The people of the ancient Tamil country of the Sangam age and before, practiced three main religions: Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism. The society displayed tolerance towards all religions, as the monarchs themselves openly encouraged religious discussions and invited teachers of every sect to the public halls to preach their doctrines.^[1] They protected the temples and monasteries of all sects and religions, irrespective of whose doctrines they themselves believed in. The ancient Tamil country refers to the areas of South India and the northeastern Sri Lanka in which Tamil was the major language during ancient times. ... now. ... Hinduism (known as in modern Indian languages[1]) is a religion that originated in the Indian subcontinent. ... This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... Jain and Jaina redirect here. ...

[edit] Aboriginal beliefs

Painting of Kali: a frightful image similar to the one worshipped by the Nagas

During the megalithic period of about 1000 BCE - 400 BCE, people of South India including Tamilakam, shared many beliefs and practices with the megalithic builders elsewhere in the Indian subcontinent and beyond.^[2] The famous 3.5 metre-high granite figure excavated at Mottur, in present-day Vellore district, is considered the oldest known anthropomorphic representation of God in stone in the Tamil country.^[3] Some form of Mother Goddess worship was prevalent in the megalithic period, as suggested by the discovery of a copper image of a Goddess in the urn-burials of Adichanallur and other excavations in Tamil Nadu that have yielded headstones, shaped like the seated Mother.^[4] Megalithic culture attached great importance to the cult of the dead and ancestors. It is also likely that certain gods later absorbed into the Hindu pantheon, such as Aiyanar (or Sastha), Murugan (the later Kartik), Korravai (Durga), Naga deities, etc., were originally tribal gods of this period.^[2] Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (480x640, 84 KB) Author: Balaji Viswanathan File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (480x640, 84 KB) Author: Balaji Viswanathan File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Megalithic tomb, Mane Braz, Brittany A megalith is a large stone which has been used to construct a structure or monument either alone or with other stones. ... -1... Centuries: 5th century BC - 4th century BC - 3rd century BC Decades: 450s BC 440s BC 430s BC 420s BC 410s BC - 400s BC - 390s BC 380s BC 370s BC 360s BC 350s BC Years: 405 BC 404 BC 403 BC 402 BC 401 BC - 400 BC - 399 BC 398 BC... The ancient Tamil country of the classical era extended from River Krishna to the Cape Comorin(Kanyakumari). ... Map of South Asia (see note) This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia. ... Vellore district is one of the 30 districts in the Tamilnadu state of India. ... Anthropomorphism, also referred to as personification or prosopopeia, is the attribution of human characteristics to inanimate objects, animals, forces of nature, and others. ... It has been suggested that Mother (neopaganism) be merged into this article or section. ... Maya funerary urn For the computing term, see Uniform Resource Name. ... Adichanallur is an archaeological site near 24 Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu, India. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... This article discusses the adherents of Hinduism. ... Ayyanar a regional Tamil male deity who is popular amongst the rural social groups of South India specifically Tamil nadu. ... Murugan (also Murugan) (Tamil: ) is a popular Hindu deity amongst Tamil Hindus. ... In Hinduism, Durga (Sanskrit: , Bengali: ) is a form of Devi, the supreme goddess. ...

The Nagas, who conquered the aboriginal tribes such as the Villavar and the Minavar, worshipped the dread goddess Kali and carried out animal sacrifices at her shrines. The image of Kali was decked in a most frightful manner: her matted hair was tied up like a crown on her head with the shining skin of a cobra and the curved tusk of a boar was fastened in her hair to resemble the crescent. A string of tiger's teeth served as a necklace around her shoulders. The striped skin of a tiger was wound around her waist like a garment. She was mounted on a tall stag with branching antlers and held a strong bow bent and ready to shoot. Drums rattled and pipes squeaked in front of her image while fierce Nagas slaughtered buffaloes at her altar.^[5] This article or section includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... // Binomial name Sus scrofa Linnaeus, 1758 The Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... “Fawn” redirects here. ...

