Written by London Swaminathan

Post No. 16,159

Date uploaded in London – 3 September 2026

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Purananuru wonders-62; Tamil Encyclopaedia 102, One Thousand Interesting Facts -Part 102

The next book we are going to see is Kurinchip Pattu (pronunciation- kurinjip paattu), one of the Ten Idylls ( Paththup Paattu) in Sangam Tamil Literature. It is a 261 lines long poem. It is a love poem. Kurichip pattu means mountain song; Tamils called the mountain landscape as Kurinchi; Kurinchi  is the name of a plant and its flowers blossom once in 12 years. Kurinchi blossom itself is a natural wonder. Tamils visit Nilgris and Kodaikanal to see the once in 12 year flowering.

Subject of the poem

A mother sees her daughter pine away day by day and is distressed, not knowing the causes. She consults soothsayers and makes offerings to gods for her daughter’s cure. A girl friend of the maiden knows the real cause and keeps it a secret. The girl fell in love with a man she met in the millet field. The poem described the meeting of the hero and the heroine in the natural surroundings.

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 First, let me list the wonders in it:

It was written by the Brahmin poet KAPILAR who contributed highest number of poems to Sangam Tamil Literature;

He changed the mind of a North Indian Musician who criticised Tamil language and made him a Tamil poet!

To impress him Kapilar imitated Kalidasa’s poems; Rev G U Pope said that the poem was an imitation of Kalidasa, whose Rtu Samharam and Sakuntalam have beautiful description of Nature.

Biggest wonder is Kapilar listed 99 flowers at one go; it is not found in any other literature.

Reference to Sun God with a Chariot pulled by Seven Horses, worship of many gods; belief in rebirth;

Reference to the custom of Tamil women arranging their hair into five separate braids; it is seen in some parts of Burma and Iraq; in the absence of any painting or sculptures some scholars think it is five different hair styles.

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Item 872 –Flower Wonder

The biggest wonder in Kurinchip Paattu is the list of 99 flowers at one go! Though Kalidasa, a Pre-Sangam Age poet and Valmiki also used as many flowers but not in one place in a poem.

Few of the flowers have Sanskrit names and few of the flowers are not satisfactorily identified; yet it shows the interest and  knowledge of botany in Sangam Age.

Following is the list: Lines 61- 98

பாறையில் மலர் குவித்த பாவையர்

———– ———— ———– வள் இதழ்
ஒண் செங்காந்தள், ஆம்பல், அனிச்சம்,
தண் கயக் குவளை, குறிஞ்சி, வெட்சி,
செங்கொடுவேரி, தேமா, மணிச்சிகை,
உரிது நாறு அவிழ் தொத்து உந்தூழ், கூவிளம்,  65
எரி புரை எறுழம், சுள்ளி, கூவிரம்,
வடவனம், வாகை, வான் பூங் குடசம்,
எருவை, செருவிளை, மணிப்பூங் கருவிளை,
பயினி, வானி, பல்லிணர்க் குரவம்,
பசும்பிடி, வகுளம், பல்லிணர்க் காயா,   70
விரி மலர் ஆவிரை, வேரல், சூரல்,
குரீஇப் பூளை, குறுநறுங்கண்ணி,
குருகிலை, மருதம், விரிபூங் கோங்கம்,
போங்கம், திலகம், தேங்கமழ் பாதிரி,
செருந்தி, அதிரல், பெருந்தண் சண்பகம்,   75
கரந்தை, குளவி, கடிகமழ் கலிமாத்,
தில்லை, பாலை, கல் இவர் முல்லை,
குல்லை, பிடவம், சிறுமாரோடம்,
வாழை, வள்ளி, நீள் நறு நெய்தல்,
தாழை, தளவம், முள் தாள் தாமரை   80
ஞாழல், மௌவல், நறுந்தண் கொகுடி,
சேடல், செம்மல், சிறுசெங்குரலி,
கோடல், கைதை, கொங்கு முதிர் நறுவழை,
காஞ்சி, மணிக்குலைக் கள் கமழ் நெய்தல்,
பாங்கர், மராஅம், பல்பூந் தணக்கம்,   85
ஈங்கை, இலவம், தூங்கு இணர்க் கொன்றை,
அடும்பு, அமர் ஆத்தி, நெடுங்கொடி அவரை,
பகன்றை, பலாசம், பல்பூம் பிண்டி,
வஞ்சி, பித்திகம், சிந்துவாரம்,
தும்பை, துழாஅய் சுடர்ப்பூந் தோன்றி,   90
நந்தி, நறவம், நறும் புன்னாகம்,
பாரம், பீரம், பைங்குருக்கத்தி,
ஆரம், காழ்வை, கடிஇரும் புன்னை,
நரந்தம், நாகம், நள்ளிருள்நாறி,
மாஇருங் குருந்தும், வேங்கையும் பிறவும்,   95
அரக்கு விரித்தன்ன பரு ஏர் அம் புழகுடன்
மால் அங்கு உடைய மலிவனம் மறுகி,
வான்கண் கழீஇய அகல் அறைக் குவைஇப், (61-98)

