Chakyar koothu
Encyclopedia
Kerala
or Keralam is an Indian state located on the Malabar coast of south-west India. It was created on 1 November 1956 by the States Reorganisation Act by combining various Malayalam speaking regions....
, South India. It is primarily a type of highly refined monologue
Monologue
In theatre, a monologue is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts aloud, though sometimes also to directly address another character or the audience. Monologues are common across the range of dramatic media...
where the performer narrates episodes from Hindu epics (such as the Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
and the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
) and stories from the Puranas
Puranas
The Puranas are a genre of important Hindu, Jain and Buddhist religious texts, notably consisting of narratives of the history of the universe from creation to destruction, genealogies of kings, heroes, sages, and demigods, and descriptions of Hindu cosmology, philosophy, and geography.Puranas...
. Sometimes, however, it is also a traditional equivalent of the modern stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy is a comedic art form. Usually, a comedian performs in front of a live audience, speaking directly to them. Their performances are sometimes filmed for later release via DVD, the internet, and television...
act, incorporating commentary on current socio-political events (and personal comments directed at the members of the audience).
The Performance
"Koothu" means dance ... which is a misnomer, as facial expressions are emphasized and there is minimal choreographyChoreography
Choreography is the art of designing sequences of movements in which motion, form, or both are specified. Choreography may also refer to the design itself, which is sometimes expressed by means of dance notation. The word choreography literally means "dance-writing" from the Greek words "χορεία" ...
. It is performed in the Koothambalam
Koothambalam
Koothambalam' or Kuttampalam is a theater hall for staging Koothu , Nangiar koothu and Koodiyattam, the ancient dramatic art forms of Kerala, India. Koothambalams are constructed according to the guide lines given in the chapter 2 of Nātyasāstra of Bharata Muni. The hall is considered to be as...
; a place inside Hindu temples specifically designed for performing Kutiyattam and Chakyar Koothu. Ideally, the performance takes place in conjunction with festivals, presented by members of the Chakyar
Chakyar
Chakyar is a Brahmin caste coming under the Ambalavasi community of Hindus in the Kerala state of South India. The women in this caste are called Illotammas....
community along with the Ambalavasi Nambiars.
It is a solo performance, by a narrator in a distinctive headgear and black moustache with his trousseau smeared with sandalwood paste and red dots all over the body. The headgear resembles snake’s hood, to symbolise the narration by Anantha, the thousand headed serpent.
The Chakyar narrates the story based on the Sanskrit style of "Champu Prabandha
Champu
Champu or Champu-Kavya is a genre in Sanskrit literature. It consists of a mixture of prose and poetry passages , with verses interspersed among prose sections...
" - a mixture of prose (gadya) and poetry (shloka
Shloka
A ' is a category of verse line developed from the Vedic Anuṣṭubh. It is the basis for Indian Epic verse, and may be considered the Indian verse form par excellence, occurring, as it does, far more frequently than any other meter in classical Sanskrit poetry. The Mahabharata and Ramayana, for...
). He begins with a prayer to the deity of the temple. He then goes on to narrate a verse in Sanskrit before explaining it in Malayalam. The narration uses wit and humor to draw parallels with current events and local situations.
Koothu has traditionally been performed only by the Chakyar
Chakyar
Chakyar is a Brahmin caste coming under the Ambalavasi community of Hindus in the Kerala state of South India. The women in this caste are called Illotammas....
community. Two instruments accompany the performance - a mizhavu
Mizhavu
A mizhav or mizhavu is a big copper drum played as an accompanying percussion instrument in the Koodiyattam and Koothu, performing arts of Kerala . It is played by the Ambalavasi Nambiar community.The drum is played only with hands...
and a pair of ilathalam. This is different from the Nangiar Koothu, which is performed by women called Nangyarammas who belong to the Nambiar
Nambiar
-Communities:The name Nambiar applies to several Hindu communities from South India:-Kerala:*Nambiar - the Royal families and the subdivision within the Nair caste from the North Malabar region of Kerala....
caste, and is a more highly refined theatre art.
Māni Mādhava Chākyār
Chakyar Koothu was originally performed only in Koothambalams of Hindu temples. It was Natyacharya Padma ShriPadma Shri
Padma Shri is the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan...
Māni Mādhava Chākyār
Mani Madhava Chakyar
Guru Mani Madhava Chakyar was a celebrated master performance artist and Sanskrit scholar from Kerala, South India, considered to be the greatest Chakyar Koothu and Koodiyattam artist and authority of modern times...