[edit] Hinduism

During the Sangam age, Hinduism, including Vedic Brahminism, had become a popular religion among the people. Siva, Muruga, Krishna, Balarama and Kali were some of the popular deities among the Hindus. The division of the Sangam landscape into five regions, is also apparent in religion - with each region having had its own patron deity.^[6] now. ... Hinduism (known as in modern Indian languages[1]) is a religion that originated in the Indian subcontinent. ... This article is about the Hindu God. ... This article is about the Hindu deity Skanda; for the Buddhist bodhisattva Skanda, see Skanda (Bodhisattva). ... This article is about the Hindu deity. ... Balarama, next to the river Yamuna. ... This article or section includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... Look up deity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The Sangam landscape is categorisation the Tamil landscape into various Thinais depending on the nature, location and the mood of the poem. ... The Sangam landscape is categorisation the Tamil landscape into various Thinais depending on the nature, location and the mood of the poem. ...

The people of the Kurinji or the mountainous regions worshipped Muruga, the god of war. He was portrayed as having six faces and twelve arms. His shrines were usually on the peaks of high hills or in the midst of dense forests. He carried a lance as his weapon and hence was called Velan or lancer. Animal sacrifices were carried out under sheds that were put up for the purpose, with flags hoisted over them that bore the emblem of Muruga, the rooster. Ancient mythology has it that Muruga was the commander-in-chief of the celestial army when it fought the Asuras or the demons. According to the tradition of the Kuravas, the hill people, Muruga married a maiden of their tribe. The Sangam landscape is categorisation the Tamil landscape into various Thinais depending on the nature, location and the mood of the poem. ... This article is about the Hindu deity Skanda; for the Buddhist bodhisattva Skanda, see Skanda (Bodhisattva). ... The term lance (Greek: λόγχη, Latin: lancea, German: Lanze, French: lance, Spanish: lanza, Italian: lancia) has become a catchall for a variety of different pole weapons based on the spear. ... Rooster crowing during daylight A Rhode Island Red. ... // In Hinduism In Hindu mythology, the Asura (Sanskrit: असुर) are a group of power-seeking deities, sometimes misleadingly referred to as demons. ...

Karthigaideepam is celebrated by lighting of the Agal vilakku or oil lamps

The people of the pastoral lands or the Mullai regions worshipped Krishna and his brother Balarama. The shepherd races of these regions amused themselves by enacting plays that portrayed the main events of Krishna’s mythical life, such as his childhood pranks, his victory against the evil Kamsa, his embassy to Duryodhana and other episodes involving him in the Mahabaratha. Krishna was also popularly known as Mayavan or Mayon, the deceiver. Balarama his elder brother was believed to have extraordinary physical strength. The Marutam people worshipped Indra or Ventan, while the Neital people considered Varunan or Katalon to be their patron deity and the Palai people worshipped Korravai or Kali. Among the higher classes of the Tamil society, the favorite deity was Siva. He was portrayed as a man of fair complexion with tangled locks of red hair and three eyes, the third one situated in the middle of his forehead. He wore tiger’s skin and rode a bullock, armed with a battle-axe and the trishul. The temples of Siva were considered the most stately and august of the public edifices.^[7] The Sangam landscape is categorisation the Tamil landscape into various Thinais depending on the nature, location and the mood of the poem. ... This article is about the Hindu deity. ... Balarama, next to the river Yamuna. ... In Hinduism, Kamsa is the son of a demon and half-brother of Devaki. ... In the Mahabharata, Duryodhana (or Dhuryodhana) is the eldest son of the blind king Dhritarashtra by Queen Gandhari, and the eldest of the one hundred Kaurava brothers, and the chief antagonist of the Pandavas. ... For the film by Peter Brook, see The Mahabharata (1989 film). ... The Sangam landscape is categorisation the Tamil landscape into various Thinais depending on the nature, location and the mood of the poem. ... Indra (Sanskrit: इन्द्र or इंद्र, indra) is the god of weather and war, and lord of Svargaloka in Hinduism. ... The Sangam landscape is categorisation the Tamil landscape into various Thinais depending on the nature, location and the mood of the poem. ... In Vedic religion, Varuna (Devanagari:वरुण, IAST:) is a god of the sky, of rain and of the celestial ocean, as well as a god of law and of the underworld. ... The Sangam landscape is categorisation the Tamil landscape into various Thinais depending on the nature, location and the mood of the poem. ... This article or section includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... This article is about the Hindu God. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... EDIFICE is the European B2B Forum for the Electronics Industry. ...

Other popular deities of this age were Kama the god of love, Surya the sun, Chandra the moon and Yama the god of death. The Brahmins of the Tamil country attached great importance to the performance of Yagas or Vedic sacrifices. Priests, learned in the Vedic rites, performed these sacrifices usually under the patronage of the kings.^[8] Kama may refer to several things Kama, a Hindu god, the God of Love, son of Lakshmi. ... In Hinduism, Surya (Devanagari: सूर्य, sūrya) is the chief solar deity,one of the Adityas, son of Kasyapa and one of his wife Aditi[1] ,in Nordics Tyr he is said to be the son of Dyaus Pitar. ... This article is about the Hindu moon deity. ... A modern depiction of Yamarajas Court, by Dominique Amendola Tibetan Dharmapala at the Field Museum in Chicago 19th century kagamibuta netsuke depicting Enma This article is about the deity Yama. ... A Brahmin (anglicised from the Sanskrit adjective belonging to Brahma, also known as Brahman belonging to ; Vipra, Dvija twice-born, Dvijottama best of the twice born or earth-god) is considered to be the highest class (varna) in the Indian caste system of Hindu society [1] [2], although this status... Yaga can refer to: Yajna (Hindu mythology) Yaga (Advertising company) Baba Yaga (Russian mythology) Yaga (clothing company) Category: ...

The temples of the Sangam age were built out of perishable materials such as plaster, timber and brick, which is why no traces of them are found today.^[9] The only public structures of any historical importance belonging to this age that have survived to this day are the rock-beds hewn out of natural rock formation, that were made for the ascetics. The Cilapatikaram and the Sangam poems such as Kaliththokai, Mullaippattu and Purananuru mention several kinds of temples such as the Puranilaikkottam or the temple at the outskirts of a city, the Netunilaikkottam or the tall temple, the Palkunrakkottam the temple on top of a hill, the Ilavantikaippalli or the temple with a garden and bathing ghat, the Elunilaimatam or a seven storeyed temple, the Katavutkatinakar or the temple city.^[10] Cilappatikaram (The Ankle Bracelet - initial c pronounced like the first syllable of chat) also spelled as Cilappadhikaram or Silappadhigaram, is one of the five great epics of ancient Tamil Literature. ... Kaliththokai (கலித்தொகை) is the sixth book of Ettuthokai, a Sangam literature anthology. ... Mullaippattu, is a Tamil poetic work in the Ettuthokai anthology of Sangam literature, belonging to the Sangam period corresponding to between 100 BCE – 100 CE. Mullaippattu contains 103 lines of poetry in the Akaval meter. ... Pura Nanooru or Pura Nanuru is an ancient Tamil Sangam collection of poems, dating from 900 BCE to 220 CE. It is one of the oldest Tamil anthologies. ...

Footprint of Buddha engraved on stone, c. 1st century CE

Some of the popular festivals of this age were Karthigaideepam, Tiruvonam, Kaman vizha and Indira vizha. Karthigaideepam was otherwise known as Peruvizha and was celebrated in the Tamil month of Karthigai every year. Tiruvonam was celebrated in the month of Avani to denote the birth of Mayon. The Kaaman vizha was held in the spring and during this festival, men and women dressed up well and participated in dancing. Indravizha included the performance of Vedic sacrifices, prayers to various gods, musical recitals and dancing.^[11] Download high resolution version (459x800, 242 KB) Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (459x800, 242 KB) Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Festival in Tamizhnadu in India. ...

[edit] Buddhism

The Buddhists worshiped the impressions of Buddha’s feet engraved on stone and platforms made of stone that represented his seat. The pious Buddhist walked round them, with his right side towards them and bowed his head as a token of reverence.^[12] The Cilapatikaram mentions that the monks worshipped Buddha by praising him as the wise, holy and virtuous teacher who adhered to his vows strictly, as the one who subdued anger and all evil passions and as the refuge of all mankind. In the Buddhist Viharas or monasteries, learned monks preached their sermons, seated in a place which was entirely concealed from the view of the audience. The Buddhists did not observe the distinctions of caste and invited all ranks to assemble on a footing of equality. Self-control, wisdom and charity were among the virtues preached and practiced by the monks, who were numerous in the ancient Tamil country.^[13] A replica of an ancient statue found among the ruins of a temple at Sarnath Buddhism is a philosophy based on the teachings of the Buddha, Siddhārtha Gautama, a prince of the Shakyas, whose lifetime is traditionally given as 566 to 486 BCE. It had subsequently been accepted by... Media:Example. ... Cilappatikaram (The Ankle Bracelet - initial c pronounced like the first syllable of chat) also spelled as Cilappadhikaram or Silappadhigaram, is one of the five great epics of ancient Tamil Literature. ... St. ... Vihara is a Sanskrit and Pali word designating a Buddhist monastery. ...

[edit] Jainism

An alms bowl

The Jains (a.k.a Nigranthas^[14]) worshipped Argha whom they considered to be the Supreme Intelligence which governs the Universe. His image was that of a naked man, seated or standing under an Ashoka tree, holding up a triple umbrella. The main priniciples that the Jains followed were to not harm any living creature, not speak an untruth and to avoid envy, greed, anger and evil speech. Their community was divided into two sections, the laymen or sravakas (literally, hearers) and the religions men. The religious men were further divided into five classes called the Panchaparameshtin. These were the Argha the holy men, the Siddha who had supernatural powers, the Upadhyaya or the religious teachers, the Acharaya or the priests and the Sadhu or pious people. Both men and women were allowed to enter the monastery and take vows of celibacy. The monks preached from pulpits that were erected near their temples or in the open squares at the crossing of public roads. They carried an alms bowl, a hoop made of twine to hold the water-pot and a bundle of peacock feathers that they used to gently sweep off insects to avoid hurting them, before sitting or lying down on a place. They repeated a short prayer called the Panchamantra.^[15] Image File history File links Download high resolution version (866x1134, 645 KB) Almsbowl as used by bhikkhus for going almsround or pindabat. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (866x1134, 645 KB) Almsbowl as used by bhikkhus for going almsround or pindabat. ... JAIN is an activity within the Java Community Process, developing APIs for the creation of telephony (voice and data) services. ... Binomial name Saraca asoca (Roxb. ... Monastery of St. ... Alms Bag taken from some Tapestry in Orleans, Fifteenth Century. ... Twine is modern electronic music composed by Chad Mossholder and Greg Malcolm. ... Peacock re-directs here; for alternate uses see Peacock (disambiguation). ...

[edit] See also

• Ancient Tamil country
• Sangam landscape

The ancient Tamil country refers to the areas of South India and the northeastern Sri Lanka in which Tamil was the major language during ancient times. ... The Sangam landscape is categorisation the Tamil landscape into various Thinais depending on the nature, location and the mood of the poem. ...

[edit] References

• Balambal, V (1998). Studies in the History of the Sangam Age. Kalinga Publications, Delhi. 
• Gopalakrishnan, S (2005). Early Pandyan Iconometry. Sharada Publishing house, New Delhi. 
• Kanakasabhai, V (1904). The Tamils Eighteen Hundred Years Ago. Asian Educational Services, New Delhi. 
• Jackson, A.V. Williams (1906). History of India. The Grolier Society, London. 
• Subrahmanian, N (1972). History of Tamilnad. Koodal Publishers, Madurai. 

[edit] Notes