KunchanSmarakam Fort

 

KunchanSmarakam Fort Killikurshimangalam, Palakkad.

History 

Kunchan Nambiar was a renowned Malayalam poet, and inventor of Kerala?s own dance form - Ottamthullal. ?Smarakam? is a Sanskrit word, which means ?memorial?. Kunchan Smarakam Fort was built as a memorial for the great poet of Malayalam - Kunchan Nambiar. The fort is located at Lakkidi in Palakkad district. The place is popularly known as Killikurissi Mangalam - the birth place of Kunchan Nambiar. He spent his early years at Kudamaloor and his youth at Ambalappuzha. Some scholars believe that Kunchan Nambiar and Sanskrit poet Rama Panivada were same. In 1748, Kunchan Nambiar attended the court of Martanda Varma, and later moved to the court of Karthika Thirunal Rama Varma. Kunjan Nambiar, a genius and one of the renowned poets of Kerala, is credited to organize Thullal as a genre of poetry in Malayalam and as a dance form. During a temple festival, Kunjan Nambiar was playing the drum for a Chaakiaar. There, he made a mistake, which annoyed Chaakiaar who publicly dejected him. Kunjan Nambiar left the place quietly. Next day, when same Chaakiaar was performing, he began to sing and dance. In brief time, the audience turned to Nambiar?s antics, leaving the Chaakiaar without spectators. Kunchan Nambiar represented the golden age of Malayalam literature. Today, Kunchan Smarakam is a national monument. It is now under the governance of a committee appointed by the Government.