Editing Malayalam literature (section)

==Modern Malayalam==
{{main|Malayalam}}

===Bhakti era===
[[File:THUNCHAN MEMORIAL.jpg|thumbnail|300px|The [[Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University]] is situated at [[Thunchan Parambu]], [[Tirur]], [[Malappuram district|Malappuram]]]]
[[File:Portrait of Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan,the father of the Malayalam language.jpg|thumb|left|[[Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan]]]]
Malayalam literature passed through a tremendous process of development in the 15th and 16th centuries. [[Cherusseri]]'s ''Krishnagatha'' bore witness to the evolution of modern Malayalam language as a proper medium for serious poetic communication. Alongside this, there flourished numerous Sanskrit poets who were very active during this period. The greatest of them was [[Melpathur Narayana Bhattathiri]] (1559–1665), the author of ''[[Narayaniyam]]''. The most significant development of the time took place in the field of Malayalam poetry. [[Thunchaththu Ezhuthachan|Thunchaththu Ramanujan Ezhuthachan]] wrote his two great epics ''[[Adhyathmaramayanam]]'' and ''Srimahabharatam'' and two shorter pieces, ''Irupathinalu Vrittam'' and ''Harinama Kirtanam'' and thereby revolutionised Malayalam language and literature at once. Ezhuthachan refined the style of Malayalam language and it was during his period that Malayalam literature attained its individuality and Malayalam became a fully fledged independent language. Today he is known as the father of Malayalam language and its literature. The ''[[Kilippattu]]'' form he adopted in ''Ramayanam'' and ''Bharatam'' may be a pointer to his recognition of the importance of sound effect in poetry. Ezhuthachan is perhaps the greatest spokesman of the [[Bhakti movement]] in Malayalam but he is more than a writer of devotional hymns. [[K. Ayyappa Paniker]] has noted that "the transition from Cherrusseri to Ezhuthachan marks the triumph of modernism over medievalism."<ref name="Panicker"/> Another important poet of this period was [[Poonthanam|Poonthanam Nambudiri]] (1547–1640). His chief poems are ''[[Jnanappana]]'' (The Song of Divine Wisdom), ''Bhasha Karnamritam'' and ''Kumaraharanam'' or ''Santanagopalam Pana''.<ref name="mlm"/>

===Performance arts===
The 16th century also saw the writing of some dramatic works in ''Manipravalam'' and pure Malayalam, ''Bharatavakyam'', often described as a choral narration, is a work in ''Manipravalam'' which was used for stage performance. The main development in the cultural field in Kerala in the 17th century was the growth of a new form of visual art called [[Kathakali]], which brought into being a new genre of poetry called [[Aattakatha (performance)|Attakkatha]] consisting of the libretto used for a Kathakali performance. The origins of ''aattakatha'' literature dates back to the 12th century and it emerged as a literary genre in the 17th century. The earliest of the ''aattakathas'' is believed to be a cycle of eight ''[[Ramayana]]'' stories (collectively known as ''[[Ramanattam]]''), composed by Kottarakkara Tampuran and about whose date there is an ongoing controversy. Next in importance are the works of Kottayathu Tampuran whose period is about the middle of the seventeenth century. Since the four ''aattakatha''s he wrote ''Bakavadham, Kalyanasaugandhikam, [[Kirmeeravadham]]'' and ''Kalakeyavadham'' punctiliously conform to the strict rules of Kathakali, they are particularly favoured by orthodox artistes and their patrons. Another poet of this category is [[Irayimman Thampi]] (1783–1863). [[Unnayi Variyar]]'s ''[[Nalacharitham]] Aattakatha'' is one of the most famous works in this genre. ''[[Margamkali]]'' was the form of ritual and entertainment among the [[Saint Thomas Christians|Syrian Christians]] corresponding to the ''Sanghakali'' of the Brahmins. ''Margamkalippattu'' is the song for this performance depicting the story of [[Thomas the Apostle]]. This was one of the numerous pieces of Christian literature that must have gained currency in the 16th and 17th centuries.<ref name="mlm"/>[[File:Kathakali BNC.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Kathakali]]]]

