''Uli Sandam'' is among the oldest works in
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 2 ...
language. It is a ''
sandesa kavyam'' (message poem), a message written in poetry, on the lines of the famous ''
Meghadūta }
''Meghadūta'' ( sa, मेघदूत literally ''Cloud Messenger'') is a lyric poem written by Kālidāsa (c. 4th–5th century CE), considered to be one of the greatest Sanskrit poets. It describes how a '' yakṣa'' (or nature spirit), wh ...
'' of
Kalidasa
Kālidāsa (''fl.'' 4th–5th century CE) was a Classical Sanskrit author who is often considered ancient India's greatest poet and playwright. His plays and poetry are primarily based on the Vedas, the Rāmāyaṇa, the Mahābhārata and th ...
. In the case of this work, it is a message written by a lover to his lady-love staying at a far-off place. The message is therefore written as if it is sent through a messenger. The work was written in the 14th century AD, when transport and communications were very limited in
Kerala
Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South Canar ...
. The messenger in the poem is, therefore, a
carrier pigeon
The homing pigeon, also called the mail pigeon or messenger pigeon, is a variety of domestic pigeons (''Columba livia domestica'') derived from the wild rock dove, selectively bred for its ability to find its way home over extremely long distan ...
. Apart from the message proper, the poem gives detailed instructions to the messenger pigeon, including the route to be taken and the landmarks in route.
Besides the literary value of the work, it throws light on the geography of Kerala of that period. It, therefore, reads in part like a
travelogue too. The journey starts in
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram (; ), also known by its former name Trivandrum (), is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala. It is the most populous city in Kerala with a population of 957,730 as of 2011. The encompassing urban agglomeration populati ...
, the capital of the
Venad
Venad was a medieval kingdom lying between the Western Ghat mountains and the Arabian Sea on the south-western tip of India with its headquarters at the port city of Kollam/Quilon.Noburu Karashmia (ed.), A Concise History of South India: Is ...
(
Travancore
The Kingdom of Travancore ( /ˈtrævənkɔːr/), also known as the Kingdom of Thiruvithamkoor, was an Indian kingdom from c. 1729 until 1949. It was ruled by the Travancore Royal Family from Padmanabhapuram, and later Thiruvananthapuram. At ...
) Kingdom of that day, and ends at
Kaduthuruthy
Kaduthuruthy is a town in Kottayam District in the state of Kerala, India.
Geography
Kaduturuthy has an average elevation of . Its name derives from ''Kadal thuruth'', meaning near to the beach as it is believed that several centuries ago, ...
, a pod bodies mentioned in the poem are not to be seen now.
The poem is written under the pen-name
Amruthanilakshi, and some believe that it was written in 1362 AD. The exact identity of the author remains a mystery, but it is widely believed that one of the members of the
Vadakkumkur Vadakkumkur was a late medieval/early modern feudal principality located in the Indian state of Kerala. Along with Thekkumkur, it succeeded from the early medieval political region of Vempolinad by around 1200 AD. After their separation, Thekkumkur ...
royal family.wrote it. An annotated version was published by
DC Books
DC Books is a publisher in Kerala publisher of books in Malayalam, and one of the publishers in India . It also operates one of the largest book store chains in India, with a network of over 45 bookshops under the DC Books and Current Books b ...
.
[ ]
Notes
References
* Unnuneeli Sandesam - Thembattu Sankaran Nair; Published by DC Books, Kottayam; 132 pages.
{{Authority control
Malayalam-language literature
Malayalam-language poems
14th-century poems