Tag: society and culture in ancient tamizhagam: the sangam age

Answer - A - Nanmanikkatikai

The women like men enjoyed a certain freedom of moving around the town, playing on the seashore and riverbeds and joined temple festivals, however, the status of women was not at par with men like contemporary period. Though the women were educated and poetesses. They had no property rights. Women performed Sati. Prostitution was a recognized institution.

Seethalai Saathanaar was the author of the book ‘Manimekalai’. It is one of The Five Great Epics of Tamil Literature according to later Tamil literary tradition.  is one of The Five Great Epics of Tamil Literature according to later Tamil literary tradition.

The Sangam literature, describes many kings and dynasties of South India. Poetic compilations by group of poets of different times patronised by many chiefs and kings are, called Sangama. These are, in all, 30,000 lines of poetry arranged in two main groups, Patinenkilkanakku and the Pattupattu. The Sangam literature consists of short and long poems which were composed by a large number of poets in praise of their kings.

The lines given above was written by Auvaiyyar, a popular poet during the Sangam period. The ancient Tamil songs and poems provide more information about the life in the ancient Tamilakam and the collection of Tamil songs is known as Sangam literature. There were other women poets during that period like Kapilar, Paranar etc. These songs exemplified plentiful resources, food habits, dress pattern and believe during that period.

Sangam literature or Sangam text depicts the history of ancient Tamil culture. Which includes early Cholas, Pandyas and Cheras. It was written in a verse style. Basically its an anthology of poems composed by various male and female Tamil poets.

In the Sangam age, women and upper higher class men wore two garments, the lower garment, and the upper garment and called Kalingam. They used cotton, silk, and wool to make dresses and the leaf garment was also very popularly used during that period. The ornaments were worn by both men and women. People bartered fish oil, edible yams, honey, ghee, deer meat and wine with rice.

The ancient Tamil songs are classified into Akampattukal and Purampattukal. The theme of Purampattukal is mainly external affairs like war and trade. The collection of these ancient Tamil songs is known as Sangam literature. It is the most ancient among the available Tamil literature compiled in the period between BCE 300 and CE300.