Ponniyin Selvan
Oh My GOD! Kalki, folks, ought to be resurrected and made to write another million books like Ponniyin Selvan. Or at-least, another Ponniyin Selvan.
Building a huge epic around random political events 980 years into the past connecting them all up, staying oh so believably within the realms of truth, yet, great big flights of imagination requires skill beyond the normal.
Trash the Mahabharata, Trash the Ramayan. Trash every thing else that we Indians claim and praise as epics. I’ve not yet finished reading 2 of the 5 books of Ponniyin Selvan, and already, my fascination and obsession with History, starved till now, is full, and bursting with the stuff.
Forget reviews folks, I just am not equipped for it, and am not in the state of mind. The Honeymoon with Kalki’s writings just began. Even Ayn Rand didn’t have this much of an influence on me. Richard Bach did, but for completely different reasons.
Once I finish reading the rest of the 5 books, I think I shall be able to write something about it.
What language what style what absolute brilliance in depicting people and places and events and what a deep understanding and knowledge of the people he writes about. Politics romance travelogue documentary history comedy governance war strategy and society meets eloquent tamil prose in one mind blowing, page turning work of art
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November 3rd, 2004 at 8:46 am
Thanx for the link to VmBloG! Could you edit the link to http://oddblog.motime.com please. VmBloG stuck and stuck and stuck and then disappeared.
Leave me a comment on the design!
November 4th, 2004 at 1:05 am
Hmmm. Probably will try to find it…..
Or first start with the Da Vinci Code
November 4th, 2004 at 1:17 am
I do not know if it is because it’s Nov 3rd today – but I read your title first as Pensylvanian :))
November 4th, 2004 at 2:44 am
Thats a book you can’t put down.. I started reading the electronic version during lunch time that one day I couldn’t stand the temptation that I stayed back till late in the office to finish it.
Have heard that ‘Sivagamiyin Sabatham’ & ‘Parthiban Kanavu’ are even better ones… haven’t got a chance to read it.
PS was written in early 1950s.. If the author manages to hold the youngsters half a century after he wrote, that in itself stands to speak for Kalki’s greatness.
November 4th, 2004 at 2:58 am
After reading through Ponniyin Selvan completely, go on reading “Udayar” – 3 part novel by Balakumaran. It takes off on Raja Raja Cholan’s desire to build “Thanjai Periya Kovil” – good read. Try picking out Balakumaran’s novel on chola kingdom period type novels, and you wud be able to appreciate the full length chola kingdom days with PS as base.
November 4th, 2004 at 3:39 am
Thanks for the plug man! I do not know about my personal credentials, but the story has tremendous potential as a movie. Not in its entirity for sure. It is too unweildy. But it is waiting to be ‘boiled down’ if you understand what I mean.
November 4th, 2004 at 4:38 am
ravages,
I duno if you know this, but if you don’t, check out pavithra’s blog. She’s translated ponniyin selvan…
http://pavithra.rediffblogs.com
cheers!
November 4th, 2004 at 8:47 am
Sat: Forget Da Vinci. Read this first.
Nilu: Wat’s Nov 3 got to do with Pennsylvania?
November 4th, 2004 at 9:27 am
Chenthil, I was supposed to be in Tricy today, but something happened and I couldnt make it. Wow! Now that the kaveri has some water, and kollidam too, and I am from Thondai mandalam, it would have been fitting.
Guru: I need to finish reading PS fully. And then reread it, and then once again, before I will read PK or SS.
November 4th, 2004 at 9:53 am
Hi:
After PonniyinSelvan, get some of T. Janikiraman, Sandilyan, Aadhaven. Bet, you wont regret.
Sandilyan’s will be in the lines of Kalki but with roamnce. Read Janakiraman’d for language. You ll somply love it.
Senthil
November 4th, 2004 at 10:15 am
I hope no one ever makes a movie out of it. Ardent fans would be terribly dissappointed coz i am sure nobody can capture the plot & play as Amarar Kalki did. One would transcend place & time and start living with those characters. I chanced upon reading that at the age of 12 and never found an equivalent till now.
