Long time ago, three literary meetings (sangams) were held in Madurai under the patronage of the Pandya kings. Poets and writers came to these sangams to recite their works and listen to the works of others. This period is known as the Sangam Age and the works that were composed by the Tamil poets during the Sangam Age is known today as Sangam Literature.
Though some of the works were lost in time, most of it including Tholkappiyam- a book of grammar, Ettutogai- eight collections of poems and two long poems known as Pattuppattu exist even today. The earliest work among these is the Tholkappiyam. Authored by Tholkappiyar, the book provides information on social, economic and political conditions of the Sangam Age along with treatises on Tamil grammar.
Pathinenkilkanakku, eighteen works dealing with ethics and morals were composed post the Sangam Age among which Thiruvalluvar’s Thirukkural is the most popular. Two other popular works, Silappathigaram by Ilango Adigal and Manimekalai by Sittalai Sattanar belong to the post-Sangam period.
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