Kacha Devayani - Thazhavana Govindan Asan(1800 to --)                                                                         BACK

This story is the first part of the original Devayani Charitham. This is a love's tragedy or the 'Romeo and Juliet' of Kathakali. The daughter of the Guru of Asuras falls in love with the son of the Guru of Suras. The people interfere and the affair is broken for ever.

Shukra Acharya is the Guru of the Asuras. He knew a mantra by which dead people could be revived, because of which the Suras were not winning their war with asuras. Brahaspathi the Sura Guru sends his son to study under Shukra, Guru of Asuras, in the hope that one day he may teach that mantra. Shukra takes him on, but may not teach the particular mantra at all.

Devayani, the daughter of Shukra Acharya sees the handsome Kacha studying in her ashram and is immediately attracted towards him. Kacha also plays along wishing not to injure her ego. They go to forests together, help each other starting from making garlands, grazing or milking the cows, collecting medicinal herbs and flowers in the forests etc. Being good at studies Kacha does not feel the strain of the developing relationship on his education.

The Asuras are naturally not happy seeing an outsider in their midst. Once when Kacha goes to the forest a Katala murders him. Devayani complains to her father and he promptly brings him back to life. This happens again, once or twice. Then the Katala and his friends make a plan. They murder him and powder his body and mix it up with wine and offers it to Shukra Acharya to drink. Unknowingly Shukra drinks it. Devayani again complains that people have murdered Kacha. On examination he finds that Kacha is in his stomach. If he brings him back to life his stomach will burst and he himself will die. So the only alternative is to teach Kacha the mantra and bring him to life and using the mantra Shukra is also brought to life. This was done and Kacha was saved once more.

Now Devayani wants to become Kacha's wife. But Kacha wants to go back immediately since he has already learnt the mantra. Devayani starts pleading to Kacha saying how much she loved him. But Kacha says she is like a mother and sister to him since a Guru's family is treated as one's own family and he was also given many rebirths by his Guru. Devayani says this is only an argument and he should marry her . Ultimately the argument hots up and Devayani curses Kacha saying that the mantra he learnt will go waste. Kacha also curses her saying she will not be able to marry in the brahmin or acharya caste. This done, they part in terrible sadness.

In this story Kacha is Pacha vesham , Katala is Black Beard and others are Minuku.