Ancient Tamil Research Articles

Mum'maruntu nūlkaḷil maruttuvam cārnta paḻakka vaḻakkaṅkaḷ [Medical elements in mum'maruntu texts

In the changing human living environment, medicine has become an important aspect. Although human beings are progressing gradually, physical health continues to pose many challenges to human beings. In general, irregular eating habits and an undisciplined lifestyle are the reasons for deterioration of physical health. Although modern medicine provides solutions for diseases that arise from time to time, there is no doubt that following the right way of life as prescribed by ancient medicine helps one to lead a healthy life throughout their lifetime. In this regard, the medical treatment practices followed by people in their daily life during various periods can be known through the study of literature that emerged during those times. Tamil literature also contains many medical references necessary for the people. The Patinenkilkkanakku Texts are the compilations made during the Sangam period. The Patinenkilkkanakku Texts are generally texts that preach moral values. However, many verses contain references to ancient medicine. This article aims to study the medical-related practices found in the three texts called Mummaṟuntu Nūls (Triple Root Treatises) - Ēlāti, Tirikāṭukam and Ciṟupañcamūlam - among the Patinenkilkkanakku Texts. The ancient Tamils gave great importance to maintaining a healthy physical lifestyle in their daily life. They inculcated good conduct and discipline in people's minds and thereby enabled them to lead a disease-free life. By reading the Mummaṟuntu Nūls (Triple Root Treatises), we can understand that they made people lead a life free from diseases through inculcating good conduct and discipline. We can appreciate the greatness of these texts as they reveal medical thoughts that are relevant even for today's people.

An intelligent character segmentation system coupled with deep learning based recognition for the digitization of ancient Tamil palm leaf manuscripts

Palm-leaf manuscripts, rich with ancient knowledge in areas such as history, art, and medicine, are vital cultural treasures, making their digitization essential for preserving this heritage. Digitization of these organic and fragile manuscripts is required to safeguard the essential ancient data. This requires optimal character segmentation and recognition algorithms. A limited number of studies have been carried out in Tamil character recognition in literature. Handling row-overlapped characters, noise introduced due to lightning issues, and dirt, as well as the removal of punch holes, auto-cropping the content, filtering out noisy or improper segmentation, etc. are the essential concerns carried out in our proposed work. This work is executed as a four-step process (1) Palm Leaf Manuscript Acquisition (2) Pre-Processing (3) Segmentation of Tamil Characters and (4) Tamil Character Recognition. During acquisition, the scanners are used for recording palm leaf manuscripts from the Tamil Nadu-oriented manuscript library. In the Pre-processing step, the Fast Non-Local Means (Fast-NLM) method, paired with median filtering is used for Denoising the scanner output image. Later, the pixels that make the characters and borders (i.e., the foreground) are identified using Sauvola thresholding. The proposed methodology introduces efficient techniques to remove Punch hole impressions from the pre-processed image, and to crop the written content from the edges. After pre-processing, the Segmentation of Tamil Characters is performed as a three-step process (a) Manuscript (b) Line, and (c) character segmentation, which addresses conjoined lines, partially/completely empty segmentations that are not previously addressed by existing techniques. This work introduces an Augmented HPP line-splitting algorithm that accurately segments written lines, handling wrong segmentation cases that were previously not considered by existing techniques. The system achieves an average segmentation accuracy of 98.25%, which far outperforms existing techniques. It also proposes a novel Punch hole removal algorithm that can locate and remove the punch-hole impressions in the manuscript image. This algorithm, along with the automated content cropping technique, increases recognition accuracy and eliminates any manual labor needed. These features make the proposed methodology highly suitable for real-time archaeological and historical researches that include manuscripts. All 247 letters and 12 numeric digits are analyzed and separated into 125 distinct writable characters. In our work, characters are segmented and used for recognition of all 247 letters and 12 digits in Tamil using a multi-class CNN with 125 classes, which drastically reduces the complexity of the neural network compared to having 257 output nodes. It offered a notable performance of 96.04% accuracy. As compared with existing Tamil and other character recognitions, this work is effective in essence of considering real-time images and the increased number of characters used.

