actions, living creature, legendary creatures, flowers, plants, trees, objects, artifacts and abstracts have been handled to express symbolic sense. Kurinci flower/plant connoting love, mentioned in Tolkappiyam is followed in Cankam poems. But along with it other flora like kantal and venkai also come to convey the same concept. Patient awaiting suggested by mullai, the jasmine flower, as per Tolkappiyam, has extended to refer to chastity in Cankam poems. Such developments are seen in most of the items. Tolkappiyam refers only to certain flora as the sign of the ancient Tamil kings. But the Cankam poems give certain fauna and artifacts as emblems. Only in later literature, like the epic Cilappatikaram these are detailed as design on flags / emblem on banners.
After the Caikam period, the ethical works, especially the Tirukkural stands as a store house of symbols. A different dimension of symbolic presentation is available here.The short and pithy sayings are moulded in such a way that symbols come handy in subtly expressing various truths. The other ethical works of the minor collection, have a different vein. Proverbial expressions with symbolic relevance have come into the language at this stage. Besides connection and similarity as the link in symbolism, unconnected and distantly placed things and aspects featuring in the evolution of symbolism is seen here. Rain symbolizing chastity, mire standing for Hades, flower clusters connoting the educated, fruit trees and drinking water ponds representing the bountiful are all well set in these verses.
The epics of the early period have given room for the development of metaphors, allegory, parallelism, etc which are rich sources of symbols. Episodic events and parables have evolved into typical symbols in this phase. Ilanko,the author of Cilappatikaram, the first and foremost Tamil epic, has handled traditional symbols, as well as, has created novel ones, which have influenced the later authors to follow suit. Chastity, connoted through Jasmine flower and rain earlier, is here shown as fire. Kampan has later taken this to his epic when portraying Sita.
Intrinsic symbolic chains connecting different phases of Tamil literature can be seen. Continuation of dream symbols, colour symbolism, augury and omen are found in the medieval and later epic period too. Supernatural things and concepts like ambrosia, pond of cure, bowl of plenty are notable.
Archetypes and myth as source of symbolic expression are common in later epics and the devotional poems of Nayanmar and Alvar. Generally, a large part of Tamil literature, as a repertoire of beliefs, scientific and superstitious, add new dimensions to the study of symbols.
The above corpus helps one into the knowledge of symbols of the ancient and medieval Tamils. The present Dictionary leads one through the various symbols and their meanings, sometimes single and sometimes multiple. Many symbols are indigenous, while some show equal or corresponding meanings in world symbolism, as depicted in the foot of certain entries.
The Bibliography lists the source books as well as dictionaries, dissertation and studies on symbolism.
A Note on Entries
The Dictionary is in Tamil Alphabetical order with Roman transliteration and English meaning to each headword. In each entry, the earliest occurrence is taken as the headword and given with denotations. It's symbolic connotations are given numbered,and ordered following ancient tradition, and the citations are given there under. Synonyms are accommodated along side, with similar or variant symbolic meaning. Connected words and expressions, idiomatic or verbal are also given there itself. As per availability, each entry ends with meanings from Dictionaries on Symbolism, to give a comparative outlook.
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