Studies In Tamil Literature And History

PREFACE. Studies in Tamil Literature and History was first published in 1930 by Messrs. Luzac Co., London. The book went out of print in the beginning of this year. In view of this and also of the fact that it is prescribed for study by candidates taking Tamil at the Intermediate Arts examination at the University of London, the Secretary, External Department, University of London, wrote to me asking whether I am reprinting the book. JMis and the increasing demand for the book made me approach the University of Madras with the request to help me in the publication of a second edition of the book. And the University has been kind enough to undertake to reprint it, for which I express my grateful thanks. In this edition I have added in an Appendix some notes which are the results of further studies on the subjects discussed in the book. V. R. RAMACHANDRA DIKSHITAR, UNIVERSITY OF MADRAS, 14th December, 1936 PREFATORY NOTE TO THE FIRST EDITION. To the earnest student of Indian History and particularly of South Indian History, a deep and critical study of ancient Tamil literature is of the utmost importance. The necessity for such study came hlome to me strongly in 1923 when I was nominated to a Research Student ship of the University of Madras, in the course of the investigation on the subject of Hindu AdmuMstratitip Institutions I felt more and more 1 the need for an intensive study of the priceless literary treasures of Tamil. Hence I devoted my leisure hours to a study of Tamil literature, and the results of such study were a series of six articles on the Mystic Poets of the Tamil Land which appeared in the Hindu during 1924 and 1925, one article on the Art of War as practised m SouthIndia in the Annals of Bhandark r Rese rdH Institute, Poona, one on Tantrayukti to the Journal of Oriental Research, Madras and three on Tamil Social Life in the Hindu Illustrated Weekly. Lastly on the suggestion of Professor P. T. Srinivasa Ayyangar, I prepared a mono graph on a comparative study of the Tirukkwral and Sanskrit literature, of which, a portion has appeared in his History of the Tamils. The present volume is a collection of Jiese stray writings together with the results of further studies on the subject. The first chapter is devoted to an examina tion of the Satigam age, and of the Saiigam works so called. I have attempted to prove that the Sangam is not a myth-In the second and third chapters a biographical sketch of some of the celebrated Sangam poets and Mystic poets is attempted. The fourth chapter is a study of the life and times of the author of the Tirukhufut, and the latter portion of it is devoted to an examination of the parallel icteas to be found in the Sanskrit works. PREFATORY NOTE The last three chapters of the book deal with the political and social organization of the ancient Tamil Land as can be gathered from the literature itself. The first chapter is on Administrative Institutions such as kingship, council, administration of taxation and justice. Though the materials are too meagre to attempt any thing like a history of the institutions, still 1 have endeavoured to make the best use of them. The next chapter is on the institution of war, organization of the army and navy, and international relations, as the materials available for such study are ample. The last chapter is on the life of the people their urban and rural life, their chief pastimes, theirskill in and appreciation of, the fine arts such as music and dancing, their marriage customs, and their simple festivals. In the examination of these details in respect of social and political organizations, I have confined myself to the Sangam works, and whenever a reference is made to later works like the Tevamm or the Divyapratomdam, it is only to show how tradition persists in this ancient land...