Conclusion

For any writer, the attempt to connect a fictional myth with contemporary history is a difficult task. But in the work Annadatri-carita, Prof. K. Balarama Panicker effortlessly harmonized this link of myth and history. Even though it containing various dimensions in its literary, cultural, historical and political aspects; this short drama could notmaintain continues success on stage. It was performed on the birthday celebration of Chittiratirunal Balarama Varma, had faced the same fate of any drama which composed only for such special occasions and slowly disappeared from the mainstream performances. Thus, the Annadatricarita did not became none other than a royal admiration.

But this study focused on a fact that the Annadatri-carita is not to be a put aside work. Although, this work was written contextually, the present study has already discussed the relevance of analysing different dimensions of this drama. This analysis has started from the discussion of the myth of grand feast which connects Mahabharata with the Sangam period and finally it discusses the various aspects of Travancore history with this myth. The major analyzes and conclusions of the study are briefly arranged below.

Observations and Findings

-) In the Annadatricarita, the author selected a complex method of intersecting the history and the myth. The theme of the drama was a popular Sangam myth and the main character was inspired from Utiyan Ceralatan, the first documented king of Kerala history.

-) The Mahabharata does not provide any such reference of this grand feast anywhere in the text. Whereas the epic refers the bravery of a South Indian Pandya king in the Kurukshetra war field.

-) According to historical references, there is no strong proof to connect the primitive Ceras with the Travancore dynasty. The playwright portrayed the hero as an ancestor of Chittiratirunal BalaramaVarma, the final Travancore ruler. However, the Travancore dynasty actually claims their ancestry to the second Ceras.

-) According to historians like A. Sreedhara Menon, the primitive Cera rulers were not belonged to the Kshatriya clan, but the Ceras belongs to some ancient tribes. However, in the Annadatri-carita the author depicted Udayavarma Kulashekhara as the embodiment of the ‘kshatradharma’.

-) The Nandi shloka itself states that this drama is about the saga of the kings of Vanci domain. The Nandi pays tribute to the deity of ‘Dharma.’

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It is obviously influenced from the motto of the Travancore dynasty—‘dharmo'smat kuladaivatam’

-) The portrayal of main characters of the drama such as Udayavarma Kulashekhara (Vancishvara), the Queen mother and Minister of the kingdom directly resembles the influence of the Chithirathirunal Balaramavarma, Jr. Queen Sethu Parvati Bai and C.P Ramaswami Iyer respectively. Moreover, Chithirathirunal Balarama Varma, his mother and minister were mentioned as the incarnations of the epic characters Krishna, Parvati and Yudhishthira respectively. Thus, a divinity is also applied on the Travancore royal family. In the first act, the dramatist mentioned the king as an incarnation of lord Padmanabha. However, many ancient famous kings and kingdoms were praised with such a divinity since the early Sanskrit literature.

-) On the other hand, it is a fact that Chithirathirunal Balarama Varma had an enormous popularity among the Travancore rulers after Svatitirunal Ramavarma. Prof. Balarama Panicker had always maintained a warm relationship with Chittiratirunal Balarama Varma. Both these facts might have been influenced the dramatist to provide a divinity to the king in the drama

-) In this drama the Vancishvara reached Kurukshetra through a Sea Voyage via Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal and the merging position of river Ganges. The playwright depicted this voyage based on an ancient Indian trade route through the sea. But the dramatist provides no clear evidences about path which was used by the king to reach Kurukshetra. Most probably, they used the water voyage to reach there because such a transport system was sustained in ancient India. And the water transport system was always comfortable for carrying goods from one place to another.

-) Another important fact is the publication year (1946) of the drama. During this time, some important political incidents have happened in the Travancore dynasty. The Punnapra-Vayalar Uprising and the Independent Travancore Declaration were created people’s anger towards the king and especially towards the Diwan. At that time C.P Ramaswami Iyer was the Diwan of Travancore and even he had survived an attempt to murder in 25^th July, 1947 as a result of the people’s revolt against his undemocratic decisions.

-) This anger towards the Diwan was also reflected in the drama Annadatri-carita also. This point has a strong proof that among the available three copies of Annadatri-carita, two copies have a common factor that in the fifth act, the word ‘Sacivottama’ which denoted the honorary degree of Diwan C.P Ramaswami Iyyer is not legible as the word is seen erased. In that context, this drama might have some political strategies like the recovery of declined image of Travancore rulers also.

-) Even though Annadatri-carita is only a royal praising, its literary style and dramatic structure is to be discussed and that is most important feature of this drama.

Thus the re-reading of Annadatricarita reveals some notions which are apparently simple but not as innocent as it seems. Though it could not achieve a notable position in the mainstream of the modern Kerala Sanskrit literature, it is not negligible while considering its different aspects. Moreover, there may be many similar works which are helpful to review the history and culture of a society. The re-readings of such type of works are the mirrors of society and culture of that period. That’s why Sanskrit literature is always keeping its relevance in the literary realm.