புறநானூற்றில் கைம்பெண் நிலை

Abstract

It is noteworthy that women of first few centuries AD in the history of Tamil literature popularly known as Sankam period, were subjected to various forms of oppression. The songs of the ‘Purananuru’, one of the eighteen Greater Texts of the Sangam period, show generally underlines the denial of rights to womenfolk, and expose many of the atrocities committed against women and widows, in particular. This study examines how women in general and widows, in particular, were subjected to oppression, reviews the above literature of the Tamil life to identify the sort of oppression, and points out its merits and demerits based on the above text. The study seeks to explore whether the widows willingly accepted the oppressive practices imposed on them. It seeks to expose the tragic state of widows and to make clear what the life of widows was like in the Sangam era. It draws support from various editions of the original textbook, other literatures from Sangam period, texts generally related to Tamil thought, which are available in print and the web.