Post No. 15,014
Date uploaded in London – 22 September 2025
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Ancient Tamil Encyclopaedia Part 10 One Thousand Interesting Facts! -Part 10
Part 10
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Anti Hindu Dravidians from political parties have been brainwashing Tamils for the past 100 years. Foreigners who belonged to Caldwell gangs and Max Muller gangs wanted to divide Hindu society and laid poisonous seeds in Tamil minds. Now those seeds and poisonous trees are destroyed by genuine scholars.
Our family friend Dr S Ramakrishnan (S R K ) who got doctorate from Madurai University for his thesis Kamban and Milton had written a research book on Indian culture and Tamils. He lived just five doors from my house in North Masi street in Madurai and we used to have good and heated arguments on Hinduism. He was dismissed from college for his open propaganda supporting Soviet communists. He was my English teacher as well.
Professor Shanmukam Pillai of Tamil University has written an excellent book Sangam Tamils and their Worship and rituals which drove the final nail in the Dravidian coffin.
Here I give their quotes from Sangam Tamil Books to show that ancient Tamils also celebrated Hindu wedding in the same way as their counterparts in North India.
Before the Sangam books, Tolkappiam written by a brahmin saint named Truna Dumagni, also named Tolkappian, translated Manu smriti sloka about Eight Types of wedding. One of them is Love Marriage. He also wrote about the three Hindu values known as Tri Varga- Dharama/Aram, Artha/Porul and Kama/Kama. His follower Tiru Valluvar named his book Three Values, Mupppaal in Tamil and the book is now called Tirukkural. Tolkappiar followed world’s first and the greatest grammarian Panini and named his one big section with the Sanskrit word Upama/ Uvamai in Tamil. He never hesitated to use Sanskrit words such as Kama, Upama, Desa etc (This blog has an article listing all the 46++ Sanskrit words used by Tolkappiar, each word used umpteen times.)
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Fire Ceremony in Hindu Weddings
According to Indian constitutional law, a Hindu wedding ceremony is valid only after bride and bride groom walking around the fire taking Seven Steps together. Even when friends and gusts visit you, you have to walk with them Seven Steps and say Good Bye. Karikal (karikaal cholan) did this with his guests according to Tamil Sangam Books and later works such as Tiru Vilaiyadal Purana.
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This Seven Step walking ceremony was done with Rig Veda Mantra recited by Brahmin priest. It is clearly stated in Tamil Epic Silappadikaram where two Vaisya caste Kovalan and Kannaki went round the fire and celebrated their wedding when Brahmins recited the Vedas.
Like snakes Dravidians have Two Tongues (actually forked); whenever there is something like a Vedic ceremony or Eight Types of Hindu Weddings, they turn a blind eye, or they say it belonged to Post Sangam period. But the above quoted Silappadikaram wedding happened in Second Century CE (within the Sangam period)!
They were so cunning that they hide all other evidences in Sangam Literature. One must remember that like Today’s Hindu society , ancient Hindus in Tamil Nadu also followed different ceremonies in celebrating Hindu Weddings. There are two beautiful verses in Akananuru verse 86 and 136. ( I have already given the details in this blog many years ago)
Now Dr S R K of Madurai and Prof Shanmukam Pillai of Tamil University give two more verses from Kuruntokai and Kalittokai.
Kuruntoai used the Upanihad simile As if ghee poured into Fire; this is a very common Sanskrit simile. This verse shows that Tamils also celebrated wedding with fire ceremony. Even today, some Non Brahmins celebrate their weddings with Fire ceremony. All worship the low caste woman Arundhati in the first night. Arundhati, was a low cate woman with the name Akashamala, who married great Rishi Vasistha according to Manu Smriti. Arundhati is quoted at least in six Sangam verses. Both are stars in the Ursa Major (Great Bear/ Sapta Rishi) constellation.
The following verse was composed BY Kapilar, the Brahmin poet praised by other Sangam poets.
Kuruntokai 106 verse says,
A man returns after visiting a courtesan and sends a messenger to pacify his wife. She tells her companion, yes I will accept him like the ghee poured into fire remembering the wedding day ever fresh. I have not forgotten the love I had on that day.
But Kalittokai verse quoted by Dr S R K is very clear about Fire Ceremony in Wedding
Kalittokai 66
Kalittokai verse was composed by Maruthan Ilanagan, a Naga poet from the North.
This verse clearly described a Brahmin wedding. The simile used was like a brahmin with his bride who circumambulate (altar) fire, a swan is going with its companion around the lotus flower in the tank.
போது அவிழ் பனிப் பொய்கை, புதுவது தளைவிட்ட
தாது சூழ் தாமரைத் தனி மலர்ப் புறம் சேர்பு
காதல் கொள் வதுவை நாள், கலிங்கத்துள் ஒடுங்கிய
மாதர் கொள் மான் நோக்கின் மடந்தை தன் துணையாக,
ஓதுடை அந்தணன் எரி வலம் செய்வான் போல், 5
ஆய் தூவி அன்னம் தன் அணி நடைப் பெடையொடு
மேதகத் திரிதரூஉம் மிகு புனல் நல் ஊர!
