Voccational higher seccondary school, Cherpulassery

 school  Add category

 Upload a photo

Description & Photos by Hamza Parappuram,
www.carregistration.ae +971506554966/+919947003700


Cherpulassery or Cherplassery/Cherpalchery(ചെര്‍പ്ലശ്ശേരി Malayalam) is a small town in Palakkad district of Kerala state, south India. It is in Ottapalam taluk, known for its eminent and prolific contributions to the world of culture. Geographically, it is a tri-junction of roads converging from three towns -- Ottapalam, Pattambi and Perinthalmanna. A couple of kilometres north to the place, at Kacherikkunnu, the semi-hilly road also branches off eastwards to the district headquarter town of Palakkad. Cherpulassery has a known government school, the foundation for which was laid by Mahatma Gandhi.


The heart of Cherpulassery typically bustles with business and hotels, but the place is better known for its vintage temples (Ayyappan Kavu, Puthanalkkal Bhagavathy shrine and the Shiva Kshetram) and as the home of several Kathakali and traditional Kerala percussionists with expertise in playing instruments like the chenda, maddalam and the edakka.


The focal point of the town, however, is the Ayyappan Kavu Temple, known as Malabar's Sabarimala. The predominant deity is "Shree Dharmashasta", who is thought to be the son born from the mind of Lord Shiva when he gazed upon the unparalleled beauty of Mohini-murti (Lord Vishnu in the form of a woman). This son was called Dharma‑shasta. Dharma-shasta had two wives, Purna and Pushkala, who were daughters of a demigod. Once they asked their husband Dharmashasta if they could visit their father, but he refused. Learning of this, the father angrily cursed Dharma-shasta to spend time on earth as a human being, in order to experience separation from his wives. This is how "Dharma Shasta" was born as "Lord Ayyappa". The Ayyapan Kavu temple is peculiar in that the deity here is "Dharmashasta" and is one of the few temples where marriages take place in the presence of "Lord Ayyappa", who is considered to be a batchelor. [1] Cherpalchery is also known for its Palada pradhaman (a dessert) that is served at weddings that are conducted at the temple. Gopala Warrier and Unni Warrier seem to be pioneers in the art of making this dish.The Ayyappan Kavu also hosts a temple art called Ayyappan Thiyyattu performed by a Thiyyadi Nambiar family in the vicinity.


Cherpulassery has made seminal contributions to the traditional chenda percussion concert called thayambaka through its late brothers -- Alipparambu Kesava Poduval, Krishna Poduval and K P Sivarama Poduval. Another late artiste from the place is Kathakali musician Kalamandalam Ramankutty Varrier. The leading artistes among the younger generation from Cherpulachery include Cherpulachery Haridasan (timila), Krishnakumar Poduval (chenda) and his young disciples Rajesh, Jayan and Vijayan (thayambaka). Also promising are Cherpulassery Jayesh, Vijesh, Sreeju, Sudhi and Hariharakrishnan. Of the above mentioned names, Jayesh seems to have proved his caliber in the supporting act called "vattampidi".


Prominent among today's artistes hailing from Cherpulassery are Kathakali artiste Sadanam Krishnankutty and Cherpulassery Sivan, a drummer having specialised in maddalam.

The place, in the earlier days, also boasted of Carnatic music artistes like Puzhikunnathu Sankunni Nair, Madhavan Nair, Kuttikrishnan Nair and Sankaran Nair (all nadaswaram pipers) besides thavil percussionists like Valpparambil Kunhan Nair and Chazhiyattu Appunni Nair. Late novelist T.A. Rajalakshmi also belonged to Cherpulassery.She had received Kerala Sahitya Akademi award for her Novel"Oru Vazhiyum Kure Nizhalukalum". "Kurumappally Kesavan Namboothiri',"Sreedharan Namboothiri","Prof.Purushothaman Namboothiri" and "Prakash Kurumappally" are also the other noted writers.

Cherpulachery is also famous for its "magicians". Cherpalchery Shamsudheen(Street magician and a snake charmer),Vijayan kadagode(won the national award) Akhil Cheppamkuzhi(closeup, conjuring magician, won KMMLA award