Poonthanam was born in 1547 in the month of masi on the day of Aswini, at Keezhattoor, near Perinthalmanna in Malapuram district, into a Namboodiri Brahmin family. Many hymns and prayer songs which are still popular in Kerala have been attributed to Poonthanam. His other works include Raghaviyam, Vishnuvilasam and Sitaraghavam in Sanskrit and Vishnugeeta and Panchatantram in modern Malayalam. His other chief poems in Malayalam are Bhasha Karnamritam and Kumaraharanam or Santanagopalam Pana. He is remembered for his masterpiece, Jnanappana which means 'the song of divine wisdom' in Malayalam.
Poonthanam Nambudiri (1547–1640AD) was a famous poet and a devotee of Guruvayurappan, who lived in Keezhattoor in what is now Malappuram district, Kerala, India.
