The poet and the making of the Tamil Ramayanam

Kambar & his Ramayanam

Kambar (Kavichakravarti, "emperor of poets") composed the Kamba Ramayanam (கம்பராமாயணம்) in Tamil in the great tradition of Valmiki (வால்மீகி) — a work counted among the supreme achievements of Tamil literature.

The poet

Kambar (கம்பர், also written Kamban; c. 1180 – 1250 CE) was a Tamil poet traditionally associated with Therazhundur (திருவழுந்தூர்), a town in the Chola country near Kumbakonam (கும்பகோணம்). He is remembered by the title Kavichakravarti (கவிச்சக்கரவர்த்தி), "emperor among poets," and tradition holds that he flourished under the patronage of the chieftain Sadayappa Vallal (சடையப்ப வள்ளல்), whom he honours with gratitude throughout his work. His command of Tamil — its music, imagery, and grammar — is regarded as unsurpassed.

Kambar's lifetime is commonly dated to the 12th century CE — placed after Ramanuja, since Kambar refers to him — with birth/death often given as c. 1180–1250 CE (Wikipedia: Kambar). His exact dates remain debated among scholars (some traditions place him earlier); read these as the commonly-cited estimate.

His works — and his magnum opus

Several works are attributed to Kambar in the tradition, among them the Sathagopar Anthadhi (சடகோபர் அந்தாதி — a hundred verses in praise of Nammalvar, நம்மாழ்வார்), Er Ezhupathu (ஏர் எழுபது — verses in praise of the farmer's plough and toil), Silaiyezhupathu (சிலையெழுபது), Kangai Puranam (கங்கை புராணம்), and Saraswati Anthadhi (சரஸ்வதி அந்தாதி), among others attributed to him.

But his magnum opus is without question the Kamba Ramayanam (also called Rāmāvatāram, இராமாவதாரம்) — his retelling of the story of Rama (இராமன்) in soaring Tamil verse. Running to thousands of verses across six kāṇḍams (காண்டம்), it is not a mere translation of Valmiki but a devotional and poetic re-creation, read for a thousand years for its beauty and its bhakti. It is the heart of this website.

Attributions of the shorter works vary in the tradition — pending verification.

How the Ramayanam came to be written

Tradition tells that Kambar undertook the great task of rendering the Ramayana into Tamil at the encouragement of his patron Sadayappa Vallal, and by the grace of the Lord and the Alvars (ஆழ்வார்கள்). Steeped in the devotion of the Divya Prabandham (திவ்ய பிரபந்தம்) and the Sri Vaishnava (ஸ்ரீவைஷ்ணவ) tradition, Kambar set out not simply to translate Valmiki but to sing the glory of Rama — the supreme Lord descended as the ideal being — in the mother tongue of the Tamil land. When the work was complete, it remained to be presented to the world; and it is here that the cherished stories of its acceptance begin.

The Arangetram (அரங்கேற்றம்) — how the Ramayanam won acceptance

1. The Thillai Mūvāyiravar (தில்லை மூவாயிரவர்) — the scholars' acceptance

Kambar first wished to present his Ramayanam before the Thillai Mūvāyiravar — the three thousand hereditary priests and Vedic scholars of Chidambaram (சிதம்பரம்), the foremost of the age. Reluctant to hear it, they were gathered (so the tradition tells) at the cremation ground around the body of a boy who had died of snakebite. One challenged him: "If the power of your Ramayanam is real, let this child live again." Kambar recited the verse describing Garuda's arrival — at which the serpents fled from Rama and Lakshmana — and by the power of that poetry the poison left the child, and he rose alive. Astonished, the Dikshitars accepted and honoured Kambar's work.

2. Nammalvar's grace — winning the Srivaishnavas of Srirangam

To gain the acceptance of the Srivaishnavas of Srirangam (ஸ்ரீரங்கம்), Kambar sought the grace of Nammalvar. The Alvar appeared to him in a dream and instructed him to compose the Sathagopar Anthadhi in his praise. Kambar composed its hundred verses in a single night and offered them at Nammalvar's sannidhi. Pleased by his devotion and the beauty of the verses, Nammalvar granted his grace — and with the Alvar's blessing the Srivaishnava community embraced his work.

3. Narasimha's blessing (நரசிம்மர்) at Srirangam

At last Kambar offered his completed Ramayanam before the Lord at Srirangam. The Lord, as the radiant Narasimha, gave His blessing upon the work — the divine seal that crowned the poet's labour. So the Kamba Ramayanam went forth, honoured by scholar, Alvar, and the Lord alike.

These are the traditional accounts cherished about Kambar; details vary in the telling. Images are original devotional art (see the About page on sources & method).

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