page_title: Ilango Adigal
hierarchical_section_title: Ilango Adigal
caption_attribution_description: English: Marina Beach, Ilango Adigal statue, taken on 2-Feb-2013, afternoon
context_page_description: Ilango Adigal is traditionally credited as the author of Silappatikaram, one of the Five Great Epics of Tamil literature. In a patikam to the epic poem, he identifies himself as the brother of a famous Chera king Ceṅkuṭṭuvan. This Chera king, states Elizabeth Rosen, ruled over his kingdom in late 2nd or early 3rd century CE. However, this is doubful because a Sangam poem in Patiṟṟuppattu – the fifth ten – provides a biography of Ceṅkuṭṭuvan, his family and rule, but never mentions that he had a brother who became an ascetic or wrote one of the most cherished epics. This has led scholars to conclude that the legendary author Ilango Adikal myth was likely inserted later into the epic. In a 1968 note, Kamil Zvelebil suggested that, "this [Adigal claim] may be a bit of poetic fantasy, practised perhaps by a later member of the Chera Dynasty [5th or 6th century] recalling earlier events [2nd or 3rd century]".
context_section_description: Ilango Adigal is traditionally credited as the author of Silappatikaram, one of the Five Great Epics of Tamil literature. In a patikam (prologue) to the epic poem, he identifies himself as the brother of a famous Chera king Ceṅkuṭṭuvan (Senguttuvan). This Chera king, states Elizabeth Rosen, ruled over his kingdom in late 2nd or early 3rd century CE. However, this is doubful because a Sangam poem in Patiṟṟuppattu – the fifth ten – provides a biography of Ceṅkuṭṭuvan, his family and rule, but never mentions that he had a brother who became an ascetic or wrote one of the most cherished epics. This has led scholars to conclude that the legendary author Ilango Adikal myth was likely inserted later into the epic. In a 1968 note, Kamil Zvelebil suggested that, "this [Adigal claim] may be a bit of poetic fantasy, practised perhaps by a later member of the Chera Dynasty [5th or 6th century] recalling earlier events [2nd or 3rd century]".
caption: Statue of Ilango Adigal at Marina Beach, Chennai, India.
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