November 4th, 2004 at 11:11 am
Not true Latha,
if someone who loves the book and one who truly appreciates it, and
understands the film and the print medium such as Anand
(http://mdeii.blogspot.com), one can do justice to the book.
All one needs is sympathy for the medium in which the story is told
and love for the story.
November 4th, 2004 at 12:14 pm
Welcome to the club Ravages. Ponniyin Selvan is Kalki’s magnum opus. It will leave you in a trance and the next time you travel to Thanjavur, you will see the town in a completely different light. Do read his other novels too – Sivagamiyin Sabatham, Alai Osai, Parthiban Kanavu. I have the complete collection and can lend them if you need
November 5th, 2004 at 11:54 am
Welcome CC Baby. Welcome to the point of no-return. Ponniyin Selvan is something like a black hole. You wouldn’t escape it’s magic.
And as Guru Prasad pointed out Udayar is also a great read.
Chakra, did you complete the book in one day. I am transfixed. It has more than 5 volumes. And reading all 5 volumes in a day is a herculian task. I took a summer to read it.
November 6th, 2004 at 2:10 am
hmm… this looks much better. especially the banner. or is it still growing?
cheers!
November 6th, 2004 at 5:00 am
aha! new banner. looks better than the last one. a few issues though. a blogrolling roll that’s overly long slows down your blog. Plus, i am sure you are trying to keep the content fields stay within the zone spanned by your banner. easy for me to comment. while you slave away at something a bit more complicated than just an HTML template. you must be having fun though. i know tweaking can get addictive. you seem to stop actually posting content and working just on the design!
luck!
November 6th, 2004 at 10:33 am
My personal favourite is Sivakamiyin Sabatham – like I said, imagine Mahabs as it would seemed to the eyes of the creator (I mean the sculptor and the king).... unoutched sands and waters and rocks… but you are right about PS… not only all that you’ve said but the way it makes for relevant reading even today….
November 9th, 2004 at 7:58 am
I’ve read just a part of Ponniyin Selvan and I found it AWESOME. Truly more captivating than Ayn Rand. But I wouldn’t agree with you on ‘trashing Mahabharata’ part, because that’s like the Mother of all books written (and being written). I believe that people can’t help but draw essence for their story-lines from Mahabharata even if they don’t want to, quite unintentionally. Mahabharata was written in complicated verse. Every thousandth verse reveals a hundred meanings. To look at it superficially, there’s nothing except the fight between the two sides. But if a person is to examine the dialogues and all, there’s so much science involved. And you think people have been calling it an epic for no reason?
November 10th, 2004 at 9:26 am
Looks like the novelis winning a whole bunch of new fans!
The Hindu-Ponniyin Selvan”
November 10th, 2004 at 9:30 am
There is a Yahoo group for PS. They are OK when they talk about the novel – but they want Sreedevi, ASokan etc. to be int he movie version of PS and then I get mad.
check them out anyway.
November 11th, 2004 at 10:49 am
The Hindu: Ponniyin Selvan
Yup,many new takers for this historic novel
Chakra if the characters are from a 1000 years agao the fact of the book having been written 50 years ago doesn’t make that much of a difference does it?
also PS has a yahoogroup.
November 13th, 2004 at 5:23 am
Dear Chandrachoodan
You have expressed your feelings extremely weel. You are welcome to share your ecstacy with like minded people at the following yahoo group
Yahoo Groups: Ponniyin Selvan
November 13th, 2004 at 7:32 am
Aha! You’ve finally found the joy of PS, huh? :-)) Welcome to the ever-growing club! Check out this review, if you like: Simply Books – Ponniyin Selvan
Have you finished The Great Trilogy: Parthiban Kanavu, Sivakamiyin Sabadham, and PS (BTW, Ramya slipped a bit there, I’m translating Sivakamiyin Sabahdam, not PS…though, boy, how I wish I had.):-)
November 23rd, 2004 at 4:23 am
I have read PS some 2 years back but still very tough to come back to real life. The suspense which started from the 2nd Volume
seriously killed me till end. I bet there will be no novel superior or equal to PS in Presence or Future. Can anyone know the WebSite which has Sandilyans Kadal Pura in PDF Format. Pls. let me know.
