The epic Ramayana, translated by Kambar from Sanskrit to Tamil, is admired all around the world, but Kambar’s memorial, located near Nattarasankottai in the Sivagangai district, is in poor condition due to the Tamil Nadu government’s apathy.
Kambar’s true devotion to Tamil and his contribution to the Tamil language are fading over time, unknown to those even in those areas. Kambar is one of the few poets in India who was well versed in both Tamil and Sanskrit which were considered as the mother of all languages in India.
The memorial of Kambar, located near Nattarasankottai in the Sivagangai district, is found without maintenance. For many years, the road leading to the Kambar temple has been in disrepair. As a result, the number of tourists visiting the place has significantly decreased.
Tamil historians and activists demand that the memorial be preserved by the Tamil Nadu government because the poet Kambar is a national treasure who served as a link between India’s north and south through his writings.
Kambar was born in Therazhundur, Thanjavur district, and brought up in the household of a wealthy farmer named Sadaiyepa Vallal in Vennai Nellur in Tamil Nadu. The Chola king, having heard of this talented bard, summoned him to his court and honoured him with the title Kavi Chakravarty (The Emperor of Poets). Kambar flourished in Therazhundur, a village in the culturally rich Nagapattinam District in the modern state of Tamil Nadu in South India.
Kambar is generally dated after the Vaishnavite philosopher, Ramanuja, as the poet refers to the latter in his work, the Sadagopar Andhadhi. Kamban was a great scholar of both Tamil and Sanskrit—two of India’s oldest and richest languages in terms of literary works. In a scholarly biography, Kavichakravarty Kamban, Mahavidwan R. Raghava Iyengar wrote in detail about Kambar.
Kambar spent his last days in Nattarasankottai (known for Kannathal temple) near Sivagangai town and his tomb is situated there. It is said that Kambar after having differences with the Chola king, left the Chola kingdom and moved from place to place. When he reached Nattarasankottai, he was very thirsty and asked for water in one house at Nattarasankottai. He was offered buttermilk in return and he became very happy and decided to stay there itself and spent his last days there. He lived there till his death.
(with inputs from News18 Tamil)
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