Lesson - 4

A04124 HISTORY OF TAMIL LITERATURE IN THE 9 th CENTURY - Part I

    The two Pallava kings who ruled during the 9 th century, were Dandhivarman and Nandivarman III. The first was a Vaishnavaite, while the second was a Saivaite. Hence, both Saivaite and Vaishnavaite works were produced during this time. Tamil literature was enriched by the works of the Adiyaars and Aazhwars. The study of Sanskrit was encouraged. Buddhism and Jainism were in practice in Tamilnad, and hence, a few Jain and Buddhist works also appeared at this time.

    The reign of Nandivarman III was notable in many ways. Great men lived at this time; women were held in high esteem. Despite intermittent battles and famine, devotion to God held the people together. The great saint, Manickavaasagar, composed the Thiruvaasagam Nammaazhwar wrote திருவிருத்தம், திருஆசிரியம், பெரியதிருவந்தாதி and திருவாய்மொழி.

    Kalambagam is a work written using different types of verses. The first such Tamil work was “Nandikkalambagam” written in praise of Nandivarman III. We do not, however, know who the poet is, who composed it. The first epic written in the verse form called விருத்தம் was சீவகசிந்தாமணி. “Viruttham” consists of four lines which are alliterative and have the same number of syllables each. This work was composed by திருத்தக்க தேவர். Sripuraanam is a Tamil work based on Uttarapuraanam, a Jain work which tells the life history of the sixty three Jain saints. Buddhist works produced during the 9 th century were விம்பசாரக் கதை, சித்தாந்தத் தொகை, திருப்பதிகம், and மானாவூர்ப்பதிகம்.

    From this lesson, we learn all about the literature of the 9 th century. The Jains and Buddhists resorted to the strategy of preaching philosophical truths through simple stories. These served to enrich Tamil literature.