Education in ancient Tamil country - Revision history

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	The rulers and aristocrats of ancient [[Tamilakam]] were always conscious of their duties to their country. They considered development of education as an important duty. So the kings and chieftains took all measures for the education of people.<ref>{{cite book\|last=Pillai\|first=Suppaiah\|title=The Contributions of the Tamils to Indian Culture: Socio-cultural aspects\|year=1994\|publisher=International Institute of Tamil Studies}}</ref> [[Naladiyar]] one of the [[Tamil books of Law]] lauds that "men gathered books in abundance and filled their house with them." They studied science, mathematics, engineering, astronomy, logic and ethics.<ref>{{cite book\|last=Subramanian\|first=N.\|title=History of South India\|year=1979\|publisher=S. Chand}}</ref>		The rulers and aristocrats of ancient [[Tamilakam]] were always conscious of their duties to their country. They considered development of education as an important duty. So the kings and chieftains took all measures for the education of people.<ref>{{cite book\|last=Pillai\|first=Suppaiah\|title=The Contributions of the Tamils to Indian Culture: Socio-cultural aspects\|year=1994\|publisher=International Institute of Tamil Studies}}</ref> [[Naladiyar]] one of the [[Tamil books of Law]] lauds that "men gathered books in abundance and filled their house with them." They studied science, mathematics, engineering, astronomy, logic and ethics.<ref>{{cite book\|last=Subramanian\|first=N.\|title=History of South India\|year=1979\|publisher=S. Chand}}</ref>

	Education was widespread and there was high standard of literacy. Libraries attached to Jain Pallis and Buddha Viharas promoted education among the people.{{cn\|date=October 2020}} The [[Sangam literature]] makes clear that people irrespective of sectarian or sex considerations were entitled to get the benefits of full education, making the [[Tamil people]] one of the earliest civilisations to acquire high female literacy.<ref>{{cite book\|last=Nair\|first=Balakrishna\|title=Social development and demographic changes in South India: focus on Kerala\|year=1994\|publisher=M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|title=Kerala District Gazetteers: Trichur\|date=1962\|publisher=Superintendent of Government Presses\|page=95\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kce1AAAAIAAJ&q=post-sangam+females+education~~&dq=post-sangam+females+education&hl=en&sa=X&ei=e4VbU6rzOa-w7Aa-nYGgBw&ved=0CHAQ6AEwCA~~}}</ref>		Education was widespread and there was high standard of literacy. Libraries attached to Jain Pallis and Buddha Viharas promoted education among the people.{{cn\|date=October 2020}} The [[Sangam literature]] makes clear that people irrespective of sectarian or sex considerations were entitled to get the benefits of full education, making the [[Tamil people]] one of the earliest civilisations to acquire high female literacy.<ref>{{cite book\|last=Nair\|first=Balakrishna\|title=Social development and demographic changes in South India: focus on Kerala\|year=1994\|publisher=M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|title=Kerala District Gazetteers: Trichur\|date=1962\|publisher=Superintendent of Government Presses\|page=95\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kce1AAAAIAAJ&q=post-sangam+females+education}}</ref>

