Patiṟṟuppattu

Patiṟṟuppattu (Tamil: பதிற்றுப் பத்து) is a classical Tamil poetic work. The name Pathiṟṟuppattu means 'ten tens' or 'Ten Decads' or 'Tenfold Ten', referring to the ten sets of ten poems the book contains. The poems extol the richness of the Cheral dynasty, the historic kings of Kerala. The first and the last ten poems have been lost beyond recovery.

Classical Tamil literature is usually brought under a twofold classification, namely, Eighteen Major Works (Tamil: பதினெட்டு மேற் கணக்கு நூல்கள்} and Eighteen Minor Works (Tamil: பதினெட்டு கீழ்க் கணக்கு நூல்கள்}. In the former do we have the Ten Long poems (Tamil: பத்துப்பாட்டு} and in the latter are the Eight Anthologies (Tamil: எட்டுத் தொகை நூல்கள்}. It is the fourth book in the Ettutokai, an anthology of Sangam literature. Patiṟṟuppattu is one of the works of the Eight Anthologies. According to T. P. Meenakshisundaram (1949), it is the 'only available book of ancient Cera history. Among all the Sangam works this is unique in being a collection of the poems on cerals.'.

The book deals with the descendants of Utiyan ceral and those of Antuvan Ceral Irumporai. The descendants of the former were ruling from Vanji which is now recognised Karuvur and those of the latter were ruling from Tondi, a seaport on the western coast. The poems describe the valour of the king and his warriors, the munificence of the Chera monarchs, the bravery of enemy kings and their warriors,the queen, the singers and the dancers who entertain the monarch,the description of the flora and fauna, the sea,the hills and fountains, the rivers and the forests found in their countries etc.

This work speaks about ten kings of the Ceral dynasty. The second, third, fourth and the fifth ten of the work describe the descendants of Utiyan Ceral and the other three books, namely the sixth,seventh and the eight ten deal with the lineage of Antuvan Ceral Irumporai.The first ten, one that is lost, probably could have dealt with Utiyan Ceral who was succeeded by his two sons, namely, Imayavarmban Netunceralatan and Pal yanai celkezhu Kuttuvan. The former had two wives namely Chozan Manakkilli's daughter, the mother of Katal Pirakkottiya Cenkuttuvan,the hero of the fifth ten and Velavikkoman's daughter, the mother of Kalankaykanni Narmuticceral, the hero of the fourth ten and Atukotpattucceralatan, the hero of the sixth ten. The seventh, eighth and ninth ten deal with the son, grand son and great grandson respectively of the Antuvan ceralirumporai, the king of the second lineage.

...
Wikipedia