Evolution of Society in South India 5
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www.tntextbooks.in SPLIT BY - SIS ACADEMY https://t.me/SISACADEMYENGLISHMEDIUM Lesson Evolution of Society in South India 5 Learning Objectives To understand the social and political formation in early south India from the third century BCE to the fifth century CE Introduction Stupas. The stupa is a heap of clay In the Deccan region, encompassing major that evolved out of earthen funerary parts of present day Andhra, Karnataka and mounds, in which the ashes of the dead Maharashtra, the Satavahanas established a were buried. Buddhist stupas evolved powerful kingdom in the first century BCE. out of the burial of the ashes of the In the south, the three family ruling houses, mortal remains of the Buddha. Buddhist the Cholas, the Cheras and the Pandyas sacred architecture originated with were their contemporaries, ruling the fertile the eight stupas where the ashes were parts of Tamizhagam. But the Tamil rulers divided. Hemispherical shape, the stupa started two centuries earlier as they figure symbolizes the universe; and the Buddha in Asoka’s inscriptions of the third century represents the emperor of the spiritual BCE. There were many common things as universe. The stupa has a path around it for devotional circumambulation. well as differences in the polity and society of the Deccan and Tamil regions. Sources The coins issued by the Cheras, Cholas, Archaeological Pandyas, and the chieftains of the Sangam Age. The megalithic burials sites of the early historic period. Roman copper, silver and gold coins. Excavated material from ancient sites, including ports, capital towns, Epigraphic with architectural remains, such as in The Asokan inscriptions, written in Prakrit, Arikamedu, Kodumanal, Alagankulam, found in Andhra-Karnataka regions. and Uraiyur. The Tamil-Brahmi inscriptions found in Buddhist sites with stupas and chaityas the caves of Tamil Nadu and Kerala such located in Andhra and Karnataka regions as in Mangulam, Jambai, and Pugalur. (Amaravati, Nagarjunakonda, etc.) The Satavahana inscriptions and other Numismatic Buddhist inscriptions of the Andhra Coins of pre-Satavahana chieftains region and of the Satavahanas from Andhra- Short inscriptions found on pottery Karnataka region. and rings and stones in Tamil Nadu 78 www.tntextbooks.in SPLIT BY - SIS ACADEMY https://t.me/SISACADEMYENGLISHMEDIUM and some sites outside India, like Foreign Notices in Berenike, and Quseir al Qadhim The following Greek and Latin sources (Egypt). inform us about the long distance cultural and commercial connections. Literary The Periplus of Erythrean Sea, an ancient Tamil texts including the Sangam and Greek text of the first century CE. post-Sangam literature Pliny the Elder’s Natural History, first The Arthasastra, the treatise on century CE economy and statecraft authored by Ptolemy’s Geography, second century Kautilya CE The Puranas which mention the Vienna Papyrus G 40822, a Greek genealogy of the Andhras/Satavahanas, document datable to the second Buddhist Chronicles such as century CE. Mahavamsa. A Roman Map called Peutingerian Table Gatha Saptasati, a Prakrit text composed by the Satavahana king Hala 5.1 South India during Mauryan times Classical Tamil Literature The Classical Sangam corpus consists The Asokan edicts (c. 270-30 BCE) present of Tholkappiyam, the eight anthologies for the first time a picture of the political (Ettuththokai), Paththuppattu. Tholkappiyam, condition in south India. Rock Edict II lists attributed to Tholkappiyar, is the earliest the Tamil ruling houses Cholas, Pandyas, extant Tamil grammatical text dealing not Keralaputras and Satiyaputra as neighbour only with poetry but also the society and rulers, lying beyond his domain, where culture of the times. ThePathinen Kilkanakku he is said to have made provision for (18 minor works) and the five epics belong to two types of medical treatment: medical post-Sangam times (fourth to sixth century treatment for both humans and animals. CE) and describe a different social and The Mauryan empire at that time included cultural set-up. northern parts of Karnataka and Andhra, Ettuthogai and Pathupattu collections have about 2400 poems. These poems, varying in length from 3 to 800 lines, were composed by panar, the wandering bards and pulavar, the poets. The Eight Anthologies are 1. Natrinai; 2. Kurunthogai; 3. Aingurunuru; 4. Patitruppathu; 5. Paripadal; 6. Kalithogai; 7. Akananuru; 8. Purananuru Pathupattu (ten long songs): 1. Thirumurugatrupatai; 2. Porunaratrupatai; 3. Sirupanatruppatai; 4. Perumpanatruppatai; 5. Mullaipattu; 6. Maduraikanchi; 7. Nedunalvadai; 8. Kurinjipattu; 9. Pattinappalai; 10. Malaipadukadam. Patinen Kilkanakku texts, which are post-Sangam works, include eighteen texts, which mostly deal with ethics and moral codes. The most important of them are Thirukkural, and Naladiyar. Silappathikaram and Manimekalai are the two important epics useful for insights into cultural and religious history. Evolution of Society in South India 79 www.tntextbooks.in SPLIT BY - SIS ACADEMY