, a virtuoso of this art, who took Koothu and Kudiyattam outside the temples to the common people. He was the first to perform Chakyar Koothu for All India Radio
All India Radio
All India Radio , officially known since 1956 as Akashvani , is the radio broadcaster of India and a division of Prasar Bharati. Established in 1936, it is the sister service of Prasar Bharati's Doordarshan, the national television broadcaster. All India Radio is one of the largest radio networks...
and Doordarshan
DoorDarshan
Doordarshan is an Indian public service broadcaster, a division of Prasar Bharati. It is one of the largest broadcasting organizations in India in terms of the infrastructure of studios and transmitters. Recently, it has also started Digital Terrestrial Transmitters. On September 15, 2009,...
. Many consider him to be the greatest Chakyar Koothu and Kutiyattam artist of modern times.
The story goes that his guru, Rama Varma Parikshith Thampuran
Rama Varma Parikshith Thampuran
Darsanakalanidhi Parikshith Thampuran was the last official ruler of the Cochin princely state. On 1 July 1949, Travancore and Cochin merged together and Travancore-Cochin State came into existence and the kingdom and the rulership came to an end. He ruled the kingdom for a period of one year and...
wrote a Sanskrit champu prabandha called Prahlādacharita
Prahladacharita
Prahlādacharitam is a Sanskrit Kavya, written in Champu style by the Sanskrit scholar Darsanakalanidhi Rama Varma Parikshith Thampuran . It is the story of Asura prince Prahlāda, who was a beloved devotee of Vishnu and to save him Vishnu takes the Avatar of Narasimha....
and requested some senior artists to study and perform it, but they found it impossible to do. It was then young Māni Mādhava Chākyār's turn to try. He agreed and studied a part of the prabandha overnight and performed it the next day at Tripunithura, then the capital of the Kingdom of Cochin
Kingdom of Cochin
Kingdom of Cochin was a late medieval Hindu kingdom and later Princely State on the Malabar Coast, South India...
. The incident proved his mastery of both Sanskrit and the classical art forms. After some months, he performed the entire Prahlādacharita on the same stage.
The late Ammannur Madhava Chakyar
Ammannur Madhava Chakyar
Padma Bhushan Guru Ammannur Madhava Chakyar was a master of Kutiyattam, the classical Sanskrit theatrical form indigenous to Kerala...
and Painkulam Raman Chakyar were another important 20th century figure in this art form.
See also
- Arts of KeralaArts of KeralaThe Indian state of Kerala is well known for its diverse forms of performing arts. The various communities in Kerala contribute to its rich and colorful culture.-Hindu Arts:* Kathakali* Koodiyattom* Theyyam* Thira* Theeyaattam * Mohiniyattam...
- Mani Madhava ChakyarMani Madhava ChakyarGuru Mani Madhava Chakyar was a celebrated master performance artist and Sanskrit scholar from Kerala, South India, considered to be the greatest Chakyar Koothu and Koodiyattam artist and authority of modern times...
- Mani Damodara ChakyarMani Damodara ChakyarMani Damodara Chakyar is a renowned Kutiyattam and Chakyar Koothu artist in Kerala state of south India. He is a nephew and disciple of legendary guru Nātyāchārya Vidūshakaratnam Padma Shri Māni Mādhava Chākyār...
- KoodiyattamKoodiyattamKoodiyattam or Kutiyattam is a form of Sanskrit theatre traditionally performed in the state of Kerala, India. Performed in the Sanskrit language in Hindu temples, it is believed to be 2,000 years old...
- NatyakalpadrumamNatyakalpadrumamNātyakalpadrumam is a book written by Nātyāchārya Vidūshakaratnam Padma Shri Guru Māni Mādhava Chākyār about all aspects of ancient Sanskrit drama theatre tradition of Kerala- Kutiyattam...
- ChakyarChakyarChakyar is a Brahmin caste coming under the Ambalavasi community of Hindus in the Kerala state of South India. The women in this caste are called Illotammas....
- NambiarNambiar-Communities:The name Nambiar applies to several Hindu communities from South India:-Kerala:*Nambiar - the Royal families and the subdivision within the Nair caste from the North Malabar region of Kerala....
- OttamthullalOttamthullalOttamthullal or Ottanthullal is a type of performing art from Kerala, India. The art form was created during the 18th century by legendary Malayalam poet Kalakkaththu Kunchan Nambiar...
- KathakaliKathakaliKathakali is a highly stylized classical Indian dance-drama noted for the attractive make-up of characters, elaborate costumes, detailed gestures and well-defined body movements presented in tune with the anchor playback music and complementary percussion...
- Mohiniyattam
- PanchavadyamPanchavadyamPanchavadyam, literally meaning an orchestra of five instruments, is basically a temple art form that has evolved in Kerala. Of the five instruments, four -- timila, maddalam, ilathalam and idakka -- belong to the percussion category, while the fifth one, kombu, is a wind instrument.Much like any...
- Painkulam Raman Chakyar