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Which is the oldest surviving work of Tamil grammar and poetics, from the Sangam period?
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Answer: Option D — Tolkappiyam
Detailed Solution
The "Tolkappiyam" is the oldest surviving work of Tamil grammar and poetics. It is attributed to Tolkappiyar and is generally dated to the early Sangam period (various scholars date it between about the 3rd century BCE and the 5th century CE).
About the Tolkappiyam:
It is divided into three books (athikarams), each with nine chapters:
- Ezhuthathikaram: on letters and sounds (phonology and spelling).
- Sollathikaram: on words (morphology and syntax).
Porulathikaram: on subject matter and poetics; it is especially important because it describes the conventions of Sangam poetry, such as the division of themes into "akam" (inner life, love) and "puram" (outer life, war, kingship, ethics).
It also describes the five landscapes (tinai), such as kurinji (hills), mullai (forests), marutam (farmland), neytal (seashore) and palai (desert), which are used in Sangam poetry to symbolise emotions.
It is a key source for understanding the society and culture of early Tamil Nadu.
About Sangam literature:
The Sangam (academy) literature refers to the earliest Tamil literature, traditionally said to have been composed at three Sangams (assemblies of poets) held at Madurai under Pandya patronage.
The main collections are:
- Ettuthogai (Eight Anthologies) and Pattuppattu (Ten Idylls): the "Melkanakku" (major works).
- Pathinenkilkanakku (Eighteen Minor Works): including the "Tirukkural".
Other Tamil classics:
- Tirukkural: by Tiruvalluvar; 1,330 couplets on virtue (aram), wealth (porul) and love (inbam); called the "Tamil Veda".
- Silappadikaram and Manimekalai: the "twin epics".
Other grammars in Indian languages:
- Sanskrit: Panini's "Ashtadhyayi".
- Kannada: Keshiraja's "Shabdamanidarpana".
- Telugu: Nannaya's "Andhra Shabda Chintamani" (traditionally attributed).
Why not the other options?
- ✗Tirukkural is a work on ethics, not grammar.
- ✗Silappadikaram is an epic.
- ✗Ettuthogai is a collection of eight anthologies of poems.
Quick tip
Remember: "Tolkappiyam" (Tolkappiyar) = oldest Tamil grammar (letters, words, poetics; akam and puram; five tinai); "Tirukkural" (Tiruvalluvar) = 1,330 couplets, the "Tamil Veda".
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Books & Authors — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Books & Authors, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers famous books and their authors, including ancient Indian texts, works of the freedom struggle, classic and modern literature, autobiographies of famous people, and recently published books by well-known personalities. Questions usually name a book and ask for its author, or the other way round. Ancient and historical books, such as Arthashastra (Kautilya), Indica (Megasthenes) and Gitanjali (Rabindranath Tagore), are tested most often. Autobiographies are another favourite, so learn titles such as 'My Experiments with Truth' (Mahatma Gandhi) and 'Wings of Fire' (A. P. J. Abdul Kalam). Practise the books and authors questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.