2. Early Tamil Literature - poetry

Among the ancient Tamil classics Pathittuppath (Ten of ten) is a very important work. Originally it consisted of ten cycles each, having ten poems praising a Chera ruler. However the first and last have been lost. The rulers described in this work belong to the fourth and fifth centuries A.D. The social life as reflected in Pathittuppath is very advanced and prosperous. Everything was based on sound ecological principles. Kuravas inhabited the hills. They were basically hunters and fruit cultivaters. The pasture lands were inhabited by Itayas who reared the cattle. Flat land was the land of the Uzhavas who were farmers and coastal region was the land of Valayas who were fishermen : At this time there was no caste differentiation. Trade relations with Yavanas were prosperous. It has to be noted that Greeks, Romans, Persians, Turks and Arabs were referred to as Yavanas .

The great Tamil Classic Chilappatikaaram (Epic of the anklets) written by a Chera prince is a product of the early seventh century. This epic gives vivid details of the three dynasties of the Dravidian land, namely, the Cholas, Pandyas and the Cheras.

Kulasekara, the founder of the Second Chera empire, wrote the work 'Mukundamala' in Sanskrit and 'Perumaal Thirumozhi' in Tamil. This was during the 9th century A.D.

During the eighth century, the Brahmins entered Kerala from Kolhapur and its surroundings. Their influx and blend of cultures caused the caste system to emerge, thus forming distinct groups like Namboodiris, Kshtriyas, Sudras and untouchables. The Sanskrit language now started to gain ground and became the language of literature. The 9th century witnessed the domination of Sanskrit language over the native Dravidian.