The Sangam period and post sangam period in Tamilakam (c. 300 BCE– 600 CE) was characterized by the coexistence of many denominations and religions: Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Jainism, Ajivika and later joined by Buddhism alongside the folk religion of the Tamil people. The monarchs of the time practiced religious tolerance and openly encouraged religious discussions and invited teachers of every sect to the public halls to preach their doctrines. Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism were the three major religions that prevailed in the Tamil region predating the Common Era, as early as the Sangam period.
Early religious practices in the Tamil country A Neolithic cattle-herding culture existed in South India several millennia prior to the Common Era. By the fifth century, a relatively well-developed culture had emerged. It is described in vivid details in early Tamil texts such as the Tholkappiyam (2nd century BCE) and by the Sangam poets—an "academy" of poets whose poems are primarily dated to the early common era with few poems dated to the 1st century BCE.
Ancient Tamil grammatical works such as the Tholkappiyam and poetic works like the Ten Idylls (Pathuppāṭṭu), and the Eight Anthologies (Eṭṭuttokai) sheds light on early religion of ancient Tamil people. Thirumal was glorified in almost all Sangam literature and was the only god who has the status paramporul. Thirumal was the Supreme God for the Tamilians in Sangam age. According to Kamil Zvelebil, Vishnu was considered ageless (the god who stays for ever) and the supreme god of Tamils where as Skanda was considered young and a personal god of the Tamils.A HISTORY OF INDIAN LITERATURE volume 10 TAMIL LITERATURE page number 49 written by Kamil Zvelebil Murugan was glorified as, the red god seated on the blue peacock, who is ever young and resplendent.Kanchan Sinha, Kartikeya in Indian art and literature, Delhi: Sundeep Prakashan (1979). Early iconography of Murugan and Thirumal and their association with native flora and fauna goes back to Indus Valley Civilization. There are two temples in Tamil Nadu dating to the pre-Pallava era, dedicated to Lord Vishnu and lord Muruga. The temples are Veetrirundha Perumal Temple and Murugan Temple, Saluvankuppam. This shows that these two gods were the most worshiped gods by the Sangam era people. The Sangam landscape was classified into five categories thinais based on the mood, the season and the land. Tolkappiyam mentions that each of these thinai had an associated deity such as Maayon in Mullai—the forests, who was considered supreme, Seyyon in Kurinji—the hills, Kotravai in Pālai—the deserts, Ventan/Senon in Marutham—the plains and Varunan/Kadalon in Neithal—the coasts and the seas.
The cult of the mother goddess is treated as an indication of a society which venerated femininity. This mother goddess was conceived as a virgin, one who has given birth to all and one. The temples of the Sangam days, mainly of Madurai, seem to have had priestesses to the deity, which also appear predominantly a goddess. In the Sangam literature, there is an elaborate description of the rites performed by the Kurava priestess in the shrine Palamutircholai.
Supreme God
Paripadal mentions Perumal as the supreme deity of the world. Mayon is indicated to be the deity associated with the mullai tiṇai (pastoral landscape) in the Tolkappiyam. He is regarded to be the only deity who enjoyed the status of Paramporul (achieving oneness with Paramatma) during the Sangam age. He is also known as Māyavan, Māmiyon, Netiyōn, and Māl in Sangam literature.
Example:-
Paripāṭal i :Line 50 to 56
ஐந்தலை உயிரிய அணங்குடை அருந்திறல் மைந்துடை ஒருவனும்– you are the one with five heads who causes great fear and is one of great ability and strength – Sivan, மடங்கலும்நீ – one where all lives end, நலம் முழுது அளைஇய – with all benefits, புகர்அறு காட்சிப் புலமும்– faultless learning – Vēdās, பூவனும் – you are Brahman who appeared on a flower, நாற்றமும்நீ – you are creation created by Brahman, வலன் உயர் எழிலியும் – clouds that rise up with strength, மாக விசும்பும் – wide sky, நிலனும்– land, நீடிய இமயமும்– and the tall Himalayas, நீ– you, அதனால் – so, இன்னோர் அனையை– like so and so, இனையையால்– like somebody, என– thus, அன்னோர் – those, யாம் இவண் காணாமையின் – I have not seen here, பொன் அணி நேமி – wheels decorated with gold, வலம் கொண்டு ஏந்திய – lifting on your right side or lifting with strength, மன்னுயிர் முதல்வனை – you are supreme to lives on earth.
Veriyattam "Veriyattam" refers to spirit possession of women, who took part in priestly functions. Under the influence of the god, women sang and danced, but also read the dim past, predicted the future, diagnosed diseases. Twenty two poets of the Sangam age in as many as 40 poems portray Veriyatal. Velan is a reporter and prophet endowed with supernatural powers. Veriyatal had been performed by men as well as women.
Nadukkal Among the early Tamils the practice of erecting hero stones (nadukkal) had appeared, and it continued for quite a long time after the Sangam age, down to about 11th century. It was customary for people who sought victory in war to worship these hero stones to bless them with victory.
