Tamil's History - தமிழின் வரலாறு

Tamil is a classical language of the world. Probably it is one of the oldest spoken languages on planet earth.

It has a large corpus of literature that dates back to pre-Christian era. Ancient Tamils speak of several academies that existed before. Prof. Asko Parpola and Dr.Iravadam Mahadevan believe that the language spoken by Indus Civilization (2500-1900 BC) was a form of old Tamil. Research by Dr.K.Loganathan of Malaysia suggests that the first Sangam (academy) was held by Sumerians (3500 BC) who spoke an archaic Tamil. Thus modern linguistic studies consider that Tamil is a proto-Indo-European language originated from Middle East. Modern genetic studies by Dr Spencer Wells, an American scientist who runs a laboratory at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics at Oxford University, United Kingdom, indicate that coastal migration of early man from Africa occurred in Tamilnadu and in Sri Lanka.

Though it is very hard to trace the history of oral Tamil, the written Tamil has a history and its evolution is well documented. The two classical languages of India, namely Tamil and Sanskrit evolved from a common script called Brahmi.

Modern Tamil which is remotely related to Indus Valley script claims an antiquity that was never heard before. According to Dr Richard Meadow of Harvard University, the director of the Harappa Archaeological Research Project, primitive inscriptions found on pottery from Indus Valley archeological sites, may pre-date all other known writing. The earliest known writing was etched onto jars before and after firing. Experts believe they may have indicated the contents of the jar or be signs associated with a deity.

Brahmi script of an unknown age unearthed from Tamilnadu in 1998

Similar script on pottery was unearthed recently from Tamilnadu, India. Though these artifacts according to archeologists belong to a later period, a striking similarity is certainly observable. Dr.Kodumudi Shanmugam of Tamilnadu has constructed a Table showing the modification that occurred to Tamil script from a very early period.

When the Literary work in Tamil increased in volume Tamils invented a writing system on processed palm leaves that continued till early 20th century. Every time a palm leaf manuscript weathers, new palm leaves were prepared and the text was sincerely copied. An average life of a palm leaf in a tropical environment with proper maintenance is about 100 to 150 years. In this way centuries old Sangam literature has been brought to modern light. Thanks to the pioneering works of Sri.Arumuga Navalar, Damodaram Pillai of Sri Lanka and Prof.U.Ve.Swaminatha Iyer of Tamilnadu, India that a large corpus of ancient Tamil literature has been transcribed from palm leaves to printed books. Even then there are millions of palm leaf manuscripts need to be published in modern media.

Some recent findings in Karur (Tamilnadu) show the intricate jewelry of early Christian era. Tamils used a special embossing technique in creating human figures on golden rings. These delicate depictions indicate not only their intricate designing ability but also the existence of sophisticated art forms in those days. Prof.George Hart of University of California, Berkeley believes that this could be the fore runner of the later more sophisticated philosophical rendering of Siva Nataraja in bronze. He points out the flow, dynamism and the delicate carving in this ring as important features to note.

Ancient India had considerable trade links with the Middle East, Europe (Greece and Rome) as well as with China. This trade was carried out over land partly along what came to be alluded to as the silk route and partly through maritime trade. By the time of Pliny, the Roman historian, Roman trade with India was thriving, and indeed creating a balance of payments problem for the Roman Empire. In South India, which had a thriving maritime trade, Roman coins even circulated in their original form, albeit slashed at times as a gesture disclaiming intrusions of foreign sovereignty?

Ancient India had considerable trade links with the Middle East, Europe (Greece and Rome) as well as with China. This trade was carried out over land partly along what came to be alluded to as the silk route and partly through maritime trade. By the time of Pliny, the Roman historian, Roman trade with India was thriving, and indeed creating a balance of payments problem for the Roman Empire. In South India, which had a thriving maritime trade, Roman coins even circulated in their original form, albeit slashed at times as a gesture disclaiming intrusions of foreign sovereignty?

