Prayar Prabhakaran is a literary critic, academic and orator from Kerala, India.

Prabhakaran was born on 14 August 1930, at Prayar near Oachira in present-day Kollam district, to Lakshmikutty Amma and Swami Brahmavrathanan an orator, scholar and writer.

[3] While a member of the CPI (M) Chunakkara local committee, he took part in an agitation and was imprisoned for four days.

[1] Communist leader and first chief minister of Kerala, E. M. S. Namboodiripad notes that Prayar's works should be read by both those who agree and those who oppose the Marxian literary approach.

[3] His wife L. Vasundhathi is retired headmistress of Mavelikkara Govt Girls High School and former Chunakkara panchayat president.