Chandu Chekavar (''Chathiyan Chanthu'', also known as Chandu Panicker), was a sixteenth-century warrior of the Chekavar family from the Hindu Thiyyar caste, mentioned in the folk songs of 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 Canar ...

called ''

Vadakkan Pattukal Vadakkan Pattukal (literally, ''the songs of the north'') are a collection of Malayalam ballads from the medieval period. The songs present stories of heroes such as Aromal Chekavar and Thacholi Othenan, and heroines like Unniyarcha. The stories ...

''. He belongs to the

Thiyyar The Ezhavas () are a community with origins in the region of India presently known as Kerala, where in the 2010s they constituted about 23% of the population and were reported to be the largest Hindu community. They are also known as ''Ilhava'' ...

community of the

Kadathanad Kadathanadu (Vatakara) was a former feudatory (of Kolathunad) city-state in present-day Kerala, on the Malabar Coast. The region is most known for being the area where the events of the ''Vadakkan Pattukal,'' a set of warrior ballads from Kerala, ...

region of

Popular culture

* In ''

Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha ''Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha'' () is a 1989 Indian Malayalam-language epic historical drama film directed by Hariharan, written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair, and starring Mammootty, Suresh Gopi, Balan K. Nair, Captain Raju and Madhavi. The film won ...

'', a Malayalam film released in 1989, Chandu is portrayed by

Mammootty Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (; born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, ...

, which won him the National Award for Best Actor. * Devan played ''Chathiyan Chandhu Chekkavar'' in 2002 Malayalam flim

Puthooramputhri Unniyarcha ''Puthooramputhri Unniyarcha'' is a 2002 Indian Malayalam-language historical film directed by P. G. Viswambharan. Based on '' Vadakkanpattu'', the folklore of North Malabar, which are ballads extolling the brave and valiant chekavars, it stars V ...

* Kunal Kapoor portrayed Chandu in the 2016 Malayalam film, Veeram.

References

Indian warriors Malayali people 16th-century Indian people Kalarippayattu practitioners Indian male martial artists Martial artists from Kerala Military personnel from Kerala Thiyyar warriors {{India-martialart-bio-stub

Popular culture

See also

References