	==Women and education==		==Women and education==
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	==Decline after Sangam age==		==Decline after Sangam age==
	Unlike the [[cosmopolitanism]] of the [[Sangam period]], the new era of Vedic teaching was an exclusive privilege of the Brahmins as can be seen from Thirukkachi Nambi's refusal to teach Ramanuja vedic texts.<ref>{{cite book\|first=N.\|last=Subrahmanian\|title=The brahmin in the Tamil country\|year=1989\|publisher=Ennes Publications}}</ref> The [[Guru Shishya parampara]] was instigated at this point and signalled the decline of education among females<ref>{{cite book\|last=Sastri\|first=Kallidaikurichi Aiyah Nilakanta\|title=A Comprehensive History of India, Volume 4, Part 2\|publisher=Indian History Congress\|page=248\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UEwwAQAAIAAJ&q=post-sangam+females+education~~&dq=post-sangam+females+education&hl=en&sa=X&ei=xoZbU9H6AtKv7AbJnoCYAw&ved=0CHkQ6AEwCTgK~~}}</ref> and the general population. This is in line with the [[Manusmrti]] injunction against teaching to lower castes, whereby if a Brahmin were to teach a [[Shudra]], he would fall into ''Asamvrita'', or hell; conversely, if a [[Shudra]] were to hear or utter the [[Veda]], the penalty was that molten lead was poured into his ears and a hot stylus be thrust in his tongue, respectively.<ref>{{cite book\|last=S. N. Sadasivan\|title=A Social History of India\|year=2000\|publisher=APH Publishing\|isbn=9788176481700\|page=274\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Be3PCvzf-BYC~~&pg=PA274~~&dq=Sudras+molten+lead&hl=~~en&sa=X&ei=eXh1UpbYIoen0AXi5IDYAw&ved=0CDgQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Sudras%20molten%20lead&f=false~~}}</ref>		Unlike the [[cosmopolitanism]] of the [[Sangam period]], the new era of Vedic teaching was an exclusive privilege of the Brahmins as can be seen from Thirukkachi Nambi's refusal to teach Ramanuja vedic texts.<ref>{{cite book\|first=N.\|last=Subrahmanian\|title=The brahmin in the Tamil country\|year=1989\|publisher=Ennes Publications}}</ref> The [[Guru Shishya parampara]] was instigated at this point and signalled the decline of education among females<ref>{{cite book\|last=Sastri\|first=Kallidaikurichi Aiyah Nilakanta\|title=A Comprehensive History of India, Volume 4, Part 2\|year=2008\|publisher=Indian History Congress\|page=248\|isbn=9788173045615\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UEwwAQAAIAAJ&q=post-sangam+females+education}}</ref> and the general population. This is in line with the [[Manusmrti]] injunction against teaching to lower castes, whereby if a Brahmin were to teach a [[Shudra]], he would fall into ''Asamvrita'', or hell; conversely, if a [[Shudra]] were to hear or utter the [[Veda]], the penalty was that molten lead was poured into his ears and a hot stylus be thrust in his tongue, respectively.<ref>{{cite book\|last=S. N. Sadasivan\|title=A Social History of India\|year=2000\|publisher=APH Publishing\|isbn=9788176481700\|page=274\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Be3PCvzf-BYC&dq=Sudras+molten+lead&pg=PA274}}</ref>

	==References==		==References==

>Onel5969: Disambiguated: Puducherry → Pondicherry

2020-12-23T11:56:02Z

Disambiguated: Puducherry → Pondicherry

New page

{{TNhistory}}
{{Sri Lankan Tamil history}}
{{Keralahistory}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2020}}
Education was considered important in Ancient [[Tamizhagam|Tamil]] as they considered the mind of the uneducated to be an "abode of darkness". The period of acquiring knowledge was during youth.<ref>{{cite book|last=Nadarajah|first=Devapoopathy|title=Women in Tamil society: the classical period|year=1969|publisher=Faculty of Arts, University of Malaya}}</ref>

The rulers and aristocrats of ancient [[Tamilakam]] were always conscious of their duties to their country. They considered development of education as an important duty. So the kings and chieftains took all measures for the education of people.<ref>{{cite book|last=Pillai|first=Suppaiah|title=The Contributions of the Tamils to Indian Culture: Socio-cultural aspects|year=1994|publisher=International Institute of Tamil Studies}}</ref> [[Naladiyar]] one of the [[Tamil books of Law]] lauds that "men gathered books in abundance and filled their house with them." They studied science, mathematics, engineering, astronomy, logic and ethics.<ref>{{cite book|last=Subramanian|first=N.|title=History of South India|year=1979|publisher=S. Chand}}</ref>

