Sanga Thamizh
The Sangam, the academy of Tamil men of letters, used to
meet periodically in Madurai to discuss and review the research work of its
members. The last of the three Tamil Academies (Sangams) flourished in Madurai
nearly two thousand years ago. The Pandyas, great patrons of Tamil learning, art
and architecture, were succeeded by the Nayaks, who not only preserved the work
of the earlier kingdoms but also enriched their traditions.
The Sthalapurana speaks of 473 member - poets and three sangams
– Mudal Sangam ( first academy), Idai Sangam ( middle academy) and Kadai
Sangam ( last academy ). Legend has is that the literacy works submitted to the
sangam for assessment were thrown into the Potramaraikulam,
whereupon a divine force judged the manuscript works of merit floated on the
water and inferior
ones sank.
The origin on the Sangam is said to go back to the days when
Gods dallied with men. Historian Nilakanta Sastri dates the Kadai Sangam between
AD 100 and 250. Most of the classics that come under the head Sangam Literature
belong to this period. These classics are the chief sources of information on
the life / history of the people of the South during the early centuries of the
present era.
Tamil language is the language of the Dravidian family, spoken in southern
India; it is the official language of the state of Tamil Nadu (Chennai). Other
Tamil speakers live in Sri Lanka, Myanmar (Burma), Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam,
eastern Africa, South Africa, Guyana, and islands in the Indian Ocean, the South
Pacific, and the Caribbean.
Potramaraikulam
The 40 meters by 60 meters water tank is closely associated with
that legendary Tamil literary institution known as the Sangam. The tank is
surrounded by stone steps lead down from the colonnade to this ancient tank,
enabling devotees to bathe in its holy water. The Potramaraikulam figures in the
legend connected with the origin of the Madurai shrine and is, hence, as old as
the temple itself. Its Said that there was a huge golden lotus (Potramarai)
floating in the water.
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