Mani Damodara Chakyar

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Mani Damodara Chakyar ( Māni Dāmodara Chākyār ) (b. 1946) is a renowned Kutiyattam and Chakyar Koothu artist in Kerala state of south India. He is a nephew and disciple of legendary Guru Nātyāchārya Vidūshakaratnam Padma Shri Māni Mādhava Chākyār. He belongs to the great Mani Chakyar tradition of Koodiyattam and Chakyar koothu.

He studied Chakyar Koothu and Koodiyattam in traditional way for more than 30 years under the direct guidance of Guru Māni Mādhava Chākyār. He has studied Sanskrit and Nātyasāstra in traditional way. He holds a Master's degree in Sanskrit Literature as well.

He was a member of Legendary Guru Padma Shri Māni Mādhava Chākyār's Koodiyattam troop which performed Koodiyattam outside Kerala for the first time. In that performance ( 1962, Madras)- Thoranayudham Koodiyattam, he played the role of Vibhishana with his Guru- Mani Madhava Chakyar (as Ravana). He is an exponent of traditional devotional Koodiyattams, such as Anguliyanka, Mattavilasa Prahasana, Mantranka, Ezhamanka ( seventh act of Ascharyachoodamani). He is performing all these devotional ritualistic Koothus and Koodiyattams for decades in various famous temples of Kerala, like Kottiyoor,Taliparamba Rajarajeshwara Temple of Kannur, Triprayar of Thrissur, Peruvanam Mahadeva temple of Thrissur etc. In many of these temples, Māni family solely posses the right to perform Koothu nd Koodiyattam.

First Koodiyattam outside Kerala - Madras 1962.

He has performed Koodiyattam all over India with the great guru Māni Mādhava Chākyār. He has performed both as Nayaka- hero and Vidushaka- court jester in Kudiyattams such as Swapnavasavadattam, Naganandam, Subhadradhananjayam etc. When the great Guru Nātyāchārya Māni Mādhava Chākyār choreographed and directed Kalidasa's Mālavikāgnimitra and Vikramorvaśīya for the first time in the history of Kudiyattam, it was Mani Damodara Chakyar to whom he gave the role of Nayaka. Mani Damodara Chakyar staged Malavikagnimitram and Vikramorvasheeyam at Kalidasa Academy, Ujjain under the guidance of his Guru.

Mani Damodara Chakyar as Nayaka- hero, (King Udayana) in Swapnavasavadattam Koodiyattam.

He was a member of Guru Māni Mādhava Chākyār's troop which performed different Koodiyattams in places outside Kerala such as New Delhi, Banaras, Mumbai, Ujjain, Bhopal and Madras. He had the good fortune to perform in many important Conferences and Seminars such as World Sanskrit Conferences at Banaras, Bangalore and Thrissur.

Mani Damodara Chakyar as Kapali in Mattavilasaprahasana

He was the first Koodiyattam student who received scholarship from MHRD New Delhi. Later, both junior and senior fellowships where also awarded to him by the same department. He is the recipient of many prizes from different temples and cultural organisations. He has received the Kerala Sangeet Natak Academy Award for Koodiyattam for the year 2000.