Sangam literature facts for kids

A sculpture of the ancient Tamil scholar Agastyar, who is believed to have led the first Tamil Sangam (a group of poets and writers) in Madurai.

Sangam literature (Tamil: சங்க இலக்கியம், caṅka ilakkiyam) is a very old collection of Tamil poems and writings. It is the earliest known literature from South India. People in Tamil tradition believe these writings came from three big meetings of poets and scholars, called "Sangams," that happened a long, long time ago near Madurai.

Historians think the real Sangam period, when these writings were created, was from about 300 BCE to 300 CE. This means some of these poems are over 2,000 years old! A scholar named Kamil Zvelebil suggests the most likely time for Sangam literature is between 100 BCE and 250 CE.

For many centuries, these old writings were almost forgotten. But in the late 1800s, scholars found and saved them in Hindu monasteries near Kumbakonam. The collection we have today includes the oldest surviving Tamil grammar book, called Tolkappiyam, and two large collections of poems: the Ettuttokai (Eight Collections) and the Pathuppaattu (Ten Songs).

This amazing collection has 2,381 poems written by 473 different poets. About 102 of these poets are unknown. A few poets wrote a lot of the poems, with Kapilar writing almost 10% of them! The poems are different lengths, from just 3 lines to 782 lines. Most of the poems are about two main topics: love (called akam) and war (called puram). Some shorter poems, like those in Paripaatal, are more religious and praise gods like Vishnu and Murugan. The Sangam literature also includes long stories (epics) related to Buddhist and Jain beliefs.

What are the Legendary Tamil Sangams?

The word Sangam means "gathering" or "academy." According to old Tamil stories, the Sangam literature came from three very old literary gatherings that lasted for thousands of years.

• The First Sangam was said to be led by the Hindu gods Shiva and Murugan, and the god Kubera, along with many wise people, including the famous poet Agastya. This academy supposedly lasted over 4,000 years and was located in a place far south of Madurai that was later covered by the sea.
• The Second Sangam was also led by Agastya and lasted about 3,000 years near a seaside town called Kapāṭapuram. This place was also said to be lost in floods. From this Sangam, two important books, Akattiyam and Tolkāppiyam, were believed to have survived and guided the scholars of the Third Sangam.
• The Third Sangam had 449 poet-scholars and worked for over 1,850 years in northern Madurai.

These stories about the Sangams and lost lands are considered myths by most historians. They say there is no real proof that these literary academies existed exactly as the legends describe. However, some ancient inscriptions do mention a "Sangam" or academy of scholars in Madurai, suggesting that there might have been a real group of poets and writers there around the beginning of the Christian era. This group effort likely helped create the Sangam literature we know today.

The Historical Sangam Period

A map showing South India during the Sangam Period.

In the ancient Tamil language, the area where Tamil was spoken was called Tamilakam. This region included what is now Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and parts of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka in India. Even Sri Lanka was influenced by this period.

The historical Sangam period, from about 300 BCE to 300 CE, is an important time in the history of ancient Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It is named after the literature created by the poets and scholars of the legendary Sangam academies in Madurai.

During this time, Tamilakam was ruled by three main Tamil kingdoms: the Pandya, Chola, and Chera dynasties. There were also some smaller rulers. We learn about this period from old writings, inscriptions (writings carved into stone or metal), and things found by archaeologists.

During the Sangam period, society was organized by the jobs people did, rather than a strict caste system like in some other parts of India.

What is in the Sangam Collection?

Ilango Adigal wrote Silappatikaram, one of the five great epic stories in Tamil literature.

The Sangam literature was written by 473 poets, and 102 of them are unknown. These poets came from many different backgrounds. Some were from royal families, some were merchants, and some were farmers. At least 27 of the poets were women! These poets lived in a time when Tamil society was already connected with people from northern India, sharing stories and ideas.

How the Poems Were Organized

The available literature from this period was organized in the 10th century CE into two main groups:

• The Patiṉeṇmēlkaṇakku ("Eighteen Greater Texts"): This group includes the Ettuthogai (Eight Collections) and the Pattuppāṭṭu (Ten Songs).
• The Patiṉeṇkīḻkaṇakku ("Eighteen Lesser Texts"): This group contains 18 other works.

Here are some of the collections in the Ettuttokai:

And here are the Pattuppattu (Ten Songs):

The Patiṉeṇkīḻkaṇakku includes works like:

• Nālaṭiyār
• Tirukkuṛaḷ
• Paḻamoḻi Nāṉūṟu
• And many others.

Types of Sangam Poems

Sangam literature is mainly divided into two types:

• Akam (Tamil: அகம், meaning "inner"): These poems are about feelings and emotions, especially romantic love.
• Puram (Tamil: புறம், meaning "outer"): These poems are about brave actions and heroic deeds, often in war or public life.

About three-quarters of Sangam poetry is akam (love poems), and one-quarter is puram (war and public life poems).

Both akam and puram poems can be further divided into seven smaller categories called tiṇai (திணை). These categories are based on the setting or landscape of the poem:

• kuṟiñci (mountainous regions)
• mullai (forests and pastures)
• marutam (farmland near rivers)
• neytal (coastal areas)
• pālai (dry, desert-like regions)

Akam poems use metaphors and images to create a mood. They usually don't name specific people or places, letting the community understand the context from their shared stories. Puram poems are more direct and often mention names and places.

How the Poems Sound (Prosody)

Early Sangam poems followed strict rules for how they sounded, using two main meters called akaval and vanci. These rules helped give the poems a "wonderful conciseness" and a strong feeling that was often resolved at the end of the poem. Later Sangam poems used these rules but also explored other meters.

