A parani is particular kind of Tamil literary composition which eulogises a warrior who has killed a thousand male elephants on the battle - field. A curious thing about this genre is that it is named after the vanquished foe.
Kalingattuparani is the most famous of all paranis. Composed by Jayamkondar, the poet laureate of Kulottunga Chola, it depicts the Chola invasion of Kalinga. It celebrates the triumph of Karunakara Tondaiman, the lord of Vandaiyar, a general of Kulottunga. Karunakara Tondaiman defeated the Kalinga king Anantavarman and planted a pillar of victory in Kalinga. However, we should remember that these are literary works produced under the patronage of rulers to appease them.
I would like to present a short extract from this great work used in the 2010 film Raavanan:
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Let us begin the war
Let us begin the war
Soldiers on both camps shouted
War cries reverberated like the roar of the ocean! Charge the cavalry here!
Send the elephant division there!
These war cries went on increasing!
They stringed their strong bows
Rending all the directions by their noise!
In the battle-field
War cries struck the world dumb!
Both the armies dashed against each other
Like the confrontation of two oceans;
The charging of the cavalries
Like the confrontation of foaming waves!
Warring elephants dashed against each other
Like the clash of the mountains!
Chariots charged against each other
Like the clash of the clouds!
raaavanan is a cinematic masterpiece; an all rounder. if you have a knack for even one thing (acting/cinematography/directing/production) you'd be a fan