Mani Damodara Chakyar
Encyclopedia
Mani Damodara Chakyar (1946–) 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
. He belongs to the great Mani Chakyar
tradition of Koodiyattam and Chakyar koothu.
He studied Chakyar Koothu
and Koodiyattam
in the traditional way for more than 30 years under the direct guidance of Māni Mādhava Chākyār. He has studied Sanskrit
and Nātyasāstra in the traditional way. He holds a Master's degree
in Sanskrit
literature as well. He used to be high school Sanskrit teacher in Kozhikkode.
He was a member of legendary guru Padma Shri
Māni Mādhava Chākyār
's Koodiyattam troupe which performed Koodiyattam outside Kerala
for the first time. In that performance of Thoranayudham Koodiyattam (1962, Madras), he played the role of Vibhishana
with his guru Mani Madhava Chakyar (as Ravana
). He is an exponent of traditional devotional Koothus and Koodiyattams, such as Anguliyanka, Mattavilasa Prahasana
, Mantranka, Ezhamanka (seventh act of Ascharyachoodamani).
He performs a huge number of Atiyantara koothu of the Mani family (the koothus which are assigned to the family from ancient times) consisting of all these devotional ritualistic koothu
and Koodiyattam
in famous temples in Kerala for decades. The famous temples include Karivellur Shiva
Temple of Kannur
district; Matayikkavu Bhagavathi Temple, Taliparamba
Rajarajeshwara Temple
, Kottiyoor
Perumal Temple, Kanjirangad Shiva Temple, Thiruvangad Sree Ramaswami Temple
of Thalassery
and Cherukunnu Chiraykkal Bhagavathi Temple of Kannur
district; Lokanarkavu Temple
of Vatakara
, Thali (Tali) Siva
Temple, Sreethiruvilayanadukavu Bhagavathi Temple and Thiruvachhira Sree Krishna
temple of Kozhikkode district; Thirunavaya
Navamukunda temple, Thrikkandiyur Shiva temple, Methrikkovil Siva temple, Pandamangalam Krishna
temple of Kottakkal
and Kotakkal Vishwambhara (Shiva) temple of Malappuram
district; Panamanna Shankaranarayana temple, Kallekkulagara Emoor Siva temple, Thiruvegappura
Siva temple and Killikkurussi Mahadeva Temple of Palakkad
district and Triprayar
Sri Rama temple and Peruvanam Shiva temple of Cherpu
of Thrissur
temple.
He was a member of Māni Mādhava Chākyār
's troupe that performed Koodiyattams in places outside Kerala
such as New Delhi
, Banaras, Mumbai
, Ujjain
, Bhopal and Madras. He had the good fortune to perform in many important conferences and seminars such as World Sanskrit Conferences at Banaras, Bangalore
and Thrissur
.
He has performed both as Nayaka (hero) and Vidushaka (court jester) in Kudiyattams such as Swapnavasavadattam, Naganandam, Subhadradhananjayam, etc. When Māni Mādhava Chākyār
choreographed and directed Kalidasa
's Mālavikāgnimitra and Vikramorvaśīya for the first time in the history of Kudiyattam, it was Mani Damodara Chakyar to whom he gave the role of Nayaka. Mani Damodara Chakyar staged Malavikagnimitram and Vikramorvasheeyam at Kalidasa Academy, Ujjain
under the guidance of his guru.
He was the first Koodiyattam student who received scholarship from MHRD New Delhi
. Later, both junior and senior fellowships where awarded to him by the same department. He is the recipient of many prizes from temples and cultural organisations. Kerala Sangeet Natak Academy honored him with award for his contributions to Chakyar Koothu and Koodiyattam (2000). He received the Kerala Kalamandalam V S Sharma endowment award for 2007.
Chakyar koothu
Chakyar Koothu is a performance art from Kerala, South India. It is primarily a type of highly refined monologue where the performer narrates episodes from Hindu epics and stories from the Puranas...
artist in Kerala
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....
state of south India
South India
South India is the area encompassing India's states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Pondicherry, occupying 19.31% of India's area...
. He is a nephew and disciple of legendary guru
Guru
A guru is one who is regarded as having great knowledge, wisdom, and authority in a certain area, and who uses it to guide others . Other forms of manifestation of this principle can include parents, school teachers, non-human objects and even one's own intellectual discipline, if the...
Nātyāchārya Vidūshakaratnam Padma Shri
Padma 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...
. He belongs to the great Mani 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....
tradition of Koodiyattam and Chakyar koothu.
He studied Chakyar Koothu
Chakyar koothu
Chakyar Koothu is a performance art from Kerala, South India. It is primarily a type of highly refined monologue where the performer narrates episodes from Hindu epics and stories from the Puranas...
and Koodiyattam
Koodiyattam
Koodiyattam 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...
in the traditional way for more than 30 years under the direct guidance of Māni Mādhava Chākyār. He has studied Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
and Nātyasāstra in the traditional way. He holds a Master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
literature as well. He used to be high school Sanskrit teacher in Kozhikkode.
