18. STUDY OF SAṄGAM POEMS UNDER THE CŌLĀ ________________________________________ 18.1. Two Inscriptions Two inscriptions of the Cōlā period coming from the northern part of Tamiḻnāṭu throw interesting light on the influence of Saṅgam poems in the mediaeval period. The first one dated 1012 CE (27th regnal year) in the reign of Rājarāja Cōlā I is found in the Vīrattānēśvara temple of Tiruk-koyil-ūr and the other assignable to the 12th cent is found in the Riṣabheśvara temple of Ceṅgam in north Arcot District. Both are important from different angles. The attention of scholars is drawn to the content of these inscriptions and also their relevance to Saṅgam poetry. The first one was copied by the Governement epigraphist, and published in South Indian inscriptions. And the other copied by Tamil Nadu State Department of Archaeology, when an Epigraphical survey was undertaken under my direction in the Ceṅgam area. The operative part of the first record refers in detail to gift of villages to the Vīrattānēśvara temple at Tiruk-kōyil-ūr and provisions made for various services in the temple to be met from the revenue of the endowment. The emperor Rājarāja himself ordered the gift at the request of one Kambaṉ Vīthi-viṭaṅkaṉ, who also had the title Mahimālaya Mūvēnda-vēlāṉ. It is thus a royal gift. Kambaṉ Vīthi-viṭaṅkaṉ served under Rājarāja as a commander and administrator of justice. As the gift was made at his request he gets importance in the record (see the Chapter 17 for detials). 18.2. Āṟṟuppaṭai format The inscription of Rājarāja, recorded in Tamiḻ script and language, on the base of the main Vīraṭṭāṇa temple of Tiruk-kōyil-ūr is a long poem in Āciriyappa meter, running to over two hundred and thirty lines (with some damages in the middle) in the Āṟṟuppaṭai format of the Saṅgam anthology. There are thousands of inscriptions of Rājarāja found all over Tamiḻnāṭu which are in prose form, in the usual inscriptional format, as matter of fact records. But this one is unique and is the only one known, prescribing even the boundaries of gifted lands, taxes, services in the temple etc in this poetic format. The record starts with an invocation to Sūrya, as an annihilator of clouds of darkness, (andhaka) and the progenitor of the Cōlā royal family, in which Rājarāja was born. In addition to the praise, this passage also suggests that Sun is identical with Śiva who destroyed Andhakāsura, an exploit connected with the Tiruk-kōyil-ūr Vīraṭṭāṇa temple. It also alludes to Rājarāja, born in the solar dynasty, as a destroyer of his enemies who appeared as dark clouds. The inscription continues with the greatness of Rājarāja and his prowess, and conquests. Following this, the inscription proceeds, in well laid out parts, to describe Rājarāja’s mother, Vānavaṉ-mahādēvī, the glory of the family of Malaiyamāṉ in which she was born, the greatness of Tiruk-kōyil-ūr, the river Peṇṇai that passes through this town, and the hilly boulder on which Kapilar, the Saṅgam poet left his mortal coils, the sanctity of the temple of Vīraṭṭānēśvara Śiva to which gift of lands were made and the services and payment. Finally it praises the Commander Kambaṉ Vīthi-viṭaṅkaṉ who was responsible for the donation. Praising Kambaṉ the inscription ends as “he the chief of Ponni nāṭu”. With out going into the details of the gift etc., this study will confine itself to the parts that are relevant to this essay. 18.3. Tiruk-kōyil-ūr Pāṭṭu The poem ends in the Āṟṟuppaṭai tradition, praising the liberal patron Kambaṉ as the chief of Ponni nāṭu, (Kāvēri region) full of water resources, that bestows prosperity: Tada nir nalam taru ponni nādu kilavōnē. It is well known that some of the “Ten idylls” of the Saṅgam anthology (Pattu-pāṭṭu) end in this manner: • Malai-paṭu-kadām, which ends as kunṟu-cūḻ-irukkai nāṭu kiḻavōnē • Perum-pānāṟṟup-paṭai, that ends as onṟiḷamkaruḷiya malai kiḻavōnē • Porunar-āṟṟup-paṭai that ends as kāviri purakkum nāṭu kiḻavōnē and finally • Tiru-muruk-āṟṟup-paṭai, that ends as paḻam-utir-cōlai- malai kilavōnē. The ending of this inscriptional poem as Ponni-nāṭu kiḻavōnē leaves no doubt that the whole composition is based on the model of Saṅgam poems. This must be viewed in the light of reference to the famous poet, Kapilaṉ of the Saṅgam anthology, in the body of the text of this inscription. On analogy with Saṅgam poems such as the kuṟuñci-pāṭṭu, and mullaip-pāṭṭu, in pattu-pāṭṭu collection, it would be appropriate to call the Tiruk-kōyil-ūr inscription of Rājarāja as “Tiruk-kōyil-ūr pāṭṭu”. 