The maid-servant of the great poet Kongu Velir, made her presence in the Tamil Sangam at Vijayamangalam and proved her erudition by answering all the questions posed by the scholars! It all happened in the 7th century A.D.
With the establishment of a Tamil Sangam at Vijayamangalam in the undivided Coimbatore, not only did the scholars display their literary skills, but it is surprising that even a maid-servant put everyone in astonishment by her erudition there!
Vijayamangalam, which has an indelible place in the history of Tamil literature, got its name after the settlement of Jain scholars led by the sage Visaga in the 3rd century BC. With the establishment of a Tamil Sangam here, the place was a seat for Jain Tamil scholars. Adiyarkku Nallar, who wrote detailed commentaries on the great Tamil epic Silapathikaram, Padhumanar, the first scholar to interpret the Tamil grammatical work Nannool and Karmega Kavingnar, who wrote Kongu Mandala Sathagam, a base for Kongu History, were all from Vijayamangalam. Besides, it was here, Seevaka Cinthamani, one of the five epics of Tamil, was first read to the public.
Kongu Velir, a scholar, who lived in the 7th century AD, was in the attempt to render Gunadhya's Brihakatha into Tamil as Perunkathai. As it was rare for a southern work to have a northern theme, scholars in the Tamil Sangam summoned Kongu Velir to answer their questions on literature. Kongu Velir, who did not have the credit of penning any book previously, was anxious about the questions from the scholars. However, understanding his mind, Kongu Velir's maid-servant suggested to him that she would face the questions from the scholars. Since she knew that Kongu Velir was a great scholar and his presence in front of the mediocre scholars in the Tamil Sangam would be a dishonour to him.
When the day came, the maid-servant made her presence in the Tamil Sangam and proved her erudition, answering all the questions put by the scholars. Realizing their mistake, the scholars tendered an apology to Kongu Velir and praised him that he was an incarnation of Gunadhya. They also erected statues for Kongu Velir and his maid-servant, which are still seen at the Chandraprabha Tirthankar Temple at Vijayamangalam.
Unfortunately, a stone inscription with a mention of this was broken carelessly during the renovation of the temple. However, the remnant of the inscription reads “…. Sri Brihath Katha Lavanya Rath Pratha Baha” which means “…... Immersed in the beauty and pride of Perunkathai“
Vijayamangalam, which has an indelible place in the history of Tamil literature, got its name after the settlement of Jain scholars led by the sage Visaga in the 3rd century BC. With the establishment of a Tamil Sangam here, the place was a seat for Jain Tamil scholars. Adiyarkku Nallar, who wrote detailed commentaries on the great Tamil epic Silapathikaram, Padhumanar, the first scholar to interpret the Tamil grammatical work Nannool and Karmega Kavingnar, who wrote Kongu Mandala Sathagam, a base for Kongu History, were all from Vijayamangalam. Besides, it was here, Seevaka Cinthamani, one of the five epics of Tamil, was first read to the public.
Kongu Velir, a scholar, who lived in the 7th century AD, was in the attempt to render Gunadhya's Brihakatha into Tamil as Perunkathai. As it was rare for a southern work to have a northern theme, scholars in the Tamil Sangam summoned Kongu Velir to answer their questions on literature. Kongu Velir, who did not have the credit of penning any book previously, was anxious about the questions from the scholars. However, understanding his mind, Kongu Velir's maid-servant suggested to him that she would face the questions from the scholars. Since she knew that Kongu Velir was a great scholar and his presence in front of the mediocre scholars in the Tamil Sangam would be a dishonour to him.
When the day came, the maid-servant made her presence in the Tamil Sangam and proved her erudition, answering all the questions put by the scholars. Realizing their mistake, the scholars tendered an apology to Kongu Velir and praised him that he was an incarnation of Gunadhya. They also erected statues for Kongu Velir and his maid-servant, which are still seen at the Chandraprabha Tirthankar Temple at Vijayamangalam.
Unfortunately, a stone inscription with a mention of this was broken carelessly during the renovation of the temple. However, the remnant of the inscription reads “…. Sri Brihath Katha Lavanya Rath Pratha Baha” which means “…... Immersed in the beauty and pride of Perunkathai“