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இப்பக்கம் மெய்ப்பு பார்க்கப்படவில்லை

xvi The concepts mentioned above have distinct meanings in the culture of the ancient Tamils. It is perhaps worth our while to explain each concept : Natw : This is a conventioma} approach to the treatment of the country under the rule of the hero. The description of the country as a literary convention was not unknown to many other literatures including Sanskrit, but Tamil literature has this to reveal: that among the themes most intimately to be associated with the royal hero, a description of the countries' special features and prosperious situation is the most indispensable. We shall be presently going into the characteristics of the three countries as furnished by the Muttollāyiram. Nakay : Closely connected with the country is its capital, The theme of the capital was also common to other literatures. There are other works of the Tamil classical age dealing with the three capital cities. The Patting-p-palai is completely devoted to Käviri-p-püm-pattinam. The Maturai-k-kāfici is literally a song of Maturai, though purporting to be an eulogy of Netuñceiyan it is in fact a detailed description of the capital city. The Céra capital has no separate poem, but its glories have been sung in a number of works. The glory of the capital in the Tamil literary convention symbolised justice, peace, prosperity and happiness, Tirai : The practice of paying a tribute to the overlord was well-known in the Tamil country. Tirai' and Kappam are pure Tamil concepts. This should indicate an independent evolution of the practice in the Tamil country. The system of levying a tribute was a civilised approach to the treatment of the vanquished by the victorious. Wholesale annexation of territories was resorted to as a political expediency only if the continuation of the rule of the vanquished enemy should spell danger to the sovereignity of the victor. But where the domineering king asserted; his might to ensure subordination of lesser rulers the sovereign was content to leave the lesser rulers alone if they would agree to paying a tribute,