The earliest known literary work in Malayalam is "Ramacharitam", an epic poem written by Cheeraman in 1198 CE. In the subsequent centuries, besides a popular "pattu" ("song") literature, the "manipravalam" poetry also flourished. "Manipravalam" (translates "ruby coral") style consisted of poetry in an admixture of Malayalam and Sanskrit. Then came works such as "champus" and "sandeshakavyas" in which prose and poetry were interspersed. Later, poets like Cherusseri introduced poems on devotional themes. There were also other important works, in Arabi Malayalam like Muhyadheen Mala. Ezhuthachan, a strong proponent of Bhakti movement, is known as the father of Malayalam. His poems are classified under the genre of "kilippattu".