Ponniyin Selvan Varalaatru Peravai

Dear Sri,

Dr. Nagaswamy's article deals with Kapilar & Pari.


regards / sps

>
> mother from paari and father from sembian ( sibhi) .... what
> illustrious parentage. no wonder !!


Hi Vijay

the same parentage for aditya karikalan too!!

venketesh
>
> meantime, chanced on this interesting article ....
>
> http://ecoheritage.cpreec.org/03.Eco_news_Oct-Dec07.pdf
>
> Flowers and Trees in Ancient Tamil Literature
> M. Amirthalingam
>
> The lifestyle and culture of the ancient Tamils were
> invariably connected with trees, foliage and flowers.
> This is evident from the innumerable references
> found in the ancient Tamil literature.
> On special occasions, the kings of ancient Tamil
> kingdoms adorned themselves with particular
> flowers - the Cheras with flowers of Indian Palm
> (Borassus flabellifer) which is known in Tamil as
> pondhaiI or panam poo, the Cholas with aathi, and
> the Pandyas with vembu (Azadirachta indica). The
> objectives of battle were indicated by wearing
> specific flowers such as vetchi, vanji, ulinai, kaanchi,
> thumbai and vaagai. The seasons of sprouting of
> leaves, flowering, shedding of flowers and maturing
> of fruits were taken as indicators of environmental
> changes. Before going for a major war, soldiers
> used to pray in front of the Unna maram (Grewia
> tilifolia) to achieve success. The king, in times of
> war, appealed to this tree to bloom in emerald
> verdure to foretell victory (Purapporul
> Vennpamalai, 243). If the result of the battle was
> going to be in favour of the king, then the Unna
> maram (Grewia tilifolia) would display fresh foliage
> and stand erect and strong and if he were to face
> defeat, then it would appear weak and dry
> (Padittruppathu, 40). This tree was also revered by
> devotees for its unfailing prophecies.
> In each kingdom, a particular tree became part of
> the regal paraphernalia. The king worshipped that
> tree and a healthy and strong tree reflected the
> prosperity of his rule. Such a tree was known as
> kaaval maram. In battles, kings established their
> victory by symbolically slashing the kaaval
> marangal of their opponents. Madurai Kanchi
> (153) refers to the victory of Pandyan Nedunchelian
> (Padittruppathu 11 - 12). Similar reference is made
> to celebrate the triumph of Imayavaramban
> Neduncheralathan over the kadambargal by cutting
> the kadamba tree which was their kaaval maram.
> Much of the available literature contains several
> references to kaaval marangal (Subramania Pillai
> 1948, James 1971 and Aravanan 1980 and 1981).
>
> The rulers of early historic period not only practised
> human values but they also respected plants and
> animals and there are many references to this in
> ancient Tamil literature.
> King Pari, while traveling on his chariot, found a
> jasmine creeper discarded and wanting support. He
> dismounted and lent his chariot as support for the
> jasmine creeper and walked to his palace! He is
> lauded as "mullaikku ther koduththa" Pari in Tamil
> literary works. Another Chola Emperor Sibi slew
> his thigh and offered his flesh as food to a hunter to
> save a dove.
> Ancient Tamils treated plants and animals with care
> and took measures to protect and preserve them.
> Most of the plants and animals were associated with
> one god or the other so that the general public,
> born of religious fear, may respect them. For
> example, the plants kadampu (Anthocephalus
> cadamba) and vengai (Pterocarpus marsupium) were
> attached to Lord Muruga and the animal elephant
> to Lord Ganesha.
> Regular tree worship, sthala vrikshas (sacred plants)
> and the existence of sacred groves testify to the
> unique cultural beliefs of the ancient Tamils
> (Anantanarayanan Raman and Arunai
> Palavarayan, 1998).
> Many trees, fruits and plants have special
> significance in Hindu rituals. Through the centuries,
> Hindu religious scripts, myths, mythologies and
> rituals have stressed the importance of preserving
> nature by deifying it.
> We have all along held the neem tree as sacred and
> its flowers, in the form of garland, are offered to
> God. The coconut tree is considered equally sacred
> and the coconuts are offered to God during worship
> and distributed to guests during weddings and
> during other celebrations.
> Turmeric powder and sandal paste have special
> significance and deemed as indispensable items in
> all religious functions.
> Mango leaves also have special significance and they
> are used to adorn the entrance to the house
> particularly on auspicious occasions. People ate out
> of banana leaves and also made food offerings to
> God on banana leaves.
> Conclusion
> The ancient Tamils attached great importance to
> the preservation of natural resources and
> biodiversity. These resources not only had
> religious significance but also reflected the character
> of the king, the state and its citizens. Unfortunately
> ecological traditions have been subjected to severe
> biotic pressures and indiscriminate exploitation for
> commercial purposes. It is time we revived these
> time-honoured traditions and realised the need to
> preserve the ecological balance.
> Reference
> 1. Aravaanan, K.P., 1980, "Anthropological
> Studies on the Dravido-Africans", Paari
> Nilayam, Madras, India
> 2. Aravaanan, K.P., 1981, "Tree Worship in India
> and Africa - A Comparison (Tamil)", World
> Tamil Research Centre, Chennai, India.
> 3. James, F., 1971, "Tree and Serpent Worship",
> Indological Book House, Delhi, India.
> 4. Subramania Pillay, G., 1948, "Tree Worship
> and its Ophiolatry", Annamalai University,
> Annamalainagar, India.
> 5. Anantanarayanan Raman and Arunai
> Palavarayan, 1998, "Recognition and
> conservation of plant resources in ancient
> Tamilagam: some random thoughts" , In In
> Nanditha Krishna (ed), Ecological Traditions
> of Tamilnadu, Pp. 42-48, C.P.R. Environmental
> Education Centre, Chennai.
>

Super ..

And (worshipping )ADORING NATURE .. from Pre-Sangam Age !

Highly cultural !


thanks Vijay,

And dear Naresh,

while posting I also felt the same !

Were there Mudhal Ezhu Vallalgal ?

Good thought..

This is a great link and created good thread of
discussion.

I have read three poems by Avvaiyaar inviting the
'mooveanthars' for this marraige. There is another
beatiful poem by Avvaiyaar about the hospitality of
Paari makalir when they where living in a forest after
Paari's death.

Tanks Vijay.