Indian Journal of Tamil

A study on Diversity and Medicinal Uses of Sthala-Vrikshas in Palani Taluk, Dindigul District, Tamil Nadu

Aravindhan Veerasamy — 2024-02-23

India i.e Bharat is rich in culture and tradition. Additionally, it is noteworthy that this nation is home to temples and rituals. The people's strong devotion to the temples demonstrates their faith in them. In our country, there is a tradition of venerating trees within these temples. This practice serves as a reminder that throughout history, humans have relied on the environment for survival. The trees worshiped and preserved in temples in this manner are known as sthala vriksham. This research paper explores the cultural phenomenon, scientific background and conservation of biodiversity aspects of temples protecting the Sthala-Vriksham. A study was conducted about the Sthala Vriksham seen at temples in Palani, a taluk located in Dindigul district and further documented in the form of questionnaires. The study gathered data by engaging in direct discussions and interviews with residents, as well as conducting a field survey at the temples. Geographical data of the region was collected using GPS technology. Information about the medicinal and other domestic properties of these plants was obtained from the field-survey from local population and previous research papers. The bilva tree is the iconic tree for most temples. The study found two Sthala Vriksham trees located in the Venugopalaperumal temple in Palani. Forty-two different species of trees were documented among the other trees in the temples. Many ancient trees were discovered at the Periya Avudaiyar temple, Ancestors implemented these cultures for medicinal purposes, economic reasons, and to preserve plant biodiversity.

Religious Traditions in Tamil Nadu during the Devaram Period

Gunapalasingam V — 2024-01-03

Tamil devotional literature which was prevalent in Tamil Nadu during the Devar period was heavily influenced by Sanskrit literature. On this basis, it is known that many ancient historical incidents have been mentioned in the songs of Devaram. Birth of Gods, the manner in which their relationship is taught, the historical events of the gods, and their heroic deeds can be seen in the devaram. This article explains about the daughter of Umai Malaiyarasan, God Murugan Sivashakti, the story of Brahma and Vishnu searching for a foothold, the story of Vishnu's, the attributes of Shiva bearing Umadevi and Vishnu with half of his body and about the belief in the worship of natural objects such as the moon, Ganges, and Navagraha. It is worth noting that mythological information about the characteristics of minor deities, Indra, Varuna, Agni, Atatiku Balakas, etc., etc., are scattered throughout the Devaram. The purpose of this article is to explore all these in detail.

Final Goal in Advaita Vethanda is a Philosophical Research

Sahayaseelan R — 2024-02-13

Religion has secured a significant place in world traditional Civilization. Influence of religion has been well synthesized in art, Literature, Ethics and philosophy. Generally speaking religion always discusses three important entities such as, Human life, World and God. Faith in God, Philosophical thoughts and moral principles are the core topics in religion. In this respect it could be said that religion is being played a pivotal role since from birth up to death of human beings. In this respect, Advaita Vedanta as one of the Hindu Philosophies has been discussed about the Final Goal of Human Life and this paper aim at discussing the said concept. Though there are distinct philosophical schools in Hinduism, considerable number of Scholars have been paid there attention on Advaita Vedanta and thus this topic is apt for discussion. This paper further discuss the basic entities which Advaita Vedanta firmly believed as final Goal of human Life and the ways and means to achieve that status. Since there are several origin texts and interpretations available about Advaita Vedanta this study also mainly based on those resources and historical analysis is also being performed in this paper. Advaita Vedanta accepts the principles of Karma and re-birth and emphasize that birth occurs due to karma and this process is endless and miserable. Thus, the final goal of human being is to detach from birth and thereby to get rid from suffering. As has been already stated the main aim of this paper is to identify the final goal of Advaita Vedanta and then to illustrate them clearly.

Is the Tamil language Conjugation or Grafting

Godwin Sudharsan A — 2024-02-13

Language is the main tool that helps people to communicate their thoughts, emotions, likes and dislikes to others. Research about the origin of the language are often biased. Hence the origin of the language cannot be determined. In order to understand the language, linguists classify it in various ways based on its nature, character, usage, number of users etc. Among these, the languages of the world are divided into independent, conjunctive, and so on. Although many languages have appeared in the world, only a few languages have survived. Among the languages that have survived, some have lost its value as spoken language and living only as literary languages. Among the languages that appear, grow and disappear, Tamil is the most important language that appeared in ancient times and has grown with influence and is still alive today. This Tamil language, which has an ancient grammatical and literary richness and the unique feature of adapting itself according to the times, has two different linguistic elements in itself, grafting and conjugation. Pointing to the interdisciplinary nature of Tamil, which is often labeled as a hybrid language, this article is to analyse whether Tamil is a conjugation or grafting.