18.4. Kapilar and Pāri The mention of poet Kapilar in the inscription of Rājarāja deserves greater attention. This place is associated with Kapilar, a great friend of Pāri, one of the seven celebrated patron of Saṅgam age. Pāri died in a battle with the three crowned kings of Tamiḻnāṭu leaving his two daughters orphans. Kapilar took under his protection the two girls, visited the courts of the three kings and entreated them to marry them, but all of them refused. Finally he reached Tiruk-kōyil-ūr and persuaded Maliayamāṉ to marry Pāri’s daughter. This is alluded to in the Saṅgam poems and also in later tradition. Thus, Kapilar was closely connected with Tiruk-kōyil-ūr. The poems sung by the daughters of Pāri are included in the Puṟaṉāṉūru collections. They are seen lamenting the death of their father and their pitiable state. Kapilar was moved by the death of his friend Pāri and taking pity on the girls sings the situation in moving poems. There are several poems in Puṟam collections mentioning this poignant situation that would not fail to move any reader. This inscription of Tiruk-kōyil-ūr mentions the poet Kapilar, and the marriage of Pari's daughter to Malaiyamāṉ and adds more information not known from any other source about poet Kapilar. It says having ensured the safety of Pāri’s daughter he decided to ascend heaven and attain liberation and immolated himself on a rocky boulder on the river Peṇṇai near the Vīraṭṭāṇa temple. 18.5. Kapilak kal The relevant portion of the records reads as follows. Moy vaitiyalum muttamiḻ nanmai Teyvak kavitai cencoṟ kapilaṉ The inscription calls Kapilar's poems, “deyvak kavitai”, divine poems, abounding in poetry, music, and dance. Obviously the verses of Kapilar in Saṅgam collection were extolled as divine poems in mediaeval period. Kapilar’s poetic talent and also his mastery of music and dance, are referred to in his own poems of the Saṅgam age, like the Kuṟuñci-pāṭṭu while mentioning an accomplished musician playing tunes like naivalam (lines 146-152) and to a dexterous dancing girl who dances to sweet music “innisai karaṅga ādum makaḷ”.(line 193). The inscription corroborates what is found in the Saṅgam poems. aṟṟai tiṅgaḷ avveṉ nilaviṉ entaiyum utaiyem em kunṟum pirar koḷḷār iṟṟait tiṅgaḷ ivveṉ nilaviṉ venṟu ēri muṟaciṉ vēntar em kunṟum koṇḍar yām entaiyum ilamē These puṟam lines of Pāri’s daughters “that our father was alive on the other full moon day and there was none who dared to take over our hill, but this full moon day our hill has been captured and we have lost our father” shows the pitiable condition of the girls. Similarlyi, the following lines of puṟam poem by Kapilar tells that he was a great friend of Pāri and that his daughters were under his protection. ivar yār enkuvai āyin ivarē ūrudaṉ iravaḷarkku aruḷi tēr udaṉ mullaikku iya sella nal icai padu mani yanai parampin kōmaṉ nedu mā Pāri makaḷir yānē tantai tōḻaṉ ivar en makaḷir antaṇan pulavaṉ koṇḍu vantananē i.e., “If you ask me who these girls are I shall tell you they are the daughters of the great and far famed Pāri, the chieftain of Parambu country, who gifted his villages to minstrels and his chariot to the jasmine (mullai) creeper. I am the friend of the father of these girls. They are indeed my daughters. I, a Brahmin poet, brought them here”, says Kapilar in his own words in the puṟam verse. This is corroborated in the lines of the inscription when it says Pāritaṉ adaikkalap peṇṇai malaiyaārkku utavi. 18.6. Marriage of Pāri’s daughter That one of Pāri’s daughters was given in marriage to Malaiyamāṉ is mentioned also in a few stray Tamiḻ verses, found in Tamiḻ Nāvalar Caritai. One verse is an invitation to the Cēra ruler to come with presents to Tiruk-kōyil-ūr to attend the marriage of Pāri’s daughter, as the king has consented to marry her. The name of Pāri’s daughter is given as Aṅgavai (a variant reading of the verse also mentions the name of the other daughter Saṅgavai). Another poem attributed to Poetess Auvaiyār is an invitation to the Pāṇḍyā king to attend with presents the marriage scheduled on the 18th day. It is known that all the three kings of the Tamiḻ Country Cēra, Cōlā and Pāṇḍyā attended the marriage of Pāri’s daughter. Another poem of significance addresses god Varuṇa that he should benevolently pour rains of gold, at the great marriage at Kōvalūr, excluding only the waters poured over the burial urn of Pāri. All these poems clearly confirm that Kapilar got the marriage of Pāri’s daughter to Malaiyamāṉ performed at Tiruk-kōval-ūr, that attained celebrity. All these get pointed reference in the inscription. Evidently, these seem also to confer historicity to the events connected with Kapilar. The other historic episode connected with Kapilar, not known so far from any other source but mentioned only in this record, is that having completed his life's mission, he gave up his life by falling into a burning fire on top of the boulder, near the Vīraṭṭāṇa temple. 