தேவாரத் திருமுறைகளில் ஆற்றங்கரைத் தலங்களின் இயற்கை எழில் மற்றும் சுற்றுச்சூழல் விழுமியங்கள்: ஓர் விரிவான இலக்கிய ஆய்வு
Natural Beauty and Environmental Values of Riverbank Sites in the Tevaram Thirumurai: A Comprehensive Literary Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63300/Keywords:
Tevaram, Riverbank Sites, Natural Beauty, Bhakti Movement, Moovar Mudhaligal, Kaveri, Pennaiyar, Environmental Aesthetics, Saiva SiddhantaAbstract
In the history of Tamil literature, the period from the 7th to the 9th century CE is considered the golden age of the Bhakti movement. The Tevaram hymns, sung by the "Moovar Mudhaligal" (the three primary saints)—Thirugnana Sambandar, Thirunavukkarasar, and Sundaramurthy Nayanar—who lived during this period, praise the Divine while meticulously documenting the geography of Tamil Nadu, particularly the natural beauty of rivers and riverbank temple sites. Based on the realistic principle that "a town without a river has no beauty," these poets gave a prestigious place in their poetry to sacred sites located in towns with abundant water resources.
This research article, using the research paper of Dr. A. Atheeswari and A. Murugesan as a primary source, extensively examines the natural beauty, geographical elements, and environmental understandings of rivers described in the Tevaram hymns. Key analyses of this article include how the Akam (inner/love) and Puram (outer/war) traditions of Sangam literature were transferred to the spiritual realm in Bhakti literature, and how the flow of rivers and the mountain products they carry are compared to Divine grace. Furthermore, this study presents a detailed perspective on how the natural descriptions of sites located on the banks of various rivers, including the Kaveri, Pennaiyar, Kedila, and Palar, serve as documents depicting the social and economic prosperity of those regions.'
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