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''Silappatikaram'' (, republished as The Tale of an Anklet〔''Silappatikaram'' figuratively means 'the chapter on the anklet'〕) is one of The Five Great Epics of Tamil Literature according to later Tamil literary tradition.〔Mukherjee 1999, p. 277〕 A Jain poet-prince from Kochi (in modern Kerala) referred to by the pseudonym Ilango Adigal is credited with this work.〔(''A Survey of Kerala History''. ) A Sreedhara Menon. 2007. p. 84. ISBN 81-264-1578-9.〕 He is reputed to have been the brother of Vel Kelu Kuttuvan, the Chera dynasty king. As a literary work, ''Silappatikaram'' is held in high regard by the Tamil people. The nature of the book is non-religious, narrative and has a moralistic undertone. It contains three chapters and a total of 5270 lines of poetry. The epic revolves around Kannagi, who having lost her husband to a miscarriage of justice at the court of the Pandyan Dynasty, wreaks her revenge on his kingdom.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Silappathikaram Tamil Literature )〕 Regarded as one of the great achievements of Tamil genius, the ''Silappatikaram'' is a poetic rendition with details of Tamil culture; its varied religions; its town plans and city types; the mingling of Greek, Arab, and Tamil peoples; and the arts of dance and music.〔(Encyclopedia - Britannica Online Encyclopedia )〕 ''Silappatikaram'' has been dated to likely belong to the beginning of Common era,〔(Ilango Adigal's epic is dated to probably belong to beginning of christian era )〕 although the author might have built upon a pre-existing folklore to spin this tale. The story involves the three Tamil kingdoms of the ancient era, which were ruled by the Chola, Pandyan and Chera dynasties. ''Silappatikaram'' has many references to historical events and personalities, although it has not been accepted as a reliable source of history by many historians because of the inclusion of many exaggerated events and achievements to the ancient Tamil kings. ==Historical and social setting== At the end of the Sangam epoch (second – third centuries CE), the Tamil country was in political confusion. The older order of the three Tamil dynasties was replaced by the invasion of the Kalabhras. These new kings and others encouraged the religions of Buddhism and Jainism. Ilango Adigal, the author of ''Silappatikaram'', probably lived in this period and was one of the vast number of Jain and Buddhist authors in Tamil poetry.〔 These authors, perhaps influenced by their monastic faiths, wrote books based on moralistic values to illustrate the futility of secular pleasures. Silappatikaram used akaval meter (monologue), a style adopted from Sangam literature. Silappatikaram do not use the convention of regarding the land divisions becoming part of description of life among various communities of hero and heroine.〔Nadarajah 1994, p. 310〕 The epic mention the evenings and spring season in particular as time and season that aggravates the feelings in those who are separated.〔 These patterns are found only in the later works of Sanskrit by Kalidasa (4th century CE).〔 These authors went beyond the nature of Sangam poems, which contain descriptions of human emotions and feelings in an abstract fashion, and employed fictional characters in a well conceived narrative incorporating personal and social ramifications thus inventing Tamil Epics. The story of ''Silappatikaram'' is set during the first few centuries of CE and narrates the events in the three Tamil kingdoms: Chera, Chola, and Pandya. It also mentions the Ilankai king Gajabahu and the Chera Senguttuvan.〔See Codrington, H. W. A short History of Ceylon, London (1926) (http://lakdiva.org/codrington/).〕 It confirms that the northern kingdoms of Chedi, Uttarakosala, and Vajra were known to the Tamil people of the time. The epic also vividly describes the Tamil society of the period, its cities, the people's religious and folk traditions and their gods. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Silappatikaram」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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