வெள்ளி, 23 ஜூலை, 2021

An Introduction To The Book ‘SCIENCE DURING THE SANGAM AGE’ By Ilakkuvanar Thiruvalluvan

 

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 pukaiyium tūmam tōṉṟium

te ticai maruki veḷḷi ōṭium ]

 

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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