Kainnilai

See also: Sangam landscape

Topics in Sangam literature
Sangam literature
Agattiyam	Tolkāppiyam
Eighteen Greater Texts
Eight Anthologies
Aiṅkurunūṟu	Akanāṉūṟu
Puṟanāṉūṟu	Kalittokai
Kuṟuntokai	Natṟiṇai
Paripāṭal	Patiṟṟuppattu
Ten Idylls
Tirumurukāṟṟuppaṭai	Kuṟiñcippāṭṭu
Malaipaṭukaṭām	Maturaikkāñci
Mullaippāṭṭu	Neṭunalvāṭai
Paṭṭiṉappālai	Perumpāṇāṟṟuppaṭai
Poruṇarāṟṟuppaṭai	Ciṟupāṇāṟṟuppaṭai
Related topics
Sangam	Sangam landscape
Tamil history from Sangam literature	Ancient Tamil music
Eighteen Lesser Texts
Nālaṭiyār	Nāṉmaṇikkaṭikai
Iṉṉā Nāṟpatu	Iṉiyavai Nāṟpatu
Kār Nāṟpatu	Kaḷavaḻi Nāṟpatu
Aintiṇai Aimpatu	Tiṉaimoḻi Aimpatu
Aintinai Eḻupatu	Tiṇaimālai Nūṟṟaimpatu
Tirukkuṟaḷ	Tirikaṭukam
Ācārakkōvai	Paḻamoḻi Nāṉūṟu
Ciṟupañcamūlam	Mutumoḻikkānci
Elāti	Kainnilai
Bhakti Literature
Naalayira Divya Prabandham	Ramavataram
Tevaram	Tirumuṟai
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Kainnilai (Tamil:கைந்நிலை), and Innilai (Tamil:இன்னிலை) are Tamil poetic works belonging to the Eighteen Lesser Texts (Pathinenkilkanakku) anthology of Tamil literature. These two books together form the eighteenth book in the anthology, belonging to the 'post Sangam period' corresponding to between 100 and 500 CE. Kainnilai contains sixty poems written by the poet Pullangkaathanaar(புல்லங்காட) and Innilai contains 45 poems and was written by the poet Poigayaar(பொய்கையார).

The poems of Innilai deal with the ethical concepts of aram – propriety, porul – wealth, inpam – love and veedu – salvation. In this respect it is similar to Tirukkural which also concerns with these concepts.

Kainnilai is available in a much-damaged condition with many of its poems only partially available. Kainnilai deals with the subjective (agam) concepts. Agam in the Sangam literature denotes the subject matters that deal with the intangibles of life such as human emotions, love, separation, lovers' quarrels, etc. The poems of Kainnilai are categoriesed into twelve poems for each of the five thinai, or landscape of Sangam poetry and describe in detail the situation and emotions specific to each landscape. The five landscapes of Sangam poetry are mullai – forest, kurinji – mountains, marutham – farmland, paalai – arid land and neithal – seashore.

References

• Mudaliyar, Singaravelu A., Apithana Cintamani, An encyclopaedia of Tamil Literature, (1931) - Reprinted by Asian Educational Services, New Delhi (1983)
• http://tamilnation.org/literature/
• https://www.projectmadurai.org/pm_etexts/utf8/pmuni0051.html Kainnilaiand innilai eText at Project madurai