- Agattiyam
Agattiyam( _ta. அகத்தியம்), according to mentions in
Sangam Literature , was the first known book on Tamil grammar. This was supposedly written by the sageAgastya . No authentic text from this work has been found so far and hence its existence is a matter of conjecture.The sage Agastya, according to
Hindu legends, brought theTamil language and its syntax to the Dravidian Tamil people from the godSiva .Tolkappiyar, the author of Tolkappiyam, the oldest surviving book on Tamil grammar, is believed to be a disciple of Agastya.
Mentions in Sangam Legends
According to the Sangam Legends, Agastya was a participant in the first Tamil
Sangam . This session was held at "Then Madurai" (SouthMadurai ) on the banks of the river Kanni under the patronage of aPandya king called Ma Kirti. Sage Agastya convened this session and wrote Agattiyam Sage Agastya is said to have had twelve students. Chief among them was Tolkappiyar, a member of the second Sangam. Little is known of the First Sangam. None of the writings attributed to this Sangam are present in their entirety.References
* Mudaliyar, Singaravelu A., Apithana Cintamani, An encyclopaedia of Tamil Literature, (1931) - Reprinted by Asian Educational Services, New Delhi (1983)
* http://www.tamilnation.org/literature/
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