In the court of [[Travancore Kingdom|Travancore]] king [[Marthanda Varma]] (1706–1758) and his successor [[Dharma Raja|Dharma Raja Kartika Tirunal Rama Varma]], there flourished a number of poets distinguished in several ways. [[Ramapurathu Warrier]] (1703–1753), the author of ''Kuchela Vrittam Vanchippattu'', was one of them. The ''Vanchippattu'' or Boat song is a poetic form of folk origin composed entirely in the Dravidian metre ''nathonnata''. [[Kunchan Nambiar]] (1705–1770), the founder of [[Ottan thullal|Thullal]] and its rich literature, is often considered as the master of Malayalam satirist poetry. Born in [[Killikkurussimangalam]], he spent his boyhood at Kudamalur and youth at [[Ambalappuzha]]. 1748 he moved to the court of Marthanda Varma and later to the court of his successor Dharma Raja. The word "Thullal" literally means "dance", but under this name Nambiar devised a new style of verse narration with a little background music and dance-like swinging movement to wean the people away from the [[Chakkiyar Koothu]], which was the art form popular till then. He used pure Malayalam as opposed to the stylised and Sanskritised Malayalam language of Chakkiyar Koothu. He also adopted many elements from [[Padayani]] and [[Kolam Thullal]] and certain local folk arts. There are three kinds of Tullal distinguished on the basis of the performer's costume and the style of rendering, viz., ''Ottan, Sitankan'' and ''Parayan''. Dravidian metres are used throughout although there is a quatrain in a Sanskrit metre.<ref name="mlm"/>

===Prose literature===
There was a great lull in the field of literary creation in Malayalam for nearly a century after the death of Kunchan Nambiar. There was however a consistent and steady development of prose at this time. The evolution of prose literature in the early centuries was a very slow process. In the wake of ''Bhashakautaliyam'' several translations began to appear in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The prose of ''Attaprakarams'' was meant to aid the Chakiyars in learning the art of [[Koodiyattom]]. ''Doothavakyam'' (14th century CE) is one of the earliest of these works. 15th century Malayalam prose is represented by ''[[Brahmanda Purana]]m'', a summary of the original in Sanskrit. A large number of prose works appeared during this period, most of which are either narrative based on ''[[purana]]s'' and religious works in Sanskrit or commentaries on similar works. With the starting of the first printing presses in the 16th century by Christian missionaries, prose literature received a great boost. Several regional versions of ''[[Keralolpathi]]'', tracing the beginnings of Kerala history, began to appear in the 18th century. Paremmakkal Thoma Kathanar (1737–1799) wrote the first travelogue in Malayalam, ''Varthamanapustakam'' (Book of News). The works of Christian missionaries like [[Johann Ernst Hanxleden|Arnos Patiri (Johann Ernst Hanxleden)]], 1699–1732) and Paulinose Patiri (John Philip Wesdin, 1748–1806) also led to a widening of the range of topics and themes in Malayalam literature.<ref name="mlm"/>

===Venmani school===
{{main|Venmani School}}
The third quarter of the nineteenth century bore witness to the rise of a new school of poets devoted to the observation of life around them and the use of pure Malayalam (''Pachcha Malayalam''). The major poets of the Venmani school were [[Venmani Achhan Nambudiripad]] (1817–1891), [[Venmani Mahan Nambudiripad]] (1844–1893), [[Poonthottam Achhan Nambudiri]] (1821–1865), [[Poonthottam Mahan Nambudiri]] (1857–1896) and the members of the [[Kodungallur Kovilakam]] (Royal Family) such as [[Kodungallur Kunjikkuttan Thampuran]]. The style of these poets became quite popular for a while and influenced even others who were not members of the group like [[Velutheri Kesavan Vaidyar]] (1839–1897) and Perunlli Krishnan Vaidyan (1863–1894). The Venmani school pioneered a style of poetry that was associated with common day themes, and the use of pure Malayalam rather than Sanskrit. The poetry was therefore easily understood by the common man. The works were known for its humour, wit, and lyrical metre.<ref name="mlm"/>