WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Sangam means a gathering of learned men. The literature compiled in such gatherings is known as ‘Sangam Literature’. It is the most ancient literature in Tamil. A whole time period is labelled after this known as the Sangam Age.

Detailed explanation-2: -The period roughly between the 3rd century B.C. and 3rd century A.D. in South India (the area lying to the south of river Krishna and Tungabhadra) is known as Sangam Period. It has been named after the Sangam academies held during that period that flourished under the royal patronage of the Pandya kings of Madurai.

Detailed explanation-3: -Tamil literature is known as Sangam literature because they were composed and compiled in associations called Sangams.

Detailed explanation-4: -It offers information on the political, human psychology, social life, and economic conditions of the people during the Sangam era. The work in this literature is divided into three sections, and further, it is divided into nine chapters; it contains 1612 sutras.

Detailed explanation-5: -Inscriptions. Inscriptions form an important source of the Sangam Age. One cave inscription which was deciphered in 1966 dating back to 2nd century BC deals with a record of the gift of a monastery by a Pandyan king to a Jain monk.