Chakyar ( ml, ചാക്യാർ; ; ; also spelled Cakyar, Chakkiar, Chakiar, etc.) is an intermediate priestly caste coming under the

Ambalavasi Ambalavasi, more properly Ampalavasi, ( ml, അമ്പലവാസി; IAST: Ampalavāsi; ) is the generic name for a group of castes among Hindus in Kerala, India, who have traditionally rendered temple services. Castes The Ambalavasis are ...

community of

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

s in 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 ...

state of

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 ...

. The women in this caste are called ''Illotammas''. Mani Madhava Chakyar

They occupy a position in the

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

in managing the affairs of the temple, though not the actual conduct of ceremonies. They are assigned with the holy temple ritualistic performance called

Chakyar Koothu Chakyar Koothu (pronounced ) is a performance art from Kerala, India. It is primarily a type of highly refined monologue where the performer narrates episodes from Hindu epics (such as the ''Ramayana'' and the ''Mahabharata'') and stories from ...

and

Koodiyattam Koodiyattam ( ml, കൂടിയാട്ടം; IAST: kūṭiyāṭṭaṁ; ) is a traditional performing art form in the state of Kerala, India. It is a combination of ancient Sanskrit theatre with elements of ''Koothu'', an ancient perfo ...

, which is the only surviving ancient

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 ...

theatre in

. Chakyar is the main actor who performs the ritualistic ''Koothus'' and ''Koodiyattams'' inside the temple or in ''

Koothambalam Koothambalam or Kuttampalam meaning temple theatre is a closed hall for staging ''Koothu'', ''Nangiar koothu'' and '' Koodiyattam'', the ancient ritualistic art forms of Kerala, India. Koothambalams are said to be constructed according to the gui ...

s''. Their women, ''Illotammas'', are not allowed to participate in these. The women roles are done by ladies of

Nambiar Nambiar may refer to: *Nambiar (Ambalavasi caste), a Hindu caste in Kerala *Nambiar (Nair subcaste), an Indian caste from North Malabar People *A. C. N. Nambiar (1896–1986), Indian nationalist and first Indian ambassador to Germany *Aneil Namb ...

community called ''Nangyarammas''.

plays the holy drum ''

Mizhavu A mizhav or mizhavu (Malayalam: മിഴാവ്) is a big copper drum played as an accompanying percussion instrument in the Koodiyattam and Koothu, performing arts of Kerala. It is played by the Ambalavasi Nambiar community. After 1965, wh ...

''. There were 18 Chakyar families throughout Kerala, but now their number is small. ''Mani'' family is one of them. The greatest Koodiyattam and Chakyar koothu exponent,

Natyashastra The ''Nāṭya Śāstra'' (, ''Nāṭyaśāstra'') is a Sanskrit treatise on the performing arts. The text is attributed to sage Bharata Muni, and its first complete compilation is dated to between 200 BCE and 200 CE, but estimates va ...

scholar and world-renowned

Guru Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverential ...

, (late) ''Natyacharya Vidushakaratnam''

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

Mani Madhava Chakyar Guru Mani Madhava Chakyar (IAST: ''Māṇi Mādhava Cākyār'') (15 February 1899 – 14 January 1990) was a celebrated master performance artist and Sanskrit scholar from Kerala, India, considered to be the greatest Chakyar Koothu and Kood ...

belonged to this family. Chakyars preferred to associate themselves more with the

s than what they considered the unequal status amongst the

Namboothri The Nambudiri (), also transliterated as Nampoothiri, Nambūdiri, Namboodiri, Nampoothiri, and Nampūtiri, are a Malayali Brahmin caste, native to what is now the state of Kerala, India, where they constituted part of the traditional feudal el ...

References

* Natyakalpadrumam, by Guru

,1975.

External links

*{{cite journal, jstor=606843, title=Aj amila-Moksa-Prabandha of Narayana Bhatta, first=V. Venkatarāma Śarmā, last=Śāstrī, date=1 January 1926, journal=Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies, University of London, volume=4, issue=2, pages=295–300, doi=10.1017/S0041977X00089217
Shree Painkulam Raman Chakyar
Social groups of India Indian surnames Kerala society Indian castes Malayali people Social groups of Kerala Hindu communities

See also

References

External links