Kalingattuparani () is a 12th-century

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

poem and a war song by

Jayamkondar Jayamkondar was the poet laureate of Kulottunga Chola I. He is renowned for the poem '' Kalingattu parani'', in which he describes the Chola-Kalinga war and celebrates the victory of the Chola The Chola Empire, which is often referred to a ...

, celebrating the victory of

Kulottunga Chola I Kulottunga Chola I ('; Middle Tamil: Kulōttuṅka Cōḻaṉ; Classical Sanskrit: Kulottuṅgā Cōḷa; 1025–1122) also spelt Kulothunga (), born Rajendra Chalukya ( Telugu: Rājēndra Cāḷukyuḍu), was a Chola Emperor who reigned from ...

over the Kalinga king,

Anantavarman Chodaganga Gangesvara Anantavarman Chodaganga Deva (reigned 17 February 1078 – 1150) was an Eastern Ganga monarch who reigned between 1078 and 1150. He was a great patron of arts and architecture who built many temples, one of them being the magnifi ...

in the Chola-Kalinga war. Parani is a type of literature that is written on a king (or a general) who kills a thousand elephants in a war. It is customary to name the poem on the one who was defeated.

Premise

Kalingattuparani depicts the Chola invasion of Kalinga under the command of

Karunakara Tondaiman Karunakara Tondaiman was a general of Chola Emperor Kulottunga I. He is renowned for leading the Chola invasion of Kalinga during the reign of Kulottunga I and is the hero of Jayamkondar's poem '' Kalinkkattuparani'' In the ''Parani'' poem he ...

where a thousand elephants are slain. It gives a vivid and a graphic description of battle scenes. It is hailed as one of the master-pieces of

literature with its majestic style and diction.

Plot

The warriors who return from the war found the doors of their household closed and they ask the women to open them. Meanwhile goblins who witnessed the battle narrates the story to the goddess Kali who resides in the forest. The poem contains thirteen parts *கடவுள் வாழ்த்து (Invocation) *கடை திறப்பு (Open the doors) *காடு பாடியது (In praise of the forest where Kali dwells) *கோயில் பாடியது (In praise of the Kali temple) *தேவியைப் பாடியது (In praise of Kali) *பேய்ப்பாடியது (In praise of the attendant spirits of Kali) *இந்திரசாலம் (Jugglery) *இராச பாரம்பரியம் (Lineage of the Chola kings in which Kulothunga was born) *பேய் முறைப்பாடு (Goblins appeal to gracious consort, representing their intense hunger) *அவதாரம் (Incarnation of Kulothunga) *காளிக்குக் கூளி கூறியது (Golblin narrates to Kali) *போர் பாடியது (Description of battle scenes) *களம் பாடியது (Of the heroic deeds in the battlefield)

Structure

Jayamkondar, the court poet, touches on various sections such as lineage of the king, his birth, his family, the training in warfare that he received as a child, his accession to the throne, his exploits and his subsequent move to the city of

Kanchi Kanchipuram (IAST: '; ), also known as Kanjeevaram, is a stand alone city corporation, satellite nodal city of Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Tondaimandalam region, from Chennaithe capital of Tamil Nadu. Known as the ''Ci ...

. The author then proceeds to explain the training that Kulothunga received in warfare and his heroics in Vayiragaram and Chakrakottam while he was still young. Next he proceeds to talk about his queens and how one day the king wanted to move his capital to

. Finally, he touches on the circumstances which led to the Kalinga war.

English translation

An English rendering of Kalingattuparani is done by E.S. Muthuswamy.

In popular media

In the 2010 tamil movie Raavanan, four stanzas from the 12 part have been used.

References

{{Reflist, 30em Tamil-language literature Elephants in Indian culture