Theyyam
Theyyam is a ritual shaman dance popular in Kerala and parts of Karnataka. Theyyam migrates into the artist who has assumed the spirit and it is a belief that the god or goddess comes in the midst of fathering through the medium of possessed dancer. The dancer throws rice on the audience and distributes turmeric powder as symbols of blessing. Theyyam incorporates dance, mime and music and enshrines the rudiments of ancient tribal cultures which attached great importance to the worship of heroes and the spirits of ancestors, is a socio-religious ceremony. There are over 400 Theyyams performed. The most spectacular ones are those of Raktha Chamundi, Kari Chamundi, Muchilottu Bhagavathi, Wayanadu Kulaven, Gulikan and Pottan. These are performed in front of shrines, sans stage or curtains.
The layout of villages can be assumed to be standard across most villages. An Amman (mother goddess) is at the centre of the villages while a male guardian deity () has a shrine at the village borders.
Pre-Sangam and Sangam age Throughout Tamil Nadu, a king was considered to be divine by nature and possessed religious significance. The King was 'the representative of God on earth' and lived in a koyil, which means the "residence of the king". The Modern Tamil word for temple is koil (). Titular worship was also given to Kings.
Words meaning 'King', like kō ( "King"), iṟai ( "The One Above All") and āṇḍavan ( "Conqueror") now primarily refer to Gods. Mōcikīraṉār in the Purananuru says: The Kingdom suffered by famine or disorder when the King erred. These elements were incorporated later into Hinduism like the legendary marriage of Sivan (Sokkanathar, in this avatar) to Queen Meenatchi who ruled Madurai or Vendhan, also known as Indra. Tolkappiyar refers to the Three Crowned Kings as the "Three Glorified by Heaven", (). In the Dravidian-speaking South, the concept of divine kingship led to the assumption of major roles by state and temple.
Middle ages At the birth of Raja Raja Chola I, the Thiruvalangadu inscription states, "Having noticed by the marks (on his body) that Arulmozhi was the very Thirumal, the protector of the three worlds, descended on earth..." During the Bhakti movement, poets often compared gods to kings.
Hinduism
Hinduism in Tamil Nadu finds its earliest literary mention in the Sangam literature as early as the 5th century BCE. The Tolkappiyam, possibly the most ancient of the extant Sangam works, dated between the 3rd century BCE and 5th century CE, glorified Perumal as, the favoured god of the Tamils.
The Veetrirundha Perumal Temple was built on top of an older brick temple some of whose remains have survived. The remains constitute one of the two surviving Hindu temples of the pre-Pallava period, the other being the Murugan temple at Saluvankuppam, and one of the oldest ones in Tamil Nadu.
The brick temple excavated in 2005 dates to the Sangam period and is speculated to be the oldest temple to be found in Tamil Nadu. The temple faces north, unlike most Hindu temples which face either east or west, Even though the Veetrirundha Perumal Temple faces East . This shows that Vishnu and Murugan were the most worshiped gods in Ancient Tamil Nadu.
During the Sangam period, Perumal, Indra, Varuna, Murugan, and Kotravai were some of the popular deities. The poetic division of the landscape into five regions also associated each region with its own patron deity. The people of the pastoral lands or the Mullai regions worshipped Thirumal. The Marutham people worshipped Vendhan, while the Neithal people considered Kadalon to be their patron deity and the Palai people worshipped Korravai.
The temples of the Sangam age were built out of perishable materials such as plaster, timber and brick, which is why little trace of them is found today. 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 Silappatikaram and the Sangam poems such as Kaliththokai, Mullaippāṭṭu 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.
Ajivika Ajivika is an ascetic philosophy and way of life for Tamils. No books available on this philosophy of grace. However, there are countless references to the Ajivika philosophy from Buddhist and Jain theologians and other archeological texts. Ajivika flourished around the 1st century BCE or later. It was considered a rival to Vedic Brahmanism, Jainism, and Buddhism.
There is evidence to suggest that Ajivikas existed in Tamil Nadu. They are known to have had a presence along the Palar river, in regions like Vellore, Kanchipuram, and Tiruvallur districts, until around the 14th century CE. However, due to persecution and the rise of Bhakti movements, Ajivikas eventually assimilated into Vaishnavism.
Philosophy
Absolute determinism and no free will The problems of time and change was one of the main interests of the Ajivikas. Their views on this subject may have been influenced by Vedic sources, such as the hymn to Kala (Time) in Atharvaveda. Both Jaina and Buddhist texts state that Ājīvikas believed in absolute determinism, absence of free will, and called this niyati.James Lochtefeld, "Ajivika", The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Vol. 1: A–M, Rosen Publishing. , page 22 Everything in human life and universe, according to Ajivikas, was pre-determined, operating out of cosmic principles, and true choice did not exist.DM Riepe (1996), Naturalistic Tradition in Indian Thought, Motilal Banarsidass, , pages 42-45 The Buddhist and Jaina sources describe them as strict fatalists, who did not believe in karma.Ajivikas World Religions Project, University of Cumbria, United Kingdom The Ajivikas philosophy held that all things are preordained, and therefore religious or ethical practice has no effect on one's future, and people do things because cosmic principles make them do so, and all that will happen or will exist in future is already predetermined to be that way. No human effort could change this niyati and the karma ethical theory was a fallacy. James Lochtefeld summarizes this aspect of Ajivika belief as, "life and the universe is like a ball of pre-wrapped up string, which unrolls until it was done and then goes no further".