Moyinkutty Vaidyar

Moyinkutty Vaidyar (1852–1892), often referred to as Mahakavi (great poet), is historically considered as one of the most renowned poets of the Mappila pattu genre of Malayalam language.

Personal life

Moyinkutty was born to Unni Mammad and Kunjamina in 1852 at Ottupara, near Kondotti in Malappuram district. Unni Mammad was famous practitioner of Ayurvedic medicine and a poet too. He lived longer than his son and completed his unfinished work titled "Hijra" from the 27th Ishal onwards. Moyinkutty continued his family tradition of Ayurvedic medical practice and learnt Sanskrit and Arabic languages. He died at the age of 40 in 1892 leaving behind two sons and a daughter. No known photograph or painting of the poet exists today and none of his descendants survived after his children.

Early works

At a very young age of seventeen, he composed the romantic epic Badarul Munir – Husnul Jamal (1872) . It narrates a fictional love story between Prince Badarul Muneer, the son of the King Mahazin of Ajmeer and Husnul Jamal, daughter of his minister Mazmir. Most of the events narrated are pure fantasy, with plots involving the transformation of the hero into a bird and back, and frequent interactions with Jinns.