TNSCERT 6 HISTORY UNIT 8

8. SOCIETY AND CULTURE IN ANCIENT TAMIZHAGAM: THE SANGAM AGE

   THE SANGAM AGE

• Sangam(Madurai) - association of poets under Pandya kings
• Sangam literature - poem composed by these poets

    SOURCES

• Inscriptions - Hathigumpha Inscription of King Karavela of Kalinga, Pugalur (near Karur) Inscription, Ashokan Edicts II and XIII, and inscriptions found at Mangulam, Alagarmalai and Kilavalavu (all near Madurai)
• Copper Plates - Velvikudi and Chinnamanur copper plates
• Time Span  - 3rd century BC (BCE) to c. 3rd century AD (CE)
• Tamizhagam - Vengadam (Tirupathi hill) in the north to Kanyakumari (Cape Comorin) in the south,  bounded by sea on the east and the west
• Literary Sources - Tholkappiyam, Ettuthogai (eight anthologies), Pathupattu (ten idylls), PathinanKeezhkanakku (a collection of eighteen poetic works), Pattinapalai and Maduraikanji. Epics (Silapathikaram and Manimegalai)
• Foreign Notices - The Periplus of the Erythrean Sea, Pliny’s Natural History, Ptolemy’s Geography, Megasthenes’s Indica, Rajavali, Mahavamsa and Dipavamsa
• Age -  Iron Age
• Culture -  Megalithic
• Polity -  Kingship
• Dynasties ruled - The Cheras, the Cholas and the Pandyas (Muvendars - Three Great Kings)

  THOLKAPPIYAM - work on Tamil grammar, shows the quality of Tamil language and culture of Tamil people

 GEORGE L. HART(Professor) - Tamil as old as Latin, arose independently with no influence of other languages

• ArumugaNavalar (Jaffna), U.V.Swaminatha Iyer and Damodharam Pillai (Jaffna) - strove hard and spent many years in retrieving and publishing the Tamil classics and the ancient Tamil texts

   CHERAS

• The Cheras ruled over the central and north Travancore, Cochin, south Malabar and Kongu region of Tamil Nadu. 
• Pathitrupathu (a collection of ten decades of verses) - provides information about the Chera kings
• Senguttuvan introduced Pattini cult
• CheranSenguttuvan’s younger brother - IlangoAdigal (author of Silappathikaram)
• CheralIrumporai, issued coins in his name. Some coins bear their emblem of bow and arrow

   Prominent Chera Rulers

• UdayanCheralathan
• Imayavaramban NetunCheralathan
• CheranSenguttuvan
• CheralIrumporai

   CHOLAS

• extended upto Venkatam (Tirupathi) hills
• Kaveri delta region - central part of kingdom called as Cholamandalam
• KarikalValavan or Karikalan - defeated the combined army of the Cheras, Pandyas and the eleven Velir chieftains
• converted forests into cultivable lands
• built Kallanai (meaning a dam made of stone) across the river Kaveri to develop agriculture,  irrigated an area of about 69,000 acres.
• Pattinapaalai, a poetic work in the Pathinenkeezhkanakku - gives elaborate information of the trading activity during the rule of Karikalan

    Prominent Chola Rulers 

• Ilanchetsenni 
• KarikalValavan 
• Kocengannan 
• KilliValavan 
• Perunarkilli

   PANDYAS

• ruled the present-day southern Tamil Nadu
• patronized the Tamil poets and scholars
• Nedunchezhiyan - most popular warrior (LORD OF KORKAI)
• defeated the combined army of the Chera, Chola and five Velir Chieftains at Talayalanganam.
• their coins have elephant on one side and fish on another side

   Prominent Pandya Rulers 

• Nediyon 
• Nanmaran 
• Mudukudumi Peruvazhuthi 
• Nedunchezhiyan

   Minor Chieftains – Ay, Velir and Kizhar

• Brave independent minor chieftains
• Ay derived from word Ayar (meaning shepherd)
• Anthiran, Titiran and Nannan - important names among Ay chiefs
• Velirs – Vellalars – ruling and land-owning class. The famous were Pari, Kari, Ori, Pegan, Ay, Adiyaman and Nalli (Seven patrons - KadaiyezhuVallalgal)
• Kizhar - village chief

  SANGAM POLITY

     Kingship

• Kingship - hereditary
• King - Vendan, Kon, Mannan, Kotravan and Iraivan
• coronation ceremony was known as arasukattilerudhal or mudisoottuvila
• crown prince - komahan, while the young ones - Ilango, Ilanchezhiyan and Ilanjeral

     Taxes 

• Land tax - Irai
• other taxes - tolls and customs (sungam), tributes and fines.

