Manaveda (

Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...

മാനവേദന്‍ (1585–1658 AD) was one of the

Zamorin The Samoothiri (Anglicised as Zamorin; Malayalam: , , Arabic: ''Sāmuri'', Portuguese: ''Samorim'', Dutch: ''Samorijn'', Chinese: ''Shamitihsi''Ma Huan's Ying-yai Sheng-lan: 'The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores' 433 Translated and Edi ...

Rajas of

Calicut Kozhikode (), also known as Calicut, is a city along the Malabar Coast in the state of Kerala in India. Known as the City of Spices, Kozhikode is listed among the City of Literature, UNESCO's Cities of Literature. It is the nineteenth large ...

in northern

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 ...

, and is renowned as the author of Krishnanattam. This art is a dance drama and presents the story of

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

in a series of eight plays. Monunent of Manaveda in Guruvayur

The second Manaveda (Ruling period 1658-1662 AD) Asvati Tirunal Manaveda is the one who destroyed the power of the Portuguese with the help of Dutch. He reinstated the Mutta Tavali Prince on the throne of Cochin.The contribution of Kerala to Sanskrit Literature; K.Kunjunni Raja; University of Madras 1980; pages 119 to 152 As he was a patron of letters,

Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri (Mēlpattūr Nārāyaṇa Bhaṭṭatiri; 1560–1646/1666), third student of Achyuta Pisharati, was a member of Madhava of Sangamagrama's Kerala school of astronomy and mathematics. He was a mathematical linguist ...

was quite probably a friend of him.

Early life

He was born to the royal family of the

Rajas of

in 1585. Though much is not known about parents and childhood, it is said he had education from Anayath Krishna pisharody and Desamangalath varrier. He grew up into a poetic genius and a farsighted ruler.

Contributions

Only two of his books are available now - '' Krishnanattam'' (text is also called Krishnageethi) and ''Purva bharatha chambu'', both written in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

. The later was completed in A.D 1643, 10 years before Krishnanattam. His other books are believed to be destroyed in the fire which gutted

palace when Hyderali of

Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...

attacked in 1766.

Krishnageethi

The

text based on which Krishnanattam was created was written on A.D 1653, aged 68. It consists of eight plays: Avataram, Kaliyamardanam, Rasakrida, Kamsavadham, Swayamvaram, Banayuddham, Vividavadham, and Swargarohanam. It is based on 10th and 11th skandhas of

Bhagavata Purana The ''Bhagavata Purana'' (; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam (Śrīmad Bhāgavatam)'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' () or simply ''Bhagavata (Bhāgavata)'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen major Puranas (''Mahapuranas'') and one ...

dealing solely with the story of

. It has also gained inspirations from

Gita Govinda The ''Gita Govinda'' (; IAST: ''gītagovindam'') is a work composed by the 12th-century Hindu poet, Jayadeva. It describes the relationship between Krishna, Radha and ''gopis'' (female cow herders) of Vrindavan. The ''Gita Govinda'' is organiz ...

Jayadeva Jayadeva (; born ), also spelt Jaideva, was a Sanskrit poet during the 12th century. He is most known for his epic poem ''Gita Govinda'' which concentrates on Krishna's love with the ''gopi'', Radha, in a rite of spring. This poem, which presen ...

, Sree krishna vilaasam

Mahakavya Mahākāvya (lit. great kāvya, court epic), also known as ''sargabandha'', is a genre of Indian epic poetry in Classical Sanskrit. The genre is characterised by ornate and elaborate descriptions of phenomena such as scenery, love, and battles. T ...

and Narayaniyam of

The opening sloka of Krishnanattam is: Krishnanattam kalari

Apart from such slokas it is also adorned by many padyageethams like that of

. It is a masterpiece work in

by a Keralite.

The stories

The eight plays are: Avataram, Kaliyamardanam, Rasakrida, Kamsavadham, Swayamvaram, Banayuddham, Vividavadham and Swargarohanam. its easily memorised by a

mnemonic A mnemonic device ( ), memory trick or memory device is any learning technique that aids information retention or retrieval in the human memory, often by associating the information with something that is easier to remember. It makes use of e ...

