Ekaakshara, Dvyarttha works (Tamil)

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     Ekaakshara, Dvyarttha Works
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Sreenivas wrote of citrakaavyas in Telugu.

Raghava Paandaveeyam has been rendered into Tamil by
Rasipuram Maarayya Achari early in this century.
The songs have a nice flow. Unfortunately, only 
first half has been printed.

In Tamil, the work has been named "iraviica marapinar kaathai".
Even the title exhibits two meanings.

iraviicar = iravu + iicar = Lord of the night, Chandran.
In this mode, it talks of Mahabharatham, the story of the
descendents of Chandra.

iraviicar = iravi + iicar = Lord Ravi, Suuryan.
Here, it means RaamaayaNam, because Raaman is Ravi kula tilakan.

There are many catakams, antaatis, etc with ekaaksharams, yamakam,
tiribu alankaarams. Also, many ashTa naagabandham, rathabandham etc.
But these chitra kavis are so rigid, formulaic, need commentary
to understand and devoid of poetical beauties.

There is a good niroTTaka(ithazhakal) antaati on Tiruchenduur
by Turaimankalam Civappirakaacar. (17th century). It is made up of
letters which do not need the lips to touch at all.
But it is an exception.

Duing the period of Vijayanagar, these Chitrakavis gained
patronage under Vijayanagar Nayaks. These letter/word plays
coupled with excessive eroticism is a mark of the Nayak period literature.
Heavy decline when compared to Sangam classics, KuRaL, Cilappatikaaram
or Kamban.

Modern Tamil literature has to be resurrected by
Bharatiyar or little earlier, Ramalinga Samy.

N. Ganesan