Venpa

Venpa is the classical Tamil poetic meter and the most highly regarded form of Tamil prosody. It denotes a family of meters used in classical Tamil poetry from antiquity through the medieval period. A venpa composition adheres to strict rules governing the length of lines, the arrangement of vowels and consonants, and the cadence of endings. Each line is built to a precise syllabic pattern, and the lines in a stanza interact through prescribed rhyme and stress, producing a characteristic musical flow. The meters are numerous; each named form has its own syllable pattern and ending, and poets select a venpa that suits the subject and mood of the poem. Venpa poetry is known for its formal beauty, intricate wordplay, alliteration, and careful use of sandhi (phonetic joining) that preserves the meter.

The tradition began in early Tamil literature and was systematized in classical prosodic handbooks. Venpa remained the standard metre for high-style poetic works in Tamil and influenced religious, didactic, and epic poetry. In modern Tamil scholarship, venpa is studied as a key element of prosody and its rules are taught as part of classical language training. While contemporary Tamil poetry often uses freer meters, venpa remains a touchstone for evaluating traditional compositions and for understanding the phonetic and rhythmic possibilities of the Tamil language.