A Brief History of What is Sangam Tamil Period and importance of its Literature.

This session was held at "Then Madurai" (South Madurai) on the banks of the river Kanni (aka Pahruli) under the patronage of a Pandyan king called Ma Kirti. Sage Agastya convened this session and wrote Agattiyam or Agastyam — a treatise on Tamil grammar. This Sangam lasted for 4440 years. It was held in Mt. Mahendra in Kumari Kandam — a legendary continent that is supposed to have extended hundreds of miles southwards of present-dayKanyakumari. Iraiyanaar and Murinjiyur Mudinagarayar were other scholars who lived in this period.

Sage Agastya is said to have had twelve students. Chief among them was Tolkappiyar, a member of the second Sangam. Little is known of the First Sangam. None of the writings attributed to this Sangam are present in their entirety.

The identification of "Ten Madurai", the seat of the first Sangam, has been a controversial point. Regarding the destruction of this place, there are certain allusions both in the Madurai Stalapurana and in the Silappadikaram. The commentator of the latter work writes as follows: "Between the rivers Kumari and Pahruli there existed an extensive continent occupying an area of 700 kavadam (a kavadam being equal to ten miles). This land consisted of forty nine nads (inclusive of Kollam and Kumari), innumerable forests, mountains, valleys and rivers, cities and towns, and had been submerged in the Indian Ocean as far as the peaks of Kumari, by a terrific convulsion which resulted in the upheaval of the Himalaya range". Though there has been interest in relating Kumari Nadu with the legendary submerged continent of lemuria, contemporary geological theory does not provide any evidence of a continent of such proportions.

Five hundred and forty-nine people are said to have participated in the First Sangam. Participating poets included Akaththiyanar (Agastya), the Hindu deities Sivan (Shiva) and Murugan, Muranjicyoor Mudinaagaraayar, Lord Kuberan (the Hindu god of wealth Kubera). Musical poems called Paripaadals were sung, as well as treatises on the grammar for Tamil music called Mudhunaarai, Mudhukuruku, Kalaviyaavirai, and so on. They are said to have remained convened in the Sangam for 4,440 years. Eighty-nine Pandyan kings kept the Sangam convened, from Kaaycina Vazhudhi at first to Kadungkon at the end; seven of those kings even presented poems.

The end of the first Tamil Sangam is supposed to have coincided with the end of the last ice age, c. 11,600 years BP. It must be noted that there is no archaeological evidence of the Sangam culture dating back to the last ice ages.

After a deluge the Sangam was shifted to Kapaadapuram aka Kavadapuram (Kavatapuram) in a now-lost continent know as Kumari Kandam on the banks of the river Kumari, south of present day Kanyakumari. This Second (Idai) Sangam is said to have lasted for 3700 years. This was presided over by Murugan (Skandha) and attended by Krishna. The work Tolkaappiyam by a Tolkaappiyar is from this era. Kapilar is also from this era. Kapaadapuram is mentioned in the Valmiki Ramayana.

The only work of the second Sangam which has come down to us is the Tolkappiyam. Nothing further is known about Tolkappiyar than that he was a student of Agastya and that he lived in a village near Madurai during the reign of the Pandya king Makirti. All the works of this Sangam have also been irretrievably lost, except the above work and a few poems which found their way into the anthologies of the third Sangam. Then unfortunately the ocean swelled and submerged the whole Kumari continent comprising various countries such as Ezh Thenga Naadu, Ezh Munpaalai Naadu etc., the vast Pahruli river and of course the city of Old Madurai itself. Almost all Tamil treatises composed at that Sangam were lost. The Tamil grammar Akaththiyam was the reference grammar.

