Parvati viraham: mani madhava chakyar as ravana narrating

The video shows the performance of Mani Madhava Chakyar as Ravana. Through the ritual theatre form of the Koodiyattam, he narrates the story of Parvati Viraham as Ravana. The story of Parvati Viraham revolves around a lover's quarrel between the God Shiva and his consort Parvati as she enquires about his passionate relationship with the river Goddess Ganga. The performance is enacted by one actor on stage accompanied by the large copper drum, the mizhavu and cymbals. This composition is one of the oldest repertoires of Koodiyattam and is traditionally enacted by men. Guru Mani Madhava Chakyar (1899-1990) is a well-known master and scholar of the Koodiyattam from Kerala. The Koodiyattam is traditionally a temple-bound theatre form and the plays are enacted by male members of the Chakyar community. Guru Mani was the first master to take the art form outside the temple context and train non-Chakyar students.