Eighteen Greater Texts

The Eighteen Greater Texts, known as Patiṉeṇmēlkaṇakku (Tamil: பதினெண்மேல்கணக்கு) in the literature, is the collection of the oldest surviving Tamil poetry. This collection is considered part of the Sangam Literature and dated approximately between 100 BCE and 200 CE. A series of eighteen major anthologies, it contains the Eight Anthologies (Ettuthokai) and the Ten Idylls (Pattupattu). The songs in the Eighteen Greater Texts anthology are set in the Akaval style.

Topics in Sangam literature
Sangam literature
AgattiyamTolkāppiyam
Eighteen Greater Texts
Eight Anthologies
AiṅkurunūṟuAkanāṉūṟu
PuṟanāṉūṟuKalittokai
KuṟuntokaiNatṟiṇai
ParipāṭalPatiṟṟuppattu
Ten Idylls
TirumurukāṟṟuppaṭaiKuṟiñcippāṭṭu
MalaipaṭukaṭāmMaturaikkāñci
MullaippāṭṭuNeṭunalvāṭai
PaṭṭiṉappālaiPerumpāṇāṟṟuppaṭai
PoruṇarāṟṟuppaṭaiCiṟupāṇāṟṟuppaṭai
Related topics
SangamSangam landscape
Tamil history from Sangam literatureAncient Tamil music
Eighteen Lesser Texts
NālaṭiyārNāṉmaṇikkaṭikai
Iṉṉā NāṟpatuIṉiyavai Nāṟpatu
Kār NāṟpatuKaḷavaḻi Nāṟpatu
Aintiṇai AimpatuTiṉaimoḻi Aimpatu
Aintinai EḻupatuTiṇaimālai Nūṟṟaimpatu
TirukkuṟaḷTirikaṭukam
ĀcārakkōvaiPaḻamoḻi Nāṉūṟu
CiṟupañcamūlamMutumoḻikkānci
ElātiKainnilai
Bhakti Literature
Naalayira Divya PrabandhamRamavataram
TevaramTirumuṟai

The Eighteen Greater Texts anthology contains 2,381 poems including the ten larger works belonging to the Ten Idylls collection. These poems are attributed to 473 poets. Sixteen of the 473 poets are responsible for 1,177 of the 2,279 poems for which the name of the author is known. In all, 102 of the poems are anonymous. Notably, the pathirruppathu collection exclusively collects poetry from the Cheral kings (from Kerala), whereas the other collections contain a mix of poetry patronized by diverse Tamil kings.

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