Manaveda (

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...

മാനവേദന്‍ (1585–1658 AD), the

Zamorin The Samoothiri (Anglicised as Zamorin; Malayalam: , Arabic: ''Sāmuri'', Portuguese: ''Samorim'', Dutch: ''Samorijn'', Chinese: ''Shamitihsi''Ma Huan's Ying-yai Sheng-lan: 'The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores' 433 Translated and Edited b ...

Raja of

Calicut Kozhikode (), also known in English as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. It has a corporation limit population of 609,224 and a metropolitan population of more than 2 million, making it the second l ...

in northern

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

is renowned as the author of

Krishnanattam Krishnaattam (Malayalam: കൃഷ്ണാട്ടം, IAST: Kṛṣṇanāṭṭaṃ) is a temple art in Kerala, India. It is a dance drama and presents the story of Krishna in a series of eight plays and was created by Manaveda (1585–165 ...

. It is a dance drama and presents the story of

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

in a series of eight plays. Monunent of Manaveda in Guruvayur

The second Manaveda (Ruling period 1658-1662 AD) Asvati Tirunal Manaveda is the one who destroyed the power of the Portuguese with the help of Dutch. He reinstated the Mutta Tavali Prince on the throne of Cochin.The contribution of Kerala to Sanskrit Literature; K.Kunjunni Raja; University of Madras 1980; pages 119 to 152 As he was a patron of letters, Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri was quite probably a friend of him.

Early life

He was born to the royal family of the

Rajas of

in 1585. Though much is not known about parents and childhood, it is said he had education from Anayath Krishna pisharody and Desamangalath varrier. He grew up into a poetic genius and a farsighted ruler.

Contributions

Only two of his books are available now - ''

'' (text is also called Krishnageethi) and ''Purva bharatha chambu'', both written in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

. The later was completed in A.D 1643, 10 years before

. His other books are believed to be destroyed in the fire which gutted

palace when Hyderali of

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...

attacked in 1766.

Krishnageethi

The

text based on which

was created was written on A.D 1653, aged 68. It consists of eight plays: Avataram, Kaliyamardanam, Rasakrida, Kamsavadham, Swayamvaram, Banayuddham, Vividavadham, and Swargarohanam. It is based on 10th and 11th skandhas of

Bhagavata Purana The ''Bhagavata Purana'' ( sa, भागवतपुराण; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' or simply ''Bhagavata'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen great Puranas (''Mahapuranas''). Composed in S ...

dealing solely with the story of

. It has also gained inspirations from

Gita Govinda The ''Gita Govinda'' ( sa, गीत गोविन्दम्; ) is a work composed by the 12th-century Hindu poet, Jayadeva. It describes the relationship between Krishna, Radha and ''gopis'' (female cow herders) of Vrindavan. The ''Gita ...

Jayadeva Jayadeva (; born ), also spelt Jaideva, was a Sanskrit poet during the 12th century. He is most known for his epic poem '' Gita Govinda'' which concentrates on Krishna's love with the '' gopi'', Radha, in a rite of spring. This poem, which pres ...

, Sree krishna vilaasam

Mahakavya Mahākāvya (lit. great kāvya, court epic), also known as ''sargabandha'', is a genre of Indian epic poetry in Classical Sanskrit. The genre is characterised by ornate and elaborate descriptions of scenery, love, battles and so on — in short, eve ...

and Narayaniyam of Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri. Krishnanattam Mudra

The opening sloka of

is:

Apart from such slokas it is also adorned by many padyageethams like that of

. It is a masterpiece work in

by a Keralite.

The stories

The eight plays are: Avataram, Kaliyamardanam, Rasakrida, Kamsavadham, Swayamvaram, Banayuddham, Vividavadham and Swargarohanam. its easily memorised by a

mnemonic A mnemonic ( ) device, or memory device, is any learning technique that aids information retention or retrieval (remembering) in the human memory for better understanding. Mnemonics make use of elaborative encoding, retrieval cues, and imag ...

