தமிழகப் பாடல் கல்வெட்டுகளும் அண்மைக்காலக் கண்டுபிடிப்புகளும் – ஒரு மீள்பார்வை

Tamil Inscriptional Poetry and Recent Discoveries – A Review

Abstract

The Tamil community has lived in adherence to a poetic tradition since ancient times. Songs and poems have held a significant place across various stages of human life, from birth to death. As a continuation of this very tradition, messages have also been inscribed in poetic form on Tamil inscriptions. Although numerous inscriptions have been discovered in Tamil Nadu, poetic inscriptions are relatively few in number.

During a recent field study, two new poetic inscriptions were discovered:

• The Hero Stone Inscription: One of the discoveries is a hero stone (nadukal) inscription dedicated to warriors. It records the glory of a warrior who attained martyrdom in battle, written with literary flair in a poetic format. Based on current research, this is considered to be only the second poetic hero stone inscription discovered in Tamil Nadu.
• The Sluice Pillar Inscription: The second inscription is associated with a sluice pillar (madaithoombu). Written in verse, it highlights the importance of water resources, the preservation of irrigation systems, and the nobility of public welfare work.

Consequently, these two poetic inscriptions serve as rare historical evidence reflecting the heroic tradition, literary heritage, water management philosophy, and social culture of the Tamils. Furthermore, they stand as an important research contribution that adds fresh data to the history of Tamil inscriptional poetry.