14th to the 18th century, saw the dawn of modern European trading to India. Traders from Venice brought Venetian gold coins known as ducats and sequins to India.

Old Tamil poems were collected in anthologies compiled about two millennia ago. Today we have access to over two thousand of these poems composed by nearly 500 poets. These poems are "classical," i.e., early, ancient; they are also "classics," i.e., works that have stood the test of time, the founding works of a whole tradition. According to A.K.Ramanujan, Author and Translator ?not to know them is not to know a unique and major poetic achievement of Indian civilization?. In the anthology called ?Purananuru? Kaniyan Pungundran composed a poem reflecting the universal brotherhood that existed two thousand years ago in Tamil country. The poem thus reads ?all towns are one, all men our kin, life?s good comes not from others? gift, nor ill; man?s pains and pains? relief are from within, death?s no new thing?. This is one example of a two millennia of a poetical tradition of Tamils that exists even today. The cosmological knowledge of ancient Tamil was in high order. The navigational skill in maritime trade is a product of that knowledge. The Tamils knew that Planet Earth was a globe. The word ?ulagu? that denotes Earth in Tamil is derived from the root word ?uLavu? which means ?wander? in the heaven! Sculptures of early Pallava show Thirumal salvaging earth which was carved in globular form. A book published in 1883 from Sri Rangam, Tamilnadu gives a clear picture of the cosmos as perceived by the ancient Indians. The planetary orbits were in elliptical path.

Tamils have an indigenous medical system called ?Siddha vaidhya? which is based on herbal medicine and oxides of metals. This system was taught mostly by private schools called ?Gurukula?. Surgery and tooth extractions are depicted in temple statues indicating the medical practice of the past.

Tamilnadu, India is the home of majestic and spacious Temple complexes. Every town and village has at least one temple for worship. There is a proverb in Tamil that says, ?if you don?t find temple do not live in that place?. Tamils have mastered the art of Temple architecture which is seen from a myriad of temple complexes ranging from cave temples, single stone temple, pyramid-like temples and that with tall towers. There are equal number of dilapidated or ?close to collapse? type of temples that need proper maintenance as well.Baratha Natyam is the original art form of Tamils. This is an elegant dance style giving importance to speed, steps, hand gestures and facial expression. Having passed the test of time this is a thriving dance style wherever Tamils live!

Similarly there is a long thriving tradition of vocal and instrumental music in Tamilnadu called ?carnatic music? which is practiced even today. Art forms exist in a myriad variety in India. Folk music, folk drama, puppet show, street plays are a few to name. Dance and music belong to people and they exist to a very satisfactory level at all levels of the society.

India, especially Tamilnadu is well known for its bronze statues. The casting has an international acclaim. These statues decorate Temples and museums through out the world. Tamil stone sculptures are equally well known.

Tamil folks have several festivals that are traditional. Pongal is the most famous non-religious festival in Tamilnadu.

Tamil culture has over the centuries evolved several customs and traditions that encompass the life of a Tamil from birth to death. It is really very hard to list them all in an introductory book like this. Tamils have assimilated several customs from ?immigrants? to Tamil lands and they picked up several others from countries they immigrated to such as Malaysia, Burma, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa and Europe. Thus a modern Tamil is multi-lingual and multi-national. His/her identity is fast changing and as a result there is a danger of loosing his/her roots, his/her culture and language. It is essential that the age old culture of Tamils need to be retold in a modern way that reaches the ever changing Tamil Diaspora. Tamil language is highly adaptable and survived the onslaught of other dominant Indian languages so far. However, it is facing a real threat in front of English like several thousand other global languages. Since language is the key to culture an International Tamil Language consortium has to be established to teach this language using modern teaching methods. Colonial past and intense global wandering (immigration etc.) are factors that created an apathy and alienation. Cultural revivalism is possible if we evolve a scheme of participatory cultural activism among the Tamils.

Reference
நன்றி:
http://our_legacy.pitas.com/