Madal Ēruthal (Climbing on a Palm Frond Horse)
Vaidehi Herbert brings us another article in her series on Sangam Literature. This one deals
with a very old Tamil custom that is Madal Eruthal which is performed by young man in love
as a last recourse to obtain the heroine’s love.
Classical Tamil poetry, popularly known as Sangam literature, with its two branches of Akam and Puram
Thinais, is a storehouse of historical, political, linguistic, cultural and sociological data of a span of about five
hundred years starting around 300 B.C. The 2,381 lovely poems in 18 books are a window into the past of
Tamil Nadu. The sweet poems are short on words, but elaborate on meanings. Filled with similes and
metaphors, they are delightful to the reader. Set to meter, with origins from an ancient oral tradition, they are
a feast to the ears. It would be fitting to label this body of literature as ‘nature poetry’ since the poems are
embedded with minute and accurate descriptions of fauna, flora, mountains, ocean, rivers, sun, moon, planets,
rain, clouds, etc. Nature was the beautiful canvas on which the Tamil poets painted their incredible poems.
These wise men who came from all backgrounds, took full advantage of the elements of nature to express
varied situations and human emotions.
This great flood of classical poetry has permeated with vigor into later literature including modern works.
Many concepts, themes, conventions and phrases have flown into Tamil writings and culture that have
followed for the last two thousand years. The word ‘iraivan’ which meant ‘king’ has become ‘god’, and the
word ‘kovil’ which meant ‘king’s residence’ has become ‘temple’.
The Puram anthology Puranānūru presents us with accounts of ancient kings, kingdoms, battles, warriors,
bravery, generosity of kings and wealthy donors, poets, bards, artists, friendships between poets and kings,
bards singing the praises of kings, hospitality, poets and bards lamenting the deaths of kings, brave mothers of
warriors, and family men taking up arms to protect their daughters desired by kings. The Puram anthology
Pathitruppathu is a collection of panegyric poems written for the Chēra kings. Paripādal is a unique anthology
with a collection of both Akam and Puram poems. The Akam poems portray festive celebrations on the Vaiyai
River (Vaikai). The Puram poems are praises to Murukan and Thirumāl. Akanānūru, Natrinai, Kurunthokai,
Ainkurunūru and Kalithokai are Akam anthologies, which also provide historical information by way of
references.
The ten long Pathuppāttu poems are of varied themes. Sirupānātruppadai, Perumpānātruppadai,
Porunarātruppadai, and Malaipadukadām (Kootharātruppadai), are ‘guidance’ poems for bards, which are all
Puram. Thirumurukātruppadai (Pulavarātruppadai) is a ‘guidance’ poem to the mountain deity Murukan, with
both Akam and Puram aspects. Mathuraikānji is a Puram poem. Kurinjippāttu is an Akam poem that exposes
ancient Tamil marriage traditions to Aryan king Pirahathan. The anthologies Mullaippāttu, Nedunalvādai and
Pattinappālai have both Akam and Puram elements.
The Akam and Puram Thinais, Thurais, Muthal, Karu, Uri, Iraichi, and Uvamam define the highly
conventionalized poetry, giving the poets freedom with guidelines, and allowing the readers to enjoy the subtle
nuances. “Prescriptive, not restrictive,” writes Kamil Zvelebil. “A language within a language,” writes A.K.
Ramanujan.
There are many facets of the literature which are far from reality, but add interest to the poems. They are those
with descriptions of thunder chopping off the heads of snakes, tigers eating their prey only if they fall on their
right side, pearls dropping from elephant tusks, snakes spitting gems, pretty red streaks in the heroine’s eyes,
a pining woman in love having pallor spots on her body, etc. However, there are a few other facets which could
have been created for interest and mere poetic effect, or they could have been the tradition of ancient Tamil
society. These are thoyyil designs drawn on the arms and breasts of young women, appeasing the Kurinji god
Murukan by bringing in a shaman (vēlan) to remove the ‘illness’ of the heroine, and ‘madal ēruthal’, meaning
‘climbing a palmyra frond horse’. Madal ēruthal, an exhibition of passion and a plea for help, started in
Sangam literature, but did not end there. Tholkāppiyam Kalaviyal 11, approves madal ēruthal, stating, ‘The
tholi asking the hero to leave the place and his desire to ride the palmyra horse are expressions which lead to
love’ (த ோழி நீக்கலின் ஆகிய நிலைலையும் த ோக்கி ைடல் ைோ கூறும் இடனுைோர் உண்தட).
It is mentioned in 16 Akam poems in Kurunthokai (14, 17, 32, 173, 182), Natrinai (146, 152, 220, 342, 377)
and Kalithokai (58, 61, 138, 139, 140, 141), which are either in the Kurinji or Neythal Thinai.
The mere reference to the act is in Ainthinai according to Tholkāppiyam, Kalaviyal 11 (ைடல் ைோ கூறும்
இடனுைோர் உண்தட). However, when there is the actual riding of the madal by the hero as in Kalithokai 138141, it is an element of Perunthinai according to Tholkāppiyam, Akathinai Iyal 54 (ஏறிய ைடல் திறம் ………
பெருந்திலைக் குறிப்தெ).
The act is performed only by young men in love. Madal ēruthal by the hero arises out of extreme passion. It
is an event which occurs when the heroine does not respond to the love advances of the hero. He sends her
warning messages through her thōli. In one poem, he even warns the heroine in person. The thōli, the gobetween person, pleads with the heroine to accept the hero’s love. When it is of no avail, the frustrated hero,
as a last ditch effort, risks ridicule by townsfolk and climbs on a horse made with the stems and leaves of the
palmyra tree (panai maram, borassus flabelliformis), covered with fabric, decorated with bells and garlands,
and roams through town covering his body with ash and wearing a flower garland or a bone necklace. His
flower garland is made with erukkam flowers (calotropis gigantea) or āvirai flowers (Tanner's senna, Cassia
auriculata) or poolai flowers (Aerua lanata). In one poem, there is a mention of the hero wearing a garland
with peacock feathers woven with flowers.
Children run behind him with excitement. People on the street listen to his ranting, and blame the heroine. He
seeks the support of the public to win the heroine. His idea is to force the heroine to accept him or resort to
death if that does not work. He does feel sorry for the heroine, since her reputation will be ruined. In one
poem, the heroine accepts the hero after he rides the palm horse (Kalithokai 138). In another poem, her
relatives who had refused to give her hand in marriage prior to madal ēruthal (Kalithokai 141), now agree to
the couple’s marriage.
According to aphorism 35 of Tholkāppiyam Porulathikāram, ‘whatever the landscape situation may be, women
cannot ride the madal, since it is contrary to feminine decorum.’ (எத்திலை ைருங்கினும் ைகடூஉ ைடல் தைல்
பெோற்புலட ப றிலை இன்லையோன). Valluvar (5th century A.D.) in his Thirukkural wrote ten couplets on
this topic under ‘Abandonment of Shyness’ ( ோணுத்துறவுலைத் ல்). He says in couplet 1137, ‘Nothing is
nobler to a woman with passion as large as the ocean, than not resorting to climbing the palm horse .’ (கடைன்ன
கோைம் உழந்தும் ைடதைறோப் பெண்ணின் பெருந் க்க தில்).
Madal ēruthal continued further in later Tamil literature. Thinaimālai Nūtraimpathu, a 4th century A.D. book
belonging to Pathinen Keelkanakku, has a poem where the hero says he wore a bone necklace and stood on
the street with his palm horse, awaiting his lover. In the book Pandikkovai (7th century A.D) of unknown
authorship, this ritual of climbing on a horse is mentioned in five poems (79, 80, 81, 82, 83). The heroine’s
friend suggests that the hero paint a picture of his beloved to carry while riding his palm horse.
Despite the ancient convention that a woman cannot climb a palm horse even if goaded by passion, in two
beautiful poems written in the Vaishnava sacred canon Nālāyira Pirapantham by Thirumangai Ālvar in the 8th
century A.D, Siriya Thiru Madal (77 couplets) and Periya Thiru Madal (148 couplets), it is the woman devotee
who threatens to ride the palmyra horse in towns with shrines to Thirumāl, if the god will not return her love,
thereby issuing an ultimatum, much like the Sangam heroes. Here, the woman represents the human soul
seeking the divine. She says in Siriya Thiru Madal hymn 2710, ‘Even if I am ridiculed by people in the big
streets in town, I will not stay away from riding on the madal’ (பெருந்ப ருபெ ஊைோர் இகழிலும் ஊைோது
ஒழிதயன் ோன் ெோைோர் பூம் பெண்லை ைடல்). In Periya Thiru Madal hymn 2790, she says, ‘I will ride on a
lovely, bright madal and parade for the whole world to see’ (உன்னியுைெோ உைகறிய ஊர்ென் ோன், முன்னி
முலைத்து எழுந்த ோங்கி ஒளி ெைந் , ைன்னியம் பூம் பெண்லை ைடல்). The Sangam madal concept lends itself
very well to intense passion and pleas by the devotee in a religious setting. In the Tamil Kanthapurānam,
Murukan separated from his beloved Valli threatens to climb on a madal and ride it through the village streets.
Akapporul Vilakkam, a 13th century A.D. grammar book by Nārkavirāsa Nampi has 3 verses about madal
(143, 145 and 146). Madal poems grew to become an independent genre in the 15th – 16th century. There are
two sub types of poems in this genre – ulāmadal and valamadal. In ulāmadal, the hero designs a palmyra frond
horse and fastens it to his chariot. He then holds a piece of cloth with a picture of the heroine and has children
pull this chariot. The heroine agrees to marry him, or the heroine’s friend agrees to convey the message to
her. Valamadal praises pleasure as exceeding wealth, virtue and deliverance. Poet Kālamēkam wrote Chithira
Madal in the 15th century. Thathuvarāyar (1450 – 1474 A.D.), the Saiva poet and metaphysician wrote
Kalimadal about the love for his guru Sorūpānanthar. A devadasi poet named Kālimuthu wrote
Varunakulāthitha Madal in the 15th century on Varunakula Athithan Kāttan, a wealthy man of Nagapattinam.
Madal poems reveal intense and uncontrollable love, be it to a human or to the divine, and be it mundane or
spiritual. One deprecates oneself for love. It is an artistic and ritualistic expression of immense love, which
has been used by Tamil poets for hundreds of years, stemming from ancient Sangam poetry.
குறுந்த ொகை 173, மதுகைக் ைொஞ்சிப்புலவன், குறிஞ்சித் திகை - கலவன் த ொழியிடம் த ொன்னது
பெோன் த ர் ஆவிலைப் புது ைைர் மிலடந்
ென் நூல் ைோலைப் ெலன ெடு கலி ைோப்
பூண் ைணி கறங்க ஏறி ோண் அட்டு
அழி ெடர் உள் த ோய் ெழி ெழி சிறப்ெ
இன்னள் பெய் து இது என முன் நின்று
அெள் ெழி நுெலும் இவ்வூர்
ஆங்கு உைர்ந் லையின் ஈங்கு ஏகுைோர் உபைதன.
Kurunthokai 173, Mathurai Kānji Pulavan, Kurinji Thinai - What the hero said to the heroine's
friend
I will climb
a proud palmyra horse
with bells around its neck,
and adorned with a garland
braided tightly with gold colored
new āviram flowers on thick threads,
and destroy my pride.
This painful inner disease
spreads and increases constantly.
"This is what she did," they will blame
her, when I stand in front of the town.
I understand that, and I'm ready to go.
நற்றிகை 342, தமொசிகீைனொர், தநய் ல் திகை - த ொழி த ொன்னது
ைோ என ைதித்து ைடல் ஊர்ந்து ஆங்கு
ைதில் என ைதித்து பெண் த ர் ஏறி
என் ெோய் நின் பைோழி ைோட்தடன் நின் ெயின்
தெரி தெைோ ெருதெோர்க்கு என்றும்
அருைல் தெண்டும் அன்பு உலடதயோய் என
கண் இனி ோகக் தகோட்டியும் த ைைள்
யோதன எல் ெலை யோத் கோனல்
ெண்டு உண் று வீ நுண்ணிதின் ெரித்
பென்னிச் தெெடி தெர்த்தின்
என் எனப் ெடுதைோ என்றலும் உண்தட.
Natrinai 342, Mosikeeranār, Neythal Thinai - What the heroine's friend said
He is riding on his white palm horse
and coming toward our settlement
with tall walls.
I let her know of what he said to me,
and asked her sweetly, slanting my head,
to have pity on him.
She, wearing bright bangles, refused him.
I wonder what will happen if I
fall at her delicately painted feet,
at the seashore grove, where
honey bees swarm on fragrant flowers!
நற்றிகை 377, மடல் பொடிய மொ ங்கீைனொர், குறிஞ்சித் திகை - கலவன் த ொன்னது
ைடல் ைோ ஊர்ந்து ைோலை சூடி
கண் அகன் லெப்பின் ோடும் ஊரும்
ஒள் நு ல் அரிலெ ைம் ெோைோட்டி
ெண்ைல் தைெைைோகி அரிது உற்று
அது பிணி ஆக விளியைம்பகோல்தைோ
அகல் இரு விசும்பின் அைவுக் குலறெடுத்
ெசுங் கதிர் ைதியத்து அகல் நிைோப் தெோை
அைகம் தெர்ந் திரு நு ல்
கழறுபு பைலிக்கும் த ோய் ஆகின்தற.
Natrinai 377, Madal Pādiya Māthankeeranār, Kurinji Thinai - What the hero said
It would be difficult
for me to wear a garland,
climb on a palm frond horse
and go around to great big
countries and towns, to sing
the praises of my girl with
a bright forehead.
That would bring a lot
of pain. I'd much rather die.
I am wasting away thinking
of this girl with beautiful
forehead surrounded with hair,
that looks like the moon in the
wide dark sky, reduced by a snake.