Poonthanam Namboothiri (1547-1640) was a contemporary of Melpathur Bhattathiri and Ezhuthachan. He was born in Keezhattur, near Perinthalmanna in the present
Malappuram District of
Kerala. His chief poems in
Malayalam are Bhasha Karnamritam, Kumaraharanam (or Santanagopalam Pana) and Jnanappana. The first is a devotional work intended to create Krishna bhakti in the mind of readers, and the second is a touching narrative. Jnanappana (Song of Divine Wisdom) is a veritable storehouse of transcendental knowledge. A large number of hymns and prayer songs have been attributed to Poonthanam.
