Kerala bid farewell to Koodiyattam Maestro

Iringalakuda: Renowned  Koodiyattam Acharya Ammanur Madhava Chakyar, who died here last night, was cremated with State honours in the courtyard of his residence Ammanur Madam at Iringalakkuda this afternoon.

 People from all walks of life also bid farewell to their favourite acharya. Madhava Chakyar (91), was also a recipient of many honours, including the Padmashree and Padma Bhushan. His 17-minute-long performance in ”Baliyude Maranam’ had won the UNESCO award in 2001.

Born to Sreedevi Illona Amma and Parameswaran Namboodiri in 1917 at Iringalakkuda, Madhava Chakyar made his debut at the age of eleven at Thirumanthamkavu Temple in Malappuram District.

He made significant contribution to bring the Kerala Traditional art form of Koodiyattam before the World. He was instrumental UNESCO’s recognition of Koodiyattom . When UNESCO first time selected art forms from across the world to bestow recognition as part of its effort to safeguard expressions of oral heritage and traditional culture. Koodiyattam was selected from among 32 entries from all over the world.

Dating back to 2,000 years, `Koodiyattam’ is a unique theatre tradition which survived in Kerala from an ancient past. It deals with the plays of eminent Sanskrit dramatists such as Bhasa, Harsha, Kalidasa, Maendravikrama and Saktibhadra. While following the performative principles of the larger Indian aesthetic tradition, `Koodiyattam’ has its own distinctive characteristics that are firmly rooted in the culture of Kerala.

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