Literariness in Saiva Anthaathi

Abstract

Religious based work in Tamil literature has a long tradition. Anthaathi was in use among the people as oral literature. Despite the similarities and stylistic elements of Anthaathi in other literatures, Anthaathi did not emerge as a distinct literary form. At the end of the 5th century A.D Anthathi began to emerge as a distinct literary form under the name of Anthaathi literature. They grouped these types of literature into 96 types of minor literary works. It is this book that has come out in large numbers and has established itself in the line of minor literary works. This article examines the literary motifs that emerge in the Saiva Anthaathi.