Eelattu Poothanthevanar () was one of the earliest known classical
Ceylon (present day
Sri Lanka) Tamil
poets from the
Sangam period
The Sangam period or age (, ), particularly referring to the third Sangam period, is the period of the history of ancient Tamil Nadu, Kerala and parts of Sri Lanka (then known as Tamilakam) spanning from c. 6th century BCE to c. 3rd century CE. ...
. He hailed from the ancient international port of
Manthai (''Manthottam/ Manthoddam'' in Tamil, Manthota in derived
Sinhalese) in Ceylon, the ruins of which are in present-day
Mannar District
Mannar District ( ta, மன்னார் மாவட்டம் ''Maṉṉār Māvaṭṭam''; si, මන්නාරම දිස්ත්රික්කය) is one of the 25 districts of Sri Lanka, the second level administrative divisi ...
, Sri Lanka.
His poems were included in the
Tamil language
Tamil (; ' , ) is a Dravidian language natively spoken by the Tamil people of South Asia. Tamil is an official language of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, the sovereign nations of Sri Lanka and Singapore, and the Indian territory of P ...
anthologies of the
Sangam literature
The Sangam literature (Tamil: சங்க இலக்கியம், ''caṅka ilakkiyam'';) historically known as 'the poetry of the noble ones' (Tamil: சான்றோர் செய்யுள், ''Cāṉṟōr ceyyuḷ'') connotes ...
compiled in
Tamilakam
Tamiḻakam (Tamil: தமிழகம்; Malayalam: തമിഴകം), refers to the geographical region inhabited by the ancient Tamil people, covering the southernmost region of the Indian subcontinent. Tamilakam covered today's Tamil Nad ...
before 250 CE Writing in the city of
Madurai
Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration in ...
, he praises the valour of the contemporaneous King Pasum Poon Pandyan, who, as per the ''
Narkudi Velalar Varalaru'', reigned from 275 to 240 BCE. Seven of his poetic verses feature in the ''
Akananuṟu'', ''
Natriṇai'' and ''
Kurunthokai''.
Other Sri Lankan Tamil poets whose contemporary work feature in the anthologies include
Pūtan Ila Naganar and
Marudan Ila Naganar.
Contribution to the Sangam literature
Eelattu Poothanthevanar has written two Sangam verses, including one each in Akananuru (verse 88) and Kurunthogai (verse 343).
See also
*
List of Sangam poets
Sangam refers to the assembly of the highly learned people of the ancient Tamil land, with the primary aim of advancing the literature. There were historically three Sangams. With the details of the first two Sangams remaining obscure, all the ...
*
Sri Lankan Tamil literature
Sri Lankan Tamil literature or Ceylon Tamil literature refers to Tamil literature produced in the current day country of Sri Lanka by various Tamil speaking communities such as the Sri Lankan Tamils, Indian Tamils of Sri Lanka and Sri Lankan Musl ...
*
Sangam literature
The Sangam literature (Tamil: சங்க இலக்கியம், ''caṅka ilakkiyam'';) historically known as 'the poetry of the noble ones' (Tamil: சான்றோர் செய்யுள், ''Cāṉṟōr ceyyuḷ'') connotes ...
Notes
External links
Sri Lankan article on culture, art and literature
Eelattu Poothanthevanar
Sri Lankan Tamil poets
Date of death unknown
Year of birth unknown
Tamil poets
300 BC births
{{SriLanka-poet-stub