13 Facts About Kunchan Nambiar

Kunchan Nambiar was a prominent Malayalam poet of the 18th century.

Apart from being a prolific poet, Nambiar is famous as the originator of the dance art form of Thull'll, most of his works were written for use in Thullal performances.

Kunchan Nambiar is believed to have been born at Kalakkathu Veedu at Killikkurussimangalam in Palakkad district of the south Indian state of Kerala;.

Kunchan Nambiar spent his early childhood at Killikkurussimangalam, his boyhood at Kudamaloor and youth at Ambalappuzha, and learnt Kalaripayattu and Sanskrit from such masters as Mathoor Panickar, Dronaballi Naicker and Nannikod Unni Ravi Kurup, before moving to the court of Marthanda Varma of Travancore in 1748; later, he served at the court of his successor Dharma Raja.

The later part of his life, it is believed that Kunchan Nambiar returned to Ambalapuzha where he died in 1770, at the age of 65, reportedly due to rabies.

Many of Kunchan Nambiar's verses have transformed into proverbs in Malayalam.

Kunchan Nambiar is considered by many as the master of Malayalam satirist poetry and is credited with the popularisation of a performing art known as Ottan Thullal.

Kunchan Nambiar used pure Malayalam as opposed to the stylised and Sanskritized Malayalam language of Chakyar Koothu, and adopted many elements from Padayani and Kolam Tullal as well as some of the other local folk arts.

Kunchan Nambiar is known to have written 64 thullal stories.

Kunchan Nambiar developed new metres based on the vocal notation for various talas.

Kunchan Nambiar Smarakam Fort is a fort built by the state government in honour of the poet and the monument houses an institution which promotes teaching of satirist art forms.

The most important of Kunchan Nambiar's Thullals are: Syamanthakam, Ghoshayathra, Kiratham, Santhanagopalam, Patracharitham, Karthaveeryarjunavijayam, Bakavadham, Kalyana Saugandhikam, Hariniswayamvaram, Thripuradahanam and Sabha Pravesham.

Kunchan Nambiar was critical of the social evils he saw around him and incorporated his satirical views in his compositions even when the main story is from the Hindu Puranas; he would introduce digressions and use such occasions to comment on society.