Kalittokai
Kalittokai is a significant anthology of Cakam literature, originally composed in Tamil and published in 1999. It comprises 150 love poems written in the kali meter, representing a later phase of the akam (internal) genre. This collection showcases a distinct departure from earlier works through its unique characters, themes, and styles. Kalittokai focuses on the five fundamental situations of love, known as aintinai, and is organized into five segments that correspond to different geographical settings: pālai (arid), kuriñici (mountain), marutam (lowland), mullai (forest), and neytal (seashore). The dominant theme throughout the anthology is successful love, yet it also addresses mismatched and unrequited love in several poems. Notably, while it includes references to historical figures and events, it exclusively mentions Pāṇṭiya kings. Kalittokai reflects a folk-style interpretation of human relationships, marking a transitional phase between bardic and bhakti poetry, thereby offering readers a rich exploration of love and connection in the Tamil literary tradition.
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Subject Terms
Kalittokai
Related civilization: India (Tamil).
Date: fourth century c.e.
Locale: Maturai, India
Authorship: Kapilar, Naltuvanar, Marutanilanakanar, Uruttiran, and others
Kalittokai
Kalittokai (Kalittokai in English, 1999) is a later collection of Cakam literature, originally composed in the Tamil language, and consists of 150 love poems in the kali meter of the akam (internal) genre. The characters, themes, and meter differ from the earlier anthologies of the period. Although there are references to kings, poets, chieftains, and events from other collections, this anthology mentions only Pāṇṭiya kings. Kalittokai (kah-lee-TOH-ka-i) depicts the five basic situations of love in the five regions (aintinai) common to Cakam literature. This anthology is divided into five parts. The first part relates to pālai (arid), the second to kuriñici (mountain), the third to marutam (lowland), the fourth to mullai (forest), and the fifth to neytal (seashore). Successful love is the dominant theme in this collection, but fourteen poems deal with mismatched love (peruntinai) and unrequited love (kaikkilai). Kalittokai offers a vivid folk-style interpretation of human relationships, which is different from the classical style used in the early Cakam poems. Kalittokai belongs to the transitionary stage between bardic and bhakti poems.
Bibliography
Marr, John Ralston. The Eight Anthologies. Madras, India: Institute of Asian Studies, 1985.
Murugan, V. Kalittokai in English. Chennai, India: Institute of Asian Studies, 1999.
Ramanujam, A. K. Poems of Love and War: From the Eight Anthologies and the Ten Songs of Classical Tamil. New York: Columbia University Press, 1985.