November 27th, 2004 at 12:07 pm
I Feel really sad when i realize how many people have read or at least heard about the tamizh historical epic of the 20th century-Ponniyin Selven.but still that doesnt stop me from recommending this book to all my friends who read the so called new age english novels.I have even changed my name and all my close friends know me as Vaanar Kulathu Vallavarayan Vandhiyadevan.Hope you read Ponniyin selvan and enjoy it!
(PS-If u know tamizh then pls read the novel in tamizh and not the translated english version.Beleive me it cant compete with the original.)
March 29th, 2005 at 4:31 pm
i have never read a novel after knowing the story fully except “ponniyin selvan”. being a very slow reader in tamil i am uable to stop reading tough it has taken one yr and i have not yet completed bagam 5. kalki has made me feel in the place of each and every characters.
have u ever noticed that there is no one completly hero or villan in this whole novel. is u stand in the place of the characters u will feel u’r self doing the same. especially “Nandini”. since she is a villi we may not like her. but she is superb.
if anyone finds a PDF verson of ponniyin selvan pls inform me. send u’r comments and u’r feeling abt the characters.
May 15th, 2005 at 10:19 pm
Ponniyin Selvan is a Master-Piece. I wish I could read tamizh to appreciate the book better. I’ve gone crazy about Vandiyathevan and Poonkuzhali and many other characters in the epic. I also have plans to name my son or daugther with a character in PS. I wish Kamaal Hassan Soon converts this Book into a Mega TV Serial. The plot and sub-plots are huge to be made into a movie.
May 30th, 2005 at 5:56 pm
...
June 1st, 2005 at 11:43 am
Hi friends,
I have just now completed PS and SS. You all can get the electronic / PDF version of these great novels from www.tamil.net
Happy reading this great novels.
June 17th, 2005 at 5:43 pm
Hi all,
Have just started PS in the original, am still in book 1. While the storyline is great, I am awestruck by the sophesticated narrative style, and the tempered pace of the book. Voluminous works such as these often have an incosistant pace – promising begining, slow lacklusture middle and a racey end. It is amazing that this book is pacey and consistant chapter after chapter – probably because Kalki write this as episodes, and each episode needed to be pacey and complete in itself, leading on nicely to the next episode. That probably help keep the tension alive through out.
Anyway, I’m all impressed, My tamil reading spead has increased 10-folds, and I find myself cheating on work and reading the book!!
June 26th, 2005 at 2:35 pm
I am really surprised to see there are some people writing here as ” I am in Book-1, I have FINISHED Vol-2” and so on. Beleive me, I never stopped reading in between for the entire 5 volumes. So for I read Ponniyin Selvan nearly for 10 times!. My desire is that I have to forget the story to read it and sink into old Chola period afresh everytime. I read PS when I was studying 6th Standard at Govt. High school Vedanthangal. My teachers used to complain to my parents that “This boy is bringing story books and Ambulimama to the school and splois other co-students!”.
The love on PS and almost all other Kalki’s novels lead me ultimate land up with “Perumazhaippulavar’s ” Uraigal (Explanations) on Sanga Ilakkiyangal (Especially Kalithogai)
I can say only one word from my heart “THERE CAN NEVER BE ANOTHER PONNIYIN SELVAN AND SIVAKHAMIYIN SABADAM” Shiva should come again and creat / request somebody like he did with Nakkeerar and Manikkavachagar to compose another Tirukkovayaar to match PS & SS!
Ara. Venkataperumal
Kallankollai
Near Vedanthangal
August 11th, 2005 at 10:29 am
Friends,
Any one can post links for sandilyan novels? Thanks
December 4th, 2005 at 8:16 am
anybody knows about kadal pura here the people who knows about the architecture will love it if anybody knows the site which has kadal pura post the lin plzzzzzzzz
January 3rd, 2006 at 11:23 am
the ponniyin selvan is the greatest novel i have ever read.i have read it for five times since i started to read it during my ninth standard summer holidays and its interesting to read.i also suggest you chandilyan’s yavana rani,raja muthirai,kadal pura.these are all about cholas,pandyas and cheras.try it
April 21st, 2006 at 9:57 pm
Well.. I got to agree with one and all .. Kalki is one of the greatest tamil writers in the 20th century… I had to go all the way through PS - 5 volumes followed it up with 4 volumes of SS.. and am I still craving for more of tamil history.. I am impressed, astounded, speechless and almost found myself with tears in my eyes while reading through 3rd and 4th volumes in SS..
