Tamil land and people akam prum thinai thurai etc..

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cittaantarettinam Dr.S.SundarabaluAssistant Professor

Department of LinguisticsBharathiar University

Coimbatore-46India

Sunder_balu@yahoo.co.in9715769995

• Thinai:   There are seven thinai classifications in Puram, and five in Akam. (There are 2 more Akam thinais which are rarely used, and are seen only in the later Kalithokai poems. They are Kaikilai and Perunthinai which deal with one sided love, and are not regarded as pure Akam by scholars).

• Puram  Thinais:   These seven thinais have been named after flowers. These are Vetchi, Vanji, Ulignai, Thumpai, Vākai, Kānji and Pādān.  

1. Vetchi  -is cattle raid, 2. Vanji  -is preparation for war and invasion  (especially the entrance of an

armed force into a territory to conquer.), 

3. Ulignai  -is siege,(The surrounding and blockading of a city) 

4. Thumpai -is battle, 5. Vākai  -is victory, 6. Kānji  -is tragedy, and 7. Pādān  -is praise.

• The Puram thinai poems are spoken by the poet himself, and frequently associated with real persons, places and events in history.

நடுகல் – Memorial Stones for warriors and heroes

• Nadukkal or memorial stones were erected for warriors and heroes (kings, battle heroes etc. – not for the hero (main character) of the Akam poems).

• These stones were decorated with peacock feathers and worshipped. Rice liquor was poured on them. Goats were killed and sacrificed to them (Akam 53).

• The names of the warriors as well as their achievements were etched on these stones, and they were decorated with peacock feathers. There were spears and shields placed nearby, and they made the place appear like a battlefield (Akam 67, 131). All the memorial stones appear in pālai thinai (dry wasteland). – அகநா�னூறு 35, 53, 67, 131,

289, 297, 343, 365, 387 – புறநா�னூறு 221, 222, 223, 232, 261, 306, 314, 329 – ஐங்குறுநூறு 352 – பட்டினப்ப�லை� line 79

• Understanding  Akam  thinais:  It is very important to understand this to enjoy Akam poems. Each Akam thinai consists of three components – Muthal, Karu and Uri.

1. Muthal consists of basic elements such as a tract of land, a season, a time of day or night.

2. Karu consists of the flora and fauna in that tract, its inhabitants, their occupations etc.  

3. Uri  is the aspect peculiar to each landscape; more specifically, the feelings, deeds and situations of the dramatis personae in love poetry.

• Comparing Akam and Puram thinais: Akam means ‘that which is inside’ and Puram means, ‘that which is outside’, and they are the two sides of Sangam poetry. For each Akam thinai, there is a coinciding Puram thinai.

• The Puram poem is spoken by the poet, and has names, places and events of history.

• The Akam poems are spoken by the hero, his friend, heroine, her friend (tholi), the friend’s mother (foster mother- sevili), the heroine’s real mother, the courtesan and the passer-by.

• The two genres differ from each other not only in theme, but also in technique.   Akam poems make much use of images suggesting a mood

and a situation, while Puram poems do not and are more straightforward.

For Akam, the mood and the situation are closely associated with each thinai, but, for Puram, the association is less.

In Akam poetry, themes described in poems are connected with each other, and, taken as a whole, form a ‘love drama’; each scene describe in Puram poems is a solitary one and not connected with each other.

Puram poetry is far less conventional than Akam poetry, and its subject matter is easier to understand.

Akam poems have many similes and metaphors, and fauna and flora are used to express situations and human emotions.

 Some Interesting Conventions and Facts that might help new readers:

1. Snakes spit sparkling gems.

2. Pearls drop off the tusks of elephants.

3. A tiger will not eat a prey if it does not fall on its right side.

4. Women in love get yellow pallor spots on their bodies,

and their eyes become pale and yellow. Their shoulders

and arms become thin. Bangles fall off their wrists.

6. There is a mythical creature called asunam : defines asunam as a creature believed to be so susceptible to harmony, that when it is fascinated by notes of music, a sudden loud beat of the drum causes its instantaneous death.

7. There is a mighty animal Āli, which kills elephants. It could be a hyena or a lion.

8. The heroine’s friend (tholi) refers to the hero as ‘our lover’, since both the girls are very closefriends.

9. The heroine’s friend is sometimes the voice of the heroine and she tells the hero what the heroine wants to tell him.

It is because of an old convention which is in the Tholkāppiyam, that the heroine cannot utter her love feelings directly to the hero. This convention comes from ancient oral tradition.

10. The utterances of the foster mother and real mother are not quite clear. The foster mother also refers to the heroine as ‘my daughter’.

