Puram (Lit. exterior) is one of two genres of Classical Tamil poetry. The concept of the lifestyle of human beings falls in two categories: personal and public. The genre dealing with poems about love affairs is called Akam (அகம்), while Puram concerns many subjects including wars, kings, poets and personal virtues.[1]
Tolkāppiyam, the earliest work of Tamil grammar and literature available in Tamil, divides each genre into seven strands (Thinai), comparing and connecting the two categories of lifestyle.[2]
Works in the Puram genre reflect on different people's lifestyles, especially that of kings. The works identify personal names, unlike in the Akam genre.[3] Because they include the names of kings, poets, and places, Tamil literary scholars consider them a historical record.[4]