புறநானூற்றில் வேளிரின் அரசியல் அடையளம்; சங்காலக் குறுநில ஆட்சியின் மறுவாசிப்பு

Abstract

Purananuru is a Sangam literary anthology consisting of four hundred poems dealing with themes related to Purathinai (external aspects of life). This work is also known as Puram, Purappattu, and Nandha Vilakkam. It occupies a significant place among the Ettuthokai (Eight Anthologies) of Sangam literature and belongs to the category of Puram literature. The names of the compiler and the patron who commissioned the compilation of this anthology remain unknown. The poems in this work are composed in Asiriyappa metre, ranging from four to forty lines in length.
The poems of Purananuru serve as valuable historical records, extensively documenting various aspects of Sangam society, including the three crowned kings, minor chieftains, Velir leaders, warriors, poets, wars, political relationships, generosity, virtue, and valour. With its rich historical and literary significance, Purananuru provides an important foundation for examining the political identity of the Velir. The objective of the present study is to reinterpret the political identity of the Velir as represented in Purananuru.

Keywords: Purananuru, Velir, politics, identity, Vel Pari, Pegan, Ay Andiran, Adhiyaman, Ori, Nalli, Kari