Heritage Reverence of Cattle during the Sangam Age

摘要

The Sangam Age constitutes an important chapter in the history of South India. The period between 300 BCE and 300 CE is generally accepted as the age of Sangam by scholars (Subramanian, 1978). According to Tamil legends, there existed three Sangams (Academy of Tamil poets) in ancient Tamil Nadu popularly called Muchchangam. These Sangams flourished under the royal patronage of the Pandyas. The first Sangam, held at Madurai, was attended by gods and legendary sages but no literary work of this Sangamwas available. The second Sangam was held at Kapatapuram but all the literary works had perished except Tolkappiyam. The third Sangam at Madurai was founded by Mudathirumaran. It was attended by alarge number of poets who produced voluminous literature but only a few had survived. These Tamil literary works remain useful sources to reconstruct the history of the Sangam Age. The Sangam literature provides very valuable information on the social, economic and political life of the Tamil society. Sanga kaalam (Sangam age) is considered to be the Golden Age of Tamil Literature (Udhaya Nandhini et al, 2016). Inscriptions mention the existence of a large number of cattle during this period. Bulls were used in cultivation and as such cultivation mainly depended on bulls. There are references to donations of thousands of cows, sheep and she-buffaloes to temples.