Liturgical Traditions in the Literature of the Sangam Periods

Abstract

Society is a system in which various parts work together. The message of worship traditions in Sangam literature is taken up for analysis in this article. Ancient man began to worship nature out of fear. It can be known that the cults appeared after being subjected to many threats. Due to many searches, a system established by man is considered as a tradition of worship. In Tamil society, it can be seen that there is spirit principle, ancestor worship, polytheism, etc. These literatures show that not only the five gods which are elements of nature, but also mountains, states etc. have played a major role in nature worship. They also had a practice of worshiping the human being. The tradition of worshiping the deceased in the midst of the war dead is a very proud and admirable practice practiced in the Tamil community. Tolkapiyam gives us a grammatical account about the middle-stone worship tradition. The name of the hero, his merits and his specialty etc. are mentioned in the middle stone. It is special that Tolkapiya also gives us a grammatical account of this middle-stone worship tradition. To worship the middle stone god, the custom of sacrificing a lamb with a stone and beating the rice stick is found in Sangam literary works of Akananuru and Purananuru. In the Silapathikaram which appeared in the later period of the Sangam literature, there is also the worship of nature and the worship of middle stone. There is also a practice of sacrificing the head to the deity by scratching its own head.  Following this, the practice of head sacrifice can be seen in sculptures at places like Mahabalipuram and Uchippillaiyar Temple. It can be known that the practice of head sacrificing existed from eighth century AD. After this period man took up Samarasa worship. Samara worship began to take root to fulfill the purpose of treating all the deities as one and treating the deities as one form and worshiping the same object as deity without distinction. It is also said that the Lord should be worshiped in the state of light. This study reveals the traditions of worship through nature worship, middle stone worship, samrasa worship and various other worships.