Eelattu Poothanthevanar was one of the earliest known classical
Ceylon
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
(present day
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
) Tamil
poets
A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator (thought, thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral t ...
from the
Sangam period
The Sangam literature ( Tamil: சங்க இலக்கியம், ''caṅka ilakkiyam''), historically known as 'the poetry of the noble ones' ( Tamil: சான்றோர் செய்யுள், ''Cāṉṟōr ceyyuḷ''), connote ...
. 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 ( ''Maṉṉār Māvaṭṭam''; ) is one of the 25 Districts of Sri Lanka, districts of Sri Lanka, the second level administrative division of the country. The district is administered by a District Secretariat headed by a Governm ...
, Sri Lanka.
His poems were included in the
Tamil language
Tamil (, , , also written as ''Tamizhil'' according to linguistic pronunciation) is a Dravidian language natively spoken by the Tamil people of South Asia. It is one of the longest-surviving classical languages in the world,. "Tamil is one of ...
anthologies of the
Sangam literature
The Sangam literature (Tamil language, Tamil: சங்க இலக்கியம், ''caṅka ilakkiyam''), historically known as 'the poetry of the noble ones' (Tamil language, Tamil: சான்றோர் செய்யுள், ''Cā ...
compiled in
Tamilakam
Tamilakam () also known as ancient Tamil country as was the geographical region inhabited by the ancient Tamil people, covering the southernmost region of the Indian subcontinent. Tamilakam covered today's Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Puducherry, La ...
before 250 CE. Writing in the city of
Madurai
Madurai ( , , ), formerly known as Madura, is a major city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District, which is ...
, 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 wrote 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 Tamilakam, Tamil land, with the primary aim of advancing the literature. There is no historical evidence to suggest that there were three Sangams. It is a medieval myth p ...
*
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 language, Tamil: சங்க இலக்கியம், ''caṅka ilakkiyam''), historically known as 'the poetry of the noble ones' (Tamil language, Tamil: சான்றோர் செய்யுள், ''Cā ...
Notes
External links
Sri Lankan article on culture, art and literature
Eelattu Poothanthevanar
Sri Lankan Tamil poets
Sri Lankan Tamil people
Date of death unknown
Year of birth unknown
Tamil poets
300 BC births
{{SriLanka-poet-stub