Kerala Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran

Kerala Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran Biography

Kerala Varma Valiya Koil Thampuran was a member belonging to the royal family of Parappanad, Malabar. He is better known as a Malayalam poet and translator and was equally prolific in English and Sanskrit. His name is also spelt as Kerala Varma Valiya Koilthampuran and briefly called, Kerala Varma. He is credited to the first Malayalam writer who started writing in western culture. He is described as "a colossal Renaissance figure in 19th century Kerala". He is also known as an essayist and text book committee chairman.

He was born in Changanacherry at the Laxmipuram Palace on February 19, 1845 as the son of Cheriyoor Mullapally Narayanan Namboothiri and Pooram Nal Devi Amba Thampuratti. During the invasion of Tipu Sultan towards the end of the 18th century, his family moved from Malabar to Travancore. His royal family stayed back here accepting a pension from the British government. After his birth in Changanacherry, his family moved to Haripad and settled at the Ananthapuram Palace. He married Bharani Thirunal Lakshmi Bayi, the adopted niece of Uthram Thirunal, the ruler of Travancore then. Though the marriage brought him close to Travancore family, his personal indifferences with Maharajah Ayilyam Thirunal forced him to move to Haripad in 1875.

He was reunited with his wife only 5 years later and it was done by Visakham Thirunal. After the death of his consort, he was appointed the guardian of her two grandnieces. He translated Kalidasa's Sakunthalam in 1898. He wrote Mayoorasandesham in Malayalam in 1894 based on Kalidasa’s work with the same title. It was based on his parting with his wife and he used peacocks as messengers. (Mayoora means Peacock). Akbar is his novel and he has also contributed some essays like Sanmarga samagraham and Vijnana Manjari.

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Updated: April 16, 2014