This erstwhile Zamorin, a patron of arts and literature, remains a forgotten figure in history

Manavikrama Ettan Thampuran

Unesco’s ‘City of Literature’ tag has spurred a flurry of activities in Kozhikode, but very few people remember a key literary figure from the city, who also ruled the erstwhile Calicut as its Zamorin.

Manavikrama Ettan Thampuran, also known as Vidwan Ettan Thampuran and ‘Kavirajakumara’, was a Sanskrit scholar, writer, and poet, who published around 50 works in Malayalam and Sanskrit. He also authored Carnatic musical compositions. Born in 1845 at the Padinjare Kovilakam, Mankavu, one of the three branches of the Zamorin dynasty, he became the head of the family in 1912. He retired in 1915 and passed away a year later. Poet Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer in his Kerala Sahitya Charitram, the history of Malayalam literature, devoted a chapter on him, calling the Zamorin a patron of arts who was passionately involved in discovering, promoting, and encouraging budding talents.

Manmadhan Ullattil, his great-grandson and history enthusiast, says that Ettan Thampuran bridged the gap between Sanskrit and Malayalam. Vallathol Narayana Menon and V.C. Balakrishna Panikkar were among the poets he mentored. Ettan Thampuran was also one of the early non-fiction writers in Malayalam. His travelogue Kasiyathra Charitram, published in 1903 after a visit to the city in 1896, is the second such book to be written in the language. The first was Roma Yatra by P. Thoma Kathenar.

Ulloor points out that the Sanskrit journal Vijnana Chintamaņi under the editorship of Punnasseri Nambi Nilakanta Sharma flourished under his patronage. He invited poets and scholars to literary meetings and published the poems composed by them during the event titled ‘Sahrudaya Samagamam’ heldat Mankavu.

The erstwhile Zamorin was also an institution builder as he is believed to have helped Punnasseri Nambi to set up the Sanskrit College at Pattambi in Palakkad. The first-ever congress of the Ayurveda Samajam was held at the then Calicut in 1902 during which the name ‘Keraleeya Ayurveda Samajam’ was introduced. He also played a key role in building a memorial for Thunchath Ezhuthachan, the father of modern Malayalam, at Tirur in 1906.

Mr. Manmadhan says that Ettan Thampuran popularised the habit of writing letters in Sanskrit between writers and published them under the title Lekhamala. He was the key sponsor of the Kerala Granthamala series, which published works of many Malayali writers. “For many of them, he was their Sanskrit teacher, and for those in need, he provided shelter and monetary support. He was literate not only in Sanskrit, Tamil, and Malayalam, but also in Hindustani and English. He wrote his works using Grantha lipi, Malayalam, and Sanskrit,” Mr. Manmadhan points out. He is now trying to collate Ettan Thampuran’s works.

Mr. Manmadhan is supported by Mohana Krishnan, retired IT administrator, Zamorin’s Guruvayurappan College, Kozhikode, Pravin Varma who is involved in collecting rare Malayalam and Sanskrit works, and C.K. Ramachandran of the Calicut Heritage Forum.