Mathematical Inscriptions on Copper Plates in Tamil Nadu: A Study of Numerical Notations, Calculation Methods, and Economic Implications

Mathematical inscriptions on copper plates found in Tamil Nadu provide valuable insights into thenumerical notations, calculation methods, and economic activities of ancient South India. This researchpaper aims to analyze and interpret these inscriptions to understand the mathematical techniques employed by ancient Tamil societies for accounting, taxation, land measurement, and trade. By examining the content and context of mathematical inscriptions on copper plates, this study seeks to illuminate the mathematical literacy, computational skills, and economic sophistication of ancient Tamil Nadu. Additionally, the paper will explore the implications of these findings for our broader understanding of mathematical history, economic development, and cultural exchange in ancient South India.

TOLKAPPIA MEIPADUGAL IN KANNADASAN'S YESU KAVIYAM

The Jesus epic composed by the poet Kannadasan is considered one of the most significant texts in the epic genre of the ancient Tamil language. This book is an epic that is written in a manner that is accessible and comprehensible to individuals of all social strata. The poet has composed a poetic rendition of Jesus' complete life story. This research aims to explore the performance of songs as dance with the support of the meipadugal in Tolkappiyam, the first grammar book of the Tamil language. This research was conducted to assist dancers in enhancing their performance of a certain dance by emphasizing the background and character of the song.

Preserving the Legacy of Ancient Tamil Script with Deep Learning and Fuzzy C Means Algorithm: Intelligent Approach to Digiitization

Preserving the Legacy of Ancient Tamil Script with Deep Learning and Fuzzy C Means Algorithm: Intelligent Approach to Digiitization

Integrative, Hierarchic, and Anarchic Oikos in Ancient Tamil Poetry: An Analysis of Ainkurunuru’s Translation by Martha Ann Selby

This paper explores the intricate depiction of oikos in the Sangam literary corpus, specifically through an analysis of the Ainkurunuru’s translation by Martha Ann Selby, namely, Tamil Love Poetry: One of the most influential collections of the Tamil literature is known as the Five Hundred Short Poems of the Ainkurunuru. Using tiNai poetics’ model by Nirmal Selvamony, the study digs into how the environment and society are depicted in the ancient Tamil poetry and it is manifested on integrative oikos which has “all-inclusive harmony”. This approach of harmony and unity of the universal Tamil culture, on the other hand, is the epitome of the close ecological bond transcended by the people, as they do not just merely live in the environment but also significantly contribute to the community’s cultural and daily lifestyle through the natural world. The paper further identifies and analyses two additional aspects of oikos depicted in the poetry: from the top-down decision making systems to the anarchist movements alike. The oikos of nature is highly hierarchical. It shows up in the social stratification and environmental stability, which mirrors the society’s respect to leaders with decision-making power. On the contrary, a sort of anarchy may show up in the oikos fragments that in turn encompass turmoil and subversion, the deviance away from ordinary principles in both nature and society, symbolizing the flow of life together with its upheavals that the man and nature relationship represents.

Bhakti Blossoms: Tamil Poetry’s Journey into Spiritual Depths, Unraveling Devotion and Cultural Significance

Purpose: Tamil Bhakti Poetry is a captivating exploration of devotion and spirituality found within the depths of Tamil literature. Emerging from the Bhakti movement these poetic compositions beautifully delve into themes of profound love and unwavering dedication to deities providing a unique glimpse into the spiritual landscape of historic Tamil Nadu. Methodology: The exploratory research method is used where the relevant information are collected through keyword-based search using search engines like Google, Google Scholar, and AI-driven GPTs and analysed, compared, and evaluated using suitable analysing frameworks. Analysis & Findings: The evolution of Bhakti in Tamil literature mirrors the historical changes of that era nurturing a vibrant tradition of poetic expression. This paper delves into the themes of love and devotion woven within Bhakti poetry analysing the distinctive contributions made by revered poets like the Alvars and Nayanars. Originality/Values: The paper examines how Tamil Bhakti Poetry extends beyond its influence to shape religious practices, and rituals and imbue ancient Tamil society with its spiritual ethos.

