Ramapurathu Warrier (1703–1753) is considered to be the pioneer of the " Vanchippattu" or Boat song form of poetry in

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 ...

language. ''Vanchippattu'' is a poetic form of folk origin composed entirely in the Dravidian metre ''nathonnata''. He was born in the year 1703 at Kottayam District, Kerala. He was born in Ramapuram, near

Palai Pallai (, ), also spelt Palai, is a small town in the Kilinochchi District, Northern Province, Sri Lanka. The town is located under the division of the Pachilaipally Divisional Secretary and is administered by the Pachilaipally Pradeshiya Sa ...

, in

Meenachil Meenachil is the north-eastern region of Kottayam district in Kerala, south India. The name originates from Meenakshi, the Hindu Goddess. Pala is the main city in Meenachil. The arterial river of the district is also named Meenachil. Geogra ...

Taluk,

Kottayam District Kottayam () is one of List of districts of Kerala, 14 districts in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kerala. Kottayam district comprises six municipal towns: Kottayam, Changanassery, Pala, Kerala, Pala, Erattupetta, Ettu ...

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 ...

. His real name was Sankaran. He was a courtier of two successive Kings of

Travancore The kingdom of Travancore (), also known as the kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor () or later as Travancore State, was a kingdom that lasted from until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvanan ...

, viz.

Marthanda Varma Anizham Thirunal Marthanda Varma (Malayalam: ; 1706 – 7 July 1758) 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") ...

and Dharma Raja. The most celebrated work of Ramapurathu Warrier is '' Kuchelavritham Vanchippattu'', which depicts the story of Kuchela, a devotee and an old classmate 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 ...

, going to Dwaraka to meet with him. Also he wrote the '' Kuchelavritham Vanchippattu in "Nathonatha"'' The poem was apparently composed and recited during one of the King Marthanda Varma's boat journeys in which Warrier was also present. While describing with great poignance the poverty of Kuchela and the benevolence of Krishna, Warrier was indirectly presenting his miseries before the King seeking the King's help. It was only when he returned home that he realized that instead of his ruined house another large house had been built on the instructions of Maharaja Marthanda Varma. Although composed more than two centuries ago, the poem is still one of the most popular poems in the Malayalam language. An annotated edition was published by DC Books.

References

* ''Kuchela Vrittam'' - Ramapurathu Varier - Annotated by Prof. Gopikuttan; Published by DC Books,

Kottayam Kottayam () is a city in the Kottayam district of Kerala, India. It is the district headquarters of the district and is located about north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, Kottayam has a population of ...

; . {{DEFAULTSORT:Warrier, Ramapurathu Malayalam poets 1700s births 1753 deaths Writers from Kottayam district Poets from Kerala 18th-century Indian poets Indian male poets People from the Kingdom of Travancore 18th-century male writers