18.7. Death of Rājarājā’s mother Almost one thousand years later Rājarājā's mother Vānavaṉ-mahādēvi immolated herself on the funeral pyre of her husband Sundara Cōlā, leaving an infant child. This episode is mentioned in this record alone. Rājarājā’s mother was born in the family of Malaiyamāṉs of Tiruk-kōyil-ūr who had an unbroken lineage from the Saṅgam age. There is also a clear suggestion that she hailed from the lineage of Pāri on her mother’s side. Rājarājā obviously had in his vein the lineage of two of the greatest chiefs of the Saṅgam age, Malaiyamāṉ Kāri and Pāri, both liberal patrons of Saṅgam poets. There is no doubt this unique parentage inspired Rājarājā to compose his inscription in Saṅgam tradition. Incidentally, this also shows that Saṅgam tradition continued in the 11th century under the Cōlās. 18.8. Malai-kaṭām-pāṭṭu There exists a poem inscribed in the Riṣabhēśvara temple of Ceṅgam and the record refers to Malai-kaṭām-pāṭṭu. The record is in Cōlā characters of 12th cent Tamiḻ script in Tamiḻ language. It does not refer to the ruler, but there are inscriptions of the later Cōlās in the same temple and that the inscription is in 12th cent characters brings it under the mediaeval period. It is in praise of a chief Gaṅgēya and his prowess in veṇpā meter. The record reads:- mūventar tār mannarai malaip paṭait ten mannarai vēṅkaṇḍa tiral gaṅgar kōmāṉ kan civappa paṇdē malai kaṭām pāṭṭuṇḍa māl-navarai cencōri alai kaṭām pāttuṇḍatē “When the eyes of the Ganṅga chief, The conqueror of the crowned kings three And more so the victorious ruler Pāṇḍyā of mountain ranges like army, Turned red with merciless anger The great Navirai hill, that received Praises in days of yore, in The song malai kaṭām pāṭṭu, Was reddened with waves of blood (Of the vanquished)”. I have published a note on this inscription in Kalveṭṭu Quarterly no 5, p.13. The reference to malai-kaṭām-pāṭṭu of the Saṅgam age pattu-pāṭṭu anthology is of equal interest like the Tiruk-kōyil-ūr record. In the manuscripts of the pattu-pāṭṭu collection, edited by U.V.Swaminatha Iyer, the title of the poem is given as malai-paṭu-kaṭām, but the inscription calls it “malai-kaṭām-pāṭṭu”. In all probability the original title of the poem was “malai-kaṭām-pāṭṭu” attested by the inscription. The village Ceṅgam, not far away from Tiruk-kōyil-ūr, situated near the hill navirai-malai is well known. So, is the town Ceṅgam then known as Ceṅganma. Both are mentioned in the Saṅgam classics. Both these inscriptions point clearly to the influence of Saṅgam poetic tradition very much alive in this region in the Cōlā age. These two decidedly provide firm historicity to Saṅgam personalities. 18.9. Interest in Saṅgam poems The above may be read against the background of other poems of the age. Nambi-āṇḍar-nambi, a poet of great merit who is said to have helped Rājarāja Cōlā to discover Tēvāram Hymns at the Chidambaram temple, has composed a long poem in Saṅgam tradition on Jñana-sambandar that goes by the name āḷudaiya-piḷḷai-tirut-tokai. Two other poems assignable to the same age are iTiru-kaṇṇappa-tēvar-tirumaṟam, and kōpa-prasādam ascribed to nakkīra tēvar follow the same tradition. The commentaries on the Puṟaṉāṉūru by anonymous author, and the commentator per excellence, Nacciṉārkkiṉiyar on Saṅgam works would show that Saṅgam poems were greatly studied in the mediaeval period. To this list may be added the commentary of Arumpadavurai āciriyar on the Cilappatikāram, followed by Aṭiyārkkunallār who verbatim quotes the former. Clearly, there has been a continuing interest in the Saṅgam classics evidenced by these two inscriptions and other works cited. Almost thousand years later in the twentieth century witnessed a new dimension to this tradition with the Western translations of G.U.Pope, of some Saṅgam poems like the “Tamiḻ heroic poems” and also the translation of Dr. Francoise Gros, the Pāripāṭal. This has been further enlarged by critical studies by a galaxy of eminent Western Scholars like John Marr, Kamil Zvelebil and a host of others. Another important trend that deserves attention is the role of epigraphy. The works of such eminent scholars like R.Raghava Aiyangar and Sri K.V.Subramanya Iyer in the first half of the 20th cent myself and Mr R. Krishnamurti (Dinamalar) have brought to light important epigraphical and numismatic discoveries bearing on some of the important kings of Saṅgam like the Sa ṅgam Cēras, Atiyamāṉ Neṭumaṉ Añci, inscribed coins with the names of Saṅgam kings like Kollippoṟai, Peruvaḻuti, Mākkōtai, Kuṭṭuvan-kōtai and others have further kindled interest in the Sangam poems. These are certainly land marks in 2000 year old literary traditions that deserve attention.
