An Introduction
To The Book
‘SCIENCE DURING
THE SANGAM AGE’
‘ANDRE SONNA
ARIVIYAL-SANGAKAALAM’
By Ilakkuvanar
Thiruvalluvan
4/8
Knowledge of
marriage registration
In chapter No 16, the author wonders
about the practice of marriage registration. The registration of marriage come
to be in vogue in the year 1653, in England. In the years of 1964 and 1979, the
UNO made the registration of marriage compulsory.
In the dim past the Tamils lay stress on
the registration of marriages. The Tamil GRAMMARIAN TOLKĀPPIYAR in his book TOLKĀPPIYAM
has mentioned about it. Our ancestors did things before the peoples of other
lands could think of them/
DR.S.Ilakkuvanar a doyen in Tamil literature,
who translated TOLKĀPPIYAM into English revealed
the fact about the practice of marriage registration.
Science of
Planets
The Tamils named the planets by their
natural quality. But the Greeks, the Romans and others clung to some imaginary and irrational myths about
planets. For example, the author speaks about saturn in the 17th
chapter.
The saturn is called SANI which means a cold
planet. It is called MAIM'MĪṈ which means black planet.
Another name they had for saturn is KARIYAVAṈ.
It means the planet which has got a black colour. MANTAṈ is
another name for SATURN. It means slow revolving planet.
So we learn that our ancestors had the
knowledge of the climate, colour and the speed of Saturn.
The Knowledge
of Comet
In
the chapter No 18 the author has
explained the small Solar System – i.e. Comet. Its Greek name is KOMETES. It
means long hair. Another meaning for kometes is tail. A Comet when passing
close to the Sun, releases gases and its
trailing gases like hair or tail.
Nowadays,
The Tamils also calls it as VĀL NAṬCATTIRAM – a star which has got a tail.
But the Tamils who lived 2000 years back
had the knowledge of this celestral body. They never called Comet
a Star. They called it TŪMAM and PUKAIKKOṬI by
the virtue of releasing gas and dust. the planets as follow
[In the poem No.117 of Puṟanāṉūṟu.
Poet KAPILAR MENTIONED the planets as follows:
மைம்மீன் புகையினும் தூமம் தோன்றினும்
தென் திசை மருங்கின் வெள்ளி ஓடினும்
Maim'mīṉ
pukaiyiṉum tūmam tōṉṟiṉum
teṉ ticai
maruṅkiṉ veḷḷi ōṭiṉum ]
Swimming dress and platform
Swimming came under the catagory of
sports only in19th century. In the year 1891, Spring Board was introduced in
swimming. In the year 1901 it was
included in the list of the events of Olympic games. Then Driving platforms
came into use. But 2000 years back, the Tamils used NĪRAṆI MĀṬAM – Upper platform
for diving into water.
[நீர் அணி காண்போர் நிரை மாடம் ஊர்குவோர்
Nīr aṇi kāṇpōr nirai māṭam ūrkuvōr – Paipaadal 10.27]
They
called two-piece dress as Īraṇi, i.e. two wears.
In Akanāṉūṟu(166-13;
266.5), Paripāṭal(6.28; 22.18; 10.27) the poets mentioned the Īraṇi.
SCINECE OF COINS
There are many
references to gold coins in Sangam literature. The author quotes the lines from Tirumurukāṟṟuppaṭai(16),
Akanāṉūṟu(315.10-13), Kuṟuntokai (67.1-4; 18.1-3; 274.1-2), Naṟṟiṇai(274.1-2)
and Kalittokai(85.3-4) and explains the gold coins that were in use in the
chapter No. 20.
SCIENCE OF
IRRIGATION
The author described the science of
irrigation which was in vogue 2000 yeras
back in the chapter No. 22.
The author has explained about the
kallaṇai - a dam built 2000 years back on river kaveri- by the Cōḻa
emperor Karikāl Peruvaḷattāṉ.
Poet Muṭattāmak kaṇṇiyār mentioned in
her poem (puṟanāṉūṟu 18) that those who blocked abundant water or
who created water reservoirs will control the world; those who don't control
the abundant water have not controlled
this world. By this golden lines she emphasise the kings to built water
reservoirs for irrigations. The author has explained this poem.
Prof.
G.MARIA JOSEPH XAVIOR
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