பக்கம்:முத்தொள்ளாயிர விளக்கம்.pdf/14

INTRODUCTION 1. The sources of this work : In the form in which it was first presented by its talented author the Muttollāyiram is a lost work to us. Fragments of the work totalling 108 verses could be found in a collection (rather than an anthology) of Puram verses brought to light and published by the University of Madras under the eminent editorship of Prof. S. Vaiyapuri Pillai. The collection known by name of Pura-i-tirattu appears to be a work of the post-Cöla epoch and according to Prof. S. Vaiyapuri Pillai, a 15th century product. We are not at the moment concerned with the date of the Pura-i-tirattu and we shall accept the professor's guess in this regard. But what is of importance is that the Pura-i-tirattu is the only source of all the available verses of the Muttollāyiram distributed over the different section of the collection as a Puram presentation. The following table gives the distribution : Puram classification No. of verses in of Puza-i-tiraţţu Μιίiίο!!άψίγακη Arattu-p-pâl i Poruţ-pâl 43 Kāmattu-p-pâl 65 Total 109 The distribution under the sub-heads is as follows: A rattu-p-pal - 1. Kațavuļ valttu } Porut-pal 2. Nățu 3. Nakar 3 3