The Tamil people were forced to move the site of their Sangam further north. 59 prominent poets participated in the Sangam, including Akaththiyanar, Tholkaappiyar, Irundhaiyuur Karungkozhi Moci, Vellur Kaappiyan, Paandarangan the Younger, Thiraiyan Maaran, Thuvaraik Komaan ("The Lord of Dwaraka" or "Krishna"), Keerandhai, and others. In all, 3700 people presented their poems, it is said. They presented Kali, Kuruku, Venthaazhi, Viyaazha Maalai Akaval, and other works, it is said. Their reference works were Akaththiyam, Tholkaappiyam, Maapuraanam, Icai Nunukkam and Poothapuraanam. They remained convened in the Sangam for 3700 years; 49 kings kept the Sangam in session, from Ven Ther Chezhiyan ("The Pandiyan of the White Chariot") to Thirumaaran the Lame; 5 of those kings presented poems.

[edit]The final Sangam
After yet another deluge, the Pandiyan king Thirumaaran moved the Sangam this time to current Madurai. This lasted for 1,850 years and resulted in works such as Ettutthogai (eight Antholgies) and Pattu-pattu (ten-idylls). Almost all the Tamil classics we now possess are the productions of the third Sangam, which had its seat in Madurai.

49 prominent poets researched into Tamil culture during the Final or Third Sangam. Among them were Cendhampoodhanaar, Ilam Medhaaviyaar, Arivudaiyanaar, Mudhu Kunrur Kizhaar, Ilam Thirumaaran, the Madurai Professor Nallandhuvanaar, Madurai Marudhan Ilanaaganaar, Nakkeerar the Son of Madurai Kanakkaayar, and others. Including them 449 people presented their works. They composed Akanaanooru ("The Anthology of 400 Long Poems On Love"), Narrinai ("The 400 Good Poems On the Modes"), Pura naanooru ("The 400 Poems on the Exterior Landscape"), Kurunthokai ("The Anthology of 400 Short Poems on Love"), Aing kurunooru ("The 500 Short Poems on Love"), Pathirrup paththu ("The Ten Decades"), Noorraimpathu Kali ("The 150 Kalis"), 70 Paripaadals, Kooththu ("Dance"), Vari, Cirricai ("The Lesser Musical Treatise"), Pericai ("The Greater Musical Treatise"), and others.

Akaththiyam and Tholkaappiyam were their reference works. They remained in session and researched into Tamil culture for 1870 years; forty-nine kings maintained that Sangam from Thirumaaran the Lame to Ukkirap Peru Vazhudhi; three of them presented poems. The last Sangam ended around the 2nd century CE with the invasion of Kalabras from the north.

In Varahamihira's 7th century Grahasamhita, Lanka and Simhala are kingdoms south of India. Pali and Sanskrit works generally treat Lanka and Simhaladwipa or Tampapanni (Tamraparni) as separate countries. According to M.D. Raghavan, ethnologist emeritus of the National Museums of Ceylon in the 1960s, "Simhaladwipa seems to have been the remnant of Lanka after parts of it were submerged in the sea; what was left of the more extensive dominions of Ravana's Lanka." The Simhala classic Rajavaliya speaks of Ravana's castle "later submerged by the sea".

[edit]Life and culture during the Sangam period
[edit]1465 to 165 BCE: over one thousand years of sangam
For over 1,300 years and 49 generations, the three ancient Tamil kingdoms had an agreement of understanding. The basis of this agreement was based upon the literary creation Tolkappiyam’s Purathinai.

The ancient Hathikumba inscription, its message on the Tamils the great king of Kalinga Karavela tells in his Hathikumba inscription (Elephant cave): "All the Tamil kings were bound by an united alliance", when he had visited these parts of Tamil country during 165 BCE. and states that this alliance had been in force for 1,300 years, "and these kings acted cohesively". He feels that if this agreement continued to exist, it will be an impending danger even to his empire.

It was at this time the Cheraputra Anthuvan defeated the Kongu country king at Karuvur and captures it. As per the existing agreement, the King sows decayed seeds in the fertile paddy fields and ploughs them with asses. However, Karavela induces the Cheraputra King to expand his kingdom by not relieving his captured territory, thereby enticing him to break the treaty which had lived over the ages.

The inscription of Hathikumba was fully deciphered by J.P. Jayaswal MA Barister, Patna and Professor R.D. Banerjee, MA Banaras Hindu University. They were of a doubt whether this alliance or agreement of the three ancient Tamil kingdoms could have lasted 1,300 years. Hence, they had interpreted that the total number of years could not be 1300 years and decided it as 113 years.