"a-ka-ra-ka-swa-bha-vi-swa". On the ninth day, Avatharam is repeated. The various benefits of Krishnanattam as an offering are: * Avatharam for a birth of a child. * Kaliyamardhanam to remove the effect of poison. * Rasakreeda well being of unmarried girls, to end disputes between

couples Couple or couples may refer to : Basic meaning *Couple (app), a mobile app which provides a mobile messaging service for two people *Couple (mechanics), a system of forces with a resultant moment but no resultant force *Couple (relationship), tw ...

. * Kamsavaddham to remove

enemies Enemies or foes are a group that is seen as forcefully adverse or threatening. Enemies may also refer to: Literature * ''Enemies'' (play), a 1906 play by Maxim Gorky * '' Enemies, A Love Story'', a 1966 novel by Isaac Bashevis Singer * '' Enem ...

. * Swayamvaram for a happy

matrimony Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

. * Bana yuddham to remove impoverishment, for good

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used ...

production. * Vividha vadham to eliminate poverty and increase yield from farms. * Swargarohanam for

peace Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...

of a departed

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...

The legend

Krishnanattam (théâtre rituel du Kerala)

King Manaveda told Vilwamangalam about his ambition to view

. The next day the Swamiyar told him that

Guruvayurappan Guruvayurappan ( ml, ഗുരുവായൂരപ്പന്‍, (transliterated guruvāyūrappan)) also often rendered Guruvayoorappan, is a form of Vishnu worshipped mainly in Kerala. He is the presiding deity of the Guruvayur temple, w ...

has given his consent and Manavedan can see

playing in the early hours of the morning at the platform of the Elanji tree. He could only see and not touch Him. When as per this agreement, Manavedan saw Guruvayurappan in the form of little child Sri Krishna, he was so excited that he forgot himself and, rushed to embrace little Sree

.Guruvayoorappan immediately disappeared saying, "Vilwamangalam did not tell me that this will happen ".However, Manavedan got one peacock feather from the headgear of Bhagavan Krishna. The

peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' Pavo'' and '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are r ...

feather was incorporated in the headgear for the character of Sri Krishna in the dance drama

based on his own text krishnageethi which is composed of 8 chapters. It was performed near the sanctum sanctorum of the

Guruvayur Guruvayur () is a municipal temple town in Thrissur District, of Kerala State in India. It is a suburban town of Thrissur city, located from Thrissur towards the north-west. It houses the Guruvayur Shri Krishna Temple. It is located at ...

Temple. On the ninth day, Avatharam was repeated as the

felt that it was not auspicious to end the series with the demise of Lord Krishna. The blessed art form is still maintained by Guruvayur devaswom and staged as an offering by devotees.

Late life

After advent of

at age of 68 he was till his demise involved in improvising the dance

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

. He died at

Thrissur Thrissur (), formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the third largest urban agglomeration in Kerala after Kochi and Kozhikode, and t ...

in 1658 and was cremated at

south of

temple. A statue was built at this place, which at present is located near panjajanyam guest house in guruvayur.

Gallery

File:Krishnanattam_gryr_1.jpg, File:Krishnanattam_gryr_2.jpg, File:Krishnanattam_gryr_3.jpg, File:Krishnanattam_1.jpg, File:കൃഷ്ണനാട്ടം_.jpg, കൃഷ്ണനാട്ടം_.jpg

References

External links

Krishnattam‘Krishnanattam’
* Bharata Muni * ttps://archive.today/20130411160507/http://www.planetsinfolab.com/horizonguruvayur.com/krishnanattam.html krishnanattambr>Krishnanâttam-God's Own Opera , Facebook
{{coord missing, Kerala Culture of Kerala Performing arts in India Dances of India Theatre in India Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity Arts of Kerala Religious vernacular drama Articles containing video clips