 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(August 2007) |
Vellinezhi | |
|---|---|
village | |
| Coordinates: 10°54′10″N76°20′38″E / 10.902878°N 76.34394°E | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Kerala |
| District | Palakkad |
| Government | |
| • Chairman | Position Empty |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Malayalam, English |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
Vellinezhi is a small but culturally crucial village located in Palakkad district of Kerala in southern India.[ citation needed ]
The sylvan, rugged land is located on the banks of the Kunti, a slender rivulet that forms tributary to the broad, west-flowing Bharatapuzha that criss-crosses central Kerala in southern India. Vellinezhi is located about 25 km north of Ottapalam in Palakkad district. [1] The nearest small town is Cherpulassery, some seven kilometres away.
It is famous for the huge number of Kathakali and traditional Kerala percussion artistes it has churned out over a period of decades and centuries [1] —in a hoary way in its feudal past, and at a relatively slower place in today's liberal-economy world.
Though Vellinezhi was known for its tradition of Art and as a birthplace of many famous artists, the idea of Kalagramam is a recent development. It all started with the publication of a series of articles about Vellinezhi, under the title Kaliyarangite Paitrukam (The Tradition of Kathakali Theatre) in the Malayalam Daily Malayala Manorama during July 9–14, 2012.Malayala Manorama’s regional writers were immensely enriched by the invaluable insights into diverse art forms shared by Olappamanna Damodaran Nambudiripad, a visionary steward of Olappamanna Mana. Growing up in this renowned center of Kathakali and other art forms, Damodaran possessed an unparalleled ability to articulate their intricacies. These articles projected the traditional importance of Vellinezhi and its art forms. Another daily Mathrubhumi followed the suit for two days (July 12, 13). From 21 to 27 August Malayala Manorama conducted a Seminar on the subject of Kalagramam. This Seminar kindled interest and awareness in public and many Subsequently, the matter was put up to higher governmental authorities. Cultural Organisations, Artistes and connoisseurs unanimously supported the project put forward by Malayala Manorama. Hon. District Collector Sri P. M. Ali Asgar Pasha, IAS took special interest and on his request, the District Tourism Promotion Council came forward with Development programmes. Sri P. N. Suresh, Hon. Vice-Chancellor, Kalamandalam The Deemed University of Arts drafted a detailed plan for execution to bring the dream to reality.
On October 13 Sri. Anil Kumar, Hon. Minister of Tourism inaugurated the Seminar on Vellinezhi Kalagramam. In this function, the Minister officially declared Vellinezhi as Kalagramam. In the open forum discussion M. P. Rajesh (Hon. M.P ), Smt. K.S. Saleekha (Hon. M.L.A.), P. N. Suresh (Hon. Vice-chancellor, Kalamandalam Deemed University of Arts), K.A. Francis (Chairman, Kerala Lalithakala Academy), T.N. Kandamuthan (President, District Panchayat), K. C. Raman Kutty (President, Block Panchayat), Smt. C. G. Geetha (President, Gram Panchayat), V. Haridas (Vice President, Gram Panchayat), Olappamanna Damodaran Nambudiripad, Roy Philip (Co-ordinating Editor, Malayala Manorama) and many distinguished personalities from all political parties and from different walks of life actively participated. They unanimously offered their whole-hearted support for the concept of Kalagramam. Given the potential of the land previously donated to the Department of Education by Olappamanna Mana, Olappamanna Damodaran Nambudiripad suggested it as the optimal site for the establishment of Kalagramam. Despite being a key figure in highlighting Vellinezhi's cultural heritage, Sri Olappamanna Damodaran Nambudiripad was unable to witness the fruition of Vellinezhi Kalagramam, due to his untimely demise.
On January 5, 2013, a formal official meeting was called by the District Collector in his chamber. The plan of operation was discussed. It was felt that an advisory body is to be formed for planning and executing Kalagramam Projects. As a result of this Dr.Vellinezhi Achuthankutty was appointed as chief coordinator of Kalagramam project. Dr.Vellinezhi Achuthankutty is a retired scientist from Bhaba Atomic Research Centre.
Vellinezhi is one of the 14 desams (small duchy-like territories), and is home to Olappamanna Mana, one of the centuries-old feudal Namboothiri (Kerala Brahmin) mansions (Illam). Once a vibrant hub, Olappamanna Mana now functions as a trust, ensuring its continued vitality through hosting public events, film shoots, and performing arts classes. Established in 1990 by Sri Olappamanna Damodaran Nambudiripad to preserve the mana's rich cultural heritage, the Deviprasadam Trust oversees its operations. The mana is home to Kunjunni Nambudiripad on whom the title of Rao Bahadur was awarded by the ruling British. And more recently, it also gave birth to the renowned scholar, the late O.M.C. Narayanan Nambudiripad (who gave a Malayalam interpretration to the Rigveda), the late poet Mahakavi Subrahmanian Nambudiripad (simply Olappamanna, his pen name and ancestral home name) and author-scholar Dr. O. M. Anujan. In the early 20th century, it was in Olappamanna Mana that the legendary Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon redefined the aesthetics of the Kalluvazhi tradition of Kathakali. Upon the demise of Sri O.M.C. Narayanan Nambudiripad, his son Sri Olappamanna Damodaran Nambudiripad assumed the responsibility of preserving Olappamanna Mana's heritage while going further to present its unique features to a global audience, a task he fulfilled with unyielding commitment until his own demise.