Padma 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...
's Koodiyattam troupe which performed Koodiyattam outside Kerala
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....
for the first time. In that performance of Thoranayudham Koodiyattam (1962, Madras), he played the role of Vibhishana
Vibhishana
Vibhishana or Bibhishan is a character in the epic Ramayana. He was the younger brother of the demon Ravana. Though a half-demon himself, Vibhishana was of a noble character and advised Ravana, who kidnapped and abducted Sita, to return her to her husband Rama in an orderly fashion...
with his guru Mani Madhava Chakyar (as Ravana
Ravana
' is the primary antagonist character of the Hindu legend, the Ramayana; who is the great king of Lanka. In the classic text, he is mainly depicted negatively, kidnapping Rama's wife Sita, to claim vengeance on Rama and his brother Lakshmana for having cut off the nose of his sister...
). He is an exponent of traditional devotional Koothus and Koodiyattams, such as Anguliyanka, Mattavilasa Prahasana
Mattavilasa Prahasana
Mattavilasa Prahasana , is a short one-act Sanskrit play. It is one of the two great one act plays written by scholar King Mahendravarman I in the beginning of the seventh century....
, Mantranka, Ezhamanka (seventh act of Ascharyachoodamani).
Koothu
Koothu , means dance or performance in Tamil language, is a folk art originated from the early Tamil country. But more precisely Koothu refers Therukoothu that is street dance or street play since it will be performed village squares. At early age the art of entertainment reached its peak in...
and Koodiyattam
Koodiyattam
Koodiyattam 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...
in famous temples in Kerala for decades. The famous temples include Karivellur Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
Temple of Kannur
Kannur
Kannur , also known as Cannanore, is a city in Kannur district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the District of Kannur and 518km north of state capital Trivandrum. During British rule in India, Kannur was known by its old name Cannanore, which is still in...
district; Matayikkavu Bhagavathi Temple, Taliparamba
Taliparamba
Taliparamba is a city and a municipality in Kannur district in the Indian state of Kerala and spread over an area of 43.05 km2. It stretches from the coastal area of Ramanthali to Nuchiyard and Vayathur villages, touching the Karnataka border.Taliparamba is a big town of 67,000 people...
Rajarajeshwara Temple
Rajarajeshwara Temple
The Rajarajeswara temple is a Shiva temple located at Taliparamba in the Kannur district of Kerala, South India.The temple is regarded as one of the existing 108 ancient Shiva Temples of Kerala. It also has a prominent place amongst the numerous Shiva temples in South India.It had the tallest...
, Kottiyoor
Kottiyoor
A very ancient Siva Temple situated here attracts lakhs of devotees every year. The Bavali river, Paalukaachi hill, all are tourists places in Kottiyoor....
Perumal Temple, Kanjirangad Shiva Temple, Thiruvangad Sree Ramaswami Temple
Sree Ramaswami temple
Sree Ramaswami temple or commonly known as Thiruvangad temple, dedicated to the Hindu god Sree Rama, is an important temple located in the east part of Thalassery. The temple is generally known as the Brass Pagoda from the copper sheeting of its roof...
of Thalassery
Thalassery
Thalassery , also known as Tellicherry, is a city on the Malabar Coast of Kerala, India. This is the second largest city of North Malabar in terms of population. The name Tellicherry is the anglicized form of Thalassery. Thalassery municipality has a population just less than 100,000. Established...
and Cherukunnu Chiraykkal Bhagavathi Temple of Kannur
Kannur
Kannur , also known as Cannanore, is a city in Kannur district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of the District of Kannur and 518km north of state capital Trivandrum. During British rule in India, Kannur was known by its old name Cannanore, which is still in...
district; Lokanarkavu Temple
Lokanarkavu temple
Lokanarkavu Temple is situated at Memunda 5 km from Vatakara, in North Malabar region of Kerala state of south India. Lokanarkavu is a short form of Lokamalayarkavu which means lokam made of mala , aaru and kavu...
of Vatakara
Vatakara
Vatakara is a coastal Municipality in Kozhikode district of Kerala, a South Indian state, spread over an area of 23.33 km2. It is the headquarters of Vatakara taluk. This place is erstwhile Kadathanadu and was part of North Malabar province of Malabar District in Madras State during British...
, Thali (Tali) Siva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
Temple, Sreethiruvilayanadukavu Bhagavathi Temple and Thiruvachhira Sree Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
temple of Kozhikkode district; Thirunavaya
Thirunavaya
Thirunavaya is a small village in Malappuram district of Kerala, south India. This village is famed as the theatre of the Mamankam festival held in the Thirunavaya Temple on the banks of the Bharathapuzha River....
