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Hinduism, in particular Vaishnavism and Shaivism, was the predominant religion in ancient Tamilakam.The Sangam period in Tamilakam (c. 600 BCE–300 CE) was characterized by the coexistence of many denominations and religions: Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Ajivika and later joined by Buddhism and Jainism alongside the folk religion of the Tamil people.
Originally a god of the Kurinji hillfolk of Tamilakam, this Dravidian deity of Murugan was syncretised with the Vedic god known as Subrahmanya. Archaeological evidence from 1st-century CE and earlier, [10] where he is found with Hindu god Agni (fire), suggest that he was a significant deity in early Hinduism. [6]
It mentions Maha Vishnu and describes him as the god who is "tall, dark-skinned", the Supreme God from whom "the four-faced god was born" (a Vedic legend about Brahma being born from Vishnu's navel). [76] In its similes, it mentions the Ganges river, the Pandavas of the Mahabharata, and the rishis (sages) adept with yoga. [77]
Throughout Tamilakam, a king was considered to be divine by nature and possessed religious significance. [54] The king was "the representative of God on earth" and lived in a koyil, which means "residence of a god". The modern Tamil word for temple is koil (Tamil: கோயில்). Ritual worship was also given to kings.
Sangam literature mentions several Hindu gods and Vedic practices around Ancient Tamilakam. Tamilians considered the Vedas as a book of Righteousness and is used to perform Yagams or Velvi. [6] [7] Several kings have performed Vedic Sacrifices and prayed various gods of Hinduism.
Tamilakam (Tamil: தமிழகம், romanized: Tamiḻakam) was the geographical region inhabited by the ancient Tamil people, covering the southernmost region of the Indian subcontinent. Tamilakam covered today's Tamil Nadu , Kerala , Puducherry , Lakshadweep and southern parts of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka . [ 1 ]
Tamil Sangam literature (200 BCE to 500 CE) mentions Mayon or the "dark one," as the supreme deity who creates, sustains, and destroys the universe and was worshipped in the mountains of Tamilakam. The verses of Paripadal describe the glory of Perumal in the most poetic of terms. Many Poems of the Paripadal consider Perumal as the Supreme god ...
The poetry of the Alvars echoes bhakti to God through love, and in the ecstasy of such devotions they sang hundreds of songs which embodied both depth of feeling and the felicity of expressions. [5] The collection of their hymns is known as the Naalayira Divya Prabandham .