The scene of a deer and a male drinking from a pool, depicted in Ainthinai Aimpathu, is often cited as an illustration of the ideal bond between lovers. Set in the arid landscape of Palai, the poem describes how Pinaimaan (deer) and Kalaimaan (male deer), exhausted after wandering in search of water, arrive at a small pool. However, there is only enough water to quench one person’s thirst. In an act of love and self-denial, the male pretends to drink to quench the thirst of the female, while the female pretends to drink for the sake of the male. Not even a real drink.
Links to plants and flowers
This episode is among many Tamil classical poetry that captures the intimate bond the ancient Tamils shared with nature. The literary landscape is not only inhabited by animals; is richly decorated with references to plants and flowers. For example, Kurinjipattu talks about 99 flowers and Tamils wore different flowers for different occasions. Many of these animal names are no longer used. To recover this vocabulary, H. Chithiraputhiran, a former professor at Thanjavur Tamil University, compiled a dictionary of animals in classical literature. The work titled Tamil Sevvilakkiyangalil Vilangina Sorkal: Special Dictionary-Index, Concordance, Dictionary (Classical Tamil Literature-Special Dictionary of Animals) was published by the Central Institute of Classical Tamil. Animals and flowers are intricately associated with the five physiographic divisions (thinai) of the ancient Tamil land, each reflecting a different ecological and emotional world.
As R. Chandrasekaran, Director of the Central Institute of Classical Tamil notes in his introduction, the elephant, tiger, bear and lion belong to the Kurinji region; deer and rabbit to Mullai; buffalo and otters to Marudham; shark to Neithal; and the red dog or dhole to Palai. These associations reveal an ecological awareness embedded in classical literature. Animals adapted to the climatic conditions of each landscape find frequent mention in poetry. In Nattrinai, a hero returning from war sees a forest fowl scratching at the wet ground and offering an earthworm to its mate. Touched, he urges his charioteer to use the long-unused goad and spur the horse faster so that he can reach his beloved without delay. Here the word Kaanvaranam is used to refer to forest birds.
Tamils used a remarkable richness of vocabulary to refer to animals, using not only several synonyms for a single species, but also different terms to refer to males, females, young, and even groups of animals. Deer alone are labeled with 38 names; buffalo by 20; lions by 15; goats by 28; bulls by 31; horses by 23; monkeys at 17; mongooses at 13; the Tigers by 20; cats of nine; elephants by 45; porcupines by five; rabbits of three; dogs at 11; pigs at 13; donkeys by four; and cows up to 27
Mr. Chithiraputhiran has listed these names in alphabetical order along with references to the 41 literary works in which they appear and the lines that mention them. He enriched the work by providing a comprehensive table that includes the English and scientific names of animals. It also explains the problems in identifying animal names, as words like Maa and Maan are often used as prefixes and suffixes. For example, Maa combined with Ari becomes Arima, which means lion. Maan combined with Ulai becomes Ulaimaan which also means lion. Karima refers to an elephant; Kalima for a horse; Kaimma on an elephant; Paima to the horse; and Mathama on an elephant. While Maan refers to a deer, Kalaimaan, Nalmaan, Paimaan and Mulavuman are also used for horses. There are also words that barely suggest animal names: Pongadi refers to an elephant, while Kayanthalai refers to a baby elephant. Varivayam and Koduvari are terms for a tiger, while Kadamalai and Pinimugam refer to an elephant.
Tamil Sevvilakkiyangalil Vilangina Sorkal: Special Dictionary-Index, Concordance, Dictionary published by Central Institute of Classical Tamil. | Photo credit: Special arrangement
Gender discrimination
Some terms distinguish the sexes of animals, while others are used across species. Oruthal refers to the male of several animals, including the elephant, bull, buffalo, pig, tiger and deer. Eru refers to the bull, the male deer and the male buffalo, including the Kalaimaans. Kaduvan is used for male monkeys and cats. Pinavu refers to the female of several animals, including tigress, dhole, pig, bear, monkey and elephant. In many cases, the specific animal mentioned in the poem must be inferred from its context.
Pothu is one of the Tamil words that has disappeared from everyday use. However, in Kerala, the term Pothu refers to buffalo and meat. According to Tolkappiyam, Pothu was used to refer to the male of several species, including bull, buffalo, deer, crocodile and peacock.
Mr. Chithiraputhiran believes that this unusual effort will prove useful for comparative studies of similar works in other languages as well as for the compilation of general and specialized dictionaries in Tamil.
Published – 20 March 2026 05:30 IST
