Unnayi Warrier was a poet, writer, scholar, and dramatist who lived in
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 ...
,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
during the 17th/18th century. He is best known for his chef-d'oeuvre ''
Nalacharitham
Nalacharitham is a Kathakali play ( Aattakatha) written by Unnayi Warrier. Based on the Mahabharatha, it tells the story of King Nalan and his consort Damayanthi. The play consists of four parts – called First, Second, Third and Fourth Day ...
''
aattakatha and is known to have made significant contributions to the art of
Kathakali
Kathakali ( ml, കഥകളി) is a major form of classical Indian dance. It is a "story play" genre of art, but one distinguished by the elaborately colourful make-up and costumes of the traditional male actor-dancers. It is native to the M ...
, the classical dance-drama form of Kerala.
Biography
There are only sketchy details available regarding Unnayi Warrier's real name, exact date and place of birth, his family background and literary achievements. There is consensus among scholars that his family name was 'Akathoottu Warriam' and that he was a garland maker (traditional vocation of Warriers (
Variar
Variyar (also written as Variar, Varyar, Warriar or Warrier) is a Hindu Ambalavasi caste in Kerala, India.
Etymology
The term Variyar has its origin in the Malayalam word 'Variyam' ( ml, വാരിയം /വാര്യം), which refers to ...
)) by profession at Irinjalakkuda
Koodalmanikyam Temple
Koodalmanikyam Temple is a Hindu temple in Irinjalakuda Municipality, Thrissur district, Kerala, India . The temple comprises a main structure, a walled compound with citadels, and four ponds around the main structure one of which is within ...
.
One tangible record available that throws light on his life and times is that his work ''Nalacharitham aattakatha - 2nd day'' was enacted during the festival season of
Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple at
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
(Trivandrum) in 1749 AD.
This indicates that ''
Nalacharitham
Nalacharitham is a Kathakali play ( Aattakatha) written by Unnayi Warrier. Based on the Mahabharatha, it tells the story of King Nalan and his consort Damayanthi. The play consists of four parts – called First, Second, Third and Fourth Day ...
'' was authored by Warrier during the first half of 18th century or earlier. There is speculation that ''
Ramapurathu Warrier
Ramapurathu Warrier (1703–1753) is considered to be the pioneer of the "Vanchippattu" or Boat song form of poetry in Malayalam language. ''Vanchippattu'' is a poetic form of folk origin composed entirely in the Dravidian metre ''nathonnata''. H ...
'' was a disciple of Unnayi Variyar and as noted by Aimanam Krishna Kaimal in his celebrated work ''Attakkatha Sahityam'', it is reasonable to assume Unnayi Warrier lived between 1674 and 1754 C.E. Kaimal also infers that Unnayi's real name was 'Raman' which he deduced from the last sloka of another of Unnayi's works - ''Girijakalyanam'' attakatha mentions the author's name to be 'Raman'.
Works
Nalacharitham
The most famous work of Unnayi Warrier is ''Nalacharitham Aattakkatha''. The work is divided into four parts/days with each part designed in such a way as to be presented as an independent performance. Nalacharitham elevated the literary standards of Kathakali and is widely recognised to be path breaking and pioneering in its approach to make Kathakali a complete art form.
Root story of Nalacharitham
Kathakali song is based on the
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...
(chapters 52 to 79 of Aaranyaparvam). It is one of the stories told by sage B rihadaswan to Pandava prince
Yudhishthira
''Yudhishthira'' (Sanskrit: युधिष्ठिर, IAST: ''Yudhiṣṭhira'') is the eldest among the five Pandava brothers. He is mentioned in the ancient epic Mahabharata. He was sired by King Pandu of the Kuru Dynasty and his first w ...
during the despondent times that Pandavas go through during their exile. Story revolves around the most righteous
Nishadha
The Nishadha kingdom
(IAST: Niṣadha) was a tribe of ancient India that lived in a country of the same name
History
Veerasena was a king of the Nishadha kingdom, and the father of Nala. Nala, the son of Veerasena, became the king after his fathe ...
king
Nala
Nala (Sanskrit: नल) is a character in the ''Vana Parva'' book of the ''Mahabharata''. He was the king of Nishadha Kingdom and the son of Veerasena. Nala was known for his skill with horses and for his culinary expertise. He married prince ...
