‘ANDRE SONNA ARIVIYAL-SANGAKAALAM’ - An Introduction By Prof. G.MARIA JOSEPH XAVIOR : 7/8

 

An Introduction To The Book

‘SCIENCE DURING THE SANGAM AGE’

‘ANDRE SONNA ARIVIYAL-SANGAKAALAM’

By Ilakkuvanar Thiruvalluvan

  7/8

 

Science of civil engineering

 

In the chapters from 38 to 58, the author has explained in detail the town planning and the  knowledge of architectural engineering, our ancestors had duirng the Sangam age.

There are hundreds of references to many mansions, multi-storeyed houses and  skyscrapers  constructed in the days of yore.

The author has cited many examples and explained the following phrases and lines in ancient Tamil literature.

Line No 84 in the poem PORUNARĀṞṞUPPAṬAI speaks about the topmost floor in an edifice that touched the clouds.( மழைஎன மருளும் மகிழ் செய் மாடம் - Maḻai'eṉa maruḷum makiḻ cey māṭam)

 

Line 355 in the poem MATURAIKKĀÑCI tells us that different types of buildings rose up very high in the sky.

[மழை ஆடும் மலையின் நிவந்த மாடமொடு - Maḻai āṭum malaiyiṉ nivanta māṭamoṭu ]

 

The Line No 357 in the same MATURAIKKĀÑCI speaks about the formation of streets that were wide and long like rivers. [யாறு கிடந்தன்ன அகல் நெடுந் தெருவில் - Yāṟu kiṭantaṉṉa akal neṭun teruvil]

 

Buildings rose up so as to touch the clouds. The walls were of great strength with many sections. (MATURAIKKĀÑCI 352-355)

[விண் உற ஓங்கிய பல்படைப் புரிசை
தொல் வலி நிலைஇய அணங்குடை நெடுநிலை
நெய்படக் கரிந்த திண்போர்க் கதவின்
மழை ஆடும் மலையின் நிவந்த மாடமொடு

Viṇ uṟa ōṅkiya palpaṭaip puricai

tol vali nilai'iya aṇaṅkuṭai neṭunilai

neypaṭak karinta tiṇpōrk kataviṉ

maḻai āṭum malaiyiṉ nivanta māṭamoṭu ]

 

The lofty mansions had flights of staircases. It is said that the top most floor soared high so as touch the sailing clouds.  (PATTINAPPAALAI 142-145)

The tall light house was at the port. It was so tall that it seemed to touch the sky.  The night lamp with a bright flame, guided the mariners to arrive at the shore.

We learn these facts from PERUMPĀṆĀṞṞUPPAṬAI (lines 346-351)

 

[வானம் ஊன்றிய மதலை போல

ஏணி சாத்திய ஏற்று அருஞ் சென்னி

விண்பொர நிவந்த வேயா மாடத்து

இரவில் மாட்டிய இலங்கு சுடர் ஞெகிழி

உரவு நீர் அழுவத்து ஓடு கலம் கரையும்  

துறை (346-351)

 

Vāṉam ūṉṟiya matalai pōla

ēṇi cāttiya ēṟṟu aruñ ceṉṉi

viṇpora nivanta vēyā māṭattu

iravil māṭṭiya ilaṅku cuṭar ñekiḻi

uravu nīr aḻuvattu ōṭu kalam karaiyum  

tuṟai]

 

We learn from PUṞANĀṈŪṞU(390.7) that there were long lines of splendid mansions that looked like ranges of mountains.

[மலைக் கணத்து அன்ன மாடம் சிலம்ப

Malaik kaṇattu aṉṉa māṭam cilampa]

 

Mansions with plastered walls were like the full moon.( PUṞANĀṈŪṞU: 378.6)

புதுப் பிறையன்ன சுதை செய் மாடத்துப்

Putup piṟaiyaṉṉa cutai cey māṭattu

 

From PUṞANĀṈŪṞU(32.5), we learn that MATURAI City was rich with many mansions. [மாட மதுரை - Māṭa maturai]

There were towering  big mansions in the city of URANTHAI(PURANAARU 67.9). 

[ உயர் நிலை மாடத்து - Uyar nilai māṭattu]

We learn from the Poem MULLAIPAATTU(86) by the poet NAPPOOTHANAAR that there were seven storeyed mansions (எழுநிலை மாடம் – EZHU NILAI MAADAM)

in ancient Tamilnadu.

In the city of MATURAI, the wede streets were straight and splendid. Many mansions beautified MATURAI(TIRUMURUKĀṞṞUPPAṬAI 70). [மாடம் மலி மறுகின் கூடல்

Māṭam mali maṟukiṉ kūṭal]

MATURAI is an ancient city with tall mansions. Thus NEṬUNAL VĀṬAI (29) endorses this fact.

[மாடம் ஓங்கிய மல்லல் மூதூர்

Māṭam ōṅkiya mallal mūtūr]

 

The lofty  mansions with bright flames resembled tall light houses that guided the mariners to reach their destination.

There were splendid mansions in the Famous city kūṭal / MATURAI was proud of spruce mansions. (MATURAIKKĀÑCI, line 429)

[மாடம் பிறங்கிய மலி புகழ்க் கூடல்

Māṭam piṟaṅkiya mali pukaḻk kūṭal]

The lofty houses looked like the cloud cappeed mountains (MATURAIKKAANJI, lines 355 & 406) [மழை ஆடும் மலையின் நிவந்த மாடம்

Maḻai āṭum malaiyiṉ nivanta māṭam]

[மலை புரை மாடம் - Malai purai māṭam]

There were tall houses with terraces on which the graceful moon shone bright.( MATURAIKKĀÑCI, line 451)

The Palatial mansions were as tall as the cloud capped mountains(MALAIPAṬUKAṬĀM, line 484).

[மலைஎன மழை என மாடம் ஓங்கி

Malai'eṉa maḻai eṉa māṭam ōṅki]

There were multi storeyed splendid mansions that beautified Maduai. (AKANĀṈŪṞU, Poem124.6).

[மாட மாண் நகர் - Māṭa māṇ nakar]

Many lofty houses seemed to touch the clouds in the sky. (AKANĀṈŪṞU, Poem 167.4)

    The houses were well guarded at night (AKANĀṈŪṞU, Poem 255.16).

Ancient towns were rich with mansions (AKANĀṈŪṞU, Poem 335.11).

There were streets flanked by splendid houses in Koodal/MATURAI (AKANĀṈŪṞU,Poem 346.20).

There were stately mansions with their walls plastered. Their courtyards were lit by the milky moon. They regated the eyes of he beholders. (KALITTOKAI, Poem 96.19)

There were houses with tall columns (PAṬṬIṈAPPĀLAI, Poem 111)

Koodal city was full of  tall mansions (KALITTOKAI, Poem 35.17)

The clouds that sailed in the sky gently brushed the top most storey of the lofty mansions. (PAṬṬIṈAPPĀLAI, Poem 145)

The splendid mansions erected had strong columns and wide entrances (PAṬṬIṈAPPĀLAI, Poem 261)

The same poem speaks about the splendour of URANTHAI town  (PAṬṬIṈAPPĀLAI, Poem 285).

At the top of the tall houses bright banners werefluttering (PATIṞṞUPPATTU,  Poem 47.3)

 

Prof. G.MARIA JOSEPH XAVIOR