Though there are no inscriptions in Tamil Nadu that such agreements existed, it is true that such an agreement existed throughout the Sangam Period. To carryout such a treaty, it is a necessity to have a sort of control document. Hence, to implement such an agreement, these guidelines and rules were framed in into the famous book of Tolkappiyam which is considered a literary and legal bible of the Tamils. This could be found in Purathinai of Tolkappiyam. Just like a legal document, the Purathinai which comprises of the five divisions (Kurinji, Mullai, Marudham, Neidhal and Paalai), contains all the legal guidelines for this agreement. And this should have been done when Tolkappiam was formulated in its early ages. In a similar manner to Purathinai, Agathinai should also have been scripted together with Purathinai and created during its nascent stage.

In the olden age, the rules formed by the Tamil literary books had not been created by any one scholar. Each rule must have been created by one scholar (Pulavar) or by a group of learned men after considerable research. It was then created into an organized structure of rules and regulations. Most of the rules/regulations stated in Tolkappiyam ends with "enba" or "Mozhiba". For example:

"Nunnithinayadhor kandavarae", "Yenmanaar Pulamayoerae", "Enba Unarumoerae", "Enba arichandinoerae" are some verses of Tolkappiyam.

It can be inferred that these verses have been created and large volumes of regulatory/ legal books of Sangam literature have been created by means of conducting conferences (Tamil Sangam) of Tamil scholars during that age.

This legal document of Tamils, named Tolkappiyam, had evolved through the ages after its original creation by groups of Tamil pundits by suitably amending periodically and regulated as per the prevailing times and finally formed into a final shape as being read now. Both Agathinai and Purathinai were added with further information like “Agreement of Tamil Kingdoms”, and evolved into a biblical book called Tolkaapiyam, which means “to preserve the olden and enlighten it to the people”. Considering the beginning of the era of “Agreement of Three Kings” to be 1465 BC this creation of the final issue of Tolkappiyam should be after about 5 years or in 1460 BC. From this day, the culture of the Tamils had been classified as “Agam” and “ Puram” and people had lived by it.

There was a cooperative treaty which gradually evolved from a single prince into ultimate formation of three kingdoms.

1. Rule by Small Grouping: When this was decided, there was only one crown prince of the Pandya King who along with his two brothers divided the country into Chera, Chola and Pandya and ruled the entire kingdom. Later the 12 velirs divided the country into smaller areas and ruled with greater interaction with the common people. Even during ages when good transportation facilities did not exist, there existed such kings who can be called upon any time. This way of rule which existed so long ago in Tamil country has a special reputation on its own.

2. Way of working of these Kings: “Kudi purangathombi kutrangadithal vendhan thozhil” – this means the kings’ duty is to do service to his country men, render justice, carry out punishments for criminals, maintain an army to safeguard the country. He himself undergoes a lot of training regarding warfare.

3. Three countries and the Three Kings: The three kings were praised profusely for their rule. The many velirs in each of these kingdoms were a sort of subordinates to these kings. The geographical contours of these kingdoms were used to create the symbols of these kingdoms and these symbols were minted in their coins. The symbols and flags were individualistic for each of these three kings. Velirs did not have such symbols or flags.

4. Relationships – Friendships and enmity: Among the velirs and kings, relationships were maintained through marriages and this was maintained ancestrally like a rule or a regulation . This can be inferred from Kabilar’s visit along with Paari’s daughters for trying to engage these girls with Velir’s sons (Puram: 200, 201, 202). For any grudge/ disagreements, there were conflicts only among these velirs or kings. These conflicts were only among the 3 kings + 12 velirs and their relations and strictly as per the rules and guidelines of the literary legal books.

5. Capture of Territories: If war was conducted as per Purathinai, even if a king captures several countries, there will be no change in the state of the kingdoms. Only the bravery of the war was looked upon and praised. The books tell about the direct involvement of the kings in the war and their brave deaths. However, the three kingdoms always existed as separate entities and secured as per the common law. For the bravery of the warriors, symbols of bravery called “Ninaivu chinnams” (small buildings) were only created. There were no kings who had thought about inscriptions to show his pomp or pride.

