Nature In Ancient Tamil Poetry – Research Methodologies and Researchers

Abstract

Ancient Tamil literature of South India is a rich source of history and cultural heritage of ancient Tamilsociety. The corpus of this Sangam literature comprises of 8 anthologies and 10 idles. This literary corpus isdivided into two categories dependingon the content. One is Aham-which deals with matters pertaining tolove between a man and a woman. The second is Puram-which deals with matters other than that are dealtin Aham. The conventions and codes followed by Sangam poets are documented in Tholkappium. Natureforms a vital part of Sangam literature. Research on the place of nature in Sangam poetry has helped us tounderstand the development of culture, economy, ethics and religious believes in the ancient Tamil society.However, the aestheticapproach used in the Sangam poetry needsfurther research.