Agriculture in ancient Tamil country

Agriculture during the early stages of Sangam period was primitive,[1] but it progressively got more efficient with improvements in irrigation, ploughing, manuring, storage and distribution.

The ancient Tamils were aware of the different varieties of soil, the kinds of crops that can be grown on them and the various irrigation schemes suitable for a given region.

Among the five geographical divisions of the Tamil country in Sangam literature, the Marutam region was the most fit for cultivation, as it had the most fertile lands.

They were the tillers of the soil and were known by different names - Ulutunbar or Yerinvalnar, because they subsisted through the end of the plough, Vellalar because they were considered proprietors of water and Karalar or Kalamar which meant ruler of the clouds.

The higher class Vellalars, besides holding the land, held high offices under the king, discharging civil and military duties, and assumed titles of Vel, Arasu, Kavidi and had matrimonial alliances with the royal family.

There were granaries, known as Kalanjiyam,[5] in public places as well as in the houses of the farmers to store excess grain so that people did not suffer in times of floods or famines.

The cubic measurements were of the shape of a wine cask with a broader waist and slightly narrow bottom and top.

[4] The ancient Tamils cultivated a wide range of crops such as rice, sugarcane, millets, pepper, various grams, coconuts, beans, cotton, plantain, tamarind and sandalwood.

The agricultural surplus produced by the villages is one of the reasons for the growth of urban centers in ancient Tamilakam.

According to Dr. Venkata Subramanian, "Towns can emerge precisely at the moment when the agriculturists start producing a surplus that can sustain basically 'Non-productive urban residents' ".

[citation needed] The Tamil people practiced a very systematic method of cultivation during the Sangam age.

It was known that ploughing, manuring, weeding, irrigation and crop protection need to be followed in a proper way for the yield to be rich.

[7] Tiruvalluvar, in his Tirukkural, emphasizes the need for all of these steps to be undertaken in a careful manner in order to get a good yield.

Crop rotation was followed – for instance, cotton and millets were grown simultaneously on the same plot and after that, beans were cultivated on it.

Palliyadutal refers to the process of removing weeds by means of a toothed implement attached to a plank and drawn by oxen.

Protecting the standing crops from stray animals and birds was an important activity and was carried out by young girls[8] and lower-class peasants.

Sickles were used for harvesting fully grown paddy and reaping the ripe ears of corn[citation needed].

During the early phases of the Sangam period, people depended heavily on rains as the primary source of water for agriculture.

Since the rivers of the region were not perennial, the primary goal was to procure an adequate and continuous supply of water.

Kallanai, a dam built on river Kaveri during this period, is considered the oldest water-regulation structure in the world.

[9][10][11] Kaveri, Pennai, Palaru, Vaigai and the Tamaraparani were the major rivers spreading their fertilizing water on the fields of Tamilakam.