Adhyatma Ramayanam Kilippattu

Rama and Sita, with Hanuman, and Rama's three brothers Lakshmana, Bharata, and Shatrughna.

Adhyatma Ramayanam Kilippattu is the most popular Malayalam version of the Sanskrit Hindu epic Ramayana. It is believed to have been written by Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan in the early 17th century,[1] and is considered to be a classic of Malayalam literature and an important text in the history of Malayalam language. It is a retelling of the Sanskrit work Adhyatma Ramayana in Kilippattu (bird song) format.[2][3] Ezhuthachan used the Grantha-based Malayalam script to write his Ramayana, although the Vatteluttu writing system was the traditional writing system of Kerala then.[4] Recitation of Adhyatma Ramayanam Kilippattu is very important in Hindu families in Kerala. The month of Karkitakam in the Malayalam calendar is celebrated as the Ramayana recitation month and Ramayana is recited in Hindu houses and temples across Kerala.[5]

  1. ^ Datta, Amaresh (1988). Encyclopaedia of Indian Literature: Devraj to Jyoti. Sahitya Akademi. p. 1251. ISBN 9788126011940.
  2. ^ Mukherjee, Sujit (1998). A Dictionary of Indian Literature: Beginnings-1850. Orient Blackswan. p. 5. ISBN 9788125014539.
  3. ^ Richman, Paula (2008). Ramayana Stories in Modern South India: An Anthology. Indiana University Press. p. 17. ISBN 9780253219534.
  4. ^ William Logan's Malabar manual : new edition with commentaries. Kerala Gazetteers Dept. 2000. pp. 90–92. ISBN 9788185499376.
  5. ^ Chandran, Mini (2013-10-01). "The Fugitive Reader: Reading Adhyatmaramayanam through the Ages". South Asian Review. 34 (2): 123–138. doi:10.1080/02759527.2013.11932933. ISSN 0275-9527. S2CID 187073132.