Education was widespread and there was high standard of literacy. Libraries attached to Jain Pallis and Buddha Viharas promoted education among the people.{{cn|date=October 2020}} The [[Sangam literature]] makes clear that people irrespective of sectarian or sex considerations were entitled to get the benefits of full education, making the [[Tamil people]] one of the earliest civilisations to acquire high female literacy.<ref>{{cite book|last=Nair|first=Balakrishna|title=Social development and demographic changes in South India: focus on Kerala|year=1994|publisher=M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Kerala District Gazetteers: Trichur|date=1962|publisher=Superintendent of Government Presses|page=95|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kce1AAAAIAAJ&q=post-sangam+females+education&dq=post-sangam+females+education&hl=en&sa=X&ei=e4VbU6rzOa-w7Aa-nYGgBw&ved=0CHAQ6AEwCA}}</ref>

==Women and education==
The girls of the Sangam age were given a good training in literature, music and drama. The Sangam literature bears ample evidence to the fact that many women had distinguished themselves in the art of music.<ref>{{cite book|last=Ci Pālacuppiramaṇiyan̲|title=The status of women in Tamilnadu during the Sangam age|year=1976|publisher=University of Madras}}</ref>

More than fifty women have been ranked among the Sangam poets.<ref>{{cite book|last=Jayapalan|first=N.|title=Women studies|year=2000|publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Dist, 2000}}</ref>

==Late Sangam age==
The [[Pallavas]] patronised both [[Prakrit]] and [[Sanskrit]]. They established an institution for [[Sanskrit]] at [[Kanji, Tamil Nadu|Kanji]] and lesser schools near [[Pondicherry]]. They attracted the best students from [[Tamizhagam]] and other parts of the south. Buddhism particularly flourished in the next few centuries attracting students from [[Sri Lanka]] and as far flung as [[China]]. [[Bodhidharma]] is a noteworthy mention. Even though the [[Tamil language]] saw a decline during this period, [[Cilappatikaram]] and [[Manimekalai]], two of [[The Five Great Epics of Tamil Literature]] were composed during this period. These epics broke with the Sangam convention of not mentioning the names or specific details of the characters, showing signs of growing influence from [[Sanskrit]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Datta|first=Amaresh|title=The Encyclopaedia Of Indian Literature (Volume Two) (Devraj To Jyoti), Volume 2|year=2006|publisher=Sahitya Akademi}}</ref>

==Decline after Sangam age==
Unlike the [[cosmopolitanism]] of the [[Sangam period]], the new era of Vedic teaching was an exclusive privilege of the Brahmins as can be seen from Thirukkachi Nambi's refusal to teach Ramanuja vedic texts.<ref>{{cite book|first=N.|last=Subrahmanian|title=The brahmin in the Tamil country|year=1989|publisher=Ennes Publications}}</ref> The [[Guru Shishya parampara]] was instigated at this point and signalled the decline of education among females<ref>{{cite book|last=Sastri|first=Kallidaikurichi Aiyah Nilakanta|title=A Comprehensive History of India, Volume 4, Part 2|publisher=Indian History Congress|page=248|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UEwwAQAAIAAJ&q=post-sangam+females+education&dq=post-sangam+females+education&hl=en&sa=X&ei=xoZbU9H6AtKv7AbJnoCYAw&ved=0CHkQ6AEwCTgK}}</ref> and the general population. This is in line with the [[Manusmrti]] injunction against teaching to lower castes, whereby if a Brahmin were to teach a [[Shudra]], he would fall into ''Asamvrita'', or hell; conversely, if a [[Shudra]] were to hear or utter the [[Veda]], the penalty was that molten lead was poured into his ears and a hot stylus be thrust in his tongue, respectively.<ref>{{cite book|last=S. N. Sadasivan|title=A Social History of India|year=2000|publisher=APH Publishing|isbn=9788176481700|page=274|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Be3PCvzf-BYC&pg=PA274&dq=Sudras+molten+lead&hl=en&sa=X&ei=eXh1UpbYIoen0AXi5IDYAw&ved=0CDgQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Sudras%20molten%20lead&f=false}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Education in Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:History of education in India]]
[[Category:Ancient Tamil Nadu]]
[[Category:Tamilakam]]