Jump to content
 







Main menu
   


Navigation  



Main page
Contents
Current events
Random article
About Wikipedia
Contact us
Donate
 




Contribute  



Help
Learn to edit
Community portal
Recent changes
Upload file
 








Search  

































Create account

Log in
 









Create account
 Log in
 




Pages for logged out editors learn more  



Contributions
Talk
 



















Contents

   



(Top)
 


1 The performance  





2 Māni Mādhava Chākyār  





3 See also  





4 References  





5 External links  














Chakyar koothu







Français



Русский
ி

Українська
 

Edit links
 









Article
Talk
 

















Read
Edit
View history
 








Tools
   


Actions  



Read
Edit
View history
 




General  



What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Cite this page
Get shortened URL
Download QR code
Wikidata item
 




Print/export  



Download as PDF
Printable version
 




In other projects  



Wikimedia Commons
 
















Appearance
   

 






From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 

(Redirected from Chakyar Koothu)

Guru Padma Shri Mani Madhava Chakyar performing Chakyar koothu

Chakyar Koothu (pronounced [tʃaːkjaːr kuːt̪ːɨ̆] ) is a performance art from Kerala, India. It is primarily a type of highly refined monologue where the performer narrates episodes from Hindu epics (such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata) and stories from the Puranas.[1] Sometimes, however, it is also a traditional equivalent of the modern stand-up comedy act, incorporating commentary on current socio-political events (and personal comments directed at the members of the audience).[2]

The performance[edit]

"Koothu" means dance ... which is a misnomer, as facial expressions are emphasized and there is minimal choreography. It is performed in the Koothambalam; 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 community along with the Ambalavasi Nambiars.

It is a solo performance, by a narrator in a distinctive headgear and black moustache with his torso 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.[1]

The Chakyar narrates the story based on the Sanskrit style of "Champu Prabandha" - a mixture of prose (gadya) and poetry (shloka). 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 community. Two instruments accompany the performance - a mizhavu and a pair of ilathalam. This is different from the Nangiar Koothu, which is performed by women called Nangyarammas who belong to the Nambiar caste, and is a more highly refined theatre art.

Māni Mādhava Chākyār[edit]

Chakyar Koothu was originally performed only in Koothambalams of Hindu temples. It was Natyacharya- meaning a great teacher and practitioner of natyam (dramaturgy), a title accorded in his honour- Padma Shri Māni Mādhava Chākyār, 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 and Doordarshan. 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 wrote a Sanskrit champu prabandha called Prahlādacharita 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. 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 and Painkulam Raman Chakyar were another important 20th century figure in this art form.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "<meta HTTP-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/HTML; charset=iso-8859-1"/> NameBright - Coming Soon". Archived from the original on 11 April 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2009.
  • ^ "Chakyar Koothu to be staged at Thamaramkulangara". newindianexpress.com. Retrieved 28 June 2024.
  • External links[edit]


    Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chakyar_koothu&oldid=1231445617"

    Categories: 
    Hindu dance traditions
    Theatre of India
    Arts of Kerala
    Hidden categories: 
    Pages using the Phonos extension
    Articles needing additional references from May 2009
    All articles needing additional references
    Use dmy dates from December 2019
    Use Indian English from December 2019
    All Wikipedia articles written in Indian English
    Pages with Malayalam IPA
    Pages including recorded pronunciations
    Commons category link from Wikidata
     



    This page was last edited on 28 June 2024, at 09:28 (UTC).

    Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.



    Privacy policy

    About Wikipedia

    Disclaimers

    Contact Wikipedia

    Code of Conduct

    Developers

    Statistics

    Cookie statement

    Mobile view



    Wikimedia Foundation
    Powered by MediaWiki