The Art of Dance in Epics

காப்பியங்களில் ஆடற்கலை

Abstract

Following Sangam literature and didactic literature, the next genre of literature to emerge in Tamil was epic poetry. Epics are classified into two types: Sirukappiyam (minor epics) and Perunkappiyam (major epics). These two types differ only in scale; otherwise, there is no other distinction between them. Epics are characterized by a hero and heroine who are peerless; a purpose that encompasses the four goals of life virtue (Aram), wealth (Porul), pleasure (Inbam), and liberation (Veedu); descriptions of the five distinct landscapes (Tinai), a structure featuring various sub-plots linked to the main narrative; and the glorification of natural elements such as the country, city, rivers, and mountains. In Tamil literature, epics are classified into the ‘Five Great Epics’ (Aimperum Kappiyam) and the ‘Five Lesser Epics’(Ainsiru Kappiyam).