"a-ka-ra-ka-swa-bha-vi-swa". On the ninth day, Avatharam is repeated. The various benefits of Krishnanattam as an offering are: * Avatharam for a birth of a child. * Kaliyamardhanam to remove the effect of

poison A poison is any chemical substance that is harmful or lethal to living organisms. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figurati ...

. * Rasakreeda well-being of unmarried girls, to end disputes between

couples Couple or couples may refer to: *Couple, a set of two of items of a type *Couple (mechanics), a pair of force which are equal in magnitude but opposite in direction and separated by a perpendicular distance so that their line of action do not c ...

. * Kamsavaddham to remove enemies. * Swayamvaram for a happy

matrimony Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

. * Bana yuddham to remove impoverishment, for good

farm A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...

production. * Vividha vadham to eliminate

poverty Poverty is a state or condition in which an individual lacks the financial resources and essentials for a basic standard of living. Poverty can have diverse Biophysical environmen ...

and increase yield from farms. * Swargarohanam for

peace Peace is a state of harmony in the absence of hostility and violence, and everything that discusses achieving human welfare through justice and peaceful conditions. In a societal sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (suc ...

of a departed

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

The legend

King Manaveda told Vilwamangalam about his ambition to view

. The next day the Swamiyar told him that Guruvayurappan has given his consent and Manavedan can see Guruvayurappan playing in the early hours of the morning at the platform of the Elanji tree. He could only see and not touch Him. When as per this agreement, Manavedan saw Guruvayurappan in the form of little child Sri Krishna, he was so excited that he forgot himself and, rushed to embrace little Sree

.Guruvayoorappan immediately disappeared saying, "Vilwamangalam did not tell me that this will happen ". However, Manavedan got one peacock feather from the headgear of Bhagavan Krishna. The

peacock Peafowl is a common name for two bird species of the genus '' Pavo'' and one species of the closely related genus '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae (the pheasants and their allies). Male peafowl are referred t ...

feather Feathers are epidermal growths that form a distinctive outer covering, or plumage, on both avian (bird) and some non-avian dinosaurs and other archosaurs. They are the most complex integumentary structures found in vertebrates and an exa ...

was incorporated in the headgear for the character of Sri Krishna in the dance drama Krishnanattam based on his own text krishnageethi which is composed of 8 chapters. It was performed near the sanctum sanctorum of the Guruvayur Temple. On the ninth day, Avatharam was repeated as the

felt that it was not auspicious to end the series with the demise of Lord Krishna. The blessed art form is still maintained by Guruvayur devaswom and staged as an offering by devotees.

Late life

After advent of Krishnanattam at age of 68 he was till his demise involved in improvising the

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

. He died at

Thrissur Thrissur (, ), Renaming of cities in India, formerly Trichur, also known by its historical name Thrissivaperur, is a city and the headquarters of the Thrissur district in Kerala, India. It is the List of most populous urban agglomerations in Ke ...

in 1658 and was cremated at Guruvayur south of Guruvayurappan temple. A statue was built at this place, which at present is located near panjajanyam guest house in guruvayur.

Gallery

File:Krishnanattam_gryr_1.jpg, File:Krishnanattam_gryr_2.jpg, File:Krishnanattam_gryr_3.jpg, File:Krishnanattam_1.jpg, File:കൃഷ്ണനാട്ടം_.jpg, കൃഷ്ണനാട്ടം_.jpg

References

External links

Krishnattam‘Krishnanattam’
*

Bharata Muni Bharata (Devanagari: भरत) was a '' muni'' (sage) of ancient India. He is traditionally attributed authorship of the influential performing arts treatise '' Natya Shastra'', which covers ancient Indian dance, poetics, dramaturgy, and music ...

krishnanattamKrishnanâttam-God's Own Opera , Facebook
{{coord missing, Kerala Performing arts in India Dances of India Theatre of India Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity Arts of Kerala Religious vernacular drama Articles containing video clips