This place was originally a part of the Nedunganad Swaroopam dynasty who sway over a large part of present-day Pattambi and Ottapalam Taluks. [2] By the end of the 15th century CE, Nedunganad came under the leadership of the Zamorin of Calicut, who was also the main ruler of South Malabar region. [2] The Zamorin appointed his local chieftain at Kavalappara Kovilakam to rule this area. [2] It was a part of Walluvanad Taluk in Malappuram Revenue Division of Malabar District during British Raj, with the Taluk headquarters at Perinthalmanna. [2]
Revolving around the cultural patronage of the Olappamanna Mana and the locally famous temples like Sri *Kanthalloor kshethram and Chenginikottu Kavu, Vellinezhi has grown in stature as the homestead of a few classical Kerala art forms. Primary among them is the dance-drama, Kathakali, the technical precision and aesthetic quality of which rose to great heights during the life and times of Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon who polished and made the Kalluvazhi style of the art artfully elaborate. It is his set of disciples, along with the playback musicians, percussionists, make-up (chutti), costumes (petti) artistes that he groomed who later made Vellinezhi proud. The village, critically, has a house named Kothavil that has specialised in the craft of designing and making Kathakali costumes.
Kerala-style percussion ensembles like chenda melam, thayambaka and panchavadyam too have enriched from a flurry of artistes that Vellinezhi has produced over the years.
The village has a high school that included Kathakali teachers and allied tutors among its faculty. Vellinezhi has also been the chief locale for Vanaprastham, an acclaimed Malayalam feature film that has won several awards. In fact, the house of Kunjukkutan, the protagonist in the movie (played by Mohanlal), had been the residence of the late Kathakali guru Padma Shri Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair.
The village lies about 40 km west of Palakkad town, and approximately 100 km north of Nedumbassery international airport.
The heritage village of Vellinezhi is now slowly but steadily transforming to a more populous, mixed-culture locality like most pockets of Kerala. Even so, it has a dense air of Kathakali and traditional arts; its people are getting less related to Kathakali and are finding new jobs. Yet, even among the growing culture of planting rubber estates, it manages to produce young artistes belonging to a traditional, ethnic art—largely Kathakali and Kerala's percussion concerts like chenda melam and panchavadyam.
1.Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon, Kathakali Artist.
2.Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair, Kathakali Artist and Teacher.
3.O.M.C. Narayanan Nambudiripad, Poet and Scholar.
4.Mahakavi Subrahmanian Nambudiripad, Poet and Scholar.
5.Kunjunni Nambudiripad, Poet and Scholar.
6.Ramankutty Nair, Kathakali Artist.
7.O. M. Anujan, Kathakali Scholar and Poet.
8.Olappamanna Damodaran Nambudiripad, Heritage Visionary, Patron, and Chief custodian of Olappamanna Mana.
9.Mattannoor Sankarankutty, Chenda Artist.
10.Vazhenkada Vijayan, Kathakali Artist.
11.Vellinezhi Achuthankutty, Former scientist of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and a Senior Theatre Scholar.
12.Padmanabhan Nair, Kathakali Artist.
13.Satheesh Vellinezhi, Caroonist and Journalist.
14.Suresh K. Nair, Visual Artist and Teacher.
15.Vellinezhi Harikrishnan, Spiritual leader, Writer, Musician and Vedic Reciter.
16.Vishnu Achutha Menon, Filmmaker, Author and Researcher. [3]
17.Rantheesh Ramakrishnan, Film Visual Effects Artist and Cine Artist.
18.Mattannoor Sreekanth, Chenda Artist.
19.Mattannoor Sreeraj, Chenda Artist.
Palakkad is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. It was carved out of the southeastern region of the former Malabar District on 1 January 1957. It is located at the central region of Kerala and is the second largest district in the state after Idukki. The city of Palakkad is the district headquarters. Palakkad is bordered on the northwest by the Malappuram district, on the southwest by the Thrissur district, on the northeast by Nilgiris district, and on the east by Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu. The district is nicknamed "The granary of Kerala". Palakkad is the gateway to Kerala due to the presence of the Palakkad Gap, in the Western Ghats. The 2,383 m high Anginda peak, which is situated in the border of Palakkad district, Nilgiris district, and Malappuram district, in Silent Valley National Park, is the highest point of elevation in Palakkad district. Palakkad city is about 347 kilometres (216 mi) northeast of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram.
Thayambaka or tayambaka is a type of solo chenda performance that developed in the south Indian state of Kerala, in which the main player at the centre improvises rhythmically on the beats of half-a-dozen or a few more chenda and ilathalam players around.
