- Lyricist
- Kannadasan
- Singers
- P. Susheela, Dr. Balamuralikrishna
- Music director
- Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy
- Movie name
- Kalaikoil
- Movie release year
- 1964
- Lyrics added on
- 18 Jan 2025
Lyrics & meaning
Beyond the translation
Overall song meaning
This classic song vividly portrays the majestic arrival of a beautiful woman, comparing her grace to a divine golden chariot moving through the streets during a festive procession. Kannadasan uses traditional Sangam-style imagery—comparing her lips to pomegranate seeds, her cheeks to sweet mangoes, her eyes to fish in a bowl, and her surroundings to emerald arches and ruby garlands. The lyrics invoke a sense of classical Tamil glory, drawing a direct link to the medieval literary tradition of 'Moovar Ula', where royal and divine processions were celebrated in grand poetic verse. Set to intricate Carnatic classical musical phrasing, the song celebrates both human grace and divine art.
Writing craft
Poetic devices
Metaphor (Uvamaani)
“Maangani kannathil thaenoora”
'Thangha radham' (golden chariot) and 'Maangani kannathil' (mango cheek) use vivid metaphors to compare physical features directly to precious objects and sweet fruits.
Literary Allusion (Moovar Ula)
“Moovarulaa vandha kaalangal polae”
Direct reference to 'Moovar Ula', a famous Chola-era genre of Tamil literature written by poet Ottakoothar celebrating three Chola kings.
Anaphora and Rhyme (Monai and Ethirai)
“Maragadha thoranam asaindhaada / Nalla maanikka maalaigal kavipaada”
Use of initial and secondary consonant rhyming (Maragadha / Maanikka, Sevvelaneerin / Semmaadhulaiyin) to create melodic lyrical harmony.
Did you know?
Trivia
This iconic song from 'Kalaikoil' (1964) was set to music by Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy in the ragam Abhogi. It showcases a rare duet pairing of Carnatic classical legend Dr. M. Balamuralikrishna with playback queen P. Susheela. Poet Kannadasan intentionally used highly literary Sangam and Chola-era vocabulary to match the classical theme of the film.
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