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{{More citations needed|date=May 2009}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}}
{{Use Indian English|date=December 2019}}
[[File:Vidushaka-Mani Madhava Chakyar.jpg|Guru Padma Shri [[Mani Madhava Chakyar]] performing Chakyar koothu|thumb|right]]

'''Chakyar Koothu''' (pronounced {{IPA-ml|tʃaːkjaːr kuːt̪ːɨ̆|}}) is a performance art from [[Kerala]], India. It is primarily a type of highly refined [[monologue]] where the performer narrates episodes from [[Hindu Epics|Hindu epics]] (such as the ''[[Ramayana]]'' and the ''[[Mahabharata]]'') and stories from the [[Puranas]].<ref name="mumbaipluses1">http://www.mumbaipluses.com/chemburghatkoparplus/index.aspx?page=article&sectid=3&contentid=2008041320080414201125628e77d206&sectxslt=&comments=true</ref> Sometimes, however, it is also a traditional equivalent of the modern [[stand-up comedy]] act, incorporating commentary on current socio-political events (and personal comments directed at the members of the audience).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.expressbuzz.com/edition/story.aspx?Title=Bhagavadhoothu+chakyar+koothu+at+Oottupura&artid=5M4Hn2iFH8=&SectionID=9R67TMeNb/w=&MainSectionID=9R67TMeNb/w=&SEO=&SectionName=gUhH3Holuas= |title=Latest India News | Breaking News | World & Business News | Sports & Entertainment news |publisher=Expressbuzz.com |access-date=2013-09-30 }}{{Dead link|date=June 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

==The Performance==

"Koothu" means dance ... which is a misnomer, as facial expressions are emphasized and there is minimal [[choreography]]. It is performed in the [[Koothambalam]]; a place inside Hindu temples specifically designed for performing [[Kutiyattam]] and Chakyar Koothu. Ideally, the performance takes place in conjunction with festivals, presented by members of the [[Chakyar]] community along with the [[Ambalavasi Nambiar]]s.

It is a solo performance, by a narrator in a distinctive headgear and black moustache with his torso smeared with sandalwood paste and red dots all over the body. The headgear resembles snake’s hood, to symbolise the narration by Anantha, the thousand headed serpent.<ref name="mumbaipluses1"/>

The Chakyar narrates the story based on the Sanskrit style of "[[Champu|Champu Prabandha]]" - a mixture of prose (''[[gadya]]'') and poetry (''[[shloka]]''). He begins with a prayer to the deity of the temple. He then goes on to narrate a verse in Sanskrit before explaining it in Malayalam. The narration uses wit and humor to draw parallels with current events and local situations.

Koothu has traditionally been performed only by the [[Chakyar]] community. Two instruments accompany the performance - a [[mizhavu]] and a pair of [[ilathalam]]. This is different from the [[Nangiar Koothu]], which is performed by women called [[Nangyaramma]]s who belong to the [[Nambiar (Ambalavasi/Mizhavu)|Nambiar]] caste, and is a more highly refined theatre art.

==Māni Mādhava Chākyār==

Chakyar Koothu was originally performed only in Koothambalams of Hindu temples. It was ''Natyacharya''- meaning a great teacher and practitioner of ''natyam'' (dramaturgy), a title accorded in his honour- [[Padma Shri]] [[Māni Mādhava Chākyār]], a virtuoso of this art, who took Koothu and Kudiyattam outside the temples to the common people. He was the first to perform Chakyar Koothu for [[All India Radio]] and [[Doordarshan]]. Many consider him to be the greatest Chakyar Koothu and Kutiyattam artist of modern times.
The story goes that his guru, ''[[Rama Varma Parikshith Thampuran]]'' wrote a Sanskrit ''champu prabandha'' called ''[[Prahlādacharita]]'' and requested some senior artists to study and perform it, but they found it impossible to do. It was then young Māni Mādhava Chākyār's turn to try. He agreed and studied a part of the ''prabandha'' overnight and performed it the next day at [[Tripunithura]], then the capital of the [[Kingdom of Cochin]]. The incident proved his mastery of both Sanskrit and the classical art forms. After some months, he performed the entire ''Prahlādacharita '' on the same stage.

The late [[Ammannur Madhava Chakyar]] and [[Painkulam Raman Chakyar]] were another important 20th century figure in this art form.

==See also==
* [[Arts of Kerala]]
* [[Chakyar]]
* [[Mani Madhava Chakyar]]
* [[Mani Damodara Chakyar]]
* [[Painkulam Raman Chakyar]]
* [[Kathakali]]
* [[Koodiyattam]]
* [[Koothambalam]]
* [[Mohiniyattam]]
* [[Nambiar (Ambalavasi/Mizhavu)|Nambiar]]
* [[Natyakalpadrumam]]
* [[Ottamthullal]]
* [[Parayan Thullal]]
* [[Panchavadyam]]

==References==
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{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070604231338/http://www.artkerala.com/art-forms/classical-dances/chakyar-koothu Chakyarkoothu artkerala.com]

{{Culture of Kerala}}{{Dance in India}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chakyar Koothu}}
[[Category:Hindu dance traditions]]
[[Category:Theatre in India]]
[[Category:Arts of Kerala]]

Chakyar koothu - Revision history

imported>Monkbot at 15:35, 11 December 2020