The
history of the Tamils presents an exciting pageant of a powerful
civilization whose origin dates back to ancient times. It is clear that
the Tamils, who belong to the Dravidian race, were the first major
occupants of the country and settled in the north-western part of India
long before the coming of the Indo-Aryans. Excavations have revealed
that the features of the people of the Indus Valley Civilization bore a
strong resemblance to this race
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However,
with the advent of the Aryans, the Dravidians were pushed back
into the deep south where they ultimately settled.
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As
is the case with most of the early history of the state,
it is impossible to pin-point the exact period, when the
great Tamil Sangam (Academy) flourished, though it can
be said with some certainty that two Sangams were held
well before the Christian era and the third between 100
and 250 AD. The Tamil Sangam, which marks the
Golden Age of Tamil literature is the one major source
of knowledge about the administration, art, architecture
and economic conditions that existed then. Among some of
the greatest compositions of the four centuries of
Sangam age are Tiruvalluvar's Thirukkural which
consists of 1330 couplets about morality in private and
public life combined with some of life's greatest
truths, compositions of the saint-poetess Avviayar,
Pathupatu or ten Idylls which is a compilation of the
work of several authors on philosophy, intermingled with
descriptions of the natural world and Ettuthogai or the
eight anthologies. Of these, the last is historically
the most important as it contains a description of the
daily life of the people. This collection of poems is
the earliest record of its kind as far as the history of
the Tamils is concerned.
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Even
after the end of the Sangam age, Tamil writers, under the patronage of
Royal Dynasties, continued to produce excellent literature like the two
Tamil epics Silapathikaram written between 200 - 300 AD by
Ilango Adigal, the son of a Chera King, and Manimekalai by
Sattanar also written between the 2nd and 3rd century AD. Both
contain vivid descriptions of life during their times. Over the ages,
the south was to see other great poets like the Nayanmars and the Alwars
and, later, the poet Kamban who composed the Tamil version of Ramayana.
The Pallavas ruled
between the 6th and 8th century AD over a large portion of
Tamil Nadu with Kanchipuram as their base. Their reign was marked by
battles with the Chalukyas of the north and the Pandyas of the south.
Among the greatest Pallava rulers were Mahendravarman-l and his son
Narasimhavarman.Among the famous temples built by the Pallavas are the
temples of Kanchipuram, the Kapaliswarar and Parthasarathy temples at
Chennai, and last but not the least, the magnificent poetry in rock and
stone at Mamallapuram. Kanchi has been described extensively by the
Chinese traveller Huan Tsu Ang
Huan Tsu
Ang who visited the city in the middle of the 6th century
AD, and according to him it was a major centre of learning. Among
its more famous citizens was Dharmapala, the Vice-Chancellor of the
Nalanda University. Quite probably the most ancient of the dynasties of
the south, the Cholas had their headquarters first at Uraiyur and later
at Thanjavur and ruled over most of modern Tamil Nadu (as well as
Karnataka.)
The early
Cholas reigned between the 1st and 4th century AD and the first
and most famous king of this period was Karikalan. What remains of his
reign today is the magnificent civil engineering achievement of the
Grand Anicut which was constructed during the 2nd century and is used
even to this day. The later Cholas, who went on to become a force to
reckon with by defeating both the Pallavas and Pandyas, made their
appearance in the 9th century under the leadership of Vijayalaya Chola
and continued to dominate the South until the 13th century.The greatest
of the later Cholas was Rajaraja Chola (985-1014 AD) under whose reign
several islands in the Indian Ocean including (Lakshadweep, Maldives)
and Sri Lanka were conquered. It was during the reign of Rajaraja that
Chola architecture attained its peak with the building of the
Brahadeeshwarar (Big) Temple at Thanjavur .
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Rajendra
Chola-I, the son and successor of Rajaraja, consolidated and
expanded the empire that was left to him by his father. The
Chola empire stretched as far as central India, Orissa and parts
of West Bengal. In commemoration of his victory over the latter,
Rajendra-I constructed a new capital which he named
Gangaikondancholapuram. Here, he built another temple to
Brahadeeshwarar which is similar to the one built by his father
at Thanjavur.
Meanwhile,
the Pandyas remained subservient to the Cholas and their
opportunity to strike back came over two centuries after the
death of Rajendra-I, when they overthrew a weakened Chola empire
in 1267. The Cholas were great administrators and builders, not
just of temples but of other public structures too. In the field
of art, metal casting and making of bronze figures developed to
a speciality, an outstanding example of which is the beautiful
sculpture of the Cosmic Dancer at Chidambaram. Even today,
Thanjavur is known for its bronze and other metal carvings - a
remnant of the legacy that was left behind by the greatest
dynasty that ruled the South.
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To
the people of Madurai, the Pandyan name is synonymous
with the city itself. Legend has it that Madurai was
founded by the first Pandyan King Kulasekara in the 6th
century BC.The city is believed to be built at the spot
where a few drops of nectar from Lord Siva's locks fell
when he came to bless the people.Pandyas are also
associated with Madurai's older, and perhaps more
absorbing and enthralling legend of the goddess
Meenakshi, who was born to the Pandya King Malayatwasan
and his Queen Kachanamala.
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Madurai
has been praised by the Greek traveller Magasthenes in the 3rd
century. The Pandyas had trading contacts with Greece and Rome
and were powerful in their own right though they were subjugated
during various periods by the Pallavas and Cholas. With the
decline of the Cholas, the Pandyas rose to prominence once again
in the early 14th century before their challenge was snuffed out
once and for all and the city of Madurai completely destroyed
and ransacked by the Khilji invaders from the North in 1316.
Of
the four dynasties mentioned, the Cheras are comparatively less
important as far as this State is concerned.
The
Cheras ruled over the south-west coast and their empire included
the modern state of Kerala and parts of Western Tamil Nadu.The
downfall of the Pandyas brought into Tamil Nadu a new powerful
force in the form of the Vijayanagara empire which had its
headquarters at Hampi in Karnataka. They overthrew the Muslims
who had invaded Madurai and established supremacy, though it was
their governors or Nayaks who actually brought back the lost
glory to this city. The contributions of the Nayak dynasty to
art and architecture of Madurai, Thanjavur and Tiruchi made
Tamil Nadu a favourite destination with many tourists and
pilgrims. Among the best examples are the Meenakshi temple at
Madurai which was in a state of ruin before it was rebuilt by
Thirumalai Nayakar.
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The
Nayak's rule continued long after the collapse of the
Vijayanagara empire and following them some parts of
Tamil Nadu saw a period, of Maratha rule, Muslim rule
under the Nawabs of Arcot and later, the advent of the
Europeans and the struggle for supremacy resulted in the
ultimate victory of the Europeans and symbols of their
authority stands still at Fort St. George in Chennai
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