Art, Architecture & Literature of Sangam Age

Sangam Literature

According to Tamil scholars, three sangams (academies of Tamil poets) existed in ancient Tamil Nadu, also known as Muchchangam. Under the Pandyan dynasty’s royal patronage, these Sangam flourished. These Tamil literary works remain essential resources for rewriting Sangam era history.

• First Sangam: Legendary gods and sages attended the first Sangam held in Madurai, although there are no recorded accounts of it.
• Second Sangam: It was held in Kapadapuram in Tamilnadu. With the exception of Tolkappiyam, none of the literary works survived composed during this Sangam.
• Third Sangam: The third Sangam was established in Madurai by Mudathirumaran. Although many poets participated and created substantial work, only some persisted.
• The corpus of Sangam literature includes Tolkappiyam, Ettutogai, Pattuppattu, Pathinenkilkanakku, and the two epics– Silappathigaram and Manimegalai.
• Ettutogai and Pattuppattu are the part of Pathinen Melkanakku.

Earliest literature

Aham and Puram concept

An important feature of Sangam literature is the use of the poetic form. According to the ancient Tamil treatise, Tholkappiyam, poetry’s subject matter is categorised under two heads: Aham and Puram. These two are mutually related in terms of being the opposite of the other and simultaneously complementing each other.

Table – Aham and Puram

Agattiyam (Akattiyam)

• Agattiyam was The earliest book on Tamil grammar according to Tamil tradition.
  • This book was a non-extant text (not existing), written and compiled by sage Agattiar (Agastya) during the First Sangam.

Tolkappiyam

• Feature: It was written by Tolkappiyar and is considered the first Tamil literary work.
  • First mentioned by name in Iraiyanar’s Akapporul as an authoritative text on Tamil grammar.
  • This was the most ancient Tamil grammar text and the oldest extant long work of Tamil literature.
  • Arranged into three books –
    • Eluttatikaram
    • Sollatikaram
    • Porulatikaram
• Source: It also gives an insight into the political and socio-economic conditions of the time.

Ettuttogai

Ettuttogai is a classical Tamil poetic work consisting of eight works long and short, both or eight anthologies. It is a part of Pathinen Melkanakku (Eighteen Greater Texts).

Table – Eight anthologies

Pattuppattu

It is an anthology of ten longer poems in the Sangam literature – the earliest known Tamil literature.

Table – Ten Idylls

Later Sangam Literature 

The Sangam period was a time of great literary achievement, where poets and scholars thrived, creating a vibrant literary tradition.

• The works produced during this era continue to be revered for their poetic excellence, imaginative storytelling, and cultural significance.
• This includes mainly poetic work Patinen Kilkanakku, also known as the “The Eighteen Lesser Texts”, and five great epics, extensive narrative Tamil epics according to later Tamil literary tradition.

Patinen Kilkanakku (The Eighteen Lesser Texts)

It is a collection of eighteen poetic works created during the post-Sangam period. It mainly deals with morals and ethics.

 Five great epics

Table: Five Sangam epics

Other literary sources of the Sangam Period

• Greek authors like Megasthenes, Strabo, Pliny and Ptolemy mention the commercial contacts between the West and South India.
• Asokan inscriptions mention the Chera, Chola and Pandya rulers in the south of the Mauryan empire.
• The Hathigumpha inscription of Kharavela of Kalinga also mentions Tamil kingdoms.

Art and architecture

Art

• Poetry, music and dancing were popular among the people of the Sangam age. Liberal donations were given to poets by the kings, chieftains and nobles.
• The royal courts were crowded with singing bards called Panar and Viraliyar. They were experts in folk songs and folk dances.
• The arts of music and dancing were highly developed. A variety of Yazhs and drums are referred to in the Sangam literature.
• Kanigaiyar performed dances. Koothu was the most popular entertainment of the people.
• Sangam painters employed the painting guidebook Oviya Nul to direct their creative endeavours.
  • Their sculptures were made of plaster, and the Pallava stone architecture’s brick and timber precursor should have been the start of the architectural tradition.

Architecture

Information and documentation regarding the architecture of the Sangam ages are limited. However, it can be inferred from literary references.

• The Hero Stone or Nadu Kal worship: Nadu Kal worship was significant in the Sangam period. The Hero Stone was erected in memory of the bravery shown by the warrior in battle. Many hero stones with legends inscribed on them were found in different parts of Tamil Nadu.
• Port cities: Pattinappalai refers to the seaport of Puhar. Other seaports during the Sangam period are Tondi, Musiri and Korkai.
• Construction of irrigation tanks: Karaikala built Kallanai across the river Kaveri and constructed many irrigation tanks.

Keeladi Excavation: 

• A tiny hamlet in the Sivaganga district in south Tamil Nadu.
• The Findings here prove that an urban civilisation existed in Tamil Nadu in the Sangam age on the banks of the Vaigai River.
• Excavations at Keeladi have pushed the Sangam age back about 300 years earlier than the previously believed third century BCE.
• The unearthing of heaps of pottery suggests the existence of a pottery-making industry.
• Findings of inscribed potsherds suggest the long survival of the script.
• Presence of the weaving industry: Spindle whorls, copper needles, terracotta seals, hanging stones of the yarn, terracotta spheres and earthen vessels to hold liquid.
• Dyeing industry and glass bead industry: There is evidence of existence of a dyeing industry and a glass bead industry in the Keeladi finding.