Unnuneeli Sandesam

{{Short description|A Malayalam poem}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2021}}

{{Use Indian English|date=August 2021}}

Uli Sandam is among the oldest works in Malayalam language.{{Cite web |url=http://www.malayalamresourcecentre.org/Mrc/literature/champu.html |title=History of Malayalam Literature |access-date=2014-03-19 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130704062535/http://www.malayalamresourcecentre.org/Mrc/literature/champu.html |archive-date=2013-07-04 |url-status=dead }} It is a sandesa kavyam (message poem), a message written in poetry, on the lines of the famous Meghadūta of Kalidasa. In the case of this work, it is a message written by a lover to his lady-love staying at a far-off place. The message is therefore written as if it is sent through a messenger. The work was written in the 14th century AD, when transport and communications were very limited in Kerala. The messenger in the poem is, therefore, a carrier pigeon. Apart from the message proper, the poem gives detailed instructions to the messenger pigeon, including the route to be taken and the landmarks in route.

Besides the literary value of the work, it throws light on the geography of Kerala of that period. It, therefore, reads in part like a travelogue too.{{cite web|url=http://www.kalakeralam.com/book/literature011.htm|title=Kalakeralam.com " The Rhythm of Arts "|first=Razi|last=Rahman|website=www.Kalakeralam.com|access-date=13 July 2017}} The journey starts in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of the Venad (Travancore) Kingdom of that day, and ends at Kaduthuruthy, a pod bodies mentioned in the poem are not to be seen now.

The poem is written under the pen-name Amruthanilakshi, and some{{Who|date=July 2017}} believe that it was written in 1362 AD. The exact identity of the author remains a mystery, but it is widely believed{{By whom|date=July 2017}} that one of the members of the Vadakkumkur royal family.wrote it. An annotated version was published by DC Books.{{cite web |url=http://www.puzha.com/e-arcade/dcb/cgi-bin/book-detail.cgi?code=1076 |title=Malayalam Books Online |website=www.puzha.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050117223516/http://www.puzha.com/e-arcade/dcb/cgi-bin/book-detail.cgi?code=1076 |archive-date=2005-01-17}}