Abstract
Kuravanji is a one of a number of Tamil literary genres that emerged and flourished between 17th and 19th centuries and blended elements of both high and folk traditions. The texts of kuravanjis served as librettoes for dance performances enacted during major festivals in South Indian temples.
Their emergence responded to major social, political and economic changes that followed the fall of Vijayanagar Empire. The subsequent wave of migrations produced interest in various groups of migrating people.
Kuratti, a woman fortune-teller of the nomadic Kurava tribe, became the main character of kuravanjis. She is a well-travelled person and in order to show the width of her knowledge and experience and to gain confidence of the high-born heroine she starts talking in some detail about places she had visited in connection with her profession and her way of living.
By talking about countries, mountains, rivers and sthalas she creates a certain map of the world as it was known and relevant to the people of her time. Local kingdom or area is presented by densely described network of local mountains, rivers and sacred places, with a distance the map becomes thinner and the world beyond Indian subcontinent is represented by few randomly selected names.
The geographic descriptions in kuravanjis were an important source of devotion, patriotism, and education. Their educational aspect was further highlighted in king Serfoji's Devendra kuravanji which included information from the latest maps.