11.The speakers of Puram poems are the poets. The speakers of Akam poems are the hero, heroine, heroine’s friend, heroine’s mother, heroine’s foster mother, hero’s charioteer, hero’s concubine and passers-by, when the hero and heroine are in the wasteland.

12. The fathers and brothers of the heroine have never been speakers of any poem. However, they are referred to in the poems.

13. When the heroine refuses to respond to the hero, he climbs on a palmyra stem horse (madal ēruthal, meaning climbing on a palmyra stem or frond)

and has it pulled through town with a picture of the heroine in his hand. He does that as a last resort as a jilted lover, if the heroine refuses his love.

• Omens • Omens – நா�மி�த்தங்கள் – It is surprising that a few of the omens that

we have in our Tamil culture comes to us from Sangam times,

unchanged. We see the lizard and crow omens in the Sangam poems.

There are also வி�ரி�ச்சி� நா�ற்பது (waiting for the good word) and புள்

நா�மி�த்தம் ( புள் was probably used for bird omens first, but was

used for all omens later)

• – Kurunthokai 218. Mullaipattu has a line describing – வி�ரி�ச்சி� நா�ற்பது line 11.

In addition to these poems, Natrinai 258, 281, 343, and 367 have descriptions of

crows being fed for good luck.

• – மடல்ஏறுதல் Riding on a Palmyra Horse

• – மிடல் ஏறுதல் Climbing on a Palmyra leaf horse and riding through town

• This appears to be a silly ancient Tamil custom performed by young men who wanted to get the attention of their loved one and her family, so that a wedding could be arranged. The hero of the poem climbs on a palm stems/leaves horse that has bells on its neck, and has it pulled through the streets where people can see him.

• He also wears an erukkam flower (calotropis gigantea) or āvirai (Tanner’s senna, Cassia auriculata) flower garland while on the horse. He carries a picture of his object of love, and shows it to the whole town. He becomes an object of ridicule. It is also hard on the young girl. This is an ultimate act of desperation by the man. He threatens to commit suicide if this fails.

• Some of the poems talk about the hero’s threatening messages. He tells her beforehand that if she doesn’t respond, he’ll climb on a palmyra horse. I have come across 16 poems that deal with மிடல் ஏறுதல்.

• அமி�ழ்துபொப�த� பொசிந்நா�அஞ்சிவிந்த

வி�ர்ந்துஇ�ங்குலைவிஎயி�ற்றுச் சி�ன்பொமி�ழி� அரி�லைவிலையிப் பொபறுகத�ல்அம்மியி�னேன! பொபற்ற�ங்கு

அற�கத�ல்அம்மி, இவ்வூனேரி! மிறுக�ல் நால்னே��ள் கணவின்இவின்எனப்

பல்னே��ர்கூறயி�அம் நா�ணுகம் சி�ற�னேத.

• The reddish sweet nectar-like tongue of mygirl of few words, fears her sharp teeth.Listen! I desire to attain her. Once attained,they’ll know. Listen town! On the streets,“he’s a good woman’s husband”, iswhat many will say then, and we’ll feel a little shy.

• Translated by Vaidehi

14. When the heroine is lovesick and thin, her mother fears that she’s trouble with a disease because of the wrath of Murukan, and brings a diviner to her house to appease Murukan, the mountain deity.

The diviner (Velan) uses divines, offers a goat as sacrifice, ties a talisman(magic signs) on the heroine’s arms and does frenzied (wild) ritual dances on freshly laid sand in the front yard of the house that is decorated with flowers.

Vijayalakshmi Navaneethakrishnan gramiya paadalgal - onnam p.flv

15. There is not a word in the English language for ‘virali’. A virali is a female artist who performs dances and also sings. She belongs to the bard’s family. She is the bard’s wife in some poems.

16. A demon (evil) protects wounded warriors on the battlefield, when they have nobody to guard them. This convention comes from Tholkāppiyam PurathinaiIyal.

17.   Young  girls  are  described  as  having  ‘bright forehead’, ‘sharp teeth’, ‘thick, dark hair’, ‘fragrant hair, ‘deer-like looks’, ‘bamboo-like arms’, ‘swaying walk’, ‘delicate shoulders’ etc.  

These phrases are repeated quite often in the poems. Young girls drew designs on their breasts  and shoulders, and these were called thoyyil.

• – தொத�ய்யி�ல் Body Painting Art

• This  is  an  ancient  Tamil  custom  where  women  painted their breasts and backs with beautiful paintings. 