How the Sangam Works Were Found Again

A palm-leaf manuscript (UVSL 589) with 100 pages, written by hand in tiny letters by Shaiva Hindus. This manuscript has many Tamil texts, including the Sangam era Tirumurukāṟṟuppaṭai. It is kept safe in the U.V. Swaminatha Aiyar library in Chennai.

The Sangam literature was mostly lost and forgotten for about a thousand years. But in the late 1800s, some dedicated scholars helped rediscover and publish them. Key figures in this rediscovery include:

• Arumuka Navalar (1822–1879): He was one of the first to publish modern editions of Tamil classics. He published a good edition of Tirukkuṟaḷ by 1860. He also published the first Sangam text, Tirumurukāṟṟuppaṭai, in 1851.
• C.W. Damodaram Pillai (1832–1901): He was a scholar who actively searched for lost manuscripts and published them using modern ways of checking texts. He published important works like Kalittokai (1887), which was the first of the Eight Anthologies to be printed.
• U. V. Swaminatha Aiyar (1855–1942): He is famous for finding major collections of Sangam literature in 1883. He visited a Hindu monastery near Kumbhakonam and found many old palm-leaf manuscripts of Sangam literature there. He published his first print of the Ten Idylls in 1889.

Together, these scholars printed and published many important Sangam works, including Tholkappiyam, Manimekalai, Silappatikaram, Pattuppāṭṭu, Puṟanāṉūṟu, and many others. They also added scholarly explanations to these texts.

Why Sangam Literature is Important

Sangam literature shows that there were rich literary developments in South India, similar to the Sanskrit language in other parts of India. Even though the first and second mythical Sangams might not have been real, the surviving literature proves that a group of scholars in ancient Madurai played a big role in the "literary, academic, cultural and linguistic life of ancient Tamil Nadu."

A. K. Ramanujan, a famous scholar, said that these Tamil poems are unique because they are both very old and still feel modern. He said they show a "mature classical poetry" where strong feelings are balanced with politeness, and simple lines have deep meanings. These poems are the earliest proof of the amazing talent of the Tamil people.

Sangam literature gives us a look into the ancient Tamil culture, their beliefs, and their daily lives. For example, some poems mention the "pigtail of Brahmin boys" or describe historical events and kings. The Pattinappalai poem, for instance, describes the Chola capital city, its king Karikal, and life in a busy harbor with ships, goods, dancers, and artists. It also mentions the worship of Hindu gods like Vishnu and Murugan, and the presence of Buddhist and Jain monasteries.

These poems also show that ancient Tamil Nadu interacted with other parts of India. They include words borrowed from Sanskrit, showing that languages and ideas were shared. For example, the Sanskrit word acarya (spiritual guide) became aciriyan (priest, teacher) in Tamil Sangam literature.

The Sangam poetry focuses on the culture and people. It includes both religious and non-religious themes. Many Hindu gods are mentioned, especially in the shorter poems. For example, the 33 surviving poems of Paripaatal praise Vishnu, Durga, and Murugan. The 150 poems of Kalittokai also mention Krishna, Shiva, Murugan, and characters from the Mahabharata. One poem even mentions "merciful men of Benares" (a holy city in northern India), showing connections between the regions. Some love poems in Paripaatal are set during bathing festivals and mention temples, showing the importance of these cultural events and buildings in Tamil culture.

Religion was a big part of life in the Sangam age. Ancient Tamils mainly followed Vaishnavism (worshipping Vishnu as the main god) and Kaumaram (worshipping Murugan as the main god). According to Kamil Zvelebil, Vishnu was seen as the "ageless" or eternal god, while Skanda (Murugan) was seen as young and a personal god for Tamils.

Mayon (identified with Vishnu) is mentioned as the god of the mullai tiṇai (pastoral landscape) in the Tolkāppiyam. Many poems in Paripāṭal consider Vishnu (also called Perumal) as the supreme god of Tamils. He was seen as the only god who reached the status of Paramporul (oneness with the ultimate reality) during the Sangam age. He is also known as Māyavan, Māmiyon, Netiyōn, and Māl in Sangam literature and is the most mentioned god.

Cēyōṉ "the red one," who is Murugan, is described as "the favored god of the Tamils." He is often shown as "the red god seated on the blue peacock, who is ever young and resplendent."

Here are two examples of devotional poems from ancient Tamil Nadu:

To Tirumal (Vishnu):

To Seyyon (Murugan):

We pray you not for wealth,
not for gold, not for pleasure;
But for your grace, for love, for virtue,
these three,
O god with the rich garland of kaṭampu flowers
with rolling clusters!

– Pari. v.: 78–81

Other gods mentioned in the Tolkāppiyam include Vēntaṉ (identified with Indra), Korravai (identified with Durga), and Varunan (the sea god).

Sangam literature also stressed the importance of fair rule by kings. Kings were often called Sengol-valavan, meaning "the king who established just rule." Priests would warn kings that unfairness could lead to divine punishment. The idea of a king receiving a royal scepter (Sengol) to rule fairly is mentioned in texts like Purananooru and Kalithogai.

The notes in the Paripaatal poems also mention music and tunes, showing that music was an important art form in ancient Tamil Nadu. These poems likely came from the later Sangam era (2nd or 3rd century CE) and show that it was a developed and successful ancient civilization.

Sangam Literature in Modern Times

Sangam poems are often used and referred to in modern Tamil movies. There is even a music album called Sandham: Symphony Meets Classical Tamil by Composer Rajan Somasundaram that uses Sangam poetry. It was very popular, even reaching the top 10 "International Music albums" on Amazon in July 2020.

See also

• Project Madurai: A place online where you can find Tamil literature for free.
• List of historic Indian texts
• Tamiḻakam
• Tamil Sangams
• List of Sangam poets