Perumpāṇāṟṟuppaṭai

Perumpanarruppatai, is a Tamil poetic work in the "Pathinenmaelkanakku" anthology of Tamil literature, belonging to the Sangam period corresponding to between 100 BCE – 100 CE. "Perumpanarruppatai" contains 500 lines of poetry in the "Achiriyappa" meter. The poems were written by the poet katiyalur uruthirankannanaar in praise of king Tondaiman Ilanthirayan. "Perumpanarruppatai" belongs to the Pattupattu collection and follows the "Arruppadtai" style, a device used by most of the books in the Pattupattu collection.

"Arruppatai" poems read like travelogues in which poets who were returning with gifts received from a king, encourage other poets to do the same by describing in glowing terms the king and his country. This gives the opportunity to the poet, among other topics, to describe in great detail the natural beauty, fertility, and resources of the territory that has to be traversed to reach the palace of the patron.

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/pm0069.pdf "Perumpanarruppatai" eText at Project madurai