Pattambi is a town, tehsil, and municipality in the Palakkad District of Kerala, India. It is also the administrative headquarters of the Pattambi Taluk.
Cherpulassery is a town and municipality in the Palakkad district, of Kerala, India. Cherpulassery is often called the Sabarimala of Malabar as the famous Ayyappankavu temple is located here. The Puthanalakkal Bhagavathi temple and the Kalavela and Pooram associated with it is one of the largest festivals in the region. The town is located about 43 km (27 mi) west of the district headquarters at Palakkad on State Highway 53.
O M C Narayanan Nambudiripad, an eminent Sanskrit scholar was born to the famous Nambudiri family of Olappamanna Mana on 24 June 1910 in Vellinezhi. He is known for his translation into Malayalam of the Rigveda. This work titled Rigveda Bhasha Bhashyam is an exhaustive interpretative analysis of the Rigveda alternatively known as Deviprasadam. After his death on 4 April 1989 aged 79, a trust was constituted in his memory. The Deviprasadam Trust at Olappamanna Mana hands out awards annually to honour masters in Sanskrit, Vedas, Malayalam literature and Kathakali.The trust was established by Sri O N Damodaran Nambudiripad, son of O.M.C Narayanan Nambudiripad.
Kalamandalam Krishnan Nair was a Kathakali dancer from Kerala in India.
Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair was a performer of Kathakali, who practiced the Kerala art form for more than seven decades.
Guru Kelu Nair was a renowned Kathakali dance artist and teacher.
Karalmanna is a south Indian village in the erstwhile state of Valluvanad along the banks of the Thootha, a tributary of the river Nila in Palakkad district of Kerala. It is connected to the nearby small towns of Cherpulassery and Perintalmanna by road.
Keezhpadam Kumaran Nair (1916–2007) was a Kathakali artist from Kerala, India. Endowed and equipped with a life profile that also showed him to several traditional Indian performing arts other than Kathakali, his stage presentation infused a fresh breath into the four-century-old art form, thanks also to his broad and deep view about the Puranas that spurred from a constant pursuit of knowledge through reading books and engaging in talks in scholars.
Vazhenkada is a village, known for its Kathakali heritage, on the banks of the river Thootha in Malappuram district of Kerala in southern India. The nearest small towns are Cherpulassery to its south 8 kilometres away and Perintalmanna to its north ,12 kilometres away.
Kalamandalam Padmanabhan Nair (1928–2007) was an eminent Kathakali exponent, equally known for his capacities as a tutor, theoretician and author of a few authentic texts on the classical dance-drama from Kerala in south India. A son of the Kathakali guru Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon, Padmanabhan Nair was one of the early-batch students in Kerala Kalamandalam, where he subsequently joined as a teacher and retired as its principal in 1990. He died on 3 April 2007, at his home in Shoranur, near his alma mater, where he led his post-professorial life with wife and Mohiniyattam exponent and guru, Kalamandalam Satyabhama.
Pattikkamthodi Ravunni Menon (1880–1948) was a pivotal figure in the history of Kathakali, having played a crucial role in remoulding and refining its grammar in the famed Kalluvazhi tradition of the classical dance-drama from Kerala in south India. He was trained in the art form at a culture-patronising Namboodiri mansion in Vellinezhi near his home.
Kalamandalam Krishnankutty Poduval (1924-1992) was a self-taught maestro of Kathakali percussion who excelled in the art of chenda playing by redefining its aesthetics as an audio accompaniment for the classical dance-drama from Kerala in south India.
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.
Tirur Taluk comes under Tirur revenue division in Malappuram district in the Indian state of Kerala. 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.
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.
South Malabar refers to a geographical area of the southwestern coast of India covering some parts of the present-day Kerala state. South Malabar covers the regions included in present-day Kozhikode taluk of Kozhikode district, the whole area of Malappuram district, Chavakkad taluk of Thrissur district, and Palakkad district, excluding parts of Chittur taluk. The Fort Kochi region of Kochi city also historically belongs to South Malabar. The term South Malabar refers to the region of the erstwhile Malabar District south to the river Korapuzha, and bears a high cultural similarity to both the Cochin and the North Malabar regions.
Nambiarath Appunni Tharakan is a Kathakali artist from Kerala, India. He work as Uduthukettal expert at aniyara of Kathakali. He received several awards including Kerala Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Award, Kerala Kalamandalam Award for Best Kathakali Aniyara Artist and Kerala Kalamandalam Mukundaraja Award.
Kalamandalam Kuttan Asan was an Indian Kathakali artiste from Kerala. He was known as Dakshan Kuttan as he was popular in the role of Daksha. He received awards including the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award 2008 and Kerala State Kathakali Award 2019.
1. Vishnu Achutha Menon & Krishnanunni R (2019) The Voyage of vellinezhi by Economic and Political Weekly [1]
2. S Rajendu (2012). Nedumangad Charithram, Kerala..
3. Vellinezhi Achuthankutty (2018). Valluvanadan kalakalum vellinezhi kalagramavum by Natakkam publishers. Kerala.
4. Logan (1887). Malabar (2 vols). Madras.