READING SILAPPADIKARAM IN THE CONTEMPORARY TIMES: A STUDY OF ITS PERFORMATIVE ASPECTS

Silappadikaram is a classic literary work of ancient Tamil society, believed to have been composed around the 5th century BCE by Ilango Adigal. It encompasses elements of Jainism, Buddhism, and other religious traditions then prevalent, and also it incorporates themes, myths, and theological principles from each of the belief systems. The epic offers a vivid portrayal of both virtuous and malevolent deeds, while exploring themes of joy and suffering. What sets Silappadikaram apart from other epics is that the text focuses on an ordinary couple, as opposed to kings and armies. The text painstakingly demonstrates the behavioural nuances of society, ranging from commoners to rulers. Love and separation, gaining and losing power, are recurring themes in Indian classical dramas by notable playwrights like Vishakadatta, Kalidas, Bhasa, and Bhavabhuti, etc. These plays were created with the intention of influencing society, specifically targeting individuals in positions of power and authority. However, post-colonial Indian theatre took a different approach, placing common individuals as protagonists in the plays. Works such as Aadhe Adhure, Ghashiram Kotwal, Hayavadana, and Sakharam Binder address prevalent societal issues, with the central character being an ordinary person. The main aspects of modern theatre and the plays mentioned here primarily explore the everyday activities of common individuals and how they are influenced by other members of society, economic factors, and politics. This paper studies the contemporary relevance of Silappadikaram in modern theatre by drawing a comparison with these modern Indian plays.

Review on Ancient Tamil Architecture: A Immortal Heritage of Creativity and Artistic Perfection

Review on Ancient Tamil Architecture: A Immortal Heritage of Creativity and Artistic Perfection

THE ROLE OF INTERDISCIPLINARITY AS A FRAMEWORK IN HANDLING CULTURE SPECIFIC CONCEPTS WITH REFERENCE TO TAMIL EGAI

Interdisciplinary framework is one of the viable methodologies and it is considered feasible for handling issues that are pertaining to human life. The magnitude of human crisis or the emergence of the complexity of social and cultural concepts has created the necessity or necessitates the approach in which there is a need for inputs from more than one discipline, and thus, the cognate fields of study have to be brought together to deal with the problem that cannot provide a solution due to the nature and complexity of the problem. And despite the speculation that the interdisciplinary framework has limitations in its applicability, and confining it to academic settings, this study makes an attempt to conflate various elements for building up an argument towards its relevance beyond and outside the academic purview. By critically evaluating the feasibility and deliverability of the proposed framework, with the help of an example from ancient Tamil society and its much-celebrated concept of egai, this paper highlights the inevitability of the existence of some of the elements of concepts, or sometimes concepts themselves, being rooted in other concepts. It forces us to claim that a holistic study could be made possible with the interdisciplinary framework which is evidenced here. To move towards the proposed concept, it builds the environment of ancient Tamil society, its contribution in terms of a corpus of literature and its universal significance that is used to contextualize the universal importance of the proposed concept and its contemporary relevance.

Selections from the Kuruntokai: Translated from the Ancient Tamil

Selections from the <i>Kuruntokai</i>: Translated from the Ancient Tamil

한국어 문법에 의한 톨카피얌 해독의 가능성 검토

Tolkāpiyam, the oldest known book written in Old Tamil, is believed to have been authored around 100 B.C. Although Tolkāpiyam deals with the grammar of Tamil, a language still spoken by Tamils today, this ancient text, along with other Old Tamil books, has remained largely undeciphered. The reason for this lies in the fact that the grammar of Old Tamil has not been fully comprehended. Previous attempts to decipher Tolkāpiyam have mostly involved making educated guesses about the meaning of a paragraph based on the meanings of individual words.&#x0D; In this paper, I reveal the grammatical system of Old Tamil, drawing from the grammar theory presented in Part 2 of Tolkāpiyam. Old Tamil, much like pre-medieval Korean, employs predicates as nouns. It features elements such as chosa (조사), verb endings, honorifics, and causative verb suffixes. Remarkably, Tolkāpiyam is structured following the Korean word order. The grammar of Old Tamil closely resembles that of modern Korean. As a demonstration that Koreans can decipher Tolkāpiyam without prior knowledge of ancient Tamil, relying on word meanings alone, I also provide a correct interpretation for several paragraphs in Part I (Phonology). These interpretations challenge previous misconceptions and affirm the validity of my paper's argument, highlighting the limitations of prior research.

