Lore and Legends of Kerala: Selections from Kottarathil Sankunni's Aithihyamala

Kerala, on the south-western coast of India, was described as late as 1838, as 'God's Garden' by German missionary and scholar, Hermann Gundert. Even as this land continues to sustain its reputation, little is known about its social and cultural ethos. Lore and Legends of Kerala is a distillation of 48 of the most sparkling of the 800 or so stories that form Aithihyamala, the definitive collection of the myths and social history of Kerala. Aithihyamala, which was first published in 1909, is a compilation of narratives that were recorded by Kottarathil Sankunni and published by the Malayala Manorama newspaper and its literary journal Bhashaposhini. Peopled by sorcerers, spirits, dynamic women, and snakes and elephants, the stories of this grand collection explore universal human values like faith, commitment to spirituality, respect for elders, reverence for parents and mentors, love for the young, and compassion for dependants. Significantly, the stories range across all the religious groups of Kerala. A representative selection of the themes and stories of this classic work, this book includes illustrations by leading Malayalee artists C.N. Karunakaran and Namboodiri. This book has been designed to appeal to young readers who will find the stories interesting and the illustrations delightful, as also for enthusiasts of Indian literature and culture and general readers.

Table of Contents:
AITHIHYAMALA-A GARLAND OF LEGENDS (INTRODUCTION) ; ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS O A HINDU PRINCESS AND HER ISLAMIC DYNASTY ; THE ARITHMETIC OF FAITH ; FROM POVERTY TO ROYALTY ; SNAKE POWER ; BORN TO WIN ; THE MARTIAL ARTS TEACHER ; KANDANKORAN OR KITANGOOR ; WHEN THE RULERS SPAR ; CASCADE OF GENIUS ; TRADITION OF THE MAGIC HERB ; A WIFE'S STRATEGY ; THE ANT-HILL TEMPLE ; NEELAKANTHAN OF PANTHALAM ; A FIERY PENANCE ; THE POWER OF MIME ; GOD VS GOD ; KERALA-STYLE ROBIN HOOD ; FATE CHANGED BY FAITH ; THE POWER OF SIMPLICITY ; THE DILEMMA OF BIGAMY ; A FOREIGNER'S FAITH ; THE HILL TEMPLE OF KERALA ; SANGHAKKALI-AN ANCIENT DANCE FORM ; THE CHINESE JARS AND THE MANGO PICKLE ; DIVINE PROTECION, DIVINE JUSTICE ; THE MANGO OF ETERNAL LIFE ; THE TEMPLE OF SNAKES ; READING THE FUTURE ; THE RAJA'S DREAM TEMPLE ; THE LAKE TEMPLE ; THRIPUNITHURA FESTIVALS ; A VOICE MUTED BY PRIDE ; THE KOTTARAKKARA COW SHELTER ; A BRAHMIN IN MUSLIM DISGUISE ; THE POWER OF FAITH ; THE ORIGIN OF A GREAT POET ; GOPALAN THE CHOSEN ONE ; AN IDEAL WIFE ; KOZHIKODE MARKET ; THE SPITTING HABIT ; LOYALTY IS WHERE POWER IS ; DEVOTION VS ERUDITION ; THE POWER OF ILLUSION ; THE SAINT OF VILWAMANGALAM ; THE PRIEST OF KATAMATTAM ; TWO ROYAL PERSONALITIES ; THROUGH FAITH TO FAME ; THE INVISIBLE FAMILY ; GLOSSARY