Perumthachan (പെരുന്തച്ചന്) also spelled as "Perunthchan" (പെരു - Peru/big, തച്ചന് - thachan/craftsman) meaning the master carpenter or the master craftsman is an honorific title that is used to refer to an ancient legendary carpenter (ആശാരി Asari), architect, woodcarver and sculptor (stone/wood) from Kerala, India. However Perumthachan is an important figure in the folklore of Kerala and many a wondrous structure and architecture that still stand are attributed to him.
Many legends of Perumthachan are seen in Aithihyamala, the compilation of legends and folklore of Kerala written by Kottarathil Sankunni. According to the legend, Raman Perumthachan was born to a Brahmin father Vararuchi and mother from a Paraiyar (reed weaver) caste, hailing from the village of Thrithala. After their marriage, they set out on a long journey. During the course of their travels, the woman became pregnant several times, and every time she delivered a baby, she was asked by her husband if it had a mouth. Every time that she replied in the affirmative, Vararuchi asked her to let go of the baby, averring that the God which carved its mouth, will fill it as well. Each of these babies, twelve of them in total, was raised by people belonging to different castes, making the legendary Parayi petta panthirukulam or literally, the twelve castes borne out of the pariah woman. Each of them grew famous in their lives and many tales and lores were attributed, with them as the main cast. The eldest was Agnihothri, a Brahmin, whose place is Mezhathur in Thrithala. The others are Pakkanar (basket weaver), Perumthachan (Master carpenter), Naranath Bhranthan (an eccentric philosopher who was perceived as a madman), Vayillakunnilappan (a child with no mouth, whom the mother wanted to keep with her) and so on.
Perumthachan (literally The Master Carpenter) is a Kerala State Film Award winning film released in 1991. This film was also nominated for the Golden Leopard Award. It is a story of the legend Perumthachan (Thilakan), a carpenter and his son, the problems caused by the generation gap are explored in the relationship between a skilled carpenter and his tradition-breaking son.
The film was directed by Ajayan from a screenplay by M. T. Vasudevan Nair.
In this Indian story, based on a Kerala legend, a pious and self-disciplined master carpenter of a supposedly mixed-caste background, moves easily in his world, building temples and then carving the stone statues which embellish them. He is at home in his traditional world, is at peace with his inner self and the social mores of the time. By way of contrast, he begets a son who is of rebellious nature and questioning of the traditional social hierarchies of the time. He falls in love with the daughter of a royal household which ultimately leads to his demise.