May 9th, 2006 at 8:36 pm
I Love PS. No story has been told like this one. Let a writer tell us a epic like this and prove himself after 55 years of his telling. The simple style even a third standard student can follow leave alone the elders. Thank you Kalki
July 21st, 2006 at 12:36 pm
Hey, found the eBook of Ponniyin Selvan. The complete collection of 5 books in Tamil (Unicode) html.
Download Link: http://rapidshare.de/files/23555237/Ponniyin_Selvan.zip.html
July 21st, 2006 at 12:37 pm
Hey, found the eBook of Ponniyin Selvan. The complete collection of 5 books in Tamil (Unicode) html.
Download Here
July 25th, 2006 at 11:35 am
Hey can u give some other link. I need the books badly…:)
July 31st, 2006 at 4:32 pm
I like PS very much…without studying for exam , i read it…that much i like it…
parthiban kanavu and SS also very beautiful novels…
These novels inspires me to read more historical novels..
if anybody knows sites for any other novels (especially chandilyan’s), plz inform me..
August 26th, 2006 at 11:37 am
Kindly Send me the link to download ponniyin selvan, the existing links are not working, my email id gautham82@gmail.com
August 26th, 2006 at 11:39 am
Kindly Send me the link to download ponniyin selvan, the existing links are not working, my email id gautham82 at gmail dot com
August 26th, 2006 at 12:21 pm
[...] So, a while back, I wrote (in such gushingly naive language) of the Kalki epic Ponniyin Selvan [...]
October 11th, 2006 at 2:15 pm
Ponniyin Selvan is available online from Tamil.net. Download link:
Tamil.net/Project Madurai
October 14th, 2006 at 11:00 am
Can anyone tell me where I would be able to find an English translation of the book?
! I am still googling at 1:30 in the morning to see if I can find a link somewhere 
I love history and recently read a beautiful few lines in the translation and after reading through all the comments here, would badly want to get a copy of it
October 22nd, 2006 at 10:26 am
hi RMS,
i tried in both the links u gave to download.
but i can’t. it says the file has been deleted.
will u once again post it so that i can download ps.
thanks for the links u have shared.
October 29th, 2006 at 11:46 am
karthiga, you can get it here…
http://www.tamil.net/projectmadurai/pmfinish.html#dt0169
November 10th, 2006 at 10:45 am
Can any body tell me ,
where can i download Sandilyan’s tamil fictions…
November 13th, 2006 at 4:47 pm
Hey, If any of you have the link where the english version can be got let me know. I am stuch halfway through because of this and its killing me.
November 16th, 2006 at 4:01 pm
Can any body tell me ,
where can i download Sandilyan’s books in pdf format tamil fictions… are send to me
January 15th, 2007 at 9:45 pm
hi..recently i heard about the ‘udayar’ story and very impressed by the character of ‘gunaseelan’.... If any of you know about it, pls tell me where can i get these?
January 31st, 2007 at 1:20 pm
I found your blog very interesting,just setting mine up.hope it does as well as yours.
April 12th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
Please direct me to links for downloading pdf books of Sandilyan’s Kadalpura and Illaya Pallavan. Have tried to search. The thing is I don’t know how to read and write Tamil. These are for my mother. Please help.
Shridhar
June 16th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
Very nice
Regards,
Vishwa
http://www.egctraders.com
June 20th, 2007 at 1:14 am
[...] One has now begun blogging. And discovers the blog world is but Tamil Brahmanargal Social Club, set up under the auspices of the Tamizhargal Maha Sangam. One discovers that one’s passion for the Tamil Language and its history is not an aberration. One likes this blog world now. One also discovers Ponniyin Selvan by Kalki has many fans, and one is therefore one of the family. One makes a post about Ponniyin Selvan which will continue to get comments till one kills the blog. [...]
