Puranic Encyclopaedia: A Comprehensive Dictionary with Special Reference to the Epic and Puranic Literature c9.1038

c9.1038

The Pāṇḍyan King had built at Madura a hall (maṇḍapa) for the poets and scholars of the third Saṅgham to assemble together to produce their works. Even to this day there exists a temple called Saṅghaṭṭārkovil at the south-western corner of the outer sector of the Sundareśvara temple. There the idols of Sarasvatī and of the fortynine poets of the Saṅgham are being worshipped even today. The growth and influence of the Buddhist and the Jain religions and also that of the Pallava royal dynasty, contributed to the downfall of the Saṅgham. The Saṅgham poets have written many excellent books. According to legends, Agastyam is a text on grammar of the first Saṅgham and Tolkāpyam of the second Saṅgham. There were authoritative text books on music written by the last poets of the Saṅgham. But, none of these books has been unearthed yet. Again, references are found to dramas like Muruval, Jayantam, etc. They too have not yet been found out. Five mahākāvyas (Epic poems) and five short Kāvyas also belong to Saṅgham works. Puranānūru. Akanānūru, Paṭiṭṭuppattu, Aim kurunūru, Kalittokai, Kuruntokai, Paripāṭal and Naṭṭiṇai are included in the Saṅgham work called Eṭṭuttokai. Most of them are collections of many compositions. The authorship of the four hundred songs in Puranānūru is distributed among nearly 160 poets. Aim Kurunūru contains five hundred songs by five poets. These five hundred songs were collected by the scholar, Kūṭalūr kizhar, on the orders of the Cera King, Ceralirumpozhai. Paṭiṭṭippattu is a collection of songs composed by ten poets in praise of the Cera Kings. But, eight of these from two to nine are available yet. Paṭṭuppāṭṭu comprised of the follow-