Thirunizhalmala
Thirunizhalmala ("Garland of the Sacred Shade") is a c. 13th century "pattu" genre poem in the Malayalam language.[1][2] Along with "Ramacharitham", it is one of the earliest extant poems in Malayalam.[1] It is generally considered as a work associated with the Vaishnavite bhakti movement in south India.[3]
"Thirunizhalmala" is composed, most probably by a high caste poet, in local meters and with Dravidian orthography.[4] It is assumed that the work predates the famous "Ramacharitham" by around a century.[5] The manuscript was discovered from northern Kerala.[3] Central topic of the poem is the description of the ritual life of Aranmula Temple, Pathanamthitta.[6] The main rites described are the ancient rituals of the Malayar/, Malayarayar community.[5][3] It also contains the earliest instance in Malayalam of the legend of Parasurama "founding" Kerala and the sixty-four settlements of Brahmins.[4] It also mentions the medieval Tamil poet Kamban.[4]
References
- Freeman, Rich (2003). "The Literary Culture of Premodern Kerala". In Sheldon, Pollock (ed.). Literary Cultures in History. University of California Press. pp. 444 and 449.
- Nair, Purushothaman, ed. (1981). Thirunizhal Mala: Prachina Bhashakavyam. Kottayam: Current Books. pp. 35–36.
- Freeman, Rich (2003). "The Literary Culture of Premodern Kerala". In Sheldon, Pollock (ed.). Literary Cultures in History. University of California Press. pp. 460–62.
- Freeman, Rich (2003). "The Literary Culture of Premodern Kerala". In Sheldon, Pollock (ed.). Literary Cultures in History. University of California Press. pp. 458–59.
- Freeman, Rich (2003). "The Literary Culture of Premodern Kerala". In Sheldon, Pollock (ed.). Literary Cultures in History. University of California Press. pp. 458–60.
- Leelavathy, M. (1996). Malyalakavithasahithya Charithram. Trichur: Kerala Sahitya Akademi. pp. 26–30.
