lOMoARcPSD|62098817
Tamilakam - impotant notes
BA History Hons - CBCS (Lady Shri Ram College for Women)
messages.pdf_cover_qr_code_label
messages.studocu_not_sponsored_or_endorsed_by_college
messages.downloaded_by
lOMoARcPSD|62098817
TAMILAKAM
Tamilakam is a portmanteau of 2 words from the Tamil language, namely Tamil and Akam. It can be
roughly translated as the homeland of Tamil. According to Tolkappiyam, the limits of Tamilakam were
between the hills of Venkatam in the north and Cape Comorin in the south. Asoka in his inscription
refers to the peoples of south India as the Cholas, Cheras, Pandyas and Satiyaputras- the core of the
culture ofTamilakam- called thus from the predominant language of the Dravidian group at the time,
Tamil. According to Abraham, in the southern portion of the peninsula- the region that roughly
corresponds to the present day states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, the existence of a large documentary
corpus, both indigenous and foreign, and the occurrence of inscribed coins and cave inscriptions, have
given rise to the idea of a separate ethnic and linguistic region known as Tamilakam.The 1stphase of
urbanism in south India is generally associated with the period c. 300 BCE-300 CE. The art of writing
was certainly known to the Tamils before the beginning of the Christian era.
Sangam text
The Sangam was a college or an assembly of Tamil poets held probably under the patronage of the
chiefs or kings. Historically, all that can be said about Sangam is only that it was held under the royal
patronage in Madurai. The Sangam literature can roughly be divided into two groups, narrative and
didactic.
The narrative texts are called Melkannakku or 18 major works. The didactic works are called
Kilkanakku or 18 minor works. The Sangam corpus includes 6 of the 8 anthologies or poems of the
Ettutokai, 9 of the 10 Pattus or songs included in the Pattupattu, and the earliest parts of the 1sttwo
books of the Tolkappiyam. The poems are of two types- Akam and Puram.
Political
The southern end of the Indian peninsula situated south of the Krishna river was divided into 3
kingdoms; Chola, Pandya, and Chera or Kerala. The major sources of information on the political
history of the time are (i) laudatory poems, which often exaggerate the achievements and virtues of
rulers (ii) Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions corroborate the historicity and (iii) rough dates of some of the
rulers mentioned in the texts. The relationship between poet and patron in ancient Tamilakam was a
reciprocal one.
Sangam literature refers to the Pandya rulers. However it clearly shows that the state was wealthy and
prosperous. The Pandyas were 1stmentioned by Megasthenes, who says that their kingdom was
celebrated for pearls. The Pandya kings were profited from the trade with the Roman Empire and they
also sent ambassadors to the Roman emperor Augustus. Some idea of the political history of the Cholas
is available from the Sangam texts. Their chief center of political power was Uraiyur. The famous king
was Karikala, who established Puhar, which was a great center of trade and commerce, and excavations
show that it had a large dock.One of the principal sources of the wealth of the Cholas was trade in
cotton cloth. The history of the Cheras, interestingly include continuous battle with the Cholas and
Pandyas. According to the Chera poets, their greatest king was Senguttuvan. Although the Cheras killed
the father of the Chola king Karikala, the Chera king also lost his life. Later, the 2 kingdoms temporarily
became friends and concluded a matrimonial alliance. The Chera king next allied himself with the
Pandya rulers against the Cholas, but the Cholas defeated the allies. The principal interest of the
political history of three kingdoms lies in the continuing wars they fought with one another. Although
these states were weakened by the wars, they were greatly profited from their natural resources and
foreign trade. In ancient times, the Tamils traded with the Greek, Egypt and Arabia, on the one hand and
on the other hand, with the Malay Archipelago and China. The Sangam references to towns and
economic activities are corroborated by Greek and Roman accounts, and also by the excavation of the
messages.downloaded_by
lOMoARcPSD|62098817
Sangam sites. The texts suggest that war booty was an important source of livelihood. However the real
foundation of war and polity lay in the regular income from agriculture.
Society
Tamilakam witnessed sharp social inequalities in the Sangam age. The rich lived in houses of brick and
mortar, and the poor in huts and humbler dwellings. The state and society that were formed in the
Tamilakam developed under the impact of Brahmanism. The Kshatriyas and Vaishya appear as regular
Varnas in the Sangam texts. The social classification of Varna was known to Sangam poets. There is
mention of the Arashar (kings) Vaishiyar (traders) and Velalar (farmers). The warrior class was an
important element in the polity and society. The more relevant basis of social classification was Kuti,
which were clan-based descent groups. Sangam texts prescribe a code of conduct not only for the king
and his court but also for the various social groups and occupations. Sangam literature reflects a society
with its distinctive cultural traditions one that celebrated love and war. Also there are the beautiful love
Akam poems that speak of the love between man and woman. Vijaya Ramaswamy has drawn attention
to many references of women’s work in Sangam poems. The poems mention women engaged in
agricultural activities such as planting paddy seeds and weeding. Women were involved in cattle rearing
and dairy farming. Widows were considered extremely inauspicious and dangerous, and were supposed
to lead a very austere life. The rich did not plough the land themselves but employed laborers to
undertake the agricultural operations. The chief local god worshipped by the people of the hilly region
was Murugan. The awareness of the environment and the correlation of activities with ecological
perceptions are particularly remarkable in these poems.
Conclusion (in answer do not mention this title)
Thus, in the history of Tamilakam i.e. from c.300 BCE to 300 CE, Sangam literature plays an important
role which covers various aspects such as political, social, economy etc. So, the significance of
Tamilakam lies in the Sangam literature
messages.downloaded_by