Ramapurathu Warrier (1703–1753) is considered to be the pioneer of the "

Vanchippattu ''Vanchippattu'' is a poetic form in Malayalam composed entirely in the Dravidian metre ''Nathonnata''. It is originated from Kerala, a state in India. History This poetic form was created by Ramapurathu Warrier, a poet in Malayalam lived in T ...

" or Boat song form of poetry in

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...

language. ''Vanchippattu'' is a poetic form of folk origin composed entirely in the Dravidian metre ''nathonnata''. He was born in the year 1703 at Kottayam District, Kerala. He was born in Ramapuram, near

Palai Pallai ( ta, பளை, si, පල්ලෙයි), also spelt Palai, is a small town in the Kilinochchi District, Northern Province, Sri Lanka. It is located near the coast on the northern peninsula, approximately south-east of Jaffna. ...

, in

Meenachil Meenachil is the north-eastern region of Kottayam district in Kerala, south India. The name originates from Meenakshi, the Hindu Goddess. Pala is the main city in Meenachil. The arterial river of the district is also named Meenachil. Geograph ...

Taluk,

Kottayam District Kottayam (), is one of 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. Kottayam district comprises six municipal towns: Kottayam, Changanassery, Pala, Erattupetta, Ettumanoor, and Vaikom. It is the only district in Kerala that neither borders the ...

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 ...

. His real name was Sankaran. He was a courtier of two successive Kings of

Travancore The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...

, viz.

Marthanda Varma Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (Malayalam: ) was the founding monarch of the southern Indian Kingdom of Travancore (previously Venadu) from 1729 until his death in 1758. He was succeeded by Rama Varma ("Dharma Raja") (1758–98).Subrahmany ...

and

Dharma Raja Dharma Raja Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma ( ml, ധർമ്മരാജാ കാർത്തിക തിരുനാൾ രാമവർമ്മ, 1724–17 February 1798) was the Maharajah of Travancore from 1758 until his death in 1798. He s ...

. The most celebrated work of Ramapurathu Warrier is '' Kuchelavritham Vanchippattu'', which depicts the story of

Kuchela Sudama (), also known as Kuchela (), is a childhood friend of the Hindu deity Krishna. The story of his visit to Dvaraka to meet his friend is featured in the Bhagavata Purana. In their legend, Sudama and Krishna study together as children a ...

, a devotee and an old classmate 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 ...

, going to

Dwaraka Dvaraka, Dwaraka, Dwarka may refer to: Places India * Dvārakā, ancient city in Gujarat, the capital of the Yadus in the Mahabharata :* Dvārakā–Kamboja route, an ancient trade-route and a branch of the Silk Road * Dwarka, Gujarat, also k ...

to meet with him. Also he wrote the '' Kuchelavritham Vanchippattu in "Nathonatha"'' The poem was apparently composed and recited during one of the King Marthanda Varma's boat journeys in which Warrier was also present. While describing with great poignance the poverty of Kuchnevolence of Krishna, Warrier was indirectly presenting his miseries before the King seeking the King's help. It was only when he returned home, he realized that, instead of his ruined house another large house had been built on the instructions of the Maharaja Marthanda Varma. Although composed more than two centuries ago, the poem is still one of the most popular poems of Malayalam language. An annotated edition was published by

DC Books DC Books is a publisher in Kerala publisher of books in Malayalam, and one of the publishers in India . It also operates one of the largest book store chains in India, with a network of over 45 bookshops under the DC Books and Current Books b ...

References

* ''Kuchela Vrittam'' - Ramapurathu Varier - Annotated by Prof. Gopikuttan; Published by DC Books,

Kottayam Kottayam () is a municipal town in the Indian state of Kerala. Flanked by the Western Ghats on the east and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. It is the district headquarters of Kottayam district, located in south-we ...

; . {{DEFAULTSORT:Warrier, Ramapurathu Malayalam poets 1703 births 1753 deaths People from Kottayam district Poets from Kerala 18th-century Indian poets Indian male poets People of the Kingdom of Travancore 18th-century male writers