| Puthen Pana | |
| Author: | Arnos Pathiri |
| Original Title: | പുതന് പാന |
| Written: | Between 1721 and 1732 |
| Country: | India |
| Language: | Malayalam |
| Subject: | Life of Jesus Christ |
| Genre: | Religious poetry, Christian poetry |
| Meter: | Nathonatha, Sarpini |
| Lines: | 14 padams |
Puthen Pana is a Malayalam poem written by the German Jesuit missionary priest Johann Ernst Hanxleden, famously known as Arnos Pathiri, in Kerala. The poem, composed between 1721 and 1732, narrates the life of Jesus Christ in a poetic format and is one of the earliest and most well-known Christian-themed works in Malayalam literature.[1]
The poem is recited by Kerala Christians during important religious occasions like Holy Week, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Holy Saturday.
Puthen Pana consists of 14 padams (sections), each narrating key events in the life of Jesus Christ:
The 12th padam is composed in the metre Nathonatha, while the others use the Sarpini metre.[2]
Puthen Pana is one of the first Malayalam poems written on Christianity and remains widely recited by Christian communities in Kerala during Lent and Holy Week. It is considered a masterpiece of early Malayalam Christian literature and is studied for its literary and religious significance. Efforts have been made to preserve the text online.[3]