Domesticating the Cosmic: Elemental Fire and the Tamil Festival of Lights

This article is about the calendrical, climactic and especially cosmological implications of Karthigai Deepam, an ancient Tamil celebration pivoted around the lighting of lamps that precedes Deepavali, the quintessential, ubiquitous but also comparatively recent festival of lights. Karthigai Deepam signals the end of the rains, intensifying winter chills and winds and shorter days. Juxtaposing festival observances in homes and those in temples, I demonstrate how its overriding concerns with generating light and warmth are part of ritual efforts to defend against elemental and existential threats of darkness and cold. Linking sacred time and mythical events with chronological time and human activities, this calendrical ritual joins together the divine and the mortal. Tracing the movement of fire and its various iterations as it traverses and connects the natural, cosmic, temple and home, this festival, I propose, renders the cosmic intimate and the intimate cosmic. Some rituals not only embody but also put cosmology into dynamic practice.

A study on the prescription practice among registered siddha physician in treating Pouthiram (Fistula-In-Ano) in Tamil Nadu: A cross sectional survey

Background: Siddha system of medicine is primarily practiced in parts of southern India, the origin of this system tracked back to ancient Tamil civilization. It provides scientific and holistic approach in curative and rejuvenating health care. It comprises mainly 32 internal and 32 external medication forms among them chooranam an internal medicine is one of the effective medications prescribed along with medicated oil, ghee or honey to enhance its effectiveness. Fistula-in-ano is a condition with more prevalence and high recurrence rate, The Prescription of 50 registered Siddha physicians which are prognostic in their practice are obtained and analysed statistically. Objective: To assess the drug of choice and line of treatment for treating POUTHIRAM(FISTULA-IN-ANO) among Siddha physicians. Sampling technique: Convenient sampling. Methodology: Questionnaire based study Open ended questions. Method: Face to face interview, Google form. Results and observations: The prescription practice study was carried out in 50 physicians (Registered private practitioners/ Faculties / physicians from government siddha institutions Assistant Medical officer/Research officer) in Tamilnadu. The observations were made and tabulated.

Leather Usage by the Ancient Tamils

The usage of leather products has been prevalent since time immemorial. Leather and the science related to it have immensely contributed to the social and economic development of the Tamil community. The research article focuses on providing adequate information about the leather products, names given to leather, handicrafts, technology used in producing leather products by Tamil people and other relevant information related to leather products.

The Country and the City in the Kāñcippurāṇam

Numerous pre-modern literary works in Tamil begin with a lengthy description of a country and a city. This convention is a stock element of texts belonging to the kāppiyam and purāṇam genres, which can be defined as long narrative poems and mythological narrations, respectively. Such descriptions are particularly numerous in talapurāṇams, i.e., texts dealing with the mythology of sacred sites. This article discusses the description of the country and the city in the Kāñcippurāṇam (KP), a talapurāṇam of the city of Kanchipuram composed in the late 18th century by the author Civañāṉa Muṉivar. It will be shown that the description of Kanchipuram and its surroundings in the introductory chapters of the KP, rather than aiming at a realistic portrayal, is strongly based on Tamil literary conventions that can be traced back to ancient Tamil literature, but also to influential texts of the medieval period, such as the Kamparāmāyaṇam or the Periyapurāṇam. Moreover, the article examines how Civañāṉa Muṉivar correlates the literary landscape that he describes with the real-world geography of the region around Kanchipuram and Śaiva devotional topography, thus creating a complex multi-layered landscape.

