There is an opinion among certain scholars that the usage of word sangam for the ancient literatures of tamil is a wrong usage.
The word "sangam" does not appear in any of the odes ! Surprising, is'nt it, given the belief that all poems were censored by the sangam board. The first historic sangam which can be verified is the "thiramila sangam" by saint vajranandhi of kalabhra times.
It is in a much later and highly questionable literature - Iraiyanar agapporul / kalaviyalurai - that the myth of sangap palagai etc comes into pictures. In later pandiyan copper plates we find mention about sangam - and we also find lot of other stories which are mythical.
> There is an opinion among certain scholars that the usage of word > sangam for the ancient literatures of tamil is a wrong usage. Sangam is not a Tamil word. It came from the Sanskrit root word sanga: it means the assembly place of people or society etc,.
It is not a wrong usage Gokul, Tamil had taken almost 850 words from Sanskrit and Tamil also gave almost 650 words to Sanskrit. It will be difficult to believe that the word 'siva' had gone from Tamil to Sanskrit but it is the fact according to the Madras University publication. Tamil is the only language which gave some basic letters or alphabets to Sanscrit[ called pulliyitta ezhuththukkal].
This is simply the mere colloboration of the only two dominant languages of that time. Hope we need a different view to understand this fact.
> board. The first historic sangam which can be verified is > the "thiramila sangam" by saint vajranandhi of kalabhra times.
> sangam - and we also find lot of other stories which are mythical.
Given above is the words of tholkAppiyar. What he says is he learned and attained expertisation of a book written by 'inthiran' the chief of devas.
Can you believe this? Hopefully not. But can you reject his setence? No, you cannot. Because it is not written by us.
This is the most ancient topic and the most everliving topic and many peoples tried and failed to attain any grounds but still what surviving will live for ever.
> difficult to believe that the word 'siva' had gone from Tamil to > Sanskrit but it is the fact according to the Madras University
The word "sivaniya" appears in tholkappiyam many time, but with a different meaning. Can you pl elaborate what madras univ publication says in this reg ? Very interesting
> This is the most ancient topic and the most everliving topic and many > peoples tried and failed to attain any grounds but still what > surviving will live for ever.
You are right. As we go back and back with lesser evidences we need to surmise from what is available and there is serious diff of opinion !
> IS IT NOT THE THOGAI PAATU FOR THOLKAPPIYAM BY PANAMPAARANAR ? I don't > think these were the words of tholkappiyar. Pl correct me if I am wrong.
% O My GOD I am very sorry Gokul. It is a great blender I did. You are very correct. %
It is written by panampAranAr only. Actually he was the classmate 'oru salai mAnAkkar' of tholkappiyar and as this is the sirappuppAyiram it have to be written by some known person other than him. But it says all about tholkappiyar because this is the introductory report note read at the arasavai of Pandiyan.
But I can confirm you that this was not added in later time. This was written and staged on the same time. Saiva Siththantha Noorppathippuk kazhagam's publication affirms this.
But what I said about the grammer book 'ainthira viyagaranam' is still correct and all the other words stands as it is.
Coming back to the original intend of this thread, the question was whether a group of poets were functioning under a single umbrella and whether this was patronized by pandiyan kings.
We hear things like "Mangudi marudhan ullita pulavar kuzham" in sangam literature which could be the grouping of poets under a given lead. But this does not translate to sangam or sangap palagai etc.
The lord himself is supposed to have been the lead in first sangam. Iraiyanar being attributed to lord is questionable from historic perspective.
"sanga" word is of bali (buddhist / Jain) origins.
So, purely focussing on the existance of a group of poets or a censor board which attested every good literary work - I look forward to hear views from members