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Hinduism - What Are Tamil Epics?

 

The Tamil Epics are a collection of stories written in the Tamil language.

The Shilappadigaram, the Manimegalai, and the Shivaga Sindamani are three early Tamil epic poetry.

These poems were written in the sixth and seventh centuries of the Common Era, when religious and cultural influences from the north (including the writing of epic poetry) began to impact local traditions.

Tamil is the only significant ancient literary language other than Sanskrit.

All three poems contain vital information about life in their respective eras, particularly religious life.

In a nutshell, the Shilappadigaram ("The Jeweled Anklet") is a tragedy that illustrates a number of fundamental themes that have penetrated Hindu culture, including the necessity for a monarch to govern justly and the power a lady gains by her love to her husband.

The Manimegalai tells the story of a young lady of the same name who is courted by a local prince but ends up becoming a Buddhist nun.

Despite the story's obvious Buddhist leaning, Manimegalai has multiple disputes with persons of opposing religious beliefs.

Finally, the Shivaga Sindamani tells the story of Shivaga, a man who excels in every male skill imaginable, who wins a new lady for his harem with each new task, but eventually gives up everything to become a Jain monk.

Despite the fact that the last two epics are skewed toward Buddhist and Jain religious principles, they all provide useful information on modern religious life.


 Also see Tamil language.

~Kiran Atma


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