October 12th, 2007 at 5:09 pm
Sivagamyin Sabadam is better than Ponniyin S. in completeness atleast. kalki’s narration is good. we cannot compare with mahabarata since both are written with different purposes!
The narration is compelling that it makes you read in a single sitting! for 5 days i didnt sleep properly. i left so quickly to my friends surprise. i took a day leave too
November 21st, 2007 at 2:38 pm
can anyone tel me the site ver i can read sandilyan’s book through pdf or online…
November 22nd, 2007 at 2:51 pm
tel me ver i can read sandilyan books in net
December 31st, 2007 at 11:02 pm
Hi let me know abt sandilyan books plsssssssssss
January 13th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
ta.wikisource.org/பொன்னியின் செல்வன் has complete Ponniyin Selvan novel in Unicode. Its completely free too.
February 1st, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Can anyone give me the e-Book link for Udayar which was written by Mr. Balakumaran.
April 17th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
in my simple site I have all the parts for download for you guys.
April 29th, 2008 at 10:47 am
Still cant seem to find link to the transalation.Read the first volume.. looking for subsequent ones
June 4th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
what abrilliant writer his occur in this time we are know the many more history.
June 16th, 2008 at 11:51 am
good
June 17th, 2008 at 10:12 am
I really was awed at the ardent writer kalki’s encore description of the cholar thirunaadu.I could’nt control my hunger for the book that i read the book within 4 days….But 1 thing dissappointing is about the girl manimekalaai .I really feel for her.
June 20th, 2008 at 8:44 pm
Can anyone please tell me where I can find the English translation of Ponniyin Selvan? I have read the first two volumes, but can’t find the other four.
July 11th, 2008 at 10:42 am
I have the bound collection of PS from Kalki weekly of all the 5 volumes. I thought of first expressing my fondness towards PS over here but after reading all these posts I think I cant express more.
Man, you will admire a lot to read along with those pictures of “Maniam Selvan” that depict the novelty in its wholesomeness and the enchanting dreams the would take you away to a new world.
Could anyone tell me if there is any link available for ebook of PS with that flabbergasting artistry of “Maniam Selvan”!!
-karthik
July 23rd, 2008 at 8:47 pm
Kindly provide me the link to download the Ponniyin selvan Part3, The Killer Sword in English. Kindly provide me to download in PDF format.
-Sathish Kamal
July 26th, 2008 at 2:08 am
Hi
Kalki’s best book. I have read it almost 6 or 7 times in 10 years.
Thinking of translating it into English.
Need all your inputs and suggesstions.
August 7th, 2008 at 1:01 pm
Folks,
I bet, this is the best I have ever read in my life. I had ample opportunities during my school and college days and never even intended then.
Just this vacation, I happened to hold the book at started reading, completed the first volume in one day, second the next day. have had to return to dubai after vacation, i was depressed. But luck favoured me, i found full volume 1 to 5 at Book shop inside the boarding lounge at chennai international airport. I have now completed all the 5 volumes and spell bound even now.
My brother is now addicted to it, I have the volumes with me and any one travelling to India, please get a personal copy for you. Its worth keeping it in your shelves
The narration, the plot,suspense, characterization, have mesmerized me
No wonder, Kamalhassan wanted to do the character of vandiyathevan, it can be a reality, but, needs huge financing.
I will be collecting Udayar and other balakumaran stories in the next two weeks when I am in chennai
August 11th, 2008 at 5:00 pm
can anyone give me the ebook URL sandilyan novels
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:53 pm
thank u.i love ponniyin selvan
September 4th, 2008 at 4:50 am
Hi, I am interested in reading yavana rani and kadal pura, but cldnt find any source of pdfs on the net. Can u share some with me?
September 8th, 2008 at 6:30 pm
i like to read books of kalki & sandilyan. i have a hard copy of ponniyin selvan, sivakami’in sapatham,mannan magal, pallava thilagam,vilai rani,kadal pura,yavana rani,vijaya maha devi&poiman karadu then now i am decided to read The cholas by nilakanda sastri if possible send me the soft copy of that book
September 11th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Is anybody know link for yavana rani
September 14th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Thank U very much for all the info and links provided…this has started me as a reader of Kalki’s Novels