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Kambar or Kavichakravarthy Kamban (1180 CE–1250 CE) was an Indian
Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, na ...
poet and the author of the
Ramavataram ''Ramavataram'', popularly referred to as ''Kamba Ramayanam'', is a Tamil epic that was written by the Tamil poet Kambar during the 12th century. Based on Valmiki's '' Ramayana'' (which is in Sanskrit), the story describes the life of Ki ...
, popularly known as ''Kambaramayanam'', the Tamil version of the epic
Ramayana The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th to 4th centuries BCE, and later stages ...
.The Cyclopaedia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia By Edward Balfour Kambar also authored other literary works in
Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, na ...
, such as Thirukkai Vazhakkam, ''Erezhupathu'', Silaiyezhupathu, ''Kangai Puranam'', ''Sadagopar Anthathi'' and ''Saraswati Anthathi''.


Life

Kambar was born in Therazhundur. His father was a wealthy farmer named Sadaiyepa Vallal. He grew up the
Chola Empire The Chola dynasty was a Tamil thalassocratic empire of southern India and one of the longest-ruling dynasties in the history of the world. The earliest datable references to the Chola are from inscriptions dated to the 3rd century BCE d ...
under the reign of Kulothunga III. Having heard of this talented bard, Kulothunga summoned him to his court and honoured him with the title ''Kavi Chakravarty'' (''The Emperor of Poets''). Kambar flourished in Therazhundur, a village in the culturally rich
Nagapattinam District Nagapattinam district is one of the 38 districts (a coastal district) of Tamil Nadu state in southern India. Nagapattinam district was carved out by bifurcating the erstwhile composite Thanjavur district on 19 October 1991. The town of Nagapat ...
in the modern state of
Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a state in southern India. It is the tenth largest Indian state by area and the sixth largest by population. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the home of the Tamil people, whose Tamil language ...
in
South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union terr ...
. Kambar is generally dated after the
vaishnavite Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as th ...
philosopher,
Ramanuja Ramanuja (Middle Tamil: Rāmāṉujam; Classical Sanskrit: Rāmanuja; 1017 CE – 1137 CE; ; ), also known as Ramanujacharya, was an Indian Hindu philosopher, guru and a social reformer. He is noted to be one of the most important exponents ...
, as the poet refers to the latter in his work, the Sadagopar Andhadhi. Kamban was a great scholar of both
Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, na ...
and
Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural diffusion ...
—two of India's oldest and richest languages in terms of literary works. In a scholarly biography, ''Kavichakravarty Kamban'',
Mahavidwan R. Raghava Iyengar The Bhasha Kavisekhara Mahavidwan R. Raghava Iyengar (1870–1946) was known for critical scholarship and creative interpretation of literature. Life Mahavidwan R. Raghava Iyengar was born on 20 September 1870 in the village called Thennavar ...
wrote in detail about Kambar. Kambar spent his last days in
Nattarasankottai Nattarasankottai is a village in Sivaganga district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Geography Nattarasankottai is located at . It has an average elevation of 75 metres (246 feet). Demographics As of 2001 India census, Nattarasan ...
(known for Kannathal temple) near to Sivagangai town and his tomb is situated there. It is said that Kambar after having differences with Kulothunga's son, Rajaraja III, he left the Chola kingdom and moved from place to place. When he reached at Nattarasankottai, he was very thirsty and asked water in one house at Nattarasankottai. He was offered buttermilk in return and he became very happy and decided to stay there itself and spent his last days there. He lived there till his death. There is tomb in Nattarasankottai and every year a celebration called ''Kamban vizha'' is conducted at this place to felicitate Kambar.


Literary works

* Kamba Ramayanam (also called ''Ramavataram'') - Retelling of the Indian epic Ramayana in Tamil. Work covers 11,000 stanzas. * Saraswati Andhadhi - Literary work of style
Andhadhi Antati ( ta, அந்தாதி, translit=Antāti) is a unique kind of Tamil poetry, constructed such that the last or ending word of each verse becomes the first word of the next verse. In some instances, the last word of the series of verse ...
in praise of Hindu Goddess
Saraswati Saraswati ( sa, सरस्वती, ) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, art, speech, wisdom, and learning. She is one of the Tridevi, along with the goddesses Lakshmi and Parvati. The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a g ...
* Sadagopar Andhadhi - Literary work of style
Andhadhi Antati ( ta, அந்தாதி, translit=Antāti) is a unique kind of Tamil poetry, constructed such that the last or ending word of each verse becomes the first word of the next verse. In some instances, the last word of the series of verse ...
in praise of Vaishnava Saint
Nammalvar Nammalvar (Tamil: நம்மாழ்வார், lit. 'Our Alvar') was one of the twelve Alvar saints of Tamil Nadu, India, who are known for their affiliation to the Vaishnava tradition of Hinduism. The verses of the Alvars are compiled ...
* Silaiezhupathu - Work in praise of 11th century
Pallava The Pallava dynasty existed from 275 CE to 897 CE, ruling a significant portion of the Deccan, also known as Tondaimandalam. The dynasty rose to prominence after the downfall of the Satavahana dynasty, with whom they had formerly served as f ...
king Karunakara Tondaiman * Thirukkai Vazhakkam * Erezhupathu * Kangai Puranam * Mangala Vazhthu, a lengthy song composed by Kambar, is usually sung on the wedding ceremony of Kongu Vellalar community. In that wedding ceremony, the brother of the bride and sister of the groom play significant roles.


