Ilango Adigal

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Ilango Adigal (Tamil: இளங்கோ அடிகள்) was a Tamil poet, who was instrumental in the creation of Silappathikaram, one of the five great epics of South India. Prince Ilango Adigal was the brother of the Chera king Cheran Chenguttuvan (in modern day Kerala), in South India.

Ilango Adigal was born in the Chera dynasty that ruled parts of what is now known as Kerala, but formed part of the Tamil Land ^[1]. He was the second son to his father,but a saint told him that he will become the king instead of his first brother senguttuvan.so ilango became a saint and Senguttuvan his brother, became the king after his father's death.

However, Ilango and the Cheras are still remembered more for the contribution to Tamil literature rather than for Senguttuvan's military expeditions, when he conquered the entire country^{[citation needed]}. Ilango Adigal wrote Silapathikaram which was the first Tamil (or is it in any language)^{[citation needed]} epic that was written about a common man. As a matter of fact, most of the tamil epics are all about common men and how they led their life rather than on kings and queens. A common man's story written by a King.

Silapathikaram was a feminocentric epic, centered around Kannagi, theme that was also a first of its kind in a man centric world^{[citation needed]}. Though Ilango was Jainism oriented, he never spoke about any of these principles in the book. However, its sequel the Manimegalai, written by Poet Seethalai Sathanar talks about the life and times of Madhavi who is one of the characters and part of the love triangle in Silapathikaram. In Manimegalai, Seethalai sathanar talks a lot about Buddhism and its greatness.

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Cilappatikaram by Ilango Adigal
Characters
Kannagi | Kovalan | Madhavi | Neduncheziyan | Manimekalai | Masattuvan | Vacavadattai | Kosigan | Madalan | Kavunthi Adigal | Kopperundevi
Other
Puhar | Madurai | Vanchi