6. The guidelines of the learned scholars: These pulavars sang in praise of the kings and velirs indicating their important achievements, functions and celebrations. It was a common practice that these kings and velirs listened to the advice of Pulavars regarding warfare and acted accordingly. It was only because of the deceitful king Kalingathu Karavelan that this treaty was broken in 165 BC. In this period, we can find evidences of one ruler capturing another’s territory by Cheraputras and Sathyaputras. Even during this time, the Chola King Killivalavan spared the children of Malayan Kari when he ran away in fear, as advised by the Pulavar “Kovoor Kilaan”. Also the king abandons the Malayan Kari’s kingdom and does not take over it, but leaves the place. Also, it is evident from the Sangam literature that these kings also participated in creation of Ilakkana Nool or literary books and they themselves were established Pulavars.

7. Division of Wealth: While capturing other kingdoms, the victorious always took over a lot of the loser’s wealth and brought them to his kingdom. However, he did not take it away for himself. It was divided to all the people of his country. It is not like usurping the entire wealth and dividing among a few greedy rich men. There is no such evidence in any of these literatures indicating such events. Also, there is no evidence of kings flaunting their wealth by constructing self enjoyment houses such as dancing halls etc., There were a lot of developmental activity in agricultural, handicrafts in this age. Trade flourished by sea and land by improvement of infrastructures.

8. The invasion of other nations: It is evident that when a foreign invader threatens any of these Tamil countries, all the 3 kings and 12 velirs joined together to form an alliance. There had been training grounds to fight bravely and effectively in a war. It is clear that even the Maurya king could not invade the Tamil country because of their unity.

9. The long existed Treaty: This accord of understanding created in 1465 BC survived this longest period ever for 1300 years among the Tamil kings and velirs by scrupulously following the Rules and Regulations by all the kings and rulers, which finally faltered in 165 BC by the Kalingathu Karavelan.

Cheraputhra – who faltered: Unlike the Pandya and Cholas, the cheras were called as “Cheraputras” as evident from Ashoka’s inscriptions and Greek Scholar Ptolemy’s “Periplus” writings.

After the invasion of Aryans, they elevated themselves by means of their habits and created good relations with kings and big merchants. They were helpful to the influential class by helping them in creating contacts with foreign nations, language translations, understanding other languages and telling their meanings etc., Many Aryans also learnt Tamil and became scholars. It is understood that the word “Cheraputra” must have been introduced by the Aryans during Ashoka’s invasion.

A group of descendants of Chera king (Cheraputra) became dominant over a period and captured important positions in trade and governance. It was these people who had crept into the Kongu country and captured the big trade center Karuvoor and its allied Chola country. By the wily advice of the Kalingathu Karavelan, these cheraputras had retained the captured country for themselves. These culprits were in hold of the captive regions for about 2 - ½ years.

Chilapathikaram was written by Chera King. In it are the details of the Kongu Komaan (Zamindaar) and Kongu existing as a separate velir country. When this literary creation was being formulated, these cheraputras might have already started dwindling their evil designs and would have returned back to their country.

After the 2 – ½ years, even though the original cheras returned back to power, they were like men without strength. As they had already been in a time gap of about 10 generations, they were unable to establish themselves like their earlier counter parts and failed to created history.

Karuvoor has been depicted as a Trade center only in Karavela’s inscriptions. It is not the capital of Chera King. As per Sirupaanatrupadai (verses 41–50), the capital of Chera king was Vanchi Nagar, situated in kutta naadu.

Cheraputras never followed the "common treaty or accord". Their complete ancestral details are available in the book Pathitrupathu. Lots of treasures were distributed among the Pulavars. As per the accord, since the kingdoms do not belong to them, their coins minted in Kongu desam did not have any sovereign symbols. Slowly the Ways of the Sangam Age degenerated and Sangam Period is believed to have ended in AD 200. The powerful alliances of these Sangam Kings declined and rulers of other nations emerged and new ways of governance began to arise.

