Question

Explain the social life of the people of ancient Tamilakam.

Answer 1

Instructions: The answer to this question can be broken into 2 main parts:

1. Mention the geographical feature of each Tinai.
2. Describe the occupation practised in each of the Tinai.

Solution:

• In ancient Tamilakam, social life was associated with the division of the land called Tinai.
• Each Tinai was associated with a particular landscape. There were five Tinais in ancient Tamilakam: Kurinchi, Mullai, Palai, Marutam and Neytal.
• For the people living in the hilly regions or Kurinchi, hunting and collecting forest resources became the important livelihood means. They were engaged in shifting cultivation too.
• The people of Mullai or the grassland were involved in cattle rearing. They practised vetchi; that is, in order to increase cattle wealth, they seized cattle from others.
• The people from Palai or the drylands were chiefly involved in stealing cattle.
• Marutam, or the wetland, was the fertile region where people cultivated crops such as rice and sugarcane. Evidence for the usage of iron ploughshare has been found here.
• The people who lived in the coastal region or Neytal were engaged in fishing and salt preparation.