Navamukunda temple, Thrikkandiyur Shiva temple, Methrikkovil Siva temple, Pandamangalam Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
temple of Kottakkal
Kottakkal
Kottakkal is a town and a municipality in Malappuram District in Kerala, south India. It has 32 Wards. The National Highway 17 separates the municipality from Edarikkode Panchayath on some part in the west. It is an Eranadan town located 12 km south-west of Malappuram, the district...
and Kotakkal Vishwambhara (Shiva) temple of Malappuram
Malappuram
Malappuram is a municipality in the South Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 33.61 km2. It serves as the administrative headquarters of Malappuram district. As per the 2011 census Malappuram urban agglomeration is the fourth largest UA in kerala with a total population of...
district; Panamanna Shankaranarayana temple, Kallekkulagara Emoor Siva temple, Thiruvegappura
Thiruvegappura
Thiruvegappura is a Valluvanad village on the bank of river Thutha, a tributary to the Bharathapuzha River, serving as the gateway to Palakkad District, for inboard traffic from the northern Malabar districts of Kerala....
Siva temple and Killikkurussi Mahadeva Temple of Palakkad
Palakkad
Palakkad , formerly known as Palghat, is a municipality and a town in the state of Kerala in southern India, spread over an area of 26.60 km2.The city is situated about north of state capital Thiruvananthapuram. It is the administrative headquarters of Palakkad District...
district and Triprayar
Triprayar
Thriprayar is a place in Thrissur District in the state of Kerala, India, located in the middle of Guruvayur - Kodungallur - Ernakulam Highway , bears a magnificent temple to Sri Rama which is associated with many interesting legends.-History:...
Sri Rama temple and Peruvanam Shiva temple of Cherpu
Cherpu
Cherpu is a small village in Thrissur district of Kerala state in south India. It is 12 kilometres south of Thrissur town and is on the Thriprayar road...
of Thrissur
Thrissur
This article is about the city in India. For the district, see Thrissur district. For the urban agglomeration area of Thrissur see Thrissur Metropolitan Area...
temple.
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...
's troupe that performed Koodiyattams in places outside Kerala
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....
such as New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, Banaras, Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
, Ujjain
Ujjain
Ujjain , is an ancient city of Malwa region in central India, on the eastern bank of the Kshipra River , today part of the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative centre of Ujjain District and Ujjain Division.In ancient times the city was called Ujjayini...
, Bhopal and Madras. He had the good fortune to perform in many important conferences and seminars such as World Sanskrit Conferences at Banaras, Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
and Thrissur
Thrissur
This article is about the city in India. For the district, see Thrissur district. For the urban agglomeration area of Thrissur see Thrissur Metropolitan Area...
.
He has performed both as Nayaka (hero) and Vidushaka (court jester) in Kudiyattams such as Swapnavasavadattam, Naganandam, Subhadradhananjayam, etc. When 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...
choreographed and directed Kalidasa
Kalidasa
Kālidāsa was a renowned Classical Sanskrit writer, widely regarded as the greatest poet and dramatist in the Sanskrit language...
's Mālavikāgnimitra and Vikramorvaśīya for the first time in the history of Kudiyattam, it was Mani Damodara Chakyar to whom he gave the role of Nayaka. Mani Damodara Chakyar staged Malavikagnimitram and Vikramorvasheeyam at Kalidasa Academy, Ujjain
Ujjain
Ujjain , is an ancient city of Malwa region in central India, on the eastern bank of the Kshipra River , today part of the state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative centre of Ujjain District and Ujjain Division.In ancient times the city was called Ujjayini...
under the guidance of his guru.
He was the first Koodiyattam student who received scholarship from MHRD New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
. Later, both junior and senior fellowships where awarded to him by the same department. He is the recipient of many prizes from temples and cultural organisations. Kerala Sangeet Natak Academy honored him with award for his contributions to Chakyar Koothu and Koodiyattam (2000). He received the Kerala Kalamandalam V S Sharma endowment award for 2007.
See also
- Māni Mādhava ChākyārMani 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...
- Chakyar KoothuChakyar koothuChakyar Koothu is a performance art from Kerala, South India. It is primarily a type of highly refined monologue where the performer narrates episodes from Hindu epics and stories from the Puranas...
- 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...
- 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
- Thulall
- KillikkurussimangalamKillikkurussimangalamKillikkurussimangalam is a village around eight km from nearby town Ottappalam in Palakkad district of Kerala, south India. The river Nila flows through the southern border of Lakkidi....
External links
- http://www.webcitation.org/query?url=http://www.geocities.com/chavanapuzha/cmp-main-page.htm&date=2009-10-25+17:11:47Images and more about Sri Rajarajeshwara TempleRajarajeshwara TempleThe Rajarajeswara temple is a Shiva temple located at Taliparamba in the Kannur district of Kerala, South India.The temple is regarded as one of the existing 108 ancient Shiva Temples of Kerala. It also has a prominent place amongst the numerous Shiva temples in South India.It had the tallest...
of TaliparambaTaliparambaTaliparamba is a city and a municipality in Kannur district in the Indian state of Kerala and spread over an area of 43.05 km2. It stretches from the coastal area of Ramanthali to Nuchiyard and Vayathur villages, touching the Karnataka border.Taliparamba is a big town of 67,000 people...
.]