Sangam literature

Sangam literature is the earliest form of Tamil literature and was created in a region in southern India called Tamilakam. This literature consists mostly of poems, epics, and grammar instruction. Much of the poetry from this period was lost, but the remaining works show themes of love, war, governance, trade, and mourning. The most ancient surviving Sangam text considered literature is Tolkaappiyam, a guide for Tamil grammar and delves into the classification of habitats, animals, plants, and people.

The word "Sangam" means "gathering" or "academy of noble poets," and it is believed that Sangam works were created in three successive poetic assemblies. Tamils regard the Sangam Age, which spanned from about 200 BCE to 200 CE, as the golden age of their language. Because no major threats existed in Tamil then, Tamils could pursue literature.

Brief history

Sangam literature, created between 200 BCE and 300 CE, represents the earliest period of Tamil literature, or literature in the Tamil language of India. However, the exact period during which this literature was created is debated. Tamil literature scholar Kamal Zvelebil asserted that the most acceptable period for the Sangam era is between 100 BCE and 240 CE, a time commonly referred to as the Sangam Age, which saw a slow decline at the end of the third century.

Most of the literature of this period was lost during the second century. Still, some works were preserved in an area near Kumbakonam and through Tamil scholarly families as palm-leaf manuscripts, which were made of dried palm leaves, which decay after about fifty years. To preserve the literature, these families transferred it onto new palm leaves. Tolkaappiyam is the oldest surviving Tamil literature work and is dated within the Sangam period, which was most likely between 200 BCE and 300 CE. The work is a commentary on grammar, phonetics, rhetoric, and poetics. In addition to acting as a textbook on Tamil grammar, Tolkaappiyam includes the classification of habitats, animals, plants, and people. The work focuses heavily on human emotions and interactions. It is divided into three chapters: orthography (the conventional spelling system of a language), etymology (origins of words), and subject matter (called Porul). The first two chapters explain Tamil, while the third refers to people and their behavior.

Although Tolkaappiyam is the oldest surviving Sangam text, many lost Sangam poetry anthologies may have pre-dated it.Tolkaappiyam explains that literature may have been created in Tamil before its publication. Tamil tradition also asserts that the earliest Sangam poetry is older than twelve millennia. Modern linguists date the poems between the first century BCE and the third century CE. These estimations consider evidence of foreign trade in the surviving poems and the writings of ancient Greeks and Romans.

In addition to Tolkaappiyam, other Sangam literature includes Ettutogai, Pattuppattu, Pathinenkilkanakku, and two epics: Silappathikaram and Manimegalai. Ettutogai, known in English as the Eight Anthologies, consists of eight works. Six belong to the Sangam period: Aingurunooru, Narrinai, Aganaooru, Purananooru, Kuruntogai, Kalittogai, Paripadal, and Padirruppatu. Pattuppattu, known as the Ten Idylls in English, comprises ten songs. Pathinenkilkanakku contains eighteen works focusing on ethics and values. The most important of these is Tirukkural, which legendary Tamil poet and philosopher Thiruvalluvar wrote.

Overview

According to Tamil legends, Sangam works were put together in three successive poetic assemblies that took place in ancient times in a now vanished continent that was once located to the far south of India. The First Sangam is believed to have been held at Madurai and attended by gods, legendary sages, or very wise people. No literary work from this Sangam is available today. The Second Sangam occurred at Kapadapuram. Tolkaappiyam is the only surviving work from this Sangam. The Third Sangam was held in the Indian city of Madurai. A few literary works from the final Sangam survived.

The Sangam era is considered by the Tamil people as the golden era of their language. During that period, Tamil country, known as Tamilakam, was ruled by three dynasties: the Cheras, Pandyas, and the Cholas. The golden era was a peaceful historical period in the region with no major wars or natural disasters. Because of this, the Tamils had the time to create literature. Tamilakam is broadly considered to cover the land between the Tirupati hills and the southernmost tip of the country. This region was associated with megaliths or large prehistoric monuments in the Sangam period.

