The worldview of this early poetry was chthonic – rooted in the earth.
Little, if any, metaphysical speculation occurred. Elephants, peacocks, and
flowers were symbols of the richness and fertility of life. While the land was
seen as feminine, it could be dangerous if left uncontrolled. Individuality
and the festivity of the auspicious landscapes were celebrated. Worship often
occurred in cleared spaces where a pillar (kantu) was erected and smeared
with peacock feathers, blood, etc. It was thought that the deity could possess
people, especially the shaman and young warrior, though the poets showed
considerable skepticism about claims of “possession.” By the third century
CEMaturai, the seat of the Pa ̄n.t.iyan
̄
s, had become a center of culture; the
god Murukan
̄
had become the god of the city, his hunter-attributes replaced
by those of the warrior and his role the counterpart of the chieftain/king.
The poetry makes many references to commerce that had developed
between South India and West Asia. The trade winds had been discovered
by the first century BCE; there is evidence of visits by Greek and Roman
merchants (they were referred to as yavan
̄
a ̄r– foreigners); many Greek or
Roman coins were left behind and several Greek terms for spices were
derived from the Tamil language (for example, terms for cinnamon, ginger).
As early as the third century BCE, at least three groups from the north had
begun to migrate into the south: Jain monks had settled in caves outside the
cities and along the coast; Buddhists, some of whom may have come from
Sri Lanka, had begun to settle; and brahmans and their practices were
mentioned in the can.kampoems. By the third century CEa certain degree
of “Pra ̄kritization” had occurred. Buddhists and Jains were writing texts in
Tamil and had gained influence in certain of the courts (for example, some
of the Pa ̄n.t.iyan
̄
s had Jains as advisers in their courts, and the Iks.va ̄kas
patronized Buddhists in what is now southern Andhra Pradesh). By the
fourth or fifth century CE, Buddhism and Jainism enjoyed a certain
hegemony in the south. Lifestyles, literature, and ethics took on a Jain or
Buddhist cast.
It was in the seventh century that an explicitly “Hindu” culture developed.
One of the purveyors of this culture was the Pallava dynasty, a royal family
who established a capital at Ka ̄nˆcı ̄puram and a seaport at Maha ̄balipuram.
The Pallavas brought architectural styles and other influences from the
Gupta era by way of the Ca ̄lukyas. The Pallavas formed an alliance with local
landowners (ve ̄l.a ̄l.as) and imported brahmans to whom they donated land
for villages, known as brahmadeyas, centers from which brahmanic culture
radiated outward. Brahmans became the “kingmakers” and together with
ve ̄l.a ̄l.aslegitimated kingship and participated in the construction and
conduct of temples.^3
The Post-classical Period 89