Muttoḷḷāyiram is an anthology weaving a fabric of great literary merit with myriad colours on a tenuous texture depicting social, political and economic scenarios of a bygone age of the Tamils. Its author is not clearly known. But a critical study of the content, format and architectonic style clearly shows that the author or authors should have commanded a most astounding knowledge of a body of Tamil language, literature and grammar texts.
The author was of such rich erudition that his pen-pictures served as guideposts to the noble and the rabble alike. That such a wonderful work was in existence has to be inferred by the quotations from them by the four great commentators Iḷampūraṇar, Pērāciriyar, Nacciṉārkkiṉiyar and Guṇacākarar in their works. As these songs sing the glories of the three emperors of the South, namely, Pāṇṭiyas, Cōḻas and Cēras, many are left to think that the original Muttoḷḷāyiram was of 900 verses each on the three emperors, thus making a total of 2,700 verses in all. That such a great body of three literary pieces was available in the hoary past and had a large circulation among discerning scholars can rightfully be inferred by applying various yardsticks of literary measurement. But alas! What is now available to us is only 110 verses. Virtue, wealth, and love have been the anchors of Tamil literature. In Muttoḷḷāyiram we find all three in ample measure.
