CHRONOLOGY OF THE EARLY TAMILS

Citation preview

THE

CHRONOLOGY OF THE EARLY TAMILS .

Based on the Synchronistic Tables

Chieftains

and Poets appearing

K. N.

in

of their Kings,

the^Sangam Literature.

BY SIVAEAJA PILLAI,

B.A.,

SENIOR LECTURER IK TAMIL, UNIVERSITY OF MADRAS.

UNIVERSITY OF MADRAS 1932 Price RS- 5

Foreign

It-

d

PREFACE. SINCE the work now presented to the reader rests solely on the strength of the Synchronistic Table accompanying it, I consider it necessary to prefix a few remarks bearing on the undertaking and execution of such a work, remarks for which I have not been able to find a place in

the body of the book

The History

itself.

of the Tamils, their language, and their

literature cannot be said io have even started its existence, for the sufficient reason that a correct chronological

frame-work

to hold together

and

facts enshrined in their ancient

yet been got till

now

in right

Sangam

order the

many

Literature has not

Various have boon the attempts made

at.

to utilize the facts gathered

from

that Literature

for edifying narratives, descriptions and exhortations; but a genuine history, none of thoso, ii must bo regretfully acknowledged, has boon able to evolve. Lacking the indisinitial

pensable

lime-frame,

the

so-called

histories

of

Tamil Literature and the long-winded introductions to the various editions of the Tamil Classical poems remain to this day inane and vapid of roal instruction, in

of

spite fictions

the

of

their

and

tedious

facts

themselves.

parrot-like

from

culled

repetitions

tradition

and

Tho

learned poems authors of these dissertations have been only to make bricks trying without straw, or rather to raise a structure with only bricks without the connecting mortar of This

Chronology. however, due not to any of relevant materials in which the Sangam Literapaucity

lack of a scientific chronology

ture

is

apparently

rich

but

is,

to

a

failure

to

apply to

them the correct mode of manipulation their valuation and arrangement. Taking this view of the mailer I nerved myself lo the task of tesling whelher Ihe early poems of Ihe

PREFACE.

vi

Tamils when subjected to modern methods could be made to yield the secret of their chronology or should be allowed to lie mute, as of yore, or

worse

still,

to

mumble out

their

incoherences, here and there, in the triad of collections to which a late literary but unhistorical systematist has so

In entering on this new and difficult piece of work T had no reason to be buoyed up by any strong hope of success, so divergent and even conflicting

kindly consigned them.

being the views of scholars about the Tamil Sangam and its Literature and so hopelessly disarranged the literary remains. And immediately after I sat down and began

preparing the Synchronistic Table a revered scholar, with another friend, one day happened to step into my room

was engaged

and, learning what T

ing

a-

plentiful

in, lost

no time

in throw-

douche of cold water on the scheme, urging had been engaged more than once in a

that he himsolf

similar undertaking but each time had to give 1

it

up as a

sheer vexation of spirit. This warning fruitless venture coming from a scholar of his standing and that at the very in

nearly wiping out even the little

had the effect of very hope I had behind the

back of

the traditional overpar-

my

threshold of

my

mind.

efforts naturally

Still realising

some of our scholars for traditions as a class I persuaded myself that the scholar referred to must have tiality of

weighted his barque with a little too much of unnecessary traditional lumber to have thus sent it to the bottom before reaching

its

destination.

A

ray of hope thus gleamed

through this idea and accordingly I persisted in my work and went on verifying the various literary references and jot ling

down

the

names for the projected Table.

If past

failures are but stepping-stones to future success, I thought

that this particular scholar's discomfiture should put me doubly on my guard against the intrusion of legendary

matter

and

unverified traditions amongst the facts of and so vitiating their positive testimony. I resolved also to keep clear before my mind the distinction between facts and our interpretation of facts, between

the Table

objective data

and subjective

constructions.

Despite all

these resolves, however, I should confess that my first Table, true to the for e\va ruing 1 had already received, turned out

badly; nor

could

much superior ter

the

second

fare

any

better,

though

to its predecessor in its close-jointed charac-

and freedom from extraneous and irrelevant matter.

The Table herewith presented is the result of my third attempt and I trust that the sacrifice of two of its fellows has added strength to it. Unlike its predecessors this Table has stood all the criticism i have been able to bring to bear

frame I proceeded to distribute the various facts and events of Early Tamil Literature and

upon

it

and hence on

this

weave a connected narrative for the period covered by it. Now that the Table and its interpretation are placed before Tamil Scholars, old and new,

it

is

for

them

to

pronounce

\vhether these lay the foundation-stone for a real 'Begin-

ning of South Indian History' based on the earliest literary

documents available

way

in Tamil, or, these too should

go the

of the previous attempts in the field.

