Major Works in Sangam Literature
Tolkappiyam, Ettutogai, Pattuppattu, Pathinenkilkanakku, and epic Manimegalai are some of the major works of Sangam literature.
Silappathikaram
Silappatikaram is the first Tamil epic. It’s a 5,730-line poem almost entirely written in akaval (aciriyam) meter. The epic’s protagonists are Kannaki and her husband Kovalan, who tell the sad love story of an ordinary couple. Ilango Adigal is credited with creating this text.
Tolkappiyam
Tolkappiyam is the oldest extant Tamil grammar text as well as the oldest extant lengthy work of Tamil literature, it was written by a single author named Tholkappiyar. This text contains sutras on spelling, phonology, etymology, morphology, semantics, prosody, sentence structure, and the importance of context in language.
Ettuthogai
The Eight Anthologies is a great Tamil literary work that is part of the Eighteen Greater Texts (Patinen-melkanakku) anthology series.
Pattuppattu
The Ten Idylls, also known as Pattupattu or Ten Lays, is a collection of ten longer poems. The Pattupattu (Ten Idylls) consists of ten works: Thirumurugarruppadai, Porunarruppadai, Sirupanarruppadai, Perumpanarruppadai, Mullaippattu, Nedunalvadai, Madurai Kanji, Kurinjippatttu, Pattinappalai, and Malaipadukadam.
Pathinenkilkanakku
The Pathinenkilkanakku, also known as the Eighteen Lesser Texts in literature, is a collection of eighteen poetry compositions, the majority of which were composed after the Sangam period. The most important of these texts is Tirukkural.
Manimekalai
Manimekalai also known as Manimekhalai or Manimekalai, is a Tamil-Buddhist epic written most likely in the sixth century by Kulavika Seethalai Sataar. It’s an “anti-love narrative,” a sequel to the “love story” in the first Tamil epic Silappadikaram
Sangam Literature: Origin, Classification & Major Works
Sangam (Cankam) Literature connotes the ancient Tamil literature which was formulated during the span of c. 300-BCE to 300-CE. This literature is a collection of works that contains approximately 2381 poems that have been attributed to 473 poets and a corpus of literature written by 102 anonymous poets.
Sangam literature has been considered a source material to study the trade relations between the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia, West Asia, and the Mediterranean.
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