Dravidian (South India) Literature of India

Dravidian literature and Dravidian languages as discussed by Harsh

India is a very diverse country and hence, home to several cultures. Indian culture is enriched with numerous languages like Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit, Tamil, Telegu, etc., and hence, literature in these languages evolved with time. The word Literature is derived from the Latin word ‘litteratura’ which refers to any form of writing that has some literary merit. The literature is broadly classified into fiction and non-fiction.

South Indian literature comprises four major languages: Tamil, Telegu, Kannada, and Malayalam. Among these four languages, Tamil is the oldest and most prominent one of the Dravidian languages. Tamil is very close to Sanskrit as some words are borrowed from Sanskrit.

Also Read: Sanskrit Literature in Ancient India

Buddhist and Jain Literature of Ancient India

Sikh and Zoroastrian Literature

Tamil (Sangam) Literature

Sangam is a collection of works that contains approximately 2381 poems that have been attributed to 473 poets and this literature is very popular among the masses. The popularity of these can be established by the fact that the period between 300 BC and 300 AD, during which most of these were composed and compiled, is often called the Sangam period. There are two major schools of Sangam literature; Aham/agam and Puram.

Aham or Agam are inner fields that concentrate on the abstract discussion of human aspects like love, sexual relations, etc. Puram is the outer field associated with social life, ethics, valor, customs, etc. This literature was named Sangam because the assemblies, organized by Pandyan kings included poets, bards, and writers, were called ‘Sangamas’. A total of three Sangamas were held by Pandyan kings; the first was chaired by Agastya or Shiva, the second by Agastya initially but later headed by Tolkappiyar, and the last was headed by Nakkirar.

The Sangam literature is arranged around 30000 lines of poetry and these are arranged in eight anthologies called Ettuttokoi. These were further divided into Patinenkil Kanakku (the oldest and more historically relevant group) and Pattupattu (the ten songs). Kural was written by Tamil saint Thiruvallurar. Another female saint who contributed to Sangam literature is Avvaiyar. Ramayana and Mahabharata were translated into Tamil as well.

The other important Tamil texts included Silappadikaram (story of an anklet) written by Ilango-Adigal, Manimekalai (story of Manimekalai) written by Sattanar, etc. The other important texts included Periya Puranam and Kambaramayanam.

Telegu Literature

Several works have been written in the Telegu language but it reached its zenith only during the period of the Vijayanagara empire which is considered as the golden age of Telegu literature. Uttaraharivamsa was composed by Nachana Somanatha (court poet of King Bukka). Amuktamalyada was written by Krishnadevaraya of Vijayanagara empire. Eight learned literary personages were also attached to Krishnadevaraya’s court and they were called ashtadiggajas.

Other important Telegu literature includes; Manucharitam written by Allasani Peddana, Parijathapaharanam of Nandi Thimmana, Panduranga Mahaatmayam of Tenali Ramakrishna, Ramabhyudayam of Ayyalaraju Ramabhadrudu, etc.

Malayalam Literature

Malayalam is a popular language in the region of the modern-day state of Kerala. Scholars argued that this language emerged during the 11^th century but within 400 years, it developed a corpus of rich literature. Kokasandisan, Bhasa Kautilya (commentary on Arthashastra), Ramacharitam (an epic poem by Cheeraman). Ezhuthachan, a strong proponent of the Bhakti movement, is also known as the father of Malayalam literature.

Kannada Literature

Jain scholars were the first to contribute to the Kannada literature. The major works like Dharmanathapurana were written by Madhava on the life of the 15^th Tirthankaras. Dharma Parikshe was written by Uritta Vilasa, Kavirajamarga of Amoghavarsha, etc. Pampa is known as the father of Kannada who wrote Adipurana and Vikramarjuna Vijaya. Ponna wrote Shanti Purana and Ranna wrote Ajitanatha Purano.  

Vijayanagara Empire also contributed to the development of Kannada literature like Shabdamanidarpana written by Kesirja, and Suktisudharnava written by Mallikarjuna. Narahari composed Tarave Ramayana (first story of Rama inspired by Valmiki Ramayana), Hadibadeya Dharma (duty of a devout wife) written by Honnamma, etc.  

Thus, different scholars of different languages contribute immensely to the development of Dravidian literature.