Kamba Ramayanam

The original version of ''Ramayana'' was written by
Valmiki Valmiki (; Sanskrit: वाल्मीकि, ) is celebrated as the harbinger-poet in Sanskrit literature. The epic ''Ramayana'', dated variously from the 5th century BCE to first century BCE, is attributed to him, based on the attributio ...
. It is an epic of 24,000 verses which depicts the journey of
Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bei ...
, a prince of
Ayodhya Ayodhya (; ) is a city situated on the banks of holy river Saryu in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Ayodhya, also known as Saketa, is an ancient city of India, the birthplace of Rama and setting of the great epic Ramayana. Ayodhy ...
who belonged to Raghuvamsa (Solar dynasty). In
Hinduism Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
, Rama is the seventh
incarnation Incarnation literally means ''embodied in flesh'' or ''taking on flesh''. It refers to the conception and the embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form or the appearance of a god as a human. If capitalized, it is the union of divinit ...
of Lord
Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" withi ...
, one of the
Trimurti The Trimūrti (; Sanskrit: त्रिमूर्ति ', "three forms" or "trinity") are the trinity of supreme divinity in Hinduism, in which the cosmic functions of creation, maintenance, and destruction are personified as a triad of ...
(the Hindu holy trinity which includes
Brahma Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp ...
and
Shiva Shiva (; sa, शिव, lit=The Auspicious One, Śiva ), also known as Mahadeva (; Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐ, or Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the Supreme Being in Shaivism, one o ...
). The ''Ramavataram'' or ''Kamba Ramayanam'' of Kamban is an epic of about 11,000 stanzas.Legend of Ram By Sanujit Ghose The ''Rama-avataram'' or ''Rama-kathai'' as it was originally called was accepted into the holy precincts in the presence of Vaishnava Acharya Naathamuni.Rays and Ways of Indian Culture By D. P. Dubey ''Kamba Ramayana'' is not a verbal translation of the Sanskrit epic by Valmiki, but a retelling of the story of Lord Rama. Legend has it that the entire episode was written in one night by Lord
Ganesh Ganesha ( sa, गणेश, ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in Ganapatya sect. His image is found throughout India. Hindu ...
. Ganesha is said to have written the poems that Kambar dictated to him during the night, as Kambar procrastinated the work till the day before the deadline set by the King. ''Kamba Ramayana'' was first delivered in
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple, Srirangam Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Ranganatha (a form of Vishnu), located in Srirangam, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, India. Constructed in the Hindu architectural style, the temple is glorified by Alvars in their Naalay ...
at the court hall (Kambar Arangetra Mandapam) near Thaayar sannithi. Legend says that when contemporaries objected to ''Hiranyavadaipadalam'' ("Story of
Hiranyakasipu Hiranyakashipu (; also known as Hiranyakashyap) was an Asura king of the ''daityas'' from the Puranic scriptures of Hinduism. His name literally translates to "clothed in gold" (''hiranya'' "gold" ''kashipu'' "soft cushion"), and is often inte ...
", which occurs as Vibhishana telling Ravana while warning against his false sense of invincibility), Kamban read it in front of the
Narasimha Narasimha ( sa, नरसिंह, lit=man-lion, ), sometimes rendered Narasingha, is the fourth avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. He is regarded to have incarnated in the form of a part-lion, part-man being to slay Hiranyakashipu, to end rel ...
Swami temple in Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple. The Swami applauded by laughing out aloud from his Sanctum Sanctora (Mettu Narasimhar Sannidhi), and this was taken as proof of approval.


Kambar's praise

Many Tamil poets, statesmen, kings, and common people have praised Kambar for his ''Kambaramayanam'', which has more than 10,000 songs and 45,000 lines, forming one of the greatest of Tamil epics. A common word of praise attributed to Kambar is that even the mill in his house would sing ("Kambar veettuk kattuththariyum kavipadum"; "கம்பர் வீட்டுக் கட்டுத்தறியும் கவி பாடும்"). He is considered special in singing poems under "Viruthapa". "Kamba Sutram" (கம்ப சூத்திரம்) is a phrase used by Tamil people in their day-to-day activity. It was originally "Kamba Chithiram", denoting Kamban's art. However, over a period of time, it came to be rendered as "Kamba Sutram". The phrase is used just like "rocket science", which clearly denotes that skills of Kambar in writing poem with viruthapa is as difficult as "rocket science".


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kambar Tamil poets Indian male poets Hindu poets 12th-century Indian poets Poets from Tamil Nadu People from Thanjavur district Translators of the Ramayana 1180 births 1250 deaths