Social Formation in Tamil Eco-zones

Social Formation in Tamil Eco-zones

Sangam poems help us understand the social formation of the time. According to the thinai concept, Tamilagam was divided into five landscapes or eco-regions namely Kurinji, Marutam, Mullai, Neytal and Palai. Each region had distinct characteristics – a presiding deity, people and cultural life according to the environmental conditions, as follows:

Kurinji: hilly region: hunting and gathering

Marutham: riverine tract:agriculture using plough and irrigation.

Mullai: forested region: pastoralism combined with shifting cultivation

Neythal: coastal land: fishing and salt making.

Palai: parched land. Unsuitable for cultivation and hence people took to cattle lifting and robbery.