Tamil Pattinappalai

Pattinappaalai is a Tamil poetic work in the Pathinenmaelkanakku anthology of Tamil literature, belonging to the Sangam period corresponding to between 100 BCE – 100 CE

Pattinappaalai is part of the Pathupattu collection, which is the oldest available collection of long poems in Tamil literature

Pattinappaalai contains 301 lines of poetry in the "akaval" meter. Pattinappaalai was written by the poet Uruttirangannanar in praise of the Chola king Karikala. Pattinappaalai poems belong to the Akam, or subjective themes of love and human relationships and utilises the location of the story to sing praises of the ruler

Pattinappaalai contains vivid descriptions of the ancient Chola capital of Kaveripattinam (Puhar), which was located at the mouth of the river Cauvery. Food from Eelam is imported to the Chola country at the port. The flourishing sea-trade and the antics of Yavanas, the merchants from ancient Greece and Rome, their living quarters, etc. are colourfully described by the poet

The realistic nature of these descriptions makes us wonder whether these to be eyewitness accounts rather than an imaginary account of a poet. It gives details about the goods that were imported and exported from the Puhar port, the professions which flourished in the port. Pattinappalai also gives an idealised description of the merchants plying their trade in Puhar (Pattinappaalai – II –199-212):

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