In Kerala, the month of Karkidakam (July-August) is known for heavy rains and was historically a period of scarcity and disease, leading people to boredom and conflicts. To address this, locals began reading the Ramayana, designating the month as the Ramayana month. The version read is the Malayalam Adhyatma Ramayana, composed in the 16th century by Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan, around the same time as Tulsidasa's Ram-charit-manas. Ezhuthachan's retelling differs significantly from the earlier Valmiki Ramayana, emphasizing Ram as a deity rather than just a hero, reflecting a transition in Hinduism from pre-Buddhist traditions to post-Buddhist devotional practices. A notable aspect of Ezhuthachan's Ramayana is the episode of Maya Sita, where a duplicate of Sita is taken by Ravana while the real Sita remains with Agni, the fire-god. This work is important for the development of the Grantha-based Malayalam script, which replaced the older Vatteluttu script, and it signifies a shift towards a more Sanskritized Malayalam literature, moving away from Tamil and Tulu influences. Ezhuthachan, likely from an oil-presser caste and a follower of the scholar Ramanuja, earned the title Ezhuthachan, meaning "elder who knows to write and teach." His contributions made Vedic wisdom accessible to the masses. Various legends surround his life, including tales of divine predictions about his future as a poet and his remarkable ability to write the Ramayana even while intoxicated. In addition to the Ramayana, Ezhuthachan wrote the Mahabharata and the Devi Mahatmaya, with a recurring motif of a parrot that may reference Suka, the son of Vyasa. His Ramayana is part of a larger tradition of Malayalam literature, highlighting the rich and diverse heritage associated with the epic.

by Devdutt Pattanaik in English Mythological Stories

Writen by Devdutt Pattanaik

Category Mythological Stories