''Vanchippattu'' is a poetic form 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 ...

composed entirely in the Dravidian metre ''Nathonnata''. It is originated from

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 ...

, a state in

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 ...

History

This poetic form was created by

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 ...

, a poet in Malayalam lived in

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 ...

(later became a part of Kerala) during the reign of the king

Anizham Thirunal 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 ...

. It is believed that it was created during a boat travel of Ramapurathu Warrier along with the King Marthanda Varma. Warrier recited his poem to the king. This poem was later became the famous poetic collection '' Kuchelavritham Vanchippattu.''

Etymology

The word Vanchippattu is a combination of two words ''vanchi'' means

Boat A boat is a watercraft of a large range of types and sizes, but generally smaller than a ship, which is distinguished by its larger size, shape, cargo or passenger capacity, or its ability to carry boats. Small boats are typically found on inl ...

and ''pattu'' means song. This poetic form has a rhythm similar to that of rowing the boat. Hence it got this name, according to historians.

List of some famous Vanchippattu

* Kuchelavritham * Lakshmanopadesham * Parthasarathi Varnana * Bheeshmaparvam * Santhanagopalam * Banayudham

Famous Vanchippattu poets

* Vaaladisseri Sankaranarayanan Achari * Champakulam Puthenpurayil Joseph * I. C. Chacko * Chirayinkeezhu Govindan Pillai * Nedumprayar Gopalapilla Vaidyan

References

Malayalam-language literature {{india-lit-stub

History

Etymology

List of some famous Vanchippattu

Famous Vanchippattu poets

See also

References