A History of South India from Prehistoric Times to the Fall of Vijayanagar c19.s2.3

c19.s2.3

The next great epoch in the annals of Tamil literature extends over a period of three and a half centuries (500-850). In this age the inflow of northern Sanskritic influences became even more marked than before; numerous words and concepts in the domain of ethics, religion and philosophy were freely borrowed and incorporated in Tamil; the Sanskrit codes and law books were accepted as the basis of a considerable volume of didactic literature which forms a striking feature of the time; sometimes whole works in Sanskrit or allied dialects were translated or adapted into Tamil. There was a preponderance of Jaina writers to start with as Jainism and Buddhism were then waxing strong. But the rising tide of Hindu reaction soon produced a great volume of popular devotional literature, which was set to music and ravished the hearts of the common folk. Notable developments occurred in belles-lettres, grammar and lexicography, but here the Jains and Buddhists continued to hold the palm. Almost all writing was in verse, and there was little prose worth mentioning.