Vadakkan Pattukal (Ballads of North Malabar or Songs of the North) is a collection of Malayalam Ballads of medieval origin. The songs present sagas of heroes such as Aromal Chekavar and Thacholi Othenan, and heroines like Unniyarcha. The stories centre round the fortunes of two families, Puthooram family and Thacholi manikkoth family. Though two families belong to two different communities, Thiyyar and Nair respectively, they share in common the martial traditional. The chief among the Thiyyar chieftains of puthooram was Aromal chekavar, a veteran in the art of the dual. His sister Attumanamel unniyarcha, is equally adapt in the use of arms. The exploit of the Nair chieftain Thacholi Otenan belonging to the Thacholi family from the them of several ballads. Thacholi chandu, palattu komappan, putumada kelu, karumparambil kannan are some of the other warriors who figure in the balladas. [1][2] They exemplify the heights of folk-poetry and are also sometimes associated with deities. Almost all these ballads show strong connections with Kalaripayattu. The oldest compositions do not date earlier than 16th century but their idiom and vocabulary seems older. The Malayalam used is devoid of Tamil and Sanskrit, and thus is probably closest to spoken idiom.[3][4] However, like any other oral cultural forms that are sung by communities even today, these songs show great flexibility and a repetitive pattern in their lexicon that is typical of the simplicity of folksongs in general.[5]
References
- ^ Ayyappa Paniker, K. (1997). Medieval Indian Literature: Surveys and selections. ISBN 9788126003655.
- ^ Nisha, P. R. (12 June 2020). Jumbos and Jumping Devils: A Social History of Indian Circus. ISBN 9780190992071.
- ^ Sujit Mukherjee, A Dictionary of Indian Literature (Orient Longman Publications, 1998, ISBN 81-250-1453-5), page 406
- ^ Vadakkan and Thekkan Pattukal.(Sri Rama Vilasom Press, 1967), pages 128–148
- ^ Rakhava Warrier, Vadakkan pattukalude Paniyala 1982 Vallathol Vidhyapeedom Press