Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c23.s27.t3: 4.24.3 Literacy and political independence
Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c23.s27.t3
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4.24.3 Literacy and political independence
c23.s27.t3.1
The main reason for the contrasting developments in the growth of literacy as between the two regions appears to be the political independence of the Tamil country and its absence in Upper South India during the relevant period. Upper South India was incorporated in the Nanda-Maurya domain even before the beginning of the literate period. Asoka specifically lists Andhra among the territories included within his domains in his thirteenth rock edict. The region was, therefore, administered through the medium of Prakrit which was the language of the rulers and also became the language of the local ruling elite, of learning and instruction, and of public discourse, as clearly shown by the presence of Asoka's Prakrit edicts in the region. This situation persisted even when the Mauryas were succeeded by local rulers, the Sātavāhanas, and later by their successors like the Ikshvākus, Kadambas, Sālaṅkāyanas, Vishnukuṇḍins and Pallavas. It would have been in the interest of the ruling elite to protect their privileges by perpetuating the hegemony of Prakrit in order to exclude the common people from sharing power. Persian in the Mughal Empire and English in British India (and even after Independence) offer instructive parallels to this situation.
c23.s27.t3.2
The situation in the Tamil country during the early period was entirely different. The Tamil country was never a part of the Nanda-Maurya empires. The Tamil states, Cēra, Cōḻa and Pāṇḍiya, and even their feudatories like the (Satiyaputra) Atiyamāṉs maintained their political independence as acknowledged by Asoka himself in his second rock edict in which he refers to them as his 'borderers'. As a direct result of political independence, Tamil remained the language of administration, of learning and instruction, and of public discourse throughout the Tamil country. When writing became known to the Tamils, the Brāhmī script was adapted and modified to suit the Tamil phonetic system. That is, while the Brāhmī script was borrowed, the Prakrit language was not allowed to be imposed along with it from outside. When the Jaina and Buddhist monks entered the Tamil country, they found it expedient to learn Tamil in order to carry on their missionary activities effectively. An apt parallel is the case of the European Christian missionaries in India during the colonial period, who mastered the local languages to preach the gospel to the masses.