POEM FROM TAMIL LITERATURE - THE FALLEN KINGDOM: ECHOES OF WAR

POEM FROM TAMIL LITERATURE - THE FALLEN KINGDOM: ECHOES OF WAR ABOUT THE POEM: The poem THE FALLEN KINGDOM: ECHOES OF WAR vividly depicts the destruction of a defeated enemy’s land after King Nedunchezhiyan’s triumphant battle at Talaiyalanganam. It portrays war elephants trampling through ruined waters, symbolizing the might of the victorious army. The Murugan-worshipping warriors, having plundered the enemy’s fields, cast away their excess spoils. Forest forts are shattered, cities set ablaze, and the enemy kings, once fearless, now tremble at the thought of the conqueror’s next move. Once a land of warriors, the defeated nation now lies in ruin, its strength replaced by fields blooming with wildflowers, signifying its downfall. THE FALLEN KINGDOM: ECHOES OF WAR Upon the halls where foes once dined, The elephant tramples, fierce, unkind. The waters churned by its mighty tread, Where dust of war and blood have spread. The warrior host of Murugan bold, With garlands of Kadamba gold, Has feasted well on fields so vast, And flung the spoils as they marched past. The forest forts lie split and slain, By axes sharp in battle’s reign. The cities blaze with fiery doom, While trembling kings await their gloom. Once fierce as tigers, strong and free, Now lost in fear, they bend the knee. Their land, once proud with war’s embrace, Now blooms with flowers in ruin’s place. PURANANURU - 23 POET: KALLADANAR PATRON: PANDIYAN NEDUNCHEZHIYAN OF TALAIYALANGANAM NOTE:  Muruga is the Hindu god of war. He is generally described as the son of the deities Shiva and Parvati and the brother of Ganesha. Kadambas are mentioned in Sangam literature as worshipers of the Hindu god Muruga