Sankaran the author of Bharatamala is believed to be one among the Niranam trio in the history of Middle Malayalam literature. Sankaran, otherwise known as Vellangaloor Sankaran, is the first poet who translated Mahabharatam into Malayalam. Even though this text is a translation of the Sanskrit epic, it shows the characteristics of an original work. Dr. R. Saraswathy Kutty Amma alias Ponnara Saraswathy, prepared the Index of Bharatamala which dates back to 1400-1437 A.D. as part of her dissertation on 'Descriptive Grammar of Bharatamala' in 1992. The available earliest manuscript goes to 1437 C.E. (612 M.E.). ISDL has a plan to compile relevant materials for the preparation of a historical grammar and early Middle Malayalam lexicon. As part of it, ISDL has decided to publish the indices of all ancient Malayalam classics. The present publication is a partial fulfillment of that aim.
Bharatamala is a poem which comes under the pattu school of literature flourished in Malayalam in its formative period. The language of this poem consists of many Sanskrit phonemes. Major portion of the vocabulary of this poetic work is borrowed from Sanskrit. Such a style is actually not permitted in the pattu school of literature.
The language of Bharatamala is highly influenced by Sanskrit in all levels except syntax viz., phonological, morphological and lexical. Nouns borrowed from Sanskrit are in abundance and also one can see a good number of nativized Sanskrit verbs in this work. This publication of ISDL, I hope, is a valuable asset for those who are engaged in the studies on the history of Malayalam Language and Literature.
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