Sangham means a gathering, the word Sangam is derived from the Tamil word Kudal. The Tamil word Kudal was used by Buddhists and Jains as the Sanskrit word Sangha. Therefore, the two words Kudal and Sangam are synonymous. Sangam is an organization that created Tamil literature or Vidvat Gosthi literature means the thought-filled literature created by the learned people of the gathering. In this literary gathering, innumerable philosophers, poets and scholars participated and found solutions to problems. Since the Sangam literary gatherings were held under the patronage of the Pandya kings, they also participated in the scholarly gathering and displayed their erudition. Since the royal family participated in this gathering in large numbers, it became more and more popular. Especially since Tamil was the main language of this gathering, the Pandyas, Cheras and Cholas worked especially hard to promote it. This period is called the ‘Sangham Age’ because Tamil was the original language.

There were three Sangams in ancient times. These three Sangams were held over a period of 9990 years, in which 8598 poets participated. About 197 Pandya kings were the great patrons of the Sangam. The names of kings Kadungan and Ugrapperuvaludi have been found in some inscriptions.

Although the Sangam Age is generally believed to be the beginning of Tamil literature, many Indian historians have presented their own different opinions about the Sangam Age. Since there is a lot of similarity between the social life mentioned in the poems and epics written during the Sangam Age such as Shilappadhikaram and Manimekhalai and the Greek and Roman writings written in the first century BC, Dr. N. Subramaniam has expressed the opinion that the Sangam Age began in the first century BC. However, Prof. K.A. Neelakanta Shastri has said that the first three centuries are also Sangam periods. The opinion expressed by him has been confirmed by Prof. K. Satyanath Iyer. The Sangams that were patronized by the Pandya kings are as follows.

1) The first Sangam period was found in the city of South Madurai. It was the center of early Tamil literature. The city of Madurai extended up to present-day Kanyakumari. Later, as a result of sea erosion, the city of Madurai was submerged in the sea. The first Sangam culture was presided over by a person named Agattiyar. There were a total of 549 members in it. It existed for about 4400 years. We do not have any texts, works or remains written during this period.

2) The second Sangam culture was found in Kapatapuram. Kapati means door or gate. This city was founded by the Pandya kings. It too was submerged in the sea due to erosion. The Pandyas did not learn from the destruction of the first city of the Sangam, so they had to lose the second city as well. This city is mentioned in the Ramayana. Agattiyar served as the president of the second Sangam. The total number of its members was 49. It lasted for 3700 years. About 59 Pandya kings nurtured and developed it. Although many works were composed during this period, all of them were destroyed and only one work has survived to this day, the Tol Grapiyam. This is the oldest work of the existing Sangam literature. It provides valuable information on the Tamil language and grammar. The work of Tolkapiyam was composed by Tolkapiyar. He is believed to be a disciple of Agastra Muni.

3) The Third Sangam culture began in the present-day city of Madurai. After the city of Kapatipuram was destroyed by the sea, the Pandya king Ugrapperuvaludi founded the city of Madurai on the banks of the Vaigai river and made it his capital. The third Sangam was presided over by Nakkinar. Its total number of members was 49. It lasted for about 1850 years. It was patronized by a total of 59 Pandya kings. According to historians, the description of the first two Sangams is very optimistic and only the third Sangam is said to have existed historically.

The grammar work Tolkapiyam, composed by Tolkapiyar, is the only ancient work surviving in the second Sangam literature. It covers important aspects such as letter combination, word combination, pronunciation, word division, social customs of the time, literary rules, etc. The work has three main sections, each section containing 9 sub-chapters. In addition to 1612 sutras, Agathiyam, Pannirupadalam, Pattapadu, Pavinel, Keel Kanakku, Shilappadikaram, Manimekhalai etc. are the important works belonging to that period. Ettutogai (Eight Poetry Collections)

1) Ainguru Nuru is a collection of 500 elegiac poems compiled by Gudalur Kilari.

2) Narinai poetry collection contains 400 poems. It provides information about music and musicians. There is a lot of description in this work about the important port towns and big cities of that time.

3) Aakananuru contains about 400 love poems. It was compiled by a person called Rudrasharma. It is a very popular book that provides immense information about war and soldiers.

