RAMACHARITAM-
OLDEST CLASSIC IN MALAYALAM
The evidence for the beginning of
conscious literary creation in Malayalam is to be found in Ramacharitam,
written in the 12th century and believed to be the oldest extant classic in
Malayalam (some scholars have assigned it to the 14th century). The language represented
here is an early form of Malayalam which appears to be almost indistinguishable
from Tamil, except perhaps for a linguist. Ramacharitam is the earliest of the
many poetic versions of the story of Ramayana that have appeared in Malayalam.
The work is thus important from the linguistic as well as the literary point of
view. Ulloor Parameswara Iyer who was the first to bring to light long excerpts
from this poem, holds the view that it was written by Sri Vira Rama Varma who
ruled over Travancore from 1195 to 1208. Scholars differ on whether the
language of Ramacharitam represents the literary dialect or the spoken dialect
of Malayalam of that period.
Ramacharitam is also taken to the
greatest work belonging to the Pattu school. Cheeraman, the author, as his name
is given in the poem itself, has adapted to suit a Dravidian sensibility, a
story which is unmistakably of Aryan origin. The work retells the story of
Ramayana and the author tries to follow Valmiki in all essential details.
However, it would not be an exaggeration to say that one could read the work as
an original and independent poem in which the story is told with remarkable
ease, maturity and perfect craftsmanship. It rises far above the level of
ordinary folk poetry in its literary sophistication. Even the stansas of
invocation is section one show great skill not only in condensing a whole
series of events in one context but also in intoning the emotion or bhava in a
concentrated form.
Prof. John Kurakar
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