Perumthachan
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Perumthachan also spelled as "Perunthachan" meaning (the master carpenter or the master craftsman) is an honorific title that is used to refer to an ancient legendary carpenter (Asari), architect, woodcarver and sculptor from Kerala, India. However Perumthachan is an important figure in the folklore of Kerala and many a wondrous structure and architecture that still stand are attributed to him.
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[edit] The legend
Many legends of Perumthachan are seen in eithihyamala, the compilation of legends and folklore of Kerala written by Kottarathil Sankunni. According to the legend, Perumthachan was born to a Brahmin father Vararuchi and mother from a lower caste , hailing from the village of Thrithala. After their marriage, they set out on a long journey. During the course of their travels, the woman became pregnant several times, and every time she delivered a baby, she was asked by her husband if it had a mouth. Every time that she replied in the affirmative, Vararuchi asked her to let go of the baby, averring that the God which carved its mouth, will fill it as well. Each of these babies, twelve of them in total, was raised by people belonging to different castes, making the legendary Parayi petta panthirukulam or literally, the twelve castes borne out of the pariah woman. Each of them grew famous in their lives and many tales and lores were attributed, with them as the main cast. The eldest was Agnihothri, a Brahmin, whose place is Mezhathur in Thrithala. The others are Pakkanar (basket weaver), Perumthachan (Master carpenter), Naranathu Bhranthan (an eccentric philosopher who was perceived as a madman), Vayillakunnilappan (a child with no mouth, whom the mother wanted to keep with her) and so on.
Since Perumthachan was raised by parents who belonged to Carpenter caste Vishwakarma (caste)#Kerala, he mastered the art and science of carpentry and architecture. He read the sacred texts and imbibed the ancient intellectual tradition. He was commissioned for many a great architectural project to build temples and palaces. In course of time he came to be regarded as the reincarnation of the chief architect of the gods.
Perumthachan had a son who like him mastered and excelled in carpentry and architecture and in time,duly surpassed his own perfection. The repute of Perumthachan's son spread far and wide, which allegedly spurred animus between father and son. According to the Aithihyamala, Perumthachan, blinded by his professional jealousy dropped his chisel on his own son in the guise of an accident, killing him on the spot. Thus the legend ends in tragedy, telling us that even great men can have their frailties.
[edit] Legend of Temple Pond
Perumthachan was once assigned to construct a temple pond. But it so happened that a dispute arose among three Karakkar s (local residents) of the place as to the shape of the pond to be constructed. One group wanted a rectangular pond, another a square pond and the third, a circular shape. Perumthachan agreed to construct a pond which would satisfy all the three conflicting demands. When the pond was constructed, the Karakkars from each of the sides were immensely pleased to see their desired shape for the pond. It was so because the original shape of the pond was none of these three but a highly irregular shape, which could create an illusion and fool the onlooker from each side.
The Shiva temple at Uliyannore, www.uliyannoortemple.com and the Valluvanad temples that still exist in Kerala are attributed to Perumthachan.
[edit] Influence on Art & culture
The story of Perumthachan has been a source of artistic expression for various people. It has been the basis for a great malayalam dramatic monologue poem of the same name by G. Sankara Kurup. The legend of Perumthachan was also depicted in a malayalam cinema Perumthachan(Film) masterfully performed by the famous actor Thilakan. The movie script was written by M. T. Vasudevan Nair and directed by Ajayan (1990) and had won many prestigious accolades for its brilliant cinematography and direction.
