புறநானூற்றில் பெண்கள்: சமூக வாழ்வியல், வீரத் தாய்மை மற்றும் சங்ககாலப் பெண்ணியக் கட்டமைப்பு

Women in Purananuru: Social Life, Heroic Motherhood, and the Sangam Feminist Framework

Abstract

Purananuru, one of the primary anthologies of Sangam literature, stands as a foremost historical testimony capturing the external social values and political traditions of ancient Tamil society. Comprising four hundred poems, this work deeply records not only governance, warfare, philanthropy, and friendship, but also the multifaceted social status of women during the Sangam era. This research paper comprehensively examines the position of women in Purananuru based on its poems, the works of female poets, and modern critical theories. Aspects such as motherhood, wifely virtues, hospitality, the heroic valor of martial women (Moothin Mullai), the diplomatic and political contributions of female poets, and the penance of widows (Aanandhappaiyul) are critically analyzed in this paper. This paper aims to analyze from a dual perspective both the high esteem women held in Sangam society and, at the same time, the social restrictions imposed on their bodies and lives.