Kambar (poet)

Kambar (Kamban in casual address) (c. 1180, Tiruvaluntur,

Thanjavur district, India – 1250)[1] was a medieval Tamil Hindu
poet and the author of the Ramavataram, popularly known as
Kambaramayanam, the Tamil version of the epic Ramayana.[2]
Kambar also authored other literary works in Tamil, such as
Thirukkai Vazakkam, Erezhupathu, Silaiezhupathu, Kangai
Puranam, Sadagopar Anthathi and Saraswati Anthathi.[2]

Contents
Life
Literary works
Kamba Ramayanam
A modern artist's impression of
Kambar's praise
Kambar
Notes Born Tiruvaluntur, near
Mayiladuthurai,
Nagapattinam district,
Life India
Occupation Poet
Kambar was brought up in the household of a wealthy farmer
named Sadaiyepa Vallal in Vennai Nellur in Tamil Nadu.[3] The Period 9 th Century AD
Chola king—having heard of this talented bard—summoned him Notable Kambaramayanam
works
to his court and honoured him with the title Kavi Chakravarty
(The Emperor of Poets).[2]

Kamban flourished in Therazhundur, a village in the culturally rich Nagapattinam District in the modern
state of Tamil Nadu in South India. Kamban was a great scholar of both Tamil and Sanskrit - two of
India's oldest and richest languages in terms of literary works. In a scholarly biography, Kavichakravarty
Kamban, Mahavidwan R. Raghava Iyengar wrote in detail about this 09-century poet.

Literary works
Kamba Ramayanam (also called Ramavataram) - Retelling of the Indian epic Ramayana in
Tamil. Work covers 11,000 stanzas.
Saraswati Anthati - Literary work of style Andhadhi in praise of Hindu Goddess Saraswati
Sadagopar Anthathi - Literary work of style Andhadhi in praise of Vaishnava Saint
Nammalvar
Silaiezhupathu - Work in praise of 11th century Pallava king Karunakara Tondaiman
Thirukkai Vazakkam
Erezhupathu
 Kangai Puranam
Mangala Valthu, 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 a significant roles.

Kamba Ramayanam
The original version of Ramayana was written by Valmiki. It is an
Kamba Ramyanam Mandapam at
epic of 24,000 verses which depicts the journey of Rama, a prince
The Ranganathasamy Temple,
of Ayodhya who belonged to Raghuvamsa (Solar dynasty). In Srirangam, the place where
Hinduism, Rama is the seventh incarnation of Lord Vishnu, one of Kambar is believed to have first
the Trimurti (the Hindu holy trinity which includes Brahma and recited the epic
Shiva).

The Ramavataram or Kamba Ramayanam of Kamban is an epic of

about 11,000 stanzas.[4][5] The Rama-avataram or Rama-kathai as
it was originally called was accepted into the holy precincts in the
presence of Vaishnava Acharya Naathamuni.[6] However, Kambar
is generally dated after the vaishnavite philosopher, Ramanuja, as
the poet refers to the latter in his work, the Sadagopar Andhadhi.[7]

Kamba Ramayana is not a verbal translation of the Sanskrit epic by

Valmiki, but a retelling of the story of Lord Rama.[6]

Legend has it that the entire episode was written in one night by
Lord Ganesh. 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. Statue of Kambar at the Marina
Beach

Kamba Ramayana was first delivered in Sri Ranganathaswamy

Temple, Srirangam at the court hall (Kambar Arangetra Mandapam) near Thaayar sannithi.

Legend says that when contemporaries objected to Hiranyavadaipadalam ("Story of Hiranyakasipu",

which occurs as Vibhishana telling Ravana while warning against his false sense of invincibility),
Kamban read it in front of the Narasimha 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"; "க ப க த க பா "). He is considered
special in singing poems under "Viruthapa".
"Kamba Sutram" (க ப ர ) 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".

Notes
1. "Kamban." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia
Britannica Inc., 2011. Web. 23 December 2011.
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Kampan
2. The Cyclopaedia of India and of Eastern and Southern Asia By Edward Balfour
3. India's Communities by Kumar Suresh Singh, Anthropological Survey of India – Ethnology –
1992 – 4146 pages
4. Legend of Ram By Sanujit Ghose
5. Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam (ed.). India through the ages (https://archive.org/details/
indiathroughages00mada). Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting,
Government of India. p. 212
(https://archive.org/details/indiathroughages00mada/page/212).
6. Rays and Ways of Indian Culture By D. P. Dubey
7. Robert Caldwell. A Comparative Grammar of the Dravidian Or South-Indian Family of
Languages. Trübner, 1875. p. 136.

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