The Golden Age of Tamil literature

The Chola period is known for developments made in Tamil and is known as the “Golden Age of Tamil literature.”

Tamil literature

There was a growth of classical Tamil literature during the Chola period. Kuttan, the court poet Vikrama Chola, Kulottunga II and Rajaraja II wrote about the war of Vikrama Chola.
Pulgalendi was a contemporary of Kuttan who wrote Nalavenba. Sekkilar composed the famous poem Periya Puranam during the reign of Kulottunga II.
Kalingattuparani was a poem written by Jayankondar, the court poet of Kulottunga I. This poem celebrates the victory of Kulottunga Chola I over the king of Kalinga during a war. In this poem, Jayankondar has mentioned details about the lineage of the king, his birth, his family and his accession to the throne. The poem is regarded as one of the masterpieces of Tamil literature.

The Chola period is known for developments made in Tamil and is known as the ‘Golden Age of Tamil literature.
Kamban was a great writer who lived in the 11th century. He wrote Tamil Ramayana. Many writers wrote stories from Ramayana and Mahabharata.
Pugalandi composed Nala Venba which was a love story of Nala Damyanti.
In the 12th century, the works of Tamil writers were collected in eleven volumes known as Tirumurais. These are considered sacred texts.
Kalingattuparani was a poem written by Jayankondar which describes the second war of Kulothunga against Sri Lanka.
Buddhamitra and Rawankashi wrote treaties on grammar. A Jain poet Amrit Sagar wrote several books which have enriched literature.

The temple was not only a place of worship but also a place of imparting education. The priests taught the children mainly in Tamil and Sanskrit.
They taught Vedas in Sanskrit. Several local works were taught in Tamil.