Rules and Exceptions in Ancient Tamil Literature

பழந்தமிழ் இலக்கியத்தில் விதிகளும் விலக்குகளும்

Abstract

During the Sangam period, when tribal life was in decline, the Vedic religion introduced upper-lower distinctions based on the four castes. The Vedic religion, which emphasizes on the basis of law or dharma that there should be no mixing of castes, also emphasizes purity, impurity, and exclusion. When land became the property of men, women also became the property of men. The socio-economic and political conditions of that    day, combined with sexual politics, created new rules for women. Tolkappiyar has recorded the fact that women's status in a property-owning society has become a matter of law.