From the outset, the name Iymperumkaapiyangal denotes to the five

great historical legends which provide the conceptual framework to

understanding ancient Tamil Sangam literature and to be specific, the
5
narratives
include Silappathikaaram,
Manimekalai,
CivakaCinthamani, Valaiyapathy and Kundalakesi. The first reference
to the saga was seen Mayilainathars text Nannul, from 14th century
CE. However the actual titles of the tales were only cited in the
work Thiruthanikaiula. The great 5 epics delve deeply into the themes
crucial
to
the
life
of
the
individual
Aram (Ethics), Porul (Meaning), Inbam (Pleasure)
and Veedu (Household). Hence, through an examination of the way of
life of historic Tamil populations, the legends contain morals and
philosophies of life to guide an individual towards a virtuous, just life.
Interestingly, it is presumed that Tamil literature personifies as a young
woman, while the Iymperumkaapiya narratives are analogous to the
articles of jewellery that give beauty to this young woman. On that
note, the following looks at the five narratives in detail and their
significance to understanding Tamil heritage and culture.
Silappathikaaram: Silappathikaaram has the word Silambu meaning
anklets in its origin. Thus, the text Silappathikaaram is to represent
the anklets that give beauty to the young women of Tamil literature.
Written by Illango Adiygal in the 1 stcentury CE, this non-religious text
is written in a monologue-poetic form having 5270 lines.
Silappathikaaram deals with the story of Kannagi, a young virtuous
and just woman. To begin, Kannagi lived with her husband Kovalan in
the city of Poomboohaar (Puhar) of the Chola dynasty. Kovalan, after
meeting Madhavi, he had an extramarital affair with her and ended up
spending his wealth on her. After having realized his mistake, he
returned to Kannagi with only a pair of anklets (Silambu) and the
couple decided to move to Madurai, in an effort to start a new life. In
Madurai, while trying to sell the anklets for cash, Kovalan was accused
of stealing the anklets of the Queen and was held captive by the
Pandya kings authorities. Unfortunately, Kovalan gets persecuted by
the authorities. In a fit of rage, Kannagi set off to the kings palace to
show that the Silambu of the kings was of Pearls while the one of
Kovalan had been of gems. Kannagi, after proving the innocence of her
husband, set the city of Madurai on fire. Based on the various settings
of the text, Silappathikaaram is divided into 3 main sections
Puhaarkaandam, Maduraikaandam and
Vanchikaandam.
The
Puhaarkaandam, set in the territory of the Chola Empire, contains
10 Kaathais or portions while Maduraikaandam includes 13 Kaathais
and Vanchikaandam consists of 7 Kaathais. Kovalan and Kannagi reside
in the Chola city of Poomboohaar, then pursue economic activity in
Madurai and then at last Kannagi finds her place with her gods in the

Chera city of Vanchi. Thus, Silappathikaaram confirms the existence of

the Chera, Chola and Pandya dynasties in Tamil history, in using these
dynasties as the historical backdrop to the story. Moreover, the literary
work, describes the 5 geographic regions which existed throughout the
Sangam period. Silappathikaaram also addresses the folklore
traditions, songs as well as the different traditional dance forms which
existed and were highly valued by the Tamils of this era.
Manimekalai: Manimekalai, in its name contains the root word Mani
which refers to bells or embellishments of some sort. Hence, the text
Manimekalai is to symbolize the Ottiyaanam or the waist chain that
gives attractiveness to the feminine Tamil literature. Nevertheless,
Manimekalai written by Scholar Seethalai Saathanar in 6thcentury CE,
this epic is the sequel to Silappathikaaram. Like Silappathikaaram,
Manimekelai is composed of 30 Kaathais. In the epic Manimekalai, the
main protagonist Manimekalai was the daughter of Kovalan and
Kannagi. Manimekelai, loved by Udayakumaaran (the Prince of the
Chola dynasty), was actually keen on pursuing a monastic, religious
life. Suddenly, she then encountered Manimekala Devi, the goddess of
the sea with whom Manimekalai arrives on the island Manipallavam.
Manimekalai, in this island then comes to learn about the power of the
Dharma seat a devotee of the Dharma seat is able to know about the
events which may have taken place in their past life. Manimekelai
worshipped the Dharma seat and in return DeevaTeevalakai, the
goddess of the Dharma seat gave Manimekalai a bowl of an
extraordinary type called the Amuta Surabi. The Amutha Surabhi
possessed the capability of providing an infinite amount of food. After
having received the Amutha Surabi, Manimekelai set off to see Aravana
Adigal in Kaveripattinam, who explained to Manimekelai the purpose of
life and existence. Finally, with all this new wisdom and knowledge,
Manimekalai decided to convert to the Buddhist religion to become a
Buddhist monk. Through the story of Manimekelai, one is able to see
the influence of Buddhism in shaping Tamil culture and arts in
6th century CE. In addition, Manimekelai takes place in the setting of
Kaveripattinam which includes the region of Northeastern Jaffna as
well as the city Poomboohar this address the idea of how Tamils once
lived together historically before political and national borders were
drawn.
Civaka Cinthamani: Civaka Cinthamani epitomizes the bindi or the
pottu that gives refinement to the ladylike Tamil literature. Thiruthakka
Thevars work, Civaka Cinthaamani, set in 10 th century CE, exists in a
series of 13 books the work is composed of 3147 verses. Civaka
Cinthaamani deals with the adventures of Civakan and his efforts to
reclaim his entitled throne. Long ago, there was a king by the name of
Sachchanthan who was engulfed in the sexual pleasure from his wife

