Ancient epics, mahakavyas in Sanskrit, Sangam songs, early foreign notes, Ashoka edicts and Archaeological findings undoubtedly prove the early existence of progressive, prosperous and independent kingdoms in South India. India possessed a developed culture even before the advent of Aryans in Indian peninsula. In Valmiki Ramayana South Indian places like Andhra, Cola, Pandya and Kerala are listed as developed independent regions, where the Sugriva directed his followers to search Sita. Muziris, a great emporium of Cera kings is also referred to in the 2nd century foreign notes and early Sangam songs. The evidences available now clearly show that the Dravidian culture already attained a high standard of excellence in almost all fields of life including economic, marital and literary fields in centuries preceding the Christian era.
The early Dravidians were the direct ancestors of the Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Telugu, Tulu and tribes speaking Dravidian languages. There is enough evidences to assume that they have been inhabited almost all part of Indian peninsula before the period of Indus valley civilization. Dravidian languages spoken by tribes now live in hills and forests spread all over India is a clear proof to the existence of Dravidians in Indian peninsula even before the advent of Aryans. They were called in ancient Sanskrit works as Asuras, Daityas or Dasyus or Nagas. It is to be remembered that at the time of emperor Ashoka three South Indian kingdoms viz., Ketalaputa (Cera), Pandya, Cola had attained in every branch of knowledge and administration a high level and contributed much in the development of Dravidian culture. These kingdoms were in diplomatic relation with Ashoka. According to Sunitikumar Chatterji:
"It would be established that civilization first arose in India and was probably associated with the primitive Dravidians. Then it was taken to Mesopotamia to become the source of the Babylonian and other ancient cultures which forms the basis of modern civilization (Dravidian India)". He is also on the view that Cretan, Lycian, Sumerian, Elamite and Dravidian languages might be materially related and that the Aegean islands, Asia Minor and Mesopotamia might have formed one cultural area. There exist a strong view that the Mohen-jo-Daro and Harappa culture is non-Aryan. Brahui, a Dravidian language spoken in the border areas of Baluchistan, Iran and Pakistan support the view that the people who built the Indus-valley civilization were the primitive Dravidians.
Dravidians had the credit to be earliest traders with foreign countries. They lived near the sea i.e., the regions which were familiar with foreign trade. The words like toni (തോണി), ōtam (ഓടം), patak (പടക്), pattemari (പത്തേമാരി), kappal (8), kalam (e) etc. used for transportations in the sea and backwaters are surprisingly Dravidian. The maritime enterprise of ancient India was in the hands of Dravidians who dwelled at east and west coast of South India. Early foreign notes by travellers from western countries like Ptolemy, Pliny and the author of Periplus of Erythrean sea had given realistic descriptions of extensive trade existed from very early times between western countries and the ports of west coast. From Sangam literature and from the archaeological findings, it is evident that Proto Dravidian communities knew agriculture and used coins, ornaments of gold and silver and also weapons of iron and bronze. They built forts, towns and temples. They worshipped mother Goddess. They built ships, navigated the seas and exchanged their commodities with foreign countries which resulted in the influence of Dravidian cultures in those places also. There are evidences to reconstruct the history of contact between South India and the Mediterranean area, the Tigris - Euphrates valley and China.
Through the commercial expeditions carried out by Egyptians and other Western traders to Muziris, cardamom (e), pepper, cassia, sandalwood, teak etc., reached in European countries. The gates of Carthage were made of sandalwood from west coast. Pieces of teak was found in the ruins of ur (๑๖), the sea port of Babylon and the capital of the Sumerian kings. (C. 4th millennium BCE). The word ur, no doubt is a Tamil - Malayalam word. From Manimekhala (2 e) it may be inferred that before the Christian Era, the Dravidians traded with the islands of Java, Sumatra and Malaysia. Malabar coast otherwise noted as west coast was one of the convenient landing places for ships and Muziris described by Pliny as 'primum emporium Indae', was much frequented by foreign merchants. It was situated at the bank of back water near modern Kodungalloor, where the river Periyar ends. When Pliny and Ptolemy wrote their travelogues, they could not see river Periyar, because it does not enter the sea direct at that time, but loses itself in the backwater very near to the Muziris. Akam and Puram songs sing of the ships of the Yavanas disturbing the white foam of the fair Periyar of Ceras (Akam 149,11, 7-12, Puram 343,11, 1-10).
Thus, in front of us there existed a great culture, which still needs proper investigations by using interdisciplinary academic devices. Recent excavations carried out at Madurai regions of Tamilnadu supplied plenty of archaic tools which sheds new light on a much earlier stage of Dravidian culture so far accounted.
Hindu (935)
Agriculture (118)
Ancient (1086)
Archaeology (753)
Architecture (563)
Art & Culture (910)
Biography (702)
Buddhist (544)
Cookery (167)
Emperor & Queen (565)
Islam (242)
Jainism (307)
Literary (896)
Mahatma Gandhi (372)
Send as free online greeting card
Email a Friend
Manage Wishlist