, his wife
Damayanti
''Damayanti'' (Sanskrit: दमयंती) is a character in a love story found in the Vana Parva book of the Mahabharata. She was the daughter of Bhima (not the Pandava one) and a princess of the Vidarbha Kingdom, who married King Nala of th ...
and the troubles they undergo in spite of being pious and virtuous and how in the end they are absolved and restored to their previous glory and joy.By many accounts Nalacharitham is considered to be the complete aatakatha via its perfect storyline, masterly rendering and consistent aesthetics.
Other works
Besides ''Nalacharitham'', two more works are credited to Warrier. ''Ramapanchashati'' is a poem praising ''Sree Ramam Murthi'' of
Koodalmanikyam Temple
Koodalmanikyam Temple is a Hindu temple in Irinjalakuda Municipality, Thrissur district, Kerala, India . The temple comprises a main structure, a walled compound with citadels, and four ponds around the main structure one of which is within ...
comprising 500 slokas 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 ...
while ''Girijakalyanam'', an essay in three parts based on
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...
.
Influence
Fundamental influence that Unnayi Warrier has had on Kathakali is on the emergence of the importance of
Rasa (aesthetics)
In Indian aesthetics, a rasa ( sa, रस) literally means "nectar, essence or taste".Monier Monier-Williams (1899)Rasa Sanskrit English Dictionary with Etymology, Motilal Banarsidass (Originally Published: Oxford) It connotes a concept in Indian ...
as against a more dominant Bhava
Bhava
The Sanskrit word bhava (भव) means being, worldly existence, becoming, birth, be, production, origin,Monier Monier-Williams (1899), Sanskrit English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Archiveभव bhava but also habitual or emotional te ...
abhinaya.
Warrier, through his Nalacharitham, is widely acknowledged to have raised the dramatic value of Kathakali as an art form.
Unnayi Warrier Smaraka Kalanilayam
Unnayi Warrier Smaraka Kalanilayam
Unnayi Warrier Smaraka Kalanilayam is a performing arts training institution in Irinjalakuda in Thrissur District of Kerala. The centre is affiliated with the Government of Kerala.
History
The institution was established in 1955 in memory of ...
is an eponymous institute, affiliated to the
Government of Kerala
Government of Kerala is the subnational government of the Indian state of Kerala. The government is led by a chief minister, who selects all the other ministers. The chief minister and their most senior ministers belong to the supreme decision ...
, which offers training courses in various performing arts and music.
References
Translations
* Unnayi Varier's Nalacaritam, translated into English by Sudha Gopalakrishnan, New Delhi, Sahitya Akademi, 2001;
* Jours d'amour et d'épreuve: l'Histoire du roi Nala, translated into French by Dominique Vitalyos, Paris, Gallimard "Connaissance de l'Orient", 1995.
Further reading
* ''The Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature'' (Volume One (A To Devo), Volume 1; ''Page'':267. ''Author'':Amaresh Datta; ''Publisher'':
Sahitya Akademi
The Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters, is an organisation dedicated to the promotion of literature in the languages of India. Founded on 12 March 1954, it is supported by, though independent of, the Indian government. Its of ...
, 2006 .
*
*
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Variyar, Unnayi
Arts of Kerala
Hindu poets
17th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights
Kathakali exponents
Indian male dramatists and playwrights
Malayalam-language dramatists and playwrights
Malayalam-language writers
Malayalam poets
Dramatists and playwrights from Kerala
People from Irinjalakuda
17th-century Indian poets
Indian male poets
17th-century male writers