Aintiṇai Aimpatu

Ainthinai Aimpathu is a Tamil poetic work belonging to the "Pathinenkilkanakku" anthology of Tamil literature. This belongs to the 'post Sangam period' corresponding to between 100 – 500 CE. "Ainthinai Aimpathu" contains fifty poems written by the poet Kannankoothanaar who lived in Madurai.

The poems of "Ainthinai Aimpathu" deal with the "agam" (internal) subjects. "Agam" in the Sangam literature denotes the subject matters that deal with the intangibles of life such as human emotions, love, separation, lovers' quarrels, etc. The poems of "Ainthinai Aimpathu" are categories into ten poems for each of the five "thinai", or landscape of Sangam poetry and describe in detail the situation and emotions specific to each landscape. The five landscapes of Sangam poetry are "mullai" – forest, "kurinji" – mountains, "marutham" – farmland, "paalai" – arid land and "neithal" – seashore.

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/
* http://www.tamilnation.org/literature/pathinen/pm0027.pdf "Ainthinai Aimpathu" eText at Project madurai