Kainnilai

Kainnilai, and Innilai are Tamil poetic works belonging to the "Pathinenkilkanakku" anthology of Tamil literature. These two books together form the eighteenth book in the anthology, belonging to the 'post Sangam period' corresponding to between 100 – 500 CE. "Kainnilai" contains sixty poems written by the poet Pullangkaathanaar and "Innilai" contains 45 poems and was written by the poet Poigayaar.

The poems of "Innilai" deal with the ethical concepts of "aram" – propriety, "porul" – wealth, "inpam" – love and "veedu" – salvation. In this respect it is similar to "Tirukkural" which also concerns with these concepts.

"Kainnilai" is available in a much-damaged condition with many of its poems only partially available. "Kainnilai" deals with the subjective ("agam") concepts. "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 "Kainnilai" are categoriesed into twelve 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/pm0051.pdf "Kainnilai"and "innilai" eText at Project madurai