Within the Ettutogai (Eight Anthologies) are a total of 2,279 surviving Sangam-era poems, with lengths varying from three lines to more than eight hundred. The poems were written by 473 poets, including some women, which is usual for the time. More than one hundred pieces are anonymous. In Sangam poetry, the poet does not speak through their own voice but instead uses various characters such as a hero, a friend, or a foster mother. Every situation in Sangam poetry is described using themes with specific animals and plants acting as symbols that describe socio-economic order, occupations, and behavior patterns. Secondary aspects, which include the seasons, the hour of day, a god, and musical instruments, are also utilized.

Sangam literature was divided into two genres: subjective (akam) and objective (puram). Akam can be broadly defined as love poems dealing with people's inner lives. These works describe emotions that are difficult to verbalize or fully explain. Puram works can be broadly defined as public or war poems. They are works that deal with people's outer lives. These include public celebrations of the feats and deaths of heroes during wars. The goal of the hero in Puram poems was pukal, or glory/fame, and a heroic death was greatly valued, as it was believed that the spirit of a warrior who died in battle would pass on to paradise. One poem suggests that warriors who did not die in battle were cut with swords before their funeral, so it appeared that they did. Losing one’s life in battle was considered honorable. However, chest wounds were also considered to be a great honor, while back wounds represented cowardice or disgrace. Numerous Puram poems describe the pride mothers felt when their sons died because of battle wounds to the chest.

Sangam poetry also gives a perspective of the gender roles of the time. Women appear to labor alongside men regularly. For example, 60 percent of the agricultural processes were associated with women, who were also engaged in sheep and cattle husbandry. In the coastal areas, they were involved in salt manufacturing. There were also references to kings using women as bodyguards. Lastly, some Sangam poems speak about women working in various roles as prostitutes.

Poems also speak of the various gods worshipped by the Tamil people during the Sangam period. Each god was associated with an ecological zone: Murrukam (Karttikeya) was the deity for Kurinji; Mayon (Vishnu) was the deity for Mullai; Ventan was the deity for Marutam; Varunan (god of the sea) was the deity for Neytal; and Korravai (Devi) was the deity of Palai. In 2022, soil samples from these five ecological regions mentioned in Sangam literature were collected and sent to New Delhi as part of a project to feature the rich cultural history of the Tamils.

Tamil epics cover the political, economic, and social conditions of the Sangam Age, with Silappadikaram being the most renowned of the five. The story follows a character named Kovalan and his spouse, Kannagi. The pair travel from Puhar to Madurai to sell Kanagi’s anklet as a means of restoring their wealth. However, Kovalan is falsely accused of stealing the queen’s anklet and is executed by soldiers. A devastated Kannagi unleashes her fury in front of the king, who realizes his wrongdoing and collapses. The queen follows, and Kannagi wreaks havoc in the city.

Bibliography

Abinaya, B. "Trade During the Sangam Age: Exploring Sangam Literature and Keezhadi Excavations." The Peninsula, 5 Aug. 2020, www.thepeninsula.org.in/2020/08/05/trade-during-the-sangam-age-exploring-the-sangam-literature-and-keezhadi-excavations/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2024.

Jesudasan, Dennis S. "T.N. sends soil samples for project relating to new Parliament building." The Hindu, 4 July 2022, www.thehindu.com/news/national/tamil-nadu/tn-sends-soil-samples-for-project-relating-to-new-parliament-building/article65599930.ece. Accessed 24 Oct. 2024.

Jesudasan, Dennis S. "Tolkāppiyam." Journals of India, 30 Dec. 2021, journalsofindia.com/tolkappiyam/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2024.

"Sangam Literature." Civilspedia, 2022, civilspedia.com/sangam-literature/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2024.

"Sangam Literature." Historical India, 2021, historicalindia.org/article/sangam-literature. Accessed 24 Oct. 2024.

Shanmugananthan, Sydney. "An Overview of Sangam Literature." Ilankai Tamil Sangam, 2 Sept. 2022, sangam.org/an-overview-of-sangam-literature-சங்க-இலக்கியம்/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2024.

"Tamil Literature." New World Encyclopedia, www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Tamil‗literature. Accessed 24 Oct. 2024.

"Tamil Literature: Sangam Period." Drishti The Vision Foundation, 23 Dec. 2021, www.drishtiias.com/daily-updates/daily-news-analysis/tamil-literature-sangam-period. Accessed 24 Oct. 2024.