While growing up in Tripunithura during its transition from a sleepy royal town to a bustling suburb of Ernakulam, I often wondered how the generations before me spent their childhood in this historic place.
By the early 20th century, sports such as cricket, badminton, and tennis had already made their way to Tripunithura. Here, however, I would like to focus on an earlier generation—those who lived during the latter half of the 19th century.
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| Image generated using ChatGPT |
Children of Kovilakam played games such as Kallanammakkukku (കള്ളനമ്മാക്കൂക്കു), Pidi-Vandi (പിടി വണ്ടി, similar to Kabaddi), Māsa (മാസ) or Kilithattu (കിളിത്തട്ട്), Kuttiyum Kolum (കുറ്റിയും കോലും), and Kuzhi-pantu (കുഴിപ്പന്ത്).
Adults, too, occasionally joined children in their games like Kaaraanum Vellaanum (കാരാനും വെള്ളാനും), played using cowries (കവടി)—the glossy shells of sea snails. Another was Ganjippu (ഗഞ്ചിപ്പ്), an early form of card game. There was also Mukthipatham (മുക്തിപഥം), a precursor to the modern game of Snakes and Ladders (പാമ്പും കോണിയും).
Aksharashlokam and Chathurangam (the precursor to modern chess) were also popular pastimes.
Most of these games were enjoyed by people across different sections of society. However, one of the most peculiar games played in Tripunithura was Paralpperu-kali (പരൽപ്പേരുകളി).
Paralpperu-kali (പരൽപ്പേരുകളി)
Now largely extinct, this game was once common among many families of Kerala. The term Paralpperu refers to the Katapayadi Sankhya, the traditional alphanumeric numeral system used in Sanskrit and Malayalam.
The objective of the game is to recite Malayalam or Sanskrit verses (shlokas) corresponding to a given sequence of numbers. One participant would announce a string of numbers, and the others would have to recite a verse in which those numbers appeared in the same order according to the Katapayadi system.
Let us look at an example from the book Kairalividheyan Appan Thampuran, written by Dr. K. T. Rama Varma.
4 2 1 4 2 1 4 0 2 5 5 17 1 7 6 4 4 6 6 2 1 67 0 6 2 1 5 1 2 9 6 00 4 2 1 6 5 5 0 5 1 2
A verse corresponding to this sequence is:
Malayalam:
വിശ്രമ്യ വിശ്രമ്യ വനദ്രുമാണാം
ഛായാസു തന്വീ വിചചാര കാചിൽ
നോത്തരീയേണ കരോദ്ധ്യതേന
നിവാരയന്തീ ശശിനോ മയൂഖാൻ
Sanskrit:
विश्रम्य विश्रम्य वनद्रुमाणां
छायासु तन्वी विचचार काचित् ।
नोत्तरीयेण करोद्धृतेन
निवारयन्ती शशिनो मयूखान् ॥
Transliteration:
viśramya viśramya vanadrumāṇāṃ
chāyāsu tanvī vicacāra kācit |
nottarīyeṇa karoddhṛtena
nivārayantī śaśino mayūkhān ||
Using the Katapayadi system (refer image above), the verse can be mapped to the number sequence as follows:
വി-ശ്ര-മ്യ വി-ശ്ര-മ്യ വ-ന-ദ്രു-മാ-ണാം4-2-1 4-2-1 4-0-2-5-5-1ഛാ-യാ-സു ത-ന്വീ വി-ച-ചാ-ര കാ-ചി-ൽ7-1-7 6-4-4 6-6-2-1-6നോ-ത്ത-രീ-യേ-ണ ക-രോ-ദ്ധ്യ-തേ-ന7-0-6-2-1 5-1-2-9-6-0നി-വാ-ര-യ-ന്തീ ശ-ശി-നോ മ-യൂ-ഖാ-ൻ0-4-2-1-6 5-5-0 5-1-2
There could be multiple verses that match the same numerical sequence. Reciting any valid verse would suffice.
When more than two participants are involved, the first person to produce a correct verse would be declared the winner, followed by the others in the order they answered.
This game was particularly popular among members of the Cochin Royal Family and the Kodungallur Royal Family. In fact, an even more complex variants of the game were practiced within these households.
It is perhaps no coincidence that members of both these families emerged as important contributors to Malayalam literature during the first half of the 20th century.
Somewhere along the way, however, this fascinating intellectual pastime disappeared. Exactly why it fell into disuse remains unclear.
Reference: Biography of Kairalividheyan Appan Thampuran by Dr. K. T. Rama Varma.