December 28, 2008

TAMIL-ICONIC HISTORY

















   6000 years (or more) before. Yes 6000 years past from 2004! Humans then lived, should have lived, we all know that! These humans still live, but what along?


Can U ever imagine one thing that existed 6000 years before, that still life along with the humans? Can it be, wood?  Stone?   Metals! Even the mightiest of mountains were torn to pieces of stones in 6000 years. Many species were extinct and many other species evolved. The humans themselves changed their form Several times But yes, to every one’s surprise, to every one’s disbelief there exists, something, except for the mother earth itself that still exists amongst us. What could it be?

 It is a gift that history has left with us. Yes, it certainly should be called a gift. Its an heritage, an legacy, philosophy, a way of life that has stood the test of time for 6000 years, that is still followed, and still spoken! Yes still spoken, by not just few, but 60 million people on this same earth 

                                                                

Tamil on Friday became the country’s first ‘classical language’ a category created by the union cabinet to satisfy the aspirations of heritage and legacy of the people.

  

"The Tamil language is the official language of the State of TamilNadu (population over 48 million) in southeast India and is also spoken by some 4 million people living in different parts of the world…..

There is a scholarly literature in Tamil dating back to the early centuries of the Christian era. The language is of Dravidian origin. The Dravidians were the founders of one of the world's most ancient civilizations, which already existed in India sometime before 1000 BC when the Aryans invaded the sub-continent from the north.

The Aryans, who spoke the Sanskrit language, pushed the Dravidians down into south India. Today 8 of the languages of northern and western India (including Hindi) are of Sanskrit origin, but Sanskrit itself is only spoken by Hindu Brahman priests in temple worship and by scholars. In southern India, 4 languages of Dravidian origin are spoken today. Tamil is the oldest of these.

The History of TamilNadu begins with the 3 kingdoms, CHERA, CHOLA and PANDYA, which are referred to in documents of the 3rd century BC. Some of the kings of these dynasties are mentioned in and the age between the 3rd century BC and the 2nd century AD is called the Sangam Age. At the beginning of the 4th century AD the Pallavas established their rule with KANCHIPURAM as their capital. Their dynasty, which ruled continuously for over 500 years, left a permanent impact on the history of TamilNadu, which was during this period virtually controlled by the Pallavas in the north and the Pandyas in the south.

In the middle of the 9th century a Chola ruler established what was to become one of India's most outstanding empires on account of its administrative achievements (irrigation, village development) and its contributions to art and literature. The Age of the Cholas is considered the golden age of Tamil history.

Towards the end of the 13th century the Cholas were overthrown by the later Pandyas who ruled for about a century an d were followed by the Vijayanagara Dynasty, whose greatest ruler was Krishnadeva Raya (1509-1529), and the Nayaks of Madurai and Tanjore.

The Colonial Age opened in the 17th century. In 1639 the British East India Company opened a trading post at the fishing village of Madraspatnam, today Madras, the capital of Tamil Nadu. In 1947, India achieved Independence. The overwhelming majority of the population of Tamil Nadu is Hindu, with active Christian and Muslim minorities.

 

 

 

 

                                   

1 comment:

Unknown said...

sendhamizh patriya seydhigalum karuthugalum manadhuku inbam tharuginrana:-)