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Kapilar orKabilar (Tamil: கபிலர்) was the most prolificTamil poet of theSangam period (c. 3rd century BCE to 3rd century CE). He contributed 206 poems, or a little less than 10% of the entire Sangam-era classical corpus by 473 ancient poets.[1] Held in high regard by other poets of the Sangam era, as well as the post-Sangam era, he is variously dated to have lived between c. 50–125 CE,[2] or 140–200 CE.[1]
He was a contemporary ofKarikala Chola,Irunkōvēl andVēl Pāri, and the close friend, confidant and allegedfavorite of Vēl Pāri, one of the Vēlir kings.[3] He authored theInna Narpathu, a didactic work of theSangam literature. Verse 5 of theTiruvalluva Maalai is also attributed to him.[4]
Kapilar was born in Thiruvadhavur in thePandyan Kingdom.[2] Initially a poet at thePandyan court, he leftMadurai at an early age to travel across various kingdoms. Kapilar heard about the generosity and virtue ofVēl Pāri, a powerful Vēlir King who ruled over Parambunādu and paid him a visit. He became a friend and confidant of Pāri and stayed with him until the latter's death, serving as the chief poet and minister at the Pāri's court.[5] Kowmareeshwari suggests he was born about mid 1st-century CE,[2] while Martha Ann Shelby states he most likely was born about 140 CE.[1]
Kapilar sang about a number of kings such as Agudhai, Irungovel, Selva Kadungo Vazhiyadhan, Cheramaan Maandharancheral Irumborai, Ori, Nalli, Malayamaan Thirumudikkaari, Malayan, Vichikkon, Vaiyavi Koperum Pegan, Vel Pari. Kapilar has sung on KingSelva Kadungovaliyadhan, which appears as the seventh group of verses in thePathitrupathu. The king honoured Kapilar with 100,000 gold coins and a country under his control.[5] Kapilar remained close with other contemporary poets such asAvvaiyar andParanar.[5]
The three crownedTamil kingsCheras,Cholas andPandyas expanded their kingdoms ruthlessly and turned their attention towards independent Vēlir Kings thus turning them into subordinates or eliminating them to annexe their kingdoms. They laid siege to the heavily fortified country of Parambu, but Vēl Pāri refused to give in and the war dragged for years.Kabilar approached the kings and asked them to turn back describing his patron Pari as an unconquerable warrior (excerpt fromPurananuru: song 109):
You may think Pāri's mountain is easy to conquer. Even though the three of you with your gigantic royal drums lay siege to it..Like the sky is his mountain. Like the stars in the sky are its springs. Even though your elephants are tied to every tree, your chariots spread through every field, you will not take it by fighting. He will not surrender it by the sword. But here: I know how you can win it. If you play little lutes, their strings of rubbed twine, have your dancing women come behind with thick, fragrant hair, and go to him dancing and singing, he will give you his mountain and his whole land.[6]
After a long war, Vēl Pāri was killed by treachery.[7]Purananuru, song (112) of Pāri's daughters on his death:
That day in that white moonlight, we had our father, and no one could take the hill. This day in this white moonlight, kings with drums beating victory, have taken over our hill, and we have no father.[8]
Kapilar become the guardian of Pāri's two daughters, Angavai and Sangavai, after Pari's death and the three of them left Parambu country. Kapilar unsuccessfully approached different Vēlir kings to find grooms. He would be let down each time as the other Vēlir kings would fear retribution from the three crowned kingdoms. The most notable of these encounters is when he sings toIrunkōvēl and the latter would insult Kabilar. He would finally leave the two princesses in the care of "Andhanars". Later, poetAvvaiyar takes care of them and marries them off successfully into the family of another Vēlir kingMalaiyamaan Kaari.
The death of his friend Pāri affected Kapilar and he later took his own life byvadakirrutal, one of theTamil ways of committing suicide. He sat facing north and starved himself to death inKabilar Kundru.[9]
Kabilar made huge contributions toTamil literature ofSangam era.Kurincippattu is a poetic work in theTen Idylls series of theEighteen Greater Texts anthology inTamil literature containing 261 lines of poems in theAchiriyappa meter written by Kabilar. An ancient note states that Kapilar wrote this to explain the beauty of Tamil poetry to a north Indian king names Brhadatta.[5] Kurincippattu describes thekurinchilandscape of the mountainous terrain and mentions almost 100 different plant names. Kabilar also contributed toPuṟanāṉūṟu in theEight Anthologies series of sangam literature. Kapilar used unique metaphors that show the interior landscape using the objects seen in the 'Kurinchi' landscape. 'Veral veli' written by Kapilar is considered as one of the master pieces.[citation needed]
Kapilar is believed to have accompaniedValluvar in his journey to theMadurai College of scholars to present the latter’s work, theTirukkural. Verse 5 of theTiruvalluva Maalai is attributed to Kapilar. He opines aboutValluvar and theKural text thus:[10]
Valluvar’sCural is short in words, but extensive in sense, even as in a drop of water on the blade of the millet might be seen reflected the image of the tall palmyra-tree.[Emphasis in original]
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