to the point that he gave his kingdom to be ruled by his evil minister
Kattiyangkaran. Kattiyangkaran in return attempted to kill
Sachchanthan. As a result, Sachchanthan then sent his pregnant wife
on a peacock as he tried to defeat Kattiyangkaran. Landing on a
cemetery, the Queen gave birth to Civakan who then grew to become a
hero. Civakan then embarked on his mission to defeat Kattiyangkaran
and to gain the throne that is rightfully his. He succeeded in his taskonly to realize that this life does not confer happiness and he decided
to live a monastic, religious life. Civaka Cinthamani can retain its
position as a significant text among the 5 great epics as it was a
writing that portrayed the dynamics of the Chola dynasty. Specifically,
Civaka Cinthamani was a text that depicted the Cholas support in
encouraging academics and culture. Through the epic, a great deal of
information is learned about a dynasty that was crucial to spreading
Tamil pride globally during the golden ages of Tamil heritage.
Valaiyapathy: Valaiyal in Tamil refers to a set of bangles and so
Valaiyapathy is the bangle-like-literary work that provides the
gracefulness to mother Tamil literature. The author of Valaiyapathy still
remains unknown however it is said that Valaiyapathy was written in
10th century CE. As it stands, there are 72 verses which are present of
the initial version of the tale. Valaiyapathy is the story of Navakodi
Narayanan a local merchant and how he rejoins with his spouse. To
start, long ago there lived Navakodi Narayanan, a merchant who
married a woman of a different cultural sect. Furious over the act
committed by Narayanan, Narayanan was ostracized by his own
parents. As a result, Narayanan left his pregnant wife and went
abroad. Finally, Narayanans son saw his father in Puhar and reunited
his parents together. Valaiyapathy, in its discussion of the main
characters, it often refers to clauses from the Thirukural. In addition,
by discussing things like family and marriage, there is quite bit of
stress on the importance of family, marriage as the highly valued
virtues in the Tamil culture. Moreover, family and marriage are values
held to the highest standards for the reason that Tamil cultural events
are grounded in the idea of about bringing two people or two sets of
families together.
Kundalakesi: With the word Kundalam (meaning a large earring),
there is no doubt that Kundalakesi represents the earring that gives
charm to Tamil literature. Kundalakesi, authored by Naathakutthanaar,
was set in 7th century CE. Kundalakesi revolves around the central
character Kundalakesi and her relationship with Saathuvaan (or
Kaalan), a thief in the village in which Kundalakesi resided in. Long ago
there lived Saathuvaan, a petty thief in the village who was arrested
by the Kings authorities. Kundalakesi, who encountered Saathuvaan
at a street parade, fell in love with Saathuvaan. Kundalakesi then

encouraged her father to use all his wealth to get him released. Upon
Saathuvaans release, Kundalakesi was married off to Saathuvaan.
Kundalakesi then one night brought up Kaalans past as being a thief,
outraged by this Kaalan planned to murder Kundalakesi. One morning,
Kaalan, as per his plans, took Kundalakesi up a mountain top. Just as
he attempted to push Kundalakesi from the top, Kundalakesi requested
Kaalan to fulfill her last wish which was to go around her husband
three times. He complied and just as Kundalakesi completed her third
turn, she pushed Kaalan off the cliff and Saathuvaan was murdered.
After the death of her husband, Kundalakesi decides to become a
Buddhist monk and a preacher of Buddhist philosophy. While only
certain verses remain of the original tale Kundalakesi, the legend is still
a tale that ceases to exist in Tamil literature. This once again reinforces
the importance of the dark ages in Tamil literature in where many of
the literary works produced in Tamil disappeared as a result of imperial
forces and natural disasters. Despite so, Kundalakesi is still valued as
an important tale because it had been this tale which caused the birth
of the new tale, Neelakesi. On this note, one can say that Kundalakesi
still remains as a source of influence for present day Tamil literary
pieces. The summaries of Silappathikaaram, Manimekelai, Civaka
Cinthamani, Valaiyapathi and Kundalakesi summaries give a snapshot
of the stories of each legend. However to fully grasp the morals and
lessons put forward by each legend, it is recommended that one reads
the original texts for many reasons. The 5 great epics are written using
rich, complex vocabulary, stylistic literary devices and so gaining
exposure of such linguistics elements can broaden ones knowledge of
the language. More importantly, the epics provide a detailed
examination of the way of life of ancient Tamils and so this allows for
comparisons to be made on how Tamil culture and heritage has
changed throughout time. Finally, these literary pieces, which have
been preserved after having faced the threat of extinction, provide
insights and philosophies on various themes and elements to
humankind which can infact make us better as humans. As so, as we
celebrate Tamil heritage month, let us reflect back on ancient literary
works and celebrate the epics for the contribution they have made to
Mother Tamil literature.