Moral Painting Theories in Irattai Kappiyam

Abstract

Kappiyam are one among the literary forms. It is divided into Perungappiyam and Sirukappiyam. Virtue, materiality, pleasure, home, and a familial life of a husband and wife are the most important in Perungappiyam. This expands into oral literature, self-conscious songs and public songs. Sirukappiyam is a book that rejects all those four subjects of Perungappiyam and it deals with materiality. As Kappiyam we always remember the Aiperum Kappiyam from Silapathikaram to Chintamani and the Ainchiru Kappiyam from Chulamani to Neelakesi. However, Periyapuranam, Kamparamayanam, Villibharathalam, Bharathidasan's Pandyan Parisu, Pulavar Kulanthai's Ravana Kaviyam, Kannadasan's Yaesu Kaviyam are considered as Kappiyam. Among these Tamil Kappiyam’s Silapathikaram, Manimekalai and Periyapuranam have been composed using Tamil folk narrative sensibilities. Other Kappiyam’s are the adaptations from other Sanskrit and Prakrit languages. Silappathikaram and Manimegalai are known as Irattai Kappiyam because they were created at the same time and their stories are also related to each other. Silapathikaram was composed by Ilangovadigal and Manimekalai by Seethalaichathanar. The characters in these kappiyams are called related to each other and so it is called Irattai Kappiyam. This article examines the moral painting theories in Irattai Kappiyam.