For drawing up

the preliminary lists of the Kings,

Chieftains and Poets appearing in the Sangain Literature on wr hidi the construction of the Synchronistic Table was

have to express my thanks to Vidvan V. Verikatarajalu Reddiyar and Pandit K. V. Anantarama Aiyar, then Fellows of the Oriental Research Institute, of whom the started, 1

latter unhappily has since

been removed by the hand of death beyond the reach of this deserved though belated recognition of his assistance. 1 should also acknowledge with gratitude the services of Mr. S. Somasundara Desikar of the Tamil Lexicon Office and Mr. K. N.

Kuppuswami

Aiyangar, B.A., of the Oriental Research Institute Office, in so kindly undertaking the preparation of an Index of

Names

And, above all, my most sincere thanks are due to the Syndicate of the University I have now the honour to serve, for the facilities and conveniences offered

for this book.

for Research

in,

this Institute without

nature would scarcely be possible.

which a work of

this

CONTENTS. SECTIONS.

PART l.Sangam

Literature: Its Valuation

and

Arrangement. SECTION.

PAGE.

1.

Introduction

2.

Dravidian Pre-history and South India

.

3.

The

Culture

..

historical

..

period

of

Dravidian

South India

.

4.

Tamil Literature and

5.

Early

Tamil

the

Literature,

7. 8. !>.

11.

value

.

.

6

.

.

11

evidence for

only

it

.

14

.

The Slrry of the S;mg;mt c::{;minera Kinjrs The Third Generation: Mudittalai-Ko Perunarkttli .

.

Period 23.

alias Porvaik-

Line: Tittan Veliyan alias Porvaikko

PerunarkilU 24.

73

..73

..

.

.

. .

. .

.

..

.

.

.

81

..85

..

The Chola Line: (1) MiHlittalai-Ko-Perunarkilli

(2) Karikalan 26.

1

..

cejiyan I 27.

.

..85

..

The Pancliya Line: NedumtcT Celiyan

alias

98

.

.

.

Nedum-

The Chera Line: (1)

Antuvan Chcral Irumporai

(2)

IJdiyan Chf-nil alias

Cheralatan

Pcnmichorru .

.

.

.

TIdiyaii .

.

103

28.

The Chiefs

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

105

29.

Link-names

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

109

The Fourth Generation: Vcl-pah-iadakkai-Pcruviral Killi Period 30. 31. 32.

.

.

.

The Cho]a Line: Vel-pah-tadakkai-Peruviral The PaiMliya Line Putappamliyan :

.

.

.

.

Killi. .

.

m Ill

112

Thr Chera Line: (1) Celva-KaiJuiiko-Ali

33.

.

Atan

(2)

Kudakko-Nednmcheralatan

()

Pal-Yaiiai-CVl-Kclii-Kuttuvan

The Chieftains Link-names

.

.

..

..116

.

.

.

.

. .

118

.

.

.

.

fm

uy

The Fifth Generation: Umva-pah-1er-Ilaiiccr.

&

0.

_

.

tbr tti

.

?,

Maim

Tft*t*fr*ft*

of lh* (kftrmUiyitA

t5yti'Kr*>tit%iK

Tl>k

*'f

.

,

.

ib# Tumit

Kmfp

of l^v**Ioj>inrfit of the |*twm

,

Th- H>u*hrmiAtic HIM!

(ahlr* nf

tii^

.

*IK]

.

.

Roman

in

Kmf*,

Vtmtm wpArntriy ftnntofl **wt ki?pt in fb** him! rov*r of ita*

166

SHUTA.

Ff*~-Lhw. /or

117-12

-

3

170-21

231-J4

Eryikrowt

twrUjr

TABLK

I*

C

BC

BO

S3 I

A n

A

23

A

A

106 A

5

A

A 1

*>

A P

T3

A

.

!>

A T I>

/ 1

l>

11$ A

f*

13^ A

l>

ITS

A

A P

**CK

A

ft

>

(II)

TABLE

II.

THE PdNDIYA GENEALOGY.

1

A.D. -25 A.D.

Korkai alias (1) Nedumter-Celiyan of yan I, the Conqueror of Kudal.

Neduficeli-

I

25 A. D. -50 A. D. 50

A.D. -75 A.D.

(2) Ollaiyur-tanta-Putappandiyan, probably son of (1). (3)

Pasumpun- Fandiy^ii Paiidiyau

alias

aUas

Nilam-taru-tiruvil-

Vadimbalamba-mnra-Pan-

diyau alias Pamiadu-lanta-Paij^iyaii or Ne