Sangam literature deviated from the majority of early literary traditions, which were mostly composed of religious texts in one way or another. Discuss. (250 words)
Under the patronage of the Chola rulers, hundreds of temples were built in South India. It was the continuation of the Pallava architecture with some variations. This is what came to be known as Dravidian style of temple architecture. Features of Dravidian style of architecture: Main feature of thisRead more
Under the patronage of the Chola rulers, hundreds of temples were built in South India. It was the continuation of the Pallava architecture with some variations. This is what came to be known as Dravidian style of temple architecture.
Features of Dravidian style of architecture:
- Main feature of this style was the building of storey upon storey above the chief deity room (garbagriha).
- The number of storeys varied from five to seven and they had a typical style called vimana.
- A pillared hall called mandap with carved pillars and flat roof was placed in front of sanctrum. It acted as audience hall and ceremonial dances.
- The entire structure was enclosed in a courtyard surrounded by highwalls pierced by lofty gates called gopurams.
Cultural life of Cholas in recent times:
- With course of time the vimanas rose higher and higher, the courtyards increased to two or three, the gopurams became more and more elaborate.
- The temple became a miniature city or palace, living rooms for priests were provided in it.
- The temples enjoyed revenue free grantsof lands and their expenses. Also received donations and grants from healthy merchants
- The temples entered in business, lent money and took part in business enterprises.
Examples of Dravidian art and culture:
- Kailashanatha at Kanchipuram.
- Brihadeshwars temple at Tanjore
- Shiva temple at Gangaikondacholapuram
- The early chola temples were found at Narthamalai and Kodumbalur in Pudukottai district and at Shrinivasanallur in Tiruchirappalli district.
- The later Chola temples are Airavateshvara temple at Darasuram in Tanjore and Kampaharesvara temple at Tribhuvanam
The Sangam period lasted from 300 BCE to 300 CE and saw a flourishing of Tamil literature, which reflected the Tamilians’ rich cultural legacy. It presents a lively depiction of the social, cultural and political atmosphere of the time which eventually succeeded in shedding light on the values and wRead more
The Sangam period lasted from 300 BCE to 300 CE and saw a flourishing of Tamil literature, which reflected the Tamilians’ rich cultural legacy. It presents a lively depiction of the social, cultural and political atmosphere of the time which eventually succeeded in shedding light on the values and way of life of the ancient Tamils. The term Sangam itself refers to assemblies or gatherings of poets and scholars that took place in ancient India. These poets and scholars were employed by patrons, kings, or chieftains who acted as the target audience for Sangam literature because they were likely to be more interested in celebrating their lineages, victories, or love stories rather than religious themes. It would be wrong to assume that Sangam literature is completely devoid of religious themes since it contains poetry about the gods in Paripatal, but the major focus of this age and literature has been on themes of love, family life, and marriage; as well as on themes like war, politics, and kingship. The poetry of this age is divided into two main categories namely, akam poems (which deal with the former themes), and puram poems (that deal with the latter). Two of the most important works of this particular age are Purananuru and Tirukkural. Hence, Sangam literature followed a unique path as opposed to other ancient literary traditions because its aim was to promote universal human experiences instead of religious dogma. This points to the fact that the Sangam period might have been a time of tolerance and religious pluralism.
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