ஈழத்துப் புராண இலக்கிய மரபில் சீமந்தனி புராணம்

Abstract

Puranam is a literary form that developed in Tamil as a result of the influence of vernacular literature. The ideas and stories of the eighteen Maha Puranas and the eighteen Upa Puranas, sung in the vernacular language to Pancha symbols, have been studied in Tamil literature since the late Sangam period. Purana developed as a distinct literary form in Tamil during the Chola period. During that time, many heterodox religious related puranics originated. In Eelam also there are Hindu, Christian and Islamic puranas, but most of them are Hindu. They have also been subjected to changes in terms of meaning from time to time. In that way, this study is about the Seemanthani Purana, which has not been paid much attention in the history of Eelam Tamil literature. It was written in 1884 by S. Bhubalapillai, who lived in Puliyandivu in Batticaloa District in Eastern Sri Lanka. This Purana is different from the Puranic literature of the Dutch period, though it has as its theme the Somavara Vratam. Seemanthani Purana has a completely different meaning even when looking horizontally at the Puranic literature that emerged in Eelam in the nineteenth century. In this case, this study describes the version, structure, content of the Seemanthani Purana, and thereby, the epic qualities, etc., and explains the differences between this Purana and the reasons for the differences from other Purana literature that originated in Eelam. This study emphasizes that mainly because the modernist changes that occurred in the nineteenth century did not occur in all regions of Eelam at the same time, there is no possibility of literary historical clarity within the generality of Eelam and that a regional approach is necessary when constructing the literary history of Eelam.