https://t.me/SISACADEMYENGLISHMEDIUM while the Tamil kingdoms were treated as is available about their rulers, their coins independent neighbours. and inscriptions reveal that they were chiefs who controlled small territories. Women Poets of the Sangam Age 5.2 South India under the Of the over 450 poets who contributed Satavahanas to the corpus of Sangam poetry about thirty are women. They composed more The Satavahanas emerged in the first century than 150 poems. The most prominent BCE in the Deccan region. They ruled over DQGSUROL¿FDPRQJWKHPZDV$YYDL\DU parts of Andhra, Maharashtra, Karnataka and 2WKHUV LQFOXGH $OOXU 1DQPXOODL\DDU Madhya Pradesh. From recent archaeological Kaakkaipadiniyar, Kavarpendu, evidence it is understood that the Satavahanas 1DOYHOL\DDU 2NNXU 0DVDDWKL\DU DQG started to rule in the Telengana area and Paarimakalir. then moved to Maharashtra to rule in the Godavari basin with Prathistan (Paithan in Maharashtra) as their capital. Later they After the decline of the Mauryan moved eastwards to control coastal Andhra power, and before the rise of the also. The work of Pliny talks about 30 walled Satavahanas, many small principalities towns, a large army, cavalry and elephant force emerged. Although not much information in the Andhra country. SATAVAHANA EMPIRE Malwa Avanti Ujjayani Saurashtra Utkala Tripuri Junagadh Bharuch Girnar Anupa Vidarbha Nasik Sisupalpuri Kalyan Muluka Kalinga Sopara Pratishthan Asmaka Bay of Arabian Bengal Sea Amravati A L n a d k ( a s I m n h d a a i d n a ( w I a ) n n e d d e i a p ) N i c o b a r Indian Ocean 8 0 Evolution of Soci ety in South India www.tntextbooks.in SPLIT BY - SIS ACADEMY https://t.me/SISACADEMYENGLISHMEDIUM Gautamiputra Satakarni was the greatest of the Satavahana kings. He defeated the Shaka ruler Nahapana and reissued the coins of Nahapana with his own royal insignia. The inscription of his mother Gautami Balashri at Nashik mentions him as the conqueror of the Shakas, Pahlavas, and Naneghat inscription Yavanas. He is also said to have performed the prestigious Vedic asvamedha sacrifice. Buddhists and Brahmins. The Naneghat Vasishthiputra Pulumavi, the inscription refers to tax exemptions given successor of Gautamiputra Satakarni, to the lands granted to Buddhist monks. expanded the frontiers of the Satavahana Thus we notice the beginning of priestly Empire. The coins issued by him are found groups attaining higher status. These land scattered in many parts of south India. donations created a group of people who Yagnashri Satakarni was another famous did not cultivate, but owned land. This led ruler who issued coins with a ship motif, to the development of land-based social indicating the importance of the overseas hierarchy and divisions in the society. trade during his reign. For the first time a big state covering a major part of the Deccan was established. Several rock-cut caves dedicated to the Buddha sangha bear evidence that they were situated in the trade routes linking the interior to the coastal parts of Konkan region. It was also a period of brisk Indo- Roman trade. Vasishthiputra Pulumavi 5.3 The Sangam Age King Hala is credited with the The first three centuries of the Common writing of Gatha Sattasai, a collection of Era are widely accepted as the Sangam 700 love poems. Written in Maharshtri period, as the information for this period Prakrit dialect, it has themes similar to is mainly derived from the Sangam those found in the Tamil Sangam poetry. literature. More correctly this has to be The Satavahana Empire declined called as the early historical period and around the 3rd century CE and was starts one or two centuries earlier, from replaced by the Ikshvakus, followed by the the second century BCE, as we have clear Pallavas, in Andhra and the Kadambas in epigraphical and archaeological evidence, northern Karnataka. in addition to literary evidence. Importance of Satavahana Period The Muvendar Offering land grants was an important Though the three Tamil ruling families development of the Satavahana times. The were known to Asoka in the third century beneficiaries of these grants were mostly BCE itself, some individual names are Evolution of Society in South India 81 www.tntextbooks.in SPLIT BY - SIS ACADEMY https://t.me/SISACADEMYENGLISHMEDIUM known only from the Sangam poems flourishing port during his time. Another of the first century and later. Known as king, Perunarkilli is said to have performed muvendar, ‘the three crowned kings’, the the Vedic sacrifice Rajasuyam. Karikalan’s Cheras, Cholas and Pandyas controlled death was followed by a succession dispute major agrarian territories, trade routes between the Puhar and Uraiyur branches and towns. But the Satiyaputra (same of the Chola royal family. as Athiyaman) found in the Asokan The Cheras controlled the central inscription along with the above three and northern parts of Kerala and the houses is a Velir chief in the Sangam Kongu region of Tamil Nadu. Vanji was poems. their capital and the ports of the west The Cholas controlled the central coast, Musiri and Tondi, were under their and northern parts of Tamil Nadu.