சஙக இலககயஙகளல வளணம தண வழ ஒபபட / Comparison of Agricultural Land in Sangam Literature

The people of the Sangam period followed different types of agricultural methods depending on the land and the water resources available. There are different types of soil found in each landscape. According to the land, they were divided into five lands. Hard ground (Vanpulam) was found in the Kurinji and Mullai land areas. The fertile ground (Menpulam) was found in the Marutham area. Dryland (Pinpulam) was found in the desert area and saline land (Uvar Nilam) was found in the Neithal area. Of all the above soil types, fertile ground gives good yields. So, the people of the Marutham area were distinguished in agriculture. While people living in other countries wandered from one place to another as nomads for their food needs, the people of the Kurinji land had the habit of hunting and gathering food. Thus, the Sangam literature tells us that the Tamil society of the Sangam period was not a group that went in search of food but could produce food in the areas where they lived. The Kanavars, Vedars, Kuravas, and Einars lived in small huts in the depths of dense forests. When they needed food, they would go from their residential areas to various parts of the forest to collect food. From this, One can see that the life of the people of the Sangam period was a step ahead of the people living in other areas.