Category History

          Thirukural is an important work of Tamil literature by the poet Thiruvalluvar. It is written in a poetic form called Kural, which means rhyming couplet. It is considered the first work to focus on ethics and expounds various aspects of life.

          Thiruvalluvar was a sage and philosopher who is believed to have written Thirukural about 2000 years ago. It has an orderly arrangement of 1330 Tamil couplets, which are divided into 133 chapters. Each chapter has a specific subject ranging from ‘ploughing a piece of land’ to ‘ruling a country’. Themes such as virtue, love and morals, happiness and prosperity are written in verses that are simple and short. Thirukural is considered an all-time Tamil classic, which has been translated into most Indian languages and some European languages as well.

          The popularity of Thirukural lies in the fact that it has something noble for the ordinary man, the administrator, the king and the ascetic. It is global in perspective, and it is as relevant today as when it was written hundreds of years ago.

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         Tamil was the oldest literary language of south India. The first period of Tamil literature is associated with the Sangam Era.

         Tamil tradition refers to three literary academic meetings called by the Pandyan kings, where poets and scholars assembled, along with kings and princes. These assemblies were called Sangams and they met at Madurai between 500 BC and AD 500. The first was believed to be attended by legendary sages, but its entire works have perished. Of the second Sangam, only one work survives-Tolkappiyam. It is a work on Tamil grammar, literature, tradition and sociology. The poets of the third Sangam wrote Ettutogai or eight anthologies. These anthologies contain well over 2,000 poems ascribed to more than 200 authors. The Sangams are of great importance to us not only for their literary value, but because they are one of the main sources used for documenting the early history of the ancient Tamil country.

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            Did you know that the word ‘dakshinapatha’ is derived from the roots of two Sanskrit words dakshina for south, and paths for road? The ancient texts use the expression Dakshinapatha as a name for both the southern high road and for that part of India that lies south of the Vindhya Mountains and the Narmada River. The first reference to Dakshinapatha occurs in the Rig Veda where it refers to the region of exile. In the opinion of several scholars, this means the areas in the south beyond the limits of the Rig Vedic culture. Both the Mahabharata and Ramayana also refer to Dakshinapatha. Today, we call this region, the Deccan.

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          There is some confusion among scholars as to which is the oldest Dravidian language. It is generally accepted that Kannada is the oldest spoken language, for it is at least 2000 years old, while Telugu is the most widely spoken. At the same time, Tamil has the oldest literary works, and Tamil literature goes back several centuries before the birth of Christ. According to legend, Tamil was a gift from the sage Agastya to mankind, and he was also the first grammarian in Tamil. Malayalam, the language of Kerala, is believed to have evolved from Tamil much later.

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          The three main kingdoms in South India between 400 BC and AD 300 were the Pandyans, the Cheras and the Cholas. The Pandyan kingdom was an ancient Tamil state in South India.

          The Pandyans ruled from Madurai, and occupied the southernmost parts of the Indian peninsula and parts of the southeast too. The Pandyans excelled in both trade and literature. They controlled the pearl fisheries along the south Indian coast, between Sri Lanka and India, which produced some of the finest pearls known in the ancient world. The Chola Dynasty was a Tamil dynasty that originated in the fertile valley of the Cauveri River. Karikala Chola was the most famous among the early Chola kings, while Rajaraja Chola, Rajendra Chola and Kulothunga Chola I were notable emperors of the medieval Cholas.

          The Chola capital was at Uraiyur. They were great patrons of Tamil literature and their zeal in building temples have resulted in some great works of architecture.

          The Chola kings were avid builders, and envisioned the temples in their kingdoms not only as places of worship, but also as centres of economic activity. Kerala, and some parts of southern Tamil Nadu, formed the erstwhile Chera kingdom. They rivaled the neighbouring dynasties of the Cholas and Pandyans in prosperity.

          The Cheras had strong overseas trade links with the Romans in natural produce such as spices, ivory and sandal. In all these kingdoms, the land was fertile and, rice, sugarcane, fruits and pepper were grown in abundance. Their palaces were well decorated, and filled with beautiful objects. Therefore, on the whole, it was a time of prosperity.

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          Do you know that all forms of Indian classical dance are based on a book called the Natyashastra? It was written by a great sage called Bharatha around the fourth century BC. It is the source of not only all forms of Indian classical dance, but also music and drama. In fact, it is regarded as the fifth Veda.

          According to the Natyashastra, all dance forms revolve around the nine rasas or emotions. They are happiness, sorrow, anger, compassion, disgust, wonder, fear, courage and serenity. Hand movements or mudras, are used to express the emotions clearly to the audience. The Natyashastra is the world’s first book on stagecraft. Bharata’s ideas are the key to an understanding of Indian arts, music and sculpture.

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