•   – நாற்ற�லைண 29, 39, 225, 298 –  குறுந்பொத�லைக 276, 384

  – அகநா�னூறு 177, 239, 389 கலித்பொத�லைக - 18, 24, 54, 63, 64, 76, 97, 111, 112, 117, 125, 142, 143, 144

– மிதுலைரிக்க�ஞ்சி� 283

• Akam Poetic Conventions• Sangam poetry is highly conventionalized. It is best

to understand the thinais and the concepts of muthal, karu, uri and ullurai to enjoy them best. Tholkāppiyam, Kalaviyal endra Iraiyanār Akapporul, and Nampi’s Akapporul Vilakkam are the three books that deal with Sangam Akam conventions.

• Parts of Tholkappiyam (4th – 5th centuries) dealing with akam, Kalaviyal endra Iraiyanār Akapporul (4th – 5th centuries) , and Nampi’s Akapporul Vilakkam (13th century) were all written many centuries after the Sangam poems. These akam conventions are probably much older than the poems themselves, coming from an ancient oral bardic tradition. The authors  of  the  three  books  mention  quote  ancient  Tamil scholars  (referring  to  them as  “they  said  so”,  “ ”என்ப )  from oral tradition times.

• Meaning of Akam and PuramAkam – interior, Puram – exteriorAkam – heart, mind, Puram – body surfaces & extremetiesAkam – self, Puram – othersAkam – Kin, Puram – non-kinAkam – house, family, Puram – house yard, fieldAkam – earth, Puram – farthest oceanAkam – love poems & no names or person, Puram – poems about war, kings, people, namesAkam – codes of conduct appropriate to akam poetry, Puram – Codes of conduct appropriate to puram poetry

Some interesting elements seen in the poems:The heroine’s eyes are described as having red

streaks.(move very fast in a specified direction)

The heroine who is in love becomes thin when separated from her lover, and the bangles on her arms slip down. She becomes pale and develops yellow spots on her body. The words used to describe this are – பசிலை�, பயிப்பு, சுணங்கு, னேதமில், த�த்த�, த�தலை�, பீரிம், விரி�.

• pale -lacking brightness of colour

• The heroine’s friend (னேத�ழி�) refers to the hero as our lover ( நாம் க�த�ர்) often, even though she means ‘your lover’, since the two of them are very close friends. The heroine’s friend plays a very important role in the poems.

• She is a friend, confidante, she arranges trysts(a secret

meeting between two people who are having a romantic relationship) and is a messenger between the lovers.

Typical Kurinji Thinai scenarios – Love in the mountains

The heroine chases parrots in the family’s millet fieldHer friend joins her often in chasing parrotsThe young girls use rattles and noise producing gadgets (implement)to

chase parrotsThe heroine meets the hero while chasing parrots, and fall in love

The friend helps the lovers to meetThe hero comes through forest paths at night to meet his loverThe heroine worries about his safety and the friend conveys this to him

The friend arranges for day and night trystsThe heroine and her friend play with the hero at the waterfallsThe heroine and her friend play on swingsThe heroine is badly affect with love and becomes thin

Bangles slip down the arms of the heroineHer skin has become pale and yellow spots have spread on her bodyThe village finds out about the affair and rumours startThe heroine’s friend asks the hero whether they can come to his townHeroine’s mother finds out about it and locks her upThe friend urges the hero to come and marry her friendMother arranges for a velan (Murugan priest) to cure her daughterVelan prepares the ceremonial ground with fresh sand in their front

yardVelan does veriyāttam dances, and offers a goat and other things to appease Murugan

The heroine’s parents try to arrange her marriage with somebody elseThe heroine does not respond to the hero’s loveThe hero threatens that he is going to climb on the palmyra palm and be

drawn around town with a photo of his belovedThe mountain dwellers plant millet and aivanam grainThey guard their crops from wild boars and elephants

Typical Pālai Thinai scenarios – SeparationThe hero leaves, passing the wasteland, to earn wealth (except in Akananuru 255, the only poem in Sangam poetry where the hero goes on a ship)The hero and heroine elope and go through the wasteland pathsThe foster mother goes in search of the heroinePassers-by give advice to the hero and heroineThe heroine’s mother is very hurt since her daughter has elopedThe hero goes alone in search of wealth, leaving behind the heroineThe heroine is afraid that he has to go through paths with bandits(A robber,) and wild animalsThe heroine’s friend consoles herThe heroine is distressed and bangles slip down her forearmsThe hero speaks to his heart about his feelingsThe heroine’s mother pleads (appeal earnestly)with the crow to caw and bring her daughter back

• Typical Mullai Thinai scenarios – Patient waitingThe hero has gone on a personal business trip, and is expected at the start of the rainy seasonThe hero has gone on the king’s business, and is expected at the start of the rainy seasonThe heroine awaits his arrival when the rainy season arrivesThe heroine is upset that the rainy season has started, and her man has not returnedThe heroine is in denial that the rainy season has started and blames the trees for showing signs of the seasonThe heroine’s friend consoles her when she is worriedThe hero is anxious to get back home once his business is overThe heroine is upset when rainy season has started and the hero has not returnedThe hero talks to his charioteer on his way backThe rains start and forest is filled with kāyā, kondrai, mullai and other flowersThe hero eventually reaches home and tells the heroine how happy he is to be back

