Malayalam, the lingua franca of the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puduchery, is one of the six Classical languages of India. Malayalam literature comprises those literary texts written in Malayalam, a South-Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala. The first travelogue in any Indian language is the Malayalam Varthamanappusthakam, written by Paremmakkal Thoma Kathanar in 1785. Malayalam literature has been presented with 6 Jnanapith awards, the second-most for any Dravidian language and the third-highest for any Indian language.
Guru Mani Madhava Chakyar (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 Koodiyattam artist and authority of modern times. He was considered as the authority of Abhinaya and Nātyaśāstra.
Kottarathil Sankunni was an Indian writer of Malayalam literature. Best known as the author of Aithihyamala, an eight-volume compilation of century-old legends about Kerala, Sankunni's writings cover prose and poetry, including verses for Kathakali and Ottan Thullal. He was one of the founding members of Bhashaposhini Sabha founded by Kandathil Varghese Mappillai and was also involved with Bharata Vilasam Sabha, another literary initiative. He died on July 22, 1937.
Leela Nambudiripad, known by her pen name Sumangala, was an Indian author of children's literature in Malayalam. Some of her notable works included Neypaayasam, Mithayippoti, as well as translations of the Panchatantra into Malayalam.
Manoj Kuroor is an Indian poet and lyricist who writes in Malayalam.
Moothiringode Bhavathrāthan Namboothiripad was a Malayalam author who is known for his work Aphante Makal which had great social relevance in pre-independent Kerala society.
Vellinezhi is a small but culturally crucial village located in Palakkad district of Kerala in southern India.
Vishnunarayanan Namboothiri was an Indian writer and scholar of Malayalam literature. Known primarily for his poems, Namboothiri also contributed to other genres such as essays, translations and children's literature. Swathanthrathe Kurichu Oru Geetham, Bhoomigeethangal, Indiayenna Vikaaram and Charulata count among his notable works. The Government of India honored him with the fourth highest civilian award of the Padma Shri in 2014 and the Government of Kerala awarded him the Ezhuthachan Puraskaram, the highest literary award in Malayalam, the same year. He was also a recipient of Vayalar Award, Vallathol Award, Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Overall Contributions, Asan Prize, Sahitya Akademi Award and Odakkuzhal Award.
Olappamanna Mana Subramanian Namboothirippad, better identified by his family name, Olappamanna , was an Indian poet of Malayalam literature. A former chairman of Kerala Kalamandalam and an author of 20 books of poetry, his poems were noted for their explicit social expressions. He received two awards from Kerala Sahitya Academy and another from Kendra Sahitya Academy, besides honours such as Government of Madras Poetry Prize, Odakkuzhal Award, N. V. Puraskaram, Asan Smaraka Kavitha Puraskaram and Ulloor Award.
Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri, popularly known as Akkitham, was an Indian poet and essayist who wrote in Malayalam. He was known for a simple and lucid style of writing, exploring themes of profound love and compassion in his works. Some of his prominent works included Irupatham Noottandinte Ithihasam, Balidarshanam , and Nimisha Kshetram.
Tirur Taluk comes under Tirur revenue division in Malappuram district of Kerala, India. Its headquarters is the town of Tirur. Tirur Taluk contains four municipalities - Tanur, Tirur, Kottakkal, and Valanchery. Most of the administrative offices are located in the Mini-Civil Stations at Tirur, Kuttippuram, and Tanur. Most of the villages in present-day Tirur Taluk were parts of the medieval Kingdom of Tanur (Vettathunadu). The port of Tanur was an important port town in the southwestern coast of India during medieval period.
Paloor Madhavan Namboothiri, commonly known as M. N. Paloor, was a Malayalam-language poet from Kerala, India. He was one of the early modernist poets in Malayalam but his writings were steeped in the poetic tradition of Malayalam. He was a recipient of the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award, the state's highest literary honour, in 1983 for his collection Kalikalam. He also received the Kendra Sahitya Akademi Award for his autobiography Kathayillathavante Katha in 2013.
Ashtamoorthi K V is a Malayalam novelist and short story writer from Kerala, India. He commenced his literature career as a novelist but later on made his own mark in the field of Malayalam short stories. Ashtamoorthi won the Kerala Sahithya Academy award in 1992 for the best short story "Veedu Vittu Pokunnu".
Olappamanna Mana is a heritage building, the ancestral home of a Nambuthiri family by name, Olappammanna. The building, an Ettukettu, constructed in Kerala architectural style, is situated in Vellinezhi, a village on the banks of Kunthipuzha River, in Cherpulassery of Palakkad district in the south Indian state of Kerala. The building is around 24 km from Ottapalam railway station and the nearest airport is Calicut International Airport which is 57 km away.
O. M. Anujan is a poet, Kathakali scholar, and academic from Kerala, India. He was one of the founding members of International Center for Kathakali, New Delhi. In 2018, he received the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Lifetime Achievement Award.
K. B. Sreedevi is a Malayalam language writer from Kerala, India. She made literary contributions in the fields of story, novel, study, children's literature and drama. Most of her works on Indian mythology and folklore comes under the genre children's literature. She received several awards including Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award for Overall Contributions and Kerala State Film Award for Story.
Akavoor Narayanan was a Malayalam language writer, scholar and critic from Kerala, India. His most important work is Venmani Prasthanam, which is a study on the nineteenth century Malayalam poetry movement known as Venmani Movement. He has authored more than twenty books, including three Aattakkathas.
