The conference of the scholars and sages is known as ‘sangam’ in Tamil. Poets and scholars met regularly in Madurai to deliberate on their scholarly works. According to Tamil legends, there were three sangams called ‘mudhal sangam’, ‘idai sangam’ and kadai sangam. The works of the first sangam are not available because the city where the conferences were held was submerged by floods or by rising sea levels. The ‘kadai sangam’ produced a rich source of Tamil literature: ‘patthuppattu’, ‘etthutthogai’ and ‘pathinenkiizhkkanakku’. The period between 400 a. C. and 500 d. C. is considered the Sangam period. It covered all of South India including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, part of Andhra Pradesh and part of Karnataka. It was ruled by three kingdoms called Chera, Chozha and Pandiya. They were known as moovendhargal (Three Great Kings). Senguttuvan was the greatest king of the Cheras, Karikaal Chozhan was the greatest king of the Chozhas, and Nedunchezhiyan was the greatest king of the Pandyas. In the sangam era, the land was divided into five regions based on landscape, season, and mood. They were called aynthinaigal, the five kudis or clans: Kurinji, Mullai, Marutham, Neithal and Palai. The people of these five regions were generally called malavars (who gather mountain products), kadambars (thriving in the forest), mallars (farmers), nagars (city guards) and thiraiyars (seafarers) according to their Lifestyle.
Kurinji: Includes mountains, mountain valleys, and mountain plains. Kurinji is the name of a flower found in the Western Ghats. According to legend it blooms once every 12 years. The people in Kurinji land worshiped the mother goddess, ‘Kottravai’ and a male deity called ‘Sevvael’ or ‘Karthikeyan’ (Lord Murugan). Its main economic activity is the collection of products from the hill for its own use and for trade with neighbors. The people of this region also practiced different professions, viz. poruppas (soldiers), verpans (armourers), silamban (masters of martial arts), kuravars (hunters and gatherers) and kanavars (people of the mountainous forests).
Mullai: Includes the forests at the foot of the hills. The people of this region worshiped ‘Thirumaal’. The economic activities of the people were the gathering of forest products, the cultivation of land where they were available, and the raising of livestock. People known by their professions are kurumporai nadan-kizhaththis (landlords), thonral-manaivi (ministers and noble couples), idaiyars (dairymaids), and aiyars (cattle breeders).
Marutham: It is the land of the plains. They worshiped a male deity called ‘Vaendan’. The main activity of this town was agriculture. There were also traders and merchants. People known by their professions were mallar (farmers), pallar (warriors), uraans (small landowners), magizhans (small farmers), uzhavars (farm laborers) and kadaiyars (merchants).
Neithal: It is the land of the coastal region. They adored Kadalon. The people who lived in this region were generally called “thiraiyans” (navigators). People known by their professions were saerppans (seafood sellers), pulampans (people who trade in palm products), paravas (sea warriors), nulaiyars (rich fishermen), and alavars (salt farmers).
Palai: It is the land of the desert or dry land. The people who lived in this region are known as eyinars or eyitriyars (robbers).
Social Life: People believed in God (Adi Bagawan, Kadavul and Irraivan). They worshiped the mother goddess ‘Kottravai’ and a male deity ‘Murugan’. But we don’t know if they followed a particular religion or if they followed Hinduism in the modern sense. Buddhists and Jains who came from North India were accepted by the local population. They even contributed to Tamil literature, especially the Jains. The caste was probably not known to them. They were known by their names and professions and not by their caste name. They led a secular life and gave more importance to ethics, politics and love life. Women were actively involved in politics, education, and economic life.
Musicians and dancers entertained the king and the common people. The musical instruments they knew were thudi (a small percussion instrument), maylam (drum), muzhavu (wind instrument), kadambarai (a large bass-like drum), kuzhal (similar to nagasuram) and yazh (string instrument). ). They enjoyed kootthu, a stage drama in the form of a dance. Parayan (drum), muzhavan (muzhavu), kadamban (kadambarai) and paanan (yazh) were the musicians known for their expertise on a particular musical instrument.
Literature: The literary works composed at the first conference held in South Madurai under the presidency of Agastiyar are not available. Except Tholkappiyam, a grammar book, written by Tholkappiyar, who chaired the second conference held at Kapaadapuram, all other scholarly works are not available. At the third conference convened in Madurai, 473 poets, men and women, composed around 2,381 poems. No other Tamil literary work, in the last 2000 years of Tamil history, has surpassed the classical standard of poems composed by the poets of the third conference. The poems mainly had two themes called ‘agam’ (inner) and ‘puram’ (outer). While ‘agam’ deals with personal and human aspects, ‘puram’ deals with heroism, courage, ethics, benevolence, philanthropy, social life and customs. The most popular literary work ‘Thirukkural’ written by the poet Thiruvalluvar belongs to the third lecture. It contains 1,330 poems of two lines, the first line with 4 words and the second line with 3 words.
Commerce: Agriculture, weaving, pearl fishing, manufacturing and construction were the main economic activities in this period. They grew rice, pepper, millet, gram and sugar cane. Rice was their staple food. They made cloth made of cotton and wood fiber. They exported cotton cloth, pearls, ivory, and pepper to Egypt and Rome and imported luxury items such as glass, coral, wine, and topaz. Madurai and Urayur were the main textile centers. The pearl trade flourished on Korkai. Muziris, Thondi and Kaverippattanam were the other important commercial centers. Archaeological evidence shows that they probably used Roman coins as a medium of exchange for exports and imports. The Kallanai built by King Karikal Chozhan is one of the oldest water regulating structures in the world. It remains in working condition.
Most of Tamilagam of the Sangam era was in the rain shadow region. Since the southwest monsoon brought no rain to the rain shadow region, they relied on irrigation from the river. The western region received abundant rains but had no plains. The Western Ghats were both a gift and a curse. Nature probably expected people to be interdependent. Tamilagam did not have a desert. But, in the region of the rain shadow, the vast expanse of plains that could not be irrigated were generally dry. However, people lived on this dry land (eyinars and eyitriyars). Perhaps these people did not find enough opportunities in other lands. Otherwise, society in general was egalitarian. The women were treated with respect and dignity. Apart from chivalry, chastity was among the glorified virtues. Traders were free to travel to any of the three kingdoms. One of the main duties of the king was to protect the merchants. Foreign travelers noted that Tamilagam was richer than Rome.
It is important to note that even after 2000 years, the language is still in active use, although it has undergone many changes (the change is mainly the absorption of words from other languages). For example, the word ‘sangam’ is not a Tamil word. Probably, it must have been introduced to Tamil by Jain scholars. The current form of the language is more flexible. One reason could be the focus on contextual meaning rather than phonemes. For example, if you ask a Tamil shop owner, “give me a pazham”, the shop owner will correctly give you a pazham (banana). The sentence, “give me a palam,” does not produce any other meaning in that context.
Another interesting point to note here was his shipbuilding and building ability. The Kallanai (stone dam) built by King Karikal Chozhan continues to be used.