Perumthachan (പെരുന്തച്ചന്‍), also spelled as ''"Perunthchan"'' (പെരു - Peru/big, തച്ചന്‍ - thachan/craftsman), meaning ''the master carpenter'' or ''the master craftsman'', is an honorific title that is used to refer to an ancient legendary carpenter (ആശാരി Aashari), architect, woodcarver and sculptor (stone/wood) from

Kerala Kerala ( , ) is a States and union territories of India, 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 ...

, India. However Perumthachan is an important figure in the

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

of Kerala and many a wondrous structure and

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

that still stand are attributed to him.

History and legend

Birth and related legends

Many legends of Perumthachan are seen in

Aithihyamala Aithihyamala or Ithihyamala () (''Garland of Legends'') is a collection of century-old stories from Kerala that cover a vast spectrum of life, famous persons and events. It is a collection of legends numbering over a hundred, about magicians and ...

, the compilation of legends and folklore of Kerala written by

Kottarathil Sankunni Kottarathil Sankunni (born Vasudevan, 1855–1937) was an Indian writer of Malayalam literature. Best known as the author of Aithihyamala, an eight-volume compilation of century-old legends about Kerala, Sankunni's writings cover prose and poet ...

. Given that Perumthachan was a Vishwakarma his biological parents were not craftsman, his biological father, vararuchi,was a scholar in the palace of vikramadhitya . He married a woman whom he beloved that she belonged to his cast but later he understood that she belonged to a lower cast. After their marriage, they set out on a long journey. During this time, the woman gave birth to twelve children. Each of them grew famous in their lives and many tales and lore were attributed, with them as the main cast. The eldest was Agnihothri, a Brahmin, whose place is

Mezhathur Mezhathur is an Indian village in the state of Kerala situated at Pattambi taluk of Palakkad district at the border of Thrissur, Malappuram and Palakkad districts. It is a historical and cultural village in Kerala. It is also the native place of ...

in Thrithala. The others are Perumthachan (Master carpenter), Naranath Bhranthan (an eccentric philosopher who was perceived as a madman), Vayillakunnilappan (a child with no mouth, whom the mother wanted to keep with her) and so on. Since Raman (രാമന്‍) was raised by parents who belonged to the Thachan, he mastered the art and science of carpentry, architecture, and sculpture to become a Perumthachan. He read the sacred texts and imbibed the ancient intellectual tradition. He was commissioned for many a great architectural project to build

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

s and

palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

Legend of Temple Pond

Perumthachan was once assigned to construct a temple pond. But it so happened that a dispute arose among three Karakkars (local residents) of the place as to the shape of the pond to be constructed. One group wanted a rectangular pond, another a square pond and the third, a circular shape. Perumthachan agreed to construct a pond which would satisfy all the three conflicting demands. When the pond was constructed, the Karakkars from each of the sides were immensely pleased to see their desired shape for the pond. It was so because the original shape of the pond was none of these three but a highly irregular shape, which could create an

illusion An illusion is a distortion of the senses, which can reveal how the mind normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. Although illusions distort the human perception of reality, they are generally shared by most people. Illusions may ...

and fool the onlooker from each side. The

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

temple at Uliyannoor and the Valluvanad temples that still exist in Kerala are attributed to Perumthachan. Panniyur Sri Varahamurthy Temple, situated in

Palakkad Palakkad (), Renaming of cities in India, also known as Palghat, historically known as Palakkattussery, is a city and a municipality in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. It is the administrative headquarters of P ...

district,

preserve the chisel and measuring rod (muzhakkol) used by perumthachan.

Influence on art and culture

The story of Perumthachan has been a source of artistic expression for various people. It has been the basis for a great Malayalam dramatic

monologue In theatre, a monologue (also known as monolog in North American English) (in , from μόνος ''mónos'', "alone, solitary" and λόγος ''lógos'', "speech") is a speech presented by a single character, most often to express their thoughts ...

poem of the same name by

G. Sankara Kurup G. Sankara Kurup, (3 June 1901 – 2 February 1978) also referred to as Mahakavi G (The Great Poet G), was an Indian poet, essayist and literary critic of Malayalam literature. Known as one of the greats of Malayalam poetry, he was the first r ...

. The legend of Perumthachan was also depicted in the 1991

Malayalam film Malayalam cinema, also referred to as Mollywood, is a segment of Indian cinema dedicated to producing films in the Malayalam language, primarily spoken in Kerala and the Lakshadweep islands. It encompasses both the mainstream film industry ...

'' Perumthachan'' masterfully performed by the acclaimed actor

Thilakan Palappurathu Keshavan Surendranatha Thilakan (15 July 1935 – 24 September 2012) was an Indian film and stage actor who appeared in over 200 Malayalam films. Thilakan was known for his elaborate method acting, realistic and spontaneous appeara ...

. The movie script was written by

M. T. Vasudevan Nair Madath Thekkepaattu Vasudevan Narayanan Nair (15 July 1933 – 25 December 2024) was an Indian author, lecturer, Screenwriter, screenplay writer and film director. He was a prolific and versatile writer in modern Malayalam literature, and was o ...

and directed by Ajayan and has won many prestigious accolades for its brilliant cinematography and direction.

References

External links

Details of Thachan caste

Perumthachan
on

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