• Typical Neythal Thinai scenarios – Anxious waitingThe heroine and her friend dry fish on the seashoreTheir fathers and brothers go into the ocean to fishThe heroine plays with her friends on the seashoreThe heroine waits nervously for the hero who is awayThere is rumour in their settlement when the love affair is knownThe heroine’s friend assures her that the hero will come on his chariotThe heroine’s body becomes pale and weak due to the separationThe heroine is unable to sleep at night

• Typical Marutham Thinai scenarios – Infidelity and hurtThe hero takes a concubineThe hero plays with his concubine/concubines in the riverThe heroine is very sad and hurtThe heroine’s friend accosts the heroThe concubine talks about her feelingsThe concubine talks about the heroineThe hero uses a messenger bard to send word to the heroineThe heroine tells the bard about her sad feelingsThe heroine tells the hero how hurt she isThe heroine tells the hero about rumourThe heroine tells the hero that he was seen with his concubinesThe friend speaks her mind to the bardThe friend refuses the hero entry into the house

• Concubine-woman in the past who had a sexual relationship with an important man but was not married to him

• – யிவனர் Ionians, Greeks• – யிவனர் The Ionians (Greek people -Greeks) must

have come first to trade with us. We called them Yavanas. Those who came subsequently were also called Yavanas – like the Romans and Turks.

• There are nine references to Yavanas. The Sangam poems speak about the trade with the Yavanas in many poems. Trade with them started a few centuries before Christ and continued until the 3rd century A.D.

• We sold black pepper to these foreigners and got gold coins in return. We bought wine from them. It appears that the ‘pāvai vilakku’  lamp and the ‘kuthu vilaku with an annam top’ was designed by Yavanas. See the information in the poems below.

• அன்னம்உள்ளகுத்துவ�ளக்குயிவனரா�ல்தொ�ய்யிப்பட்டது,  தொபரும்ப�ணா�ற்றுப்படைட (316-317)• – தொபரும்ப�ணா�ற்றுப்படைட ஆ�'ரா(யிர் கடியிலூர்உரா(த்த+ராங்கண்ணான�ர்

• விண்டல்ஆயிபொமி�டுஉண்துலைறதலை�இப் புன��டுமிகளி�ர்இட்ட பொப��ங்குலைழி

இலைற னேதர் மிண�ச்சி�ரில்இலைரிபொசித்து எற�ந்தனப் புள்ஆர்பொபண்லைணப்பு�ம்பு மிடல்பொசில்��து

னேகள்வி� அந்தணர்அருங்கடன்இறுத்த னேவிள்வி�த்தூணத்துஅலைசிஇ யிவன

ஓத+மவ�ளக்க+ன் உயிர் மி�லைசிக் பொக�ண்ட லைவிகுறுமீன�ன்லைபபயித் னேத�ன்றும். (311 – 318)

• – விண்டல் sand dolls making, – ஆயிபொமி�டு friends, – உண்துலைற water tank steps, – தலை�இப் join together, – புன��டு மிகளி�ர் women playing in the water, – இட்ட பொப��ங்குலைழி the gold earrings that they left (on the shore), – இலைரி food, – னேதர் searching, – மிண�ச்சி�ரில் kingfisher bird,

– இலைரி food, – பொசித்து thought, – எற�ந்தனப் took it, – புள் bird, – ஆர்filled, – பொபண்லைணப் palmyra palm, – பு�ம்பு lonely, – மிடல் leaf, frond,

– பொசில்��து not going, – னேகள்வி� அந்தணர் brahmins who learn vedas, – அருங்கடன்இறுத்த to do their rituals, – னேவிள்வி�த்தூணத்து ritual

building pillar, – அலைசிஇ was kept, – யிவின Greek, – ஓத�மி வி�ளிக்க�ன்goose lamp, – உயிர் மி�லைசிக்பொக�ண்ட above it, – லைவிகுறு மீன�ன்morning star (venus), – லைபபயித் னேத�ன்றும் appears slowly/in a dull manner

• Young women who swim in the drinking waterport along with friends they played withwhile young making sand dolls,left their gold earrings on the shore.A kingfisher, thinking that it was foodtook the jewels,did not go to its usual palm tree perchfilled with birds,but left it on a column topnear where the Vedic Brahmins did rituals.It looked like the top of the Yavanar’s goose lampand the slowly appearing morning star (venus)in the high skies.

• Translated by Vaidehi