(Here also the shy bride is described as in Akananuru poems 86, 136)
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Rohini Star
Tamils followed North Indian Hindus in choosing an auspicious day/ Subha Muhuurtha Dinam for wedding. They preferred a day of Rohini star with Moon.
Tamils wedded on a Rohini (Albebran) star day according to Akam 86 and 136.
Like Sanskrit books, Sakatam (cart ) symbol was used in the verse. Dr S R K points out this is already in ancient Bodhayana Grihya Sutra and Manava Grihya sutra books. So, all the castes followed this, which is seen even today (but not necessarily Rohini star day).
Interestingly, Tamils used Sanskrit words Panguni (falguna), Rohini, Kartikai, Arudra , Onam (arudra and sraavana) in Sangam books.
அகநானூறு 86 (நல்லாவூர்க் கிழார்) Akam 86
“கனை இருள் அகன்ற கவின்பெறுகாலை
கோள்கால் நீங்கிய கொடுவெண் திங்கள்
கேடுஇல் விழுப்புகழ் நாள் தலைவந்தென……….”
பொருள்:- வெண்மையான சந்திரனை குற்றமில்லாத சிறந்த புகழினை உடைய உரோகிணி என்ற நாள் (நட்சத்திரம்) அடைந்தது…………………………
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அகநானூறு 136 (விற்றூற்று மூதெயினனார் Akam 136
“மைப்பு அறப்புழுக்கின் நெய்க்கனி வெண்சோறு
வரையா வண்மையொடு புரையோர்ப்பேணி
புள்ளுப் புணர்ந்து இனிய ஆக, தெள் ஒளி
அம்கண் இருவிசும்பு விளங்கத் திங்கட்
சகடம் மண்டிய துகள்தீர் கூட்டத்து………………”
(திங்கள்=சந்திரன், சகடம்=ரோகிணி நட்சத்திரம்)
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Silappadikaram சிலப்பதிகாரம் 1-52,53 fire ceremony with brahmin in wedding of Vaisyas
மாமுது பார்ப்பான் மறைவழிகாட்டிடத்
தீவலம் செய்வது காண்பார்கண் நோன்பு என்னை
***
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அருந்ததி – அக்ஷமாலா Arundhati alias Akashamala in Sangam Works:
புறம் -122;
ஐங்குறு 442;
பதிற்று 31-27;
பெரும்பாண்.302/303
கலி. 2-21
சிலம்பு .1-27
இவை தவிர சப்த ரிஷி மண்டலத்தின் ஏழு நட்சத்திரங்கள் பற்றி பரிபாடலிலும் நற்றிணையிலும் மூன்று பாடல்கள் உள்ளன
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Kuruntokai 106 by Brahmin Poet Kapilar; simile used as ghee poured into fire
புல் வீழ் இற்றிக் கல் இவர் வெள் வேர்
வரை இழி அருவியின் தோன்றும் நாடன்
தீது இல் நெஞ்சத்துக் கிளவி நம் வயின்
வந்தன்று வாழி, தோழி! நாமும்
நெய் பெய் தீயின் எதிர்கொண்டு,
”தான் மணந்தனையம்” என விடுகம் தூதே.- குறுந்தொகை 106.
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THAALI -Mangala Sutra in Tamil literature !
Scholars never accept negative evidence; Dravidians asked Tamil women to cut their Mangala Sutra saying that it was not a Tamil custom. Thank God Tamil women did not follow them. Anti Hindu Dravdians said that it was not in Sangam books. But other scholars pointed out verses from Purananuru and Silappdikaram .
Ay Andiran donated every thing except his wife’s mangala Sutra. The word used was SEY IZAI. The Puranauru verse was composed by Brahmin poet Muda Mosiyar.
சேய் இழை, வால் இழை ,மங்கல அணி
In Silappadikaram we have the word மங்கல அணி/ mangala ani .
Z is special L sound in Tamil
Dr SRK and Prof. Shanmukham Pillai give all these details .
Silappdikaram adds one more interesting detail.
Kannaki’s mangala ani/ thaali was brought in a procession just before the wedding ceremony
ஈகை அறிய இழை அணி மகளிர் -புறம் 127 .
அகலுள் மங்கல அணி எழுந்தது – சிலம்பு 1-47
பொருள் – ஊரில் மங்கல அணி ஊர்வலம் நடந்தது
மங்கல அணியின் பிரித்து அணி மகிழாள் -சிலம்பு 4-50
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உறவு முறைத் திருமணம் ; ஜாதித் திருமணம்
Caste marriages, Cousin marriages
Dr S R K adds more information about caste marriages in Sangam period and Cousin marriages in Tamil and North Indian communities from Mahabharata days,
All must read the books written by SRK and Shanmukham Pillai published by Meenatchi Pustaka Nilayam Madurai, 1971 and International Institute of Tamil Studies, Chennai, 1996 respectively.
—subham—
Tags- Tamil Weddings, Mangala Sutra, Fire Ceremony, Sven Steps, Sapta Pati, Sangam books, Tamil custom, Rohini Star, Ancient Tamil Encyclopaedia Part 10 One Thousand Interesting Facts , Arundhati
Tamil and Vedas 