Collecting flowers and placing them on boulders

Attracted to the flowers that were
there, with desire,
we collected the flowers of red
kānthal with thick leaves, white āmpal,
delicate anicham, kuvalai from cool
ponds, kurinji, vetchi, chenkoduvēri,
sweet mango, manichikai, unthoozh with
fragrant clusters of flowers, koovilam,
flame-like erulam, sulli, kooviram,
vadavanam, vākai, kudasam with white
flowers, eruvai, seruvilai, and
karuvilai with gem-colored flowers,
payini, vāni, kuravam with many clusters
of flowers, pasumpidi, vakulam, kāyā with
many clusters of flowers, āvirai with open
blossoms, vēral, sooral, small poolai,
small and fragrant kanni, kurukilai,
marutham, kōngam with open blossoms,
pōngam, thilakam, honey-fragrant pāthiri,
cherunthi, athiral, large cool chenbakam,
karanthai, kulavi, flourishing
fragrant mango, thillai, pālai, mullai
that has spread on rocks, kullai, pidavam,
siru mārōdam, banana, valli, neythal flowers
with long stems, coconut, thalavam, lotus
with thorns on its stems, gnāzhal, wild
jasmine, cool fragrant kokudi, sedal,
chemmal, small chengurali, kōdal, kaithai,
mature naruvalai, kānji, sapphire-colored
clusters of neythal flowers, pānkar, marām,
thanakkam with clusters, eengai, ilavam,
kondrai, adampu, perfect
āthi, avarai with long vines, pakandrai,
palāsam, pindi with clusters of blossoms,
vanji, large pithikam, sinthuvāram, thumpai,
thulāi, flame-like thōndri, nanthi, naravam,
fragrant punnākam, pāram, peeram, fresh
kurukkathi, āram, kāzhvai, fragrant punnai,
narantham, nākam, nallirul nāri, kuruntham,
vēngai and vermilion-hued thick, beautiful, red,
wild puzhaku, that were washed by the
rains, and piled them on a wide, clean boulder.

(Translation of Vaidehi Herbert is used; thanks)

My comments:

Anicham is not identified but guessed what it was; now not seen in any part of the world. Many of the flowers are not seen in other books of Sangam literature. Few are from Sanskrit literature that existed before Sangam Age.

***

Item 873 -New Poet Made

Yaaz Brahma Dutt was a North Indian musician and Aryan chieftain, who was an expert in playing Yaaz (lyre, lute); he criticised Tamil language. Kapilar being a Brahmin , taught him Tamil via Sanskrit. He impressed him and in course of time Yaaz Brahma Dutt became a Tamil Poet! That Brahma Dutt composed a poem in Tamil and, compilers included it in the Sangam corpus (see Kuruntokai 184)! This is really a wonder because within a short time a poet was created in the language which he was not speaking.

***

Item 874 -Many Gods Worship

Lines 1 to 8 give vital information about Hindu religion followed by the Sangam Age Tamils 2000 years ago. A friend of a women was consoling a mother whose daughter was love sick. That friend said that the mother worshipped MANY DIFFERENT GODS using flowers and fragrant materials. This is a severe blow to Anti Hindu Dravidians who projected Tamils as a No Faith Gang!

Using soothsayers is also mentioned.

***

Item 875 Rebirth

Lines 23 to 26 show Tamil girl’s strong belief in REBIRTH

 Heroine worries about her parent’s mis understanding of her ‘sickness’ and says “if I can’t get him as my husband in this birth I will get him in my next birth”.

There is a golden saying as well; if jewels are broken, they can be repaired, but if one’s character is ruined , cannot be set right.

***

Item 876 – Another Wordsworth

Kapilar described the beautiful Kurinchi landscape in lines 31- 61, that is before listing the 99 flowers.  The girl/heroine said where and when she fell in love. That was the place full of birds, waterfalls, bathing in crystal clear water etc. here we are reminded of William Wordsworth and his Daffodils!

***

Item 877 -Film Director of Indian Love Films!

107-127 a handsome man appeared

Here Kapilar, like a Tamil or Hindi film director , suddenly introduces appearance of some big hounds. When the girls got scared, the owner of the hounds appear and pacify the scared ladies and use the opportunity to talk to them and praise their beautiful faces. He asked whether they (heroine and her friends) saw the animal that escaped from him. He controlled the barking hunting dogs.

Another scene is introduced now . an angry elephant entered the fields to eat the millets. The girls ran towards the young man hugged him. He gave him full protection and praised girl, who is the heroine of the poem. Then, his country with natural spots is described.

***

Item 878

Dances -Lines 186-199

Here we come across different dances. Dancing girls’ rope walking adventures is mentioned.

Poet compared the peacock to the dancing girl who did rope walking- line 194.

Young man’s promise to marry that girl and provide wedding feast;

Sun riding a chariot with seven horses Line 215 ; mountain god’s worship;

Love at first sight; Meetings of lovers were  done more often;

Heroine worried about the safety of her lover b coming via forest route;

Delay in marriage made her lovesick.

***

Item 879 Peacocks drink Liquor!

People indulged in ‘honey sweet toddy’. The peacocks too drank it, only they drank the home made variety, mistaking it for water.

***

Item 880- Water used for swearing.

Hindus use water while giving away donations. They also use water for making promises or taking oaths. Here is an interesting reference to the custom of swearing  with water taken in hand by the one who makes the oath. Lines 210-213

****

Item 881 Nineteen Sanskrit words!

J V Chelliah (year 1946) says, “There are 261 lines in the poem, containing 1440 words of which 22 are not Tamil words. Nineteen are of Sanskrit origin, four are common to Tamil and Sanskrit and three are provincial words”.

My comments: even among the 99 flowers there are Sanskrit names; few examples Asoka, Palaasam, Tilakam, Bahulam (Vakulam) etc.

Apart from these wonders usual things like Nagaratna (cobra Jewel) in/ line 221, women lighting lamps in the evening, brahmins performing religious rites/ line 223, worship of Lord Muruga/Skanda, Gods residing caves, feast, pearl from elephant tusk/ line 36, body of women like flowers and birds are also mentioned.

To be continued……………………

Tags –  Kurichippattu, Kapilar, 99 flowers, Yaz Brahmdutt, Kalidas, Purananuru wonders-62; Tamil Encyclopaedia 102, One Thousand Interesting Facts -Part 102