[edit]See also
WIKIPEDIA
https://scorpio.cs.usfca.edu/wiki/index.php/Sangam

Historical events and place,time and astrological evidence are necessary in any civilization to delineate the exact date of its Timeline.
In ancient Tamil literature we do have plenty of such events and date markers.
Famous examples are:

Earliest Tamizh Grammar in 6,500 B.C.E.:
From the theory of Hindu kingline at this latest published works:
http://www.sanmarga.org/resources/books/dws/dws_r6_timeline.html
http://www.tamilnation.org/heritage/hindutimeline.htm
-which mentions methods of astrlogical calculations of timeline.

-470,000 India's hominids are active in Tamil Nadu and Punjab.

-60,000 According to genetic scientist Spencer Wells' research, televised by National Geographic, early man's first wave of migration from Africa occurred at this time to India, evidenced by the genetic makeup of Tamil Nadu's modern-day Kallar community, who are related to the Australian aborigines.
......

Most dates prior to Buddha (624 bce) are considered estimates.
10,000 Taittiriya Brahmana 3.1.2 refers to Purvabhadrapada nakshatra's rising due east, phenomenon occurring at this date (Dr. B.G. Siddharth of the Birla Science Institute), indicating earliest known dating of the sacred Veda.
10,000 Vedic culture, the essence of humanity's eternal wisdom, Sanatana Dharma, lives in Himalayas at end of Ice Age.
8500 Taittiriya Samhita 6.5.3 places Pleiades asterism at winter solstice, suggesting the antiquity of this Veda.
7000 Time of Manu Vaivasvata, "Father of Mankind," of Sarasvati-Drishadvati area (also said to be a South Indian monarch who sailed to the Himalayas during a great flood).
6776 Start of Hindu king's lists according to Greek references that give Hindus 150 kings and a history of 6,400 years before 300 BCE; agrees with next entry.

-6500 Rig Veda verses (e.g., 1.117.22, 1.116.12, 1.84.13.5) say winter solstice begins in Aries (according to D. Frawley), giving antiquity of this section of the Vedas.
5500 Date of astrological observations associated with ancient events later mentioned in the Puranas (Alain Danielou).
3200 In India, a special guild of Hindu astronomers (nakshatra darshas) record in Vedic texts citations of full and new moon at winter and summer solstices and spring and fall equinoxes with reference to 27 fixed stars (nakshatras) spaced nearly equally on the moon's ecliptic (visual path across the sky). The precession of the equinoxes (caused by the mutation of the Earth's axis of rotation) makes the nakshatras appear to drift at a constant rate along a predictable course over a 25,000-year cycle. Such observations enable specialists to calculate backwards to determine the date the indicated position of moon, sun and nakshatra occurred.

-3139 Reference to vernal equinox in Rohini (middle of Taurus) from some Brahmanas, as noted by B.G. Tilak, Indian scholar and patriot. Now preferred date of Mahabharata war and life of Lord Krishna (see also -1424).
2700 Tolkappiyam Tamil grammar is composed (traditional dating; see also -500).

-2700 Seals of Indus-Sarasvati Valley indicate Siva worship, represented by Pashupati, Lord of Animals.

2500 Reference to vernal equinox in Krittika (Pleiades or early Taurus) from Yajur and Atharva Veda hymns and Brahmanas. This corresponds to Harappan seals that show seven women (the Krittikas) tending a fire.

-2350 Sage Gargya (born 2285), 50th in Puranic list of kings and sages, son of Garga, initiates method of reckoning successive centuries in relation to a nakshatra list he records in the Atharva Veda with Krittika as the first star. Equinox occurs at Krittikia Purnima.

ca -2040 Prince Rama born at Ayodhya, site of future Rama temple (this and next two dates by S.B. Roy; see also -4000).

