The Eight Collections, also known as the Ezuttokai or "Eight Collections" in literature, are traditional Tamil poetry (Patisemalkalku) that is part of a collection of eighteen great works of social literature. Eight anthologies and its companion anthology, Ten Statues (Pattuppa), are the oldest available Tamil literature. According to Kamil Juvelebil, a scholar of Tamil literature and history, it is difficult to date these eight anthologies or their relative chronology. , according to the scholarship available so far, the earliest layers were built between the 1st century BC and the 2nd century CE, while the last layers were completed between the 3rd and 5th centuries CE.
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