Memorial Stone Worship in Sangam Literature

சங்க இலக்கியத்தில் நடுகல் வழிபாடு

Abstract

The worship of hero stones (Nadukal worship) - wherein those who fought against enemies and sacrificed their lives without regard for their own precious existence, with the noble objective of protecting the political system of governance of their land, are revered as divine beings, and their names and glory are inscribed on stone, which is then erected and worshipped as a deity - flourished prominently in Tamil Nadu even during the time of Tolkappiyar, the great ancient grammarian. This worship has been extensively mentioned in various places in Sangam poetry. The objective of this research is to examine the information about such hero stones and hero stone worship through Sangam literature.