nearest Airport: Mysore (3 hours)

Nearest railway Station: Hassan

Babia: The satvik crocodile guard of Anantapura lake temple

Ever heard  or met  the deific crocodile, Babia, which stands as an odd one out from the other members of his  clan by being harmless, a pure vegetarian and by also acting as a guardian of the Anantapura lake temple in Kasaragod district. of Kerala. If not, its  time to meet this grandpa crocodile, Babia (according to the temple priest, he is more than 75 years old) and raise your eyebrows in wonder.

         The Anantapura lake temple is situated in the middle of a two acre rectangular lake (kalyani) in a small serene village, Anantapura, which is 6 kms from Kumbla in Kasargod dt. It is assumed to be the adisthala of lord Ananthapadmanabha, the diety of Padmanabha swamy temple, Thiruvananthapuram. Babia is the guardian of this temple and is a pure vegetarian as it completely relies on the temple nivedya or prasadam made of rice and molasses. My respect and admiration towards Babia became threefold when I heard that he did not till now has harmed anyone, even the fishes in the pond. When one crocodile dies, another one crops up, but none has unveiled the mystery as of how and the present crocodile, Babia is said to be the third one after the temple has been built. As any ancient worship place has a myth or a folk tale revolving around it, this temple and the unique Babia too has a story associated with it.

As one legend says, Sage Vilwamangalam, a Vishnu devotee was doing poojas at the place where the temple is situated. One day Lord Vishnu appeared in front of him disguised as an orphan boy. The sage felt pity and asked the boy to stay with him. The boy agreed to stay on the condition that he would leave if he were ever humiliated, to which the sage agreed. Being a naughty boy, he disturbed his pooja by his intolerable pranks. The sage became furious to which the little  naughty one left him telling  that he can be seen when he goes to the forest (Ananthakat) of serpent god, Anantha. The maharshi soon realizing the boy to be the incarnation of lord followed him and found a cave where the boy had vanished. It is also believed that the crevice in the cave where Lord Krishna disappeared is being guarded by Babia. It is said that in 1945, when India was under the Britishers, one English soldier shot a crocodile of the temple lake and within few days, the soldier died of snake bite as a revenge taken by the serpent god.

This beautifully crafted Kerala style temple situated amidst the sprawling grassland and enveloped by small hillocks stands as an example of the harmonious blend between nature and man by the presence of the well behaved superstar, Babia. If you are a person who loves travelling and likes to explore some exceptionally different places, this temple and Babia should be added to the itinerary.

Getting there: If you are driving from Banglaore, Anantapura lake temple is around 385 kms.

By road:

Bangalore to Kasargod (364 km)
Kasargod-Kumbla (13 km)
Kumbla-anantapura temple (6 km)

By rail:

Nearest Railway station: Kasargod railway station (14 km)

By air:

Nearest airport: Mangalore airport (56km)