Historical data on Sangam Literature

AbstractLiterature is created to enlighten and inspire. Literature can be a work of fiction or the social experiences of the creator. Therefore, there are differences of opinion on the extent to which the events and messages found in a creator's work are true. There are two different views on whether the messages conveyed by literary works should be considered to reflect the political, social, cultural history or intellectual maturity of a society or whether it is better to dismiss them as mere fictions.The Tamil Sangam literature, which is considered as classical literature, also serves as historical evidence for the historians writing the history of the Sangha period. Historical records of hundreds of kings of the Sangam period and small land kings are found not only in external literature but also in internal literature. In general, some historians and critics assert that poetic literature cannot be used as historical sources and dismiss Sangha history based on these evidences as baseless.The PaditruPatthu collection about the Chera kings, which is considered to be a collection of heroic hymns, are books that describe the heroic deeds of the kings of the Sangam period. Books such as Patuppattull and Aartuppa books and books like Pattinapalai are historical treasures. Apart from this, it is surprising that books such as Agananuru, a collection of internal hymns, also contain a lot of historical reference to the Sangam period. Strategies such as narrating historical events as parables and as metaphors are dealt with in these songs.