For this episode we will be speaking about Unniyarcha, a famed heroine from the old ballads of Kerala, a state located at the south-western most tip of India.

As far as we know – Unniyarcha is not a real person, she is a character from the Vadakkan Paattukal, which are the northern ballads of the Malabar region. The ballads speak of Unniyarcha as a warrior. And today she is considered a famous female icon produced by Malayalam literature. 

Unniyarcha is revered for her bravery, her beauty, her independence, and her insane Kalaripayattu skills, which is a Malabar martial art form that is practised extensively even today. But most importantly, at least important to this episode, is that Unniyarcha is known for two things: 

• Her undying loyalty to her clan; and

• Her horrific revenge against the man who killed her brother. 

SOURCES FOR THIS EPISODE: 

• Pushpa Kurup, Power Women -- A Journey into Hindu Mythology and Folklore (2021, Bloomsbury India)

• KKN Kurup, Modern Kerala: Studies in Social and Agrarian Relations (1988, South Asia Books)

• A. Sreedhara Menon, Kerala History and its makers (2011, DC Books)

• K. Ayyappa Paniker, Medieval Indian Literature: Surveys and selections (1977, Sahitya Akademi)

• William John Wilson, History of the Madras Army (1883, Oxford University, link at https://archive.org/details/historymadrasar01wilsgoog)

• Folk literature archive, Malayalam Resource Centre (https://archive.ph/20120712115051/http://malayalamresourcecentre.org/Mrc/literature/folk.html)

• https://www.deccanchronicle.com/nation/current-affairs/281117/what-mt-did-to-unniyarcha.html

• https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/unniyarcha-1961/article2565188.ece

• https://kadathanadankalari.in/unniyarcha/

• https://maddy06.blogspot.com/2011/05/tipu-unniyarcha-and-wodeyar-truth-or.html

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8ersrN2aBc