Vaishnavism in Nammalvar’s Poem “Tiruviruttam”

Nammalvar, a Tamil poet who lived in IX-X centuries, is revered as one of the great mystics of India. His four poetic works are equated with the sacred hymns and are part of the ritual worship in the temples of South India. Artistic images of Nammalvar formed the basis of the philosophy of Vishishta-Advaita several centuries later. The poem “Thiruviruttam” is considered as his early work, where he combines the canons of ancient Tamil poetry and his devoted love for Vishnu-Tirumal. The study presents a religious and philosophical interpretation of the poem. The secret of the poem is its dualism: external beauty and sacred meaning. There is a spiritual meaning in symbols of Tamil poetry. Nammalvar takes canons of his predecessors, poets of the Sangam era. However, he fills one with new content. The author compares ancient Tamil poetry and the work of Nammalvar. The plot describes the love between God and the soul. The poet reveals several types of bhakti or devoted love. The description of bhakti subsequently formed the basis for the classification of souls in the philosophy of vishishta-advaita. Bhakti leads to the transition to Vaikuntha or the heaven city. Sri Vaishnavism teachers turned the description of relationship soul-Vishnu into a spiritual practice. The artistic images of Nammalvar are compared with Hindu concepts such as transcendence, darshan, divine grace and moksha. In South India “Thiruviruttam” is considered the Tamil Rig Veda. Poem is performed at home, in the temple, during festive processes. It helps to find the roots of Vaishnavism and understand its poetic origin.

Who Was ‘She’ in Ancient Tamil Literature?

The representations of women in ancient Tamil literature are multifarious, and the development of such perceptions is a non-linear process. While existing studies provide extensive analyses of ancient literary works, it is still unclear how the perceptions of women eventually shaped a specific rubric for modern Tamil women to follow. Ancient Tamil literature characterises the feminine identity as a constantly evolving entity, not restricted to or encapsulated by any particular archetype or trait. In order to truly understand the role of the different portrayals of women in literature in eventually forming a “Tamil” identity, it is vital to unearth the multi-faceted intentions and motivations of writers who authored esteemed literary works, such as the Tolkāppiyam. The “Tamil” identity (or the norms one accepts and adheres to in order to qualify or identify as “Tamil”) has deep roots in ancient Tamil literature. Tamil Literature was not only pregnant with meaning to Tamils back then but also now, with effects proliferating within modern Tamil society in ways more than one, especially in the social and psychological domains.

TALK ON BETRAYAL IN THE SELECT WORKS OF SHAKESPEARE AND THIRUVALLUVAR

This paper explores the theme of betrayal as depicted in the selected works of two literary giants, William Shakespeare and Thiruvalluvar. The comparative analysis delves into the cultural, linguistic, and philosophical nuances that shape the portrayal of betrayal in the works of these distinguished writers. While Shakespeare's tragedies, such as ‘Othello,’ ‘Hamlet,’ ‘Macbeth’ and ‘Julius Caesar,’ unfold in the complex tapestry of Elizabethan England. Thiruvalluvar’s Tirukkural offers insights from the ancient Tamil Nadu, where ethical teachings and moral guidance take centre stage. The discussion aims to unravel the similarities and differences in the treatment of betrayal, considering the character motivations, societal implications, and moral dimensions embedded in the selected works. Through a multidimensional exploration, this paper seeks to provide a nuanced understanding of how these literary masters navigate the intricacies of betrayal within their distinct cultural and literary landscapes. This paper also discusses the limitations and future directions.

YOGA FOR STRESS-FREE LIFE

In modern world, we can see that all life is suffered due to various illnesses. Especially, mental depression is almost covered by people due to deficiency of natural food not to intake by people and less physical work. Not only that many people have over burden of less income and family circumstance. Many people not having immunity power and not to take precautionary steps to solve any problems. And also, there is no peace of mind in everywhere due to various causes. From which they are all have stress with mental agony. They should be attained sound health and mind to face for anything like illness, mental worry and get rid of the various difficulties from various sources with stronger mind and maintained good health condition. Yoga is a part of the people's life which must be practiced daily life for increase the potential health and sound mind. So that, yogi given to us that special Asana and deeply concentrate of mind in the inner part of our body for relaxation by the help of yoga practice for stimulus of the glands of our body and regulate the functioning of inner organ of the body. Yoga is a universal holistic science to realize and practice the inter-connectivity between our body, mind and soul. The main contribution of ancient Tamil siddhas towards the evolution of various yogic practices to use for the anxiety stress with phobia.