-2033 Reign of Dasaratha, father of Lord Rama. King Ravana, villain of the Ramayana, reigns in Sri Lanka.
1915 All Madurai Tamil Sangam is held at Thiruparankundram (according to traditional Tamil chronology)

Their calculation based on precession of stars due to earth's wobbling by the same mechanism as with their mention of skywatching records mentioned in Rig and other Vedas has helped to further clarify and prove Tamizh timeline as folows:

what they give by Vedas star positions by Dr.Frawley's work:
seasonal period:date:....month constellation &......:constel&monthstar(s) ....:PRECEDE BY:
.......................................monthstar(s) in year...............:.. in 2000 C.E.[present]:no:ofmonths=>no:ofyears:date:
vernalequinox:march21:pisces....:poorvbadra-2000..:same.....:same...............:0.0=>0000:2000C.E.
vernalequinox:march21:pleiades:Krittika-2350B.C.E.:pisces...:purvbadrapada:0.88=>4350:2350B.C.E.
vernalequinox:march21:plei/taur:Krittika-2500B.C.E.:pisces...:purvbadrapada:1.1=>4500:2500B.C.E.
vernalequinox:march21:taurus...:Rohini -3139B.C.E.:pisces...:purvbadrapada:1.33=>5139:3139B.C.E.
wintersolstice:decem21:aries.....:1ststar-6500B.C.E.:sagittari:thiruarudra......:3.0=>8500:8500B.C.E.
wintersolstice:decem21:pleiades:Krittika8500B.C.E.:sagittari:thiruarudra.......:3.88=>10500:8500B.C.E.
*spring start :jan'ry 21:aries......:aswini-6500B.C.E.:capricorn:pusam..............:3.0=>8500:6500B.C.E.
in Tamil Nadu]

*We find marking of Tamizh seasons in Tholkappiyam as Perumbozhuthgal', each year divided into 6 seasons, each containing 2 seasons.Tholkappiyam mentions [i]ilavaenil at ciththirai and vaikaasi[spring in april and may];but at present spring in Tamizh Nadu is in thai and maasi[january and february];which means there had been a shift in the positions of star constellations from the time of this record in the first Tamizh grammar book (and passed on from number of generations of masters and students upto the age of writing down of Tholkappiyam nool) to the present day - the aries(aadu iyal-mesha with aswini as first monthstar) constellation had moved from Tamizh spring day -january to april now;
That is:

Spring starts always at January 14 in Tamlzh Naadu;
The source of Tholkaappiyam says Aries(Mesha) constellation was usually seen at the start of Spring--Jan 14;
Presently Aries is seen as the evening star by April 21;

This means there hadbeen a shift of 3 months which is equivalent according to Dr.Frawley's calculations to about, 8,500 years from the present AROUND 6,500 B.C.E. derived as follows:

if 3.88 months shift=>10,500 years:so, 3 months shift=8076 years;or
if 3.00 months shift=>8500 years:so, 3 months shift=8500 years; or
if 1.33 months shift=>5139 years:so, 3 months shift=11563.2 years; or
if 1.1 months shift=>4500 years:so, 3 months shift=12272.73 years; or
if 0.88 months shift=>4350 years:so, 3 months shift=14500 years;

Roughly the date of the 1st Tamizh grammar work (or perhaps copied down second or later Grammar work or Tholkaappiyam itself) was between 8076 years and 14500 years from present;which goes from 6076 B.C.E. to 12500 B.C.E.
to locate the exact date we can take the following methods

Arithmetic mean=8,500/3 *3=8,500=6,500 B.C.E.,
Geometric mean={8100+8500+11563.2+12272.73+14500}/5=54935/5=10,987 years for 3 months shift =8,987 B.C.E.
Median=[midpoint of 2 extreme entries]=from above,{ 14,500+8,100}/2=11,300 for 3 months shift=9,300 B.C.E.
Graphical mode=8,500 years=6,500 B.C.E.,
{this is the way they usually do for calculating proximity dates in any scientific methods }
Therefore we can conclude that :
"a Grammar work in Tamizh was written atleast around 6,500 B.C.E."
We can certainly say this based on the seasonal records in the afore mentioned Grammar work under study and from the principal theory in
the astronomical and mathematical works of :

