Sangam literature
The Sangam literature (Tamil: சங்க இலக்கியம், ''caṅka ilakkiyam'';) historically known as 'the poetry of the noble ones' (Tamil: சான்றோர் செய்யுள், ''Cāṉṟōr ceyyuḷ'') connotes ...
is one of the main sources used for documenting the early history of the
ancient Tamil country
Tamiḻakam ( Tamil: தமிழகம்; Malayalam: തമിഴകം), refers to the geographical region inhabited by the ancient Tamil people, covering the southernmost region of the Indian subcontinent. Tamilakam covered today's Tamil ...
. The ancient
Sangam poems mention numerous kings, princes and poets, the existence of some of whom have been confirmed through archaeological evidence. Sangam literature is still the main source for the
early Cholas
The Early Cholas were a Tamil kingdom of the pre and post Sangam period (600 BCE–300 CE). It was one of the three main kingdoms of South India. Their early capitals were Urayur or Tiruchirapalli and Kaveripattinam. Along with Pandyas an ...
, the
Pandyas and the
Cheras.
Age of Sangam
Sangam was the ancient academy of
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
* Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia
** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils
**Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia
* Tamil language, na ...
poets and authors in the city of
Madurai
Madurai ( , also , ) is a major city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the cultural capital of Tamil Nadu and the administrative headquarters of Madurai District. As of the 2011 census, it was the third largest Urban agglomeration i ...
in
South India
South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union terr ...
under the patronage of the
Pandya kings. It is difficult to estimate the exact date of these Sangam works. Some scholars suggest the historical ''Sangam literature era'' spanned from c. 300 BCE to 300 CE.
See also
*
Tamiḻakam
Tamiḻakam (Tamil: தமிழகம்; Malayalam: തമിഴകം), refers to the geographical region inhabited by the ancient Tamil people, covering the southernmost region of the Indian subcontinent. Tamilakam covered today's Tamil Nad ...
*
First Sangam
*
Second Sangam
The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds each ...
*
Tamil Sangams
The Tamil Sangams (Tamil: சங்கம் ''caṅkam'', Old Tamil 𑀘𑀗𑁆𑀓𑀫𑁆, from Sanskrit ''saṅgha'') were assemblies of Tamil scholars and poets that, according to traditional Tamil accounts, occurred in the remote past. ...
*
List of Sangam poets
Sangam refers to the assembly of the highly learned people of the ancient Tamil land, with the primary aim of advancing the literature. There were historically three Sangams. With the details of the first two Sangams remaining obscure, all the ...
References
* Nilakanta Sastri, K.A. (1955). ''A History of South India'', OUP, New Delhi (Reprinted 2002).
* South Indian Inscriptions - http://www.whatisindia.com/inscriptions/
* Nagaswamy, R, Roman Karur, Brahadish Publications (1995)
* Krishnamurthy, R Non-Roman Ancient Foreign Coins from Karur in India, Garnet Publishers, Chennai
* Codrington, H. W. A short History of Ceylon, London (1926) (http://lakdiva.org/codrington/).
* N. Parameswaran Tamil Guardian 12 October 200
External links
Varalaaru.com – Monthly web magazine on South Indian History and Literature
Chola dynasty
Sangam literature
Tamil history
Historiography of India
Indian poetics
Cultural history of Tamil Nadu
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