4) Kurantugoi also contains 400 love poems. This collection of poems provides a wealth of information about the beautiful social system of the Sangam era.

5) Purananuru is a huge work containing 400 poems. This collection of poems is written in praise of the kings of that time.

6) Kalitthogai is a collection of poems containing 150 love stories.

7) Paripadal is a work containing 24 verses, in which praise is written about God.

8) Padirupattu is a work of 8 verses written in praise of the Chera kings. The above eight collections of poems contain a total of 2282 verses, which are believed to have been written by a total of 200 poets.

Ten poetry collections called Pathupattu were composed during this period. These are:

1) Thirumurugaruppadai

2) Pothunararuppadai

3) Sirupanaruppadde

4) Perumpanararuppadai

5) Malaiprattu

6) Maduraikanchi

7) Nedunamalavadai

8) Kuriyanjippattu

9) Pattinapalai

10) Malaipadukadam. All the above works contain all the themes except predu and prema. All these poems are mainly divided according to the region into Tamil Bhoomi, Hilly region, Dryland, Forest Cultivation Plain and Coast.

These are collections of eighteen small poems. They contain a lot of information about war, people’s life and soldiers. They mostly teach moral and ethical rules. The most important of these are

1) Naladiyar

2) Namadikkadigai

3) Insanar Padu

4) Iniyanar Padu

5) Karnar Padu

6) Kalivadinar Nadu

7) Pintinai Aimpadu

8) Pintinai Elapadu

9) Thinaimoli Aimpadu

10) Thinnemolenuraimpadu

11) Innilai

12) Kural

13) Thirikadagam

14) Acharakkovai

15) Talimoli

16) Shirupanchamoolam

17) Mudumolekkanchi

18) Eladi. The most important of these is Thiruvalluvar’s Thiruvakkural. It is known as the Bible of the Tamil land. All the above works deal with Arya Dharma and its ideas, practices, etc.

The second century CE is known as the golden age of Tamil literature. Many epics were composed during this period. They are Shilappadikaram, Manimekhalai, Jivan Sinthamani, Valayapati and Kundalakeshi. Two of these are said to have been written in the second century CE. They are Shilappadikaram written by Ilango-Adigal and Manimekhalai written by Sattala Sattanar, both of which have been compared to Homer’s epics Iliad and Odyssey.

The poem Shilappadikaram was composed by Ilango Adigal. He was the grandson of the Chola king Karikala Chola. Ilango Adigal composed this poem in the second century CE. This work contains the story of the merchant Kovalan and the Kannagi. A merchant named Kovalan from the town of Prahar falls in love with a prostitute named Madhavi and neglects his virtuous and beautiful wife Kannagi. He spends twenty-four hours a day at Madhavi’s house. During this time, Kovalan loses all the property he has acquired and returns to his wife Kannagi. Kannagi, who forgives her husband for his mistake, takes Kovalan from the town of Prahar and starts a new life in the city of Madura. They find it very difficult to survive while in the city of Madura. In such a situation, Kannagi gives Kovalan one of her kalandings to make. They start a new life with the money they get from selling the kalandings. However, the king of the place accuses him of theft, saying that he sold his wife’s kalandings. As a result, he is sentenced to death. Then Kannagi proves Kovalan’s innocence by showing him another Kalandiga that she had. As if to atone for his mistake, the king suffers a heart attack and dies. This is a Jain poem. It mainly describes Kannagi’s chastity, love of life, affection and the cruelty of fate. This epic tells that Kannagi is the goddess of chastity and a temple is built for her by the Chera king Shenguttuvan. Kannagi joins her husband in heaven. As a result, a sect called Kannagi is born in this country.

This poem was composed by Chatanar. This is a Buddhist poem that provides information about the achievements of Manimekhalai, the daughter of Kovalan and Madhavi. The work tells the story of how Manimekhalai defended her chastity from Prince Udaya Kumara and fought to alleviate hunger, disease, and poverty by promoting Buddhism.

Sangam literature, composed between 300 BCE and 300 CE in ancient Tamil Nadu, holds immense historical, cultural, and literary significance. It offers a vivid portrayal of Tamil society, capturing its ethos, customs, and traditions during the Sangam era.