Dr. B.G. Siddharth of B.M. Birla Science Centre,
Dr. S.B. Roy,
Professor Subhash Kak,
Dr. N.R. Waradpande,
Bhagwan Singh and
Dr. David Frawley

and also based on the astronomical records mentioned in
Tattiriya Samhita
Rig Veda
Yajur Veda
Tattiriya Brahmana
Atharvana Veda
and
Prof. Siva G. Bajpai PhD,
Director of Asian Studies at California State University, who co-authored the remarkable tome, A Historical Atlas of South Asia
Dr. S.B. Roy ("Chronological Framework of Indian Protohistory - The Lower Limit")
and that of
David Frawley, PhD (Gods, Sages and Kings).
-so,
thanks to these astronomical scholars for guide to place atleast a Tamizh Grammar work at 6,500 B.C.E.

ca 400 C.E.: Laws of Manu (Manu Dharma Shastras) written. Its 2,685 verses codify cosmogony, four ashramas, government, domestic affairs, caste and morality (others date at -600).

450-535: Life of Bodhidharma of South India, 28th patriarch of India's Dhyana Buddhist sect, founder of Ch'an Buddhism in China (520), known as Zen in Japan.

ca 590-671: Lifetime of Saiva saint Nayanar Tirunavukkarasu, born into a farmer family at Amur, now in South Arcot, Tamil Nadu. He writes 312 songs, totalling 3,066 Tirumurai verses. Cleaning the grounds of every temple he visits, he exemplifies truly humble service to Lord Siva. His contemporary, the child-saint Nayanar Sambandar, addresses him affectionately as Appar, "father."

ca 600: Religiously tolerant Pallava King Narasinhavarman builds China Pagoda, a Buddhist temple, at the Nagapatam port for Chinese merchants and visiting monks.

ca 600-900: Twelve Vaishnava Alvar saints of Tamil Nadu flourish, writing 4,000 songs and poems (assembled in their cannon Nalayira Divya Prabandham) praising Narayana, Rama and narrating the love of Krishna and the gopis

630-34: Chalukya Pulakeshin II becomes Lord of South India by defeating Harshavardhana, Lord of the North.

ca 650: Lifetime of Nayanar Saiva saint Tirujnana Sambandar. Born a brahmin in Tanjavur, he writes 384 songs totalling 4,158 verses that make up the first three books of Tirumurai. At 16, he disappears into the sanctum of Nallur temple, near Tiruchi, Tamil Nadu.

143 B.C.E.:King Maandaranjeral Irumborai's arrival of death marked by the Halley's comet of 143 C.E. exactly explained postion and timing of the comet "seen in the Aries constellation in the month of panguni from the first quarter of Anusham naalmeen to the first fifteen days of Krittika naalmeen, when the Moolam is falling down in the west, the Uttaram is wandering above one's head towards the western port [Thondi], the Mrigasireesam is rising fast above in the east, in the first hour after midnight"-Puranaanooru,273.

We will follow with other examples of date markers mentioned clearly in the Sangam literature in the next pages.
Tamizh scholars and Sangam experts and other enlightened Tamizh Anbar should kindly contribute to this collection.
thank you.
http://www.mayyam.com/hub/viewtopic.php?p=235841


The works included in ettut thokai along with the number of stanzas available in parentheses are as follows: puRa n^AnURu (புறநானூறு) (398) , aka n^AnURu (அகநானூறு)(400), n^aRRiNai (நற்றிணை) (399), kuRun^thokai (குறுந்தொகை) (400) , pathiRRup patthu (பதிற்றுப்பத்து) (80), ainkuRu n^URu (ஐங்குறுநூறு) (498), paripAdal (பரிபாடல்) (22) and kalit thokai (கலித்தொகை) (150). These are summed up in the following song by an unknown poet:

நற்றிணை நல்ல குறுந்தொகை , ஐங்குறுநூறு,
ஒத்த பதிற்றுப்பத்து ஓங்கு பரிபாடல்,
கற்றறிந்தார் ஏத்தும் கலியோடு, அகம் புறம் என்று
இத்திறத்த எட்டுத் தொகை

திருமுருகு, பொருநாறு பாணிரண்டு முல்லை
பெருகு வளமதுரைக் காஞ்சி - மருவினிய
கோலநெடு நல் வாடை கோல் குறிஞ்சி பட்டினப்
பாலை கடாத்தொடும் பத்து.

