"Outcast" as Indicated in Tamil Literature

Abstract

During the Sangam period, Tamil Nadu flourished in all fields like literature, art, civilization, and politics. It is the Sangam literature that helps us to understand that famous society. That literature is full of historical sources, biographical events of the people, and internal and external events. The superiority of a country is determined by the lifestyles of its people. The literature that appeared in each period indicates the lifestyles of the people who lived in that period. The Sangam period, hailed as the golden age in the history of Tamil Nadu, had many special features. The Sangam literature that appeared at that time was also considered the cultural treasury of the people. It is also possible to clearly understand the lifestyles of the people of that time as described in the literature. There are ups and downs in the lives of the people of this era, where there is a lot of pride and fame. Tolkappiyam belongs to the early period of Tamil literary history. Both the studies of agathinai (internal life) and the genetics of Tolkaapiyam provide some information about the Varna system (sub divisions). The agathinai came to talk about the study of dividing them into four categories, namely king, noble, merchant, and servant. All these four are mentioned as "Eval Marapinar" (Commanding Lineage). That is, from Nachinarkinyar's explanation that "the business of inciting others is their own," it is clear that there was a section in society that obeyed the incitement of the four clans. This research paper tries to investigate the literature saying that the people who are engaged in this search are outcasts, their professional method, and the Varna (class) system of that time.