Hymnal Poetry
When one thinks of hymnal poetry in Kerala, apart from Ezhuthachan, one of the names that arise foremost in the mind is that of Poonthaanam. He was a contemporary of Ezhuthachan. His Sreekrishna Karnaamritam tells the story of Lord Krishna. Poonthaanam was an ardent devotee of Lord Krishna. Being childless himself, he loved the Lord as his own child, which is revealed in the following verse:
	"When Unnikrishna, plays in the heart where is the need for another boy as son?"
Along with the hymnal poetry, there evolved ethical and didactic verses, which pointed out to the theory of a universal God. Poonthanam in his last section of Karnaamritham gives a clear picture of man, who does not realize the transitory nature of life.
There were a number of versions of epics and puranas during the course of the development of Malayalam literature. In the sixteenth century, there appeared a Ramayana which had twenty four sections, each having a different metre. The author is greatly indebted to Punam's Champu. Vira Kerala Varma was another person who attempted to render a work based on Ramaayana. He wrote his poem in a clear style, since he felt that Niranam's work was obsolete in diction. He wanted his poetry to be intelligible to the layman. In the eighteenth century, there appeared another Ramayana in the song - mould called paana. The author of this work is unknown. Rama Varma a ruler of Cochin rendered a section of Valmiki's original in Malayalam. Later Subhadra, a princess of Cochin added another section to it.
There are other works which have taken certain parts of epics as their themes. The important works belonging to this category are Putrakaameeshti (18th century), Baalivatham(18th century), Seetu Bandanam (15th century), and Raamaasvameedham (16th century).
A monumental work related to the epic Mahaabhaarata appeared in the 19th century. It was written by Kunjikuttan Thampuran of Kudamalloor. The work was a complete and instant translation of the great epic. It has a very simple style and diction. Kathulli Achutha Menon, encouraged by Kunjikuttan Thampuran wrote a translation of Aswamedha, the only canto that has survived in the Mahabharata written by Jaimini.
Ezhuthachan's Bhagavatham in the Kilippattu style needs special mention. Another important work belonging to this category is Kunchan Nambiar's Sreekrishana Charitham. Puranas like Devi Maahaatmyam, Brahmanda Purana, and Skanda Purana also have their renderings in Malayalam. There arose poems also describing holy places. Examples of these are Vilvaadri Maahaatmyam (17th century ) and Vrishapura Maahaatmyam (18th century).