Question map
Which one of the following explains the practice of Vattakirutal' as mentioned in Sangam poems?
Explanation
The correct answer is Option 4.
The term Vattakirutal (also known as Vatakkiruttal) refers to a unique and deeply rooted socio-political practice in the ancient Sangam Age. It describes a ritual suicide performed by a king who suffered a humiliating defeat in battle or faced a loss of honor. The defeated monarch would sit facing the North—a direction considered sacred and auspicious—and starve himself to death (