The Ten Idylls consist of the following collections whose authors and the number of verses available are given in parentheses:

1. ThirumurukARRup patai (திருமுருகாற்றுப்படை) (நக்கீரர்) (317)
2. porun^arARRup patai, (பொருநர் ஆற்றுப்படை) (317) ,
3. ciRupANARRup patai (சிறுபாணாற்றுப்படை) (நல்லுர் நத்தத்தனார்) (269) ,
4. PerumpANARRup patai (பெரும்பாணாற்றுப்படை) (கடியலுர் உருத்திரங் கண்ணனார்) (248) ,
5. Mullaip pAttu (முல்லைப்பாட்டு) (நப்பூதனார்) (103) ,
6. Mathuraik kAnchi (மதுரைக்காஞ்சி ) (மாங்குடி மருதனார்) (782)
7. n^edun^alvAdai (நெடுநல்வாடை) (நக்கீரர்), (188),
8. KuRinjip pAttu ( குறிஞ்சிப்பாட்டு) (கபிலர்) (261),
9. Pattinap pAlai (பட்டினப் பாலை) (கடியலுர் உருத்திரங்கண்ணனார்) (301) ,
10. MalaippadukadAm (மலைப்படுகடாம்) (இரணியமுட்டத்துப் பெருங்குன்றூர்ப பெருங்கௌசிகனார்) (583)

18 smaller works called as Keezh Kanakku Noolgal:
"A group of 18 poetic works written during ~ 100 - 500 A.D. were compiled under the heading, PathineN kIz kaNakku (பதினெண் கீழ் கணக்கு) which constituted the bottom 18 of the anthology series. These poems differ from those in the top series (Ettuthokai and Pattupaattu) both in style and content. In general, the songs are relatively short in length, meter (சீர்) as well as in the number of lines (அடிகல்) . The lines were set in the veNpA (வெண்பா) style as different from the akaval (அகவல்) style of the top 18 series. More significant is the fact that, of the 18 in the series, only six were on akam topic (அகம்), one on puRam (புறம்) and the remaining 11 on moral issues (அறம்) . The constituents of the PathineN kIz kNakku are :
1. nAlatiyAr (நாலடியார்),
2. nAnmaNik katigai (நான்மணிக்கடிகை),
3. innA nARpathu (இன்னா நாற்பது),
4. iniyavai nARpathu (இனியவை நாற்பது),
5. kAr nARpathu (கார் நாற்பது)
6. kaLavzhi nARpathu (களவழி நாற்பது),
7. ainthiNai aimpathu (ஐந்திணை ஐம்பது),
8. thiNai mozhi aimpathu (திணைமொழி ஐம்பது),
9. ainthiNai ezhupathu (ஐந்திணை எழுபது),
10.thiNaimAlai nURRu aimpathu (திணைமாலை நூற்றைம்பது),
11.ThirukkuRaL (திருக்குறள்),
12.thiri katukam (திரிகடுகம்),
13.AchArak kOvai (ஆசாரக்கோவை),
14.pazhamozhi nAnURu (பழமொழி நானூறு),
15.siRu pancha mUlam (சிறு பஞ்ச மூலம்),
16.muthumozhik kAnchi (முதுமொழிக் காஞ்சி),
17.ElAthi (ஏலாதி),
18.kainnilai (கைந்நிலை)

These are outlined in the following poem for easy remembrance:

நாலடி நான் மணி நானாற்பது ஐந்திணைமுப்
பால்கடுகங் கோவை பழமொழி - மாமூலம்
இன்னிலைசொல் காஞ்சியுடன் ஏலாதி என்பவே
கைந்நிலைய வாம்கீழ்க்கணக்கு.