    The Court 

• Rulers - five-fold duties (encouraging learning, performing rituals, presenting gifts, protecting people and punishing the criminals) 
• Ambassadors were employed by the kings
• The king was assisted by a number of officials, divided into 

1. Aimperunguzhu (five-member committee) 
2. Enberaayam (eight-member group)

    Army

• Padai - four divisions, namely, infantry, cavalry, elephants and chariot force
• Army chief - Thanaithalaivan
• Weapons - sword, kedayam (shield), tomaram (lance), spears, bows and arrows

    Law and Justice 

• King - final authority
• court of justice - avai
• mandram - place for dispensing Justice

    Local Administration

• entire kingdom - mandalam, divided into nadus
• Ur - village : Perur (big village), Sirur (a small village) and Mudur (an old village)
• Pattinam - Coastal town, Puhar - harbour town
• Important Towns - Puhar, Uraiyur, Korkai, Madurai, Muziri, Vanji (Karur) and Kanchi

   Thinai-based Sangam Society

    Status of Women

• No restriction for women in social life
• There were learned and wise women. 
• 40 women poets 
• Marriage was a matter of self-choice
• equal shares in parents’ property

    Women Poets of Sangam Age 

1. Avvaiyar
2. VelliVeethiyar
3. Kakkaipadiniyar
4. AathiManthiyar
5. PonMudiyar

    Religious belief and Social divisions

• Primary deity - Seyon or Murugan
• Sivan, Mayon (Vishnu), Indiran, Varunan and Kotravai
• Hero stones (Nadukkal) were erected to commemorate heroes who sacrificed their lives in war
• Caste did not develop in Tamizhagam as it did in the northern India

    Dress and Ornaments 

• The rich people wore muslin, silk and fine cotton garments

    Arts

• musical instruments such as drum, flute and yazh
• Singing bards - panar and vraliyar
• Karikalan was master of seven notes of music (EzhisaiVallavan)
• Koothu (folk drama) 
• developed the concept of Muthamizh (Iyal, Isai, Naatakam)

    Occupation

• agriculture, cattle rearing, fishing and hunting, Weaving. Others - carpenter, blacksmith, goldsmith, and potters

    Festivals and entertainment

• Harvest festival (Pongal) and the festival of spring, kaarthigai, were some of them. 
• Indira vizha was celebrated in the capital. 
• Entertainments -dances, festivals, bull fights, cock fights, dice, hunting, wrestling and playing in swings

   Trade

• Trade existed at three levels: local, overland and overseas
• Warehouses for storing the goods were built
• chief ports had light houses (KalangaraillanguSudar)
• Barter system was prevalent

   Major Ports: Musiri, Tondi, Korkai 

   Main Exports : salt, pepper, pearls, ivory, silk, spices, diamonds, saffron, precious stones, muslin, sandal wood 

   Main Imports :Topaz, tin, wine, glass, horses

  Kalabhras

• Towards the end of the 3rd century AD (CE) - the Kalabhras had occupied the Tamil country for about two and half centuries. 
• little information about Kalabhras - left neither artefacts nor monuments. But there is evidence of their rule in literary texts. 
• literary sources -  Tamil NavalarCharithai, Yapernkalam and Periapuranam. SeevakaChinthamani and Kundalakesi were also written during this period.
• In Tamizhagam - Jainism and Buddhism became prominent during this period.
• Introduction of Sanskrit and Prakrit languages - had resulted in the development of a new script called Vattezhuththu. 
• Many works under PathinenKeezhkanakku were composed. 
• Trade and commerce continued to flourish during this period. 
• So the Kalabhra period is not a dark age, as it is portrayed