TAMIL LITERATURE AND ITS CLASSIFICATION

Indian grammarians have divided Tamil literature into three classes, namely - IYAL (belles-lettres), ISAI (Music), and NATAKAM (Drama). Tradition says that Agastya was the only grammarian who wrote complete treatises on the grammar of all the three classes of Tamil, but none of them are now extant. During the early centuries of the Christian era attention seems to have been paid by the Tamils tom all the three. They had their own dances and music - vocal and instrumental. They developed the art of dancing to a high degree of perfection and many treatises were written on this fine art; even their gods had their characteristic favourite dances.

Music too was highly developed and their PANS or tunes were SUI GEN ERIS to the Tamil race. The only ancient Tamil work now extant dealing with the nature of the drama is the SILAPPADIKARAM of the third century. It gives a vivid description of
the stage, the actor, the singer, the drummer, the flute-player, the yal-player, and others of the troupe; and contains beautiful specimens of VARI KURAVI , AMMANAI , USAL, KANDUKAM, VALLAI and other
types of songs.

The ancient Tamil works on music, dancing and drama fell into neglect; and by the time of Adiyarkunallar (about 1200 A.D.),most of them were lost. It is difficult now to say what those PANS and dances were like. Their places were gradually taken up by the In do-Aryan RAGAMS and NATYAMS.

During festivals and processions of gods, dancing was encouraged and plays were acted to draw large crowds of devotees. Hundreds of dancing girls or GANDHARVIS were attached to every important temple. This was the origin of the institution of singing by ODUVANS and ARAIVANS, and the public representation of NATAKAS , PALLUS , and KURAVANJIS
in Hindu temples. Of these the first alone now survives. The institution was carried to the West Coast, and it now survives in the Chakkiyar Kuttu . During the eighteenth century, drama and music began to revive; and Arunachala Kavi (1712 - 1779 A.D.) the famous author of RAMA NATAKAM may justly be called the father of modern dramatic literature, and under the Mahratta Rajas of Tanjore, a fresh impetus was given to music.