Literary Motifs of Avvaiyar in Purananuru

Abstract

Many women in the Sangam period excelled in academics but only very few expressed themselves to the world. This situation has continued since the Sangam period. The Sanga period is a golden age in the history of Tamil Nadu. Purananuru is like a bait for the heroic Tamil people of ancient times. Avvaiyar was the epitome of the virtue that one must have performed good to be born as a woman. Avvaiyar has a special place among Sangam poets. As a woman, she is filled with self-confidence and courage, and because of her education, she has the power to solemnly raise voice against the king Athiyaman Parisil. Avvaiyar served as a great court scholar and a great political diplomat to the kurunila king. In her songs, she portrays social virtue, the virtue of friendship, and the virtue of war. She infuses the sense of misery and suffering through the songs. This article examines the literary motifs of Avvaiyar in Purananuru.