Eelattu Poothanthevanar
Encyclopedia
Eelattu Poothanthevanar was one of the earliest known classical Tamil poets. His poems were included in the Tamil
sangam
or Cankam poetry anthologies compiled in Tamilakam
before 250 AD. He hailed from the ancient international port of Manthai in Eelam
(the native Tamil name for the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka), the ruins of which are in present day Mannar District
, Sri Lanka
.
A distinctly Sri Lankan Tamil literary tradition first developed in the 1940s with the works of the 'marumalarchi' or renaissance writers Mahakavi
, A. Kandasamy, and Varadar. The poetry of Mahakavi, in particular, helped distinguish the literature of Sri Lankan Tamils from that of Tamils in southern India.
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
sangam
Sangam literature
Sangam literature refers to a body of classical Tamil literature created between the years c. 600 BCE to 300 CE. This collection contains 2381 poems composed by 473 poets, some 102 of whom remain anonymous The period during which these poems were composed is commonly referred to as the Sangam...
or Cankam poetry anthologies compiled in Tamilakam
Ancient Tamil country
The Sangam period is the classical period in the history of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and other parts of South India, spanning about the 3rd century BCE to the 3rd century CE...
before 250 AD. He hailed from the ancient international port of Manthai in Eelam
Eelam
Eelam also spelled Eezham, Ilam or Izham in English is the native Tamil name for the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka. Eelam is also a name for the spurge , toddy and gold. The exact etymology and the original meaning of the word are not clearly known, although there are number of...
(the native Tamil name for the South Asian island state of Sri Lanka), the ruins of which are in present day Mannar District
Mannar District
Mannar district is one of the 25 administrative districts of Sri Lanka. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a District Secretary appointed by the central government of Sri Lanka. The headquarters is located in Mannar, Sri Lanka...
, Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...
.
A distinctly Sri Lankan Tamil literary tradition first developed in the 1940s with the works of the 'marumalarchi' or renaissance writers Mahakavi
Mahakavi
* Mahakavi Kumaran Asan, a Malayali poet.* Vallathol Narayana Menon, a Malayali poet.* Srirangam Srinivasarao or Sri Sri, a Telugu poet.* Subramanya Bharathy, a Tamil poet.* Laxmi Prasad Devkota, a Nepali poet....
, A. Kandasamy, and Varadar. The poetry of Mahakavi, in particular, helped distinguish the literature of Sri Lankan Tamils from that of Tamils in southern India.