Thirunizhalmala

Thirunizhalmala ("Garland of the Sacred Shade") is a c. 13th century "pattu" genre poem in the Malayalam language. Along with "Ramacharitham", it is one of the earliest extant poems in Malayalam. It is generally considered as a work associated with the Vaishnavite bhakti movement in south India. 
"Thirunizhalmala" is composed, most probably by a high caste poet, in local meters and with Dravidian orthography. It is assumed that the work predates the famous "Ramacharitham" by around a century. The manuscript was discovered from northern Kerala. Central topic of the poem is the description of the ritual life of Aranmula Temple, Pathanamthitta. The main rites described are the ancient rituals of the Malayar community. It also contains the earliest instance in Malayalam of the legend of Parasurama "founding" Kerala and the sixty-four settlements of Brahmins. It also mentions the medieval Tamil poet Kamban.