First Sangam in Madurai

The first Sangam period which is also known as the Head Sangam period, lasted from 9600 BCE to 5200 BCE. It was named after the Sangam academies of poets and scholars. It is the period of the history of ancient Kerala, Tamil Nadu and parts of Sri Lanka (then known as Tamilakam). 

The Tamil legends say that there were three Sangams that were held in ancient South India known as Muchchangam.

• The first Sangam happened at Madurai. This was attended by gods and legendary sages. Unfortunately, no literary work is available of this Sangam.
• The second Sangam occurred at Kapadapuram and only Tolkappiyam literature is available from this Sangam.
• The third Sangam was also held at Madurai. In this era, a few literary works have survived which helped in discovering the history of the Sangam period.

In this article, we will be talking specifically about the first Sangam period. Keep reading this article to find more interesting facts.

Formation of the Head Sangam Period:

The Head Sangam Period occurred at Madurai under the patronage of 89 Pandya kings. This period lasted for 4,440 years between 9600 BCE to 5200 BCE. No books survived during this period. It was one of the first of three Tamil Sangams. Now, you may ask what is Tamil Sangam? Great question! According to Tamil literature, Sangam were the assemblies or gatherings of Tamil scholars and poets.

These assemblies were originally known as ‘kooṭam’ or ‘gathering’. Many modern scholars and historians rejected the first two Sangams as they find most of the facts impossible to happen. Instead, the scholars suggest that the first two Sangams are based on only one or two actual assemblies. Although the legends of Sangams have played a significant role in influencing many political, social, and literary movements in Tamil Nadu.

Many believe that Agathiyar (an influential scholar who has appeared in major itihasas and Puranas including Ramayana and Mahabharata) was the head of the Thalaichangam. While others believe that the head of the first Sangam was Lord Muruga (Kartikeya).

Activity:

The main function in the first Sangam period was to judge the literary works and give them credit. It had 549 poets including Kuperan, Shiva, Murugan and seven Pandya kings. 16,149 authors were also part of the convocation. 

Agattiyam which was the earliest book in Tamil grammar was also used. Siddha medicine was practiced and many scholars believe that the people were healthy and had mental peace. The people respected nature and lived hygienically.

Sangam Literature:

Let’s see some of the major Sangam pieces of literature:

• Tolkappiyam:

It was one of the earliest Tamil literary works. The author of this book is Tholkappiyam. The book is based on Tamil grammar and provides insights into the political and socio-economic conditions of that period. The manuscripts of the Tolkappiyam consist of three books.

It has nine chapters and 1,610 (483+463+664) sutras. Many scholars believe that the Tolkappiyam was first written in between the 2nd and 1st century 

• The Pattuppāṭṭu:

Pattuppāṭṭu which is also known as the Ten Idylls is an anthology of ten longer poems of 100 and 800 lines. Among the ten poems five of them are lyrical, narrative bardic guides that poets used to direct the other bards to the patrons of arts. The other five are related to the religion’s devotion.

The names of the ten works are as follows:

1. Tirumurukāṟṟuppaṭai
2. Ciṟupāṇāṟṟuppaṭai
3. Poruṇarāṟṟuppaṭai
4. Perumpāṇāṟṟuppaṭai
5. Mullaippāṭṭu
6. Maturaikkāñci
7. Neṭunalvāṭai
8. Kuṟiñcippāṭṭu
9. Paṭṭiṉappālai
10. Malaipaṭukaṭām

• Eṭṭuttokai:

Eṭṭuttokai, also known as the Eight Anthologies forms part of the Eighteen Greater Texts anthology series. The early writings of these texts were composed between the 1st century BCE and the 2nd century. 

While the last layers were written between the 3rd and 5th century CE. It consists of 2,371 poems of small stanzas of three lines to big stanzas of forty lines. The eight works are as follows:

1. Ainkurunuru 
2. Akananuru
3. Purananuru 
4. Kalittokai 
5. Kuruntokai 
6. Natrinai 
7. Paripatal
8. Pathitrupathu

• Patiṉeṇkīḻkaṇakku:

Patiṉeṇkīḻkaṇakku, also known as the Eighteen Lesser Texts consists of eighteen poetic works that were created between 100 and 500 CE. All of the works deal with morals and ethics. Although the poems of the Eighteen Lesser Texts are different from the Eighteen Greater Texts which is the oldest surviving Tamil poetry.

Sangam Administration and Religion:

The government in the Sangam period was in the form of a hereditary monarchy. The king was assisted by five councils: ministers (amaichar), military commanders (senapathi), spies (orrar), priests (anthanar) and envoys (thuthar). Each ruler had a regular army. 

The major source for the royal treasury was from the booty captured in wars. To gain an extra source of income custom duty was also imposed on foreign trade.

Women in the Sangam period were allowed intellectual pursuits. Although the life of widows was extremely miserable. The practice of Sati was also prevalent at that time.

The primary deity was Murugan, who is hailed as Tamil God. Festivals relating to God Murugan are mentioned in the literature. The Hero Stone was also significant in the Head Sangam Period.

Conclusion:

As you can see, the Head Sangam was a golden period in Tamil history. During that period there was a rise of Tamil scholars who wrote great poems and books. Although the books of the first Sangam period were lost. The first Sangam period lasted for a very long time: 4,400 years. We hope that after reading this article, you must have understood the Head Sangam Period in great detail.