Parani is one of the 96 minor literary genres collectively known as ‘Sittrilakkiyam’ in Tamil.
The earliest examples of Parani Ilakkiyam (grammar) are traced to the 11th century A.D. A Parani celebrates the valour and heroism of a king or a soldier who has won a great battle after slaying 1,000 elephants. An interesting feature of Parani is that they are named not after the victorious, but after the vanquished or the place of the battle.[1] [2]
‘Kalingattuparani’, ‘Thakkayaagap Parani’, Iranyavathaip Parani’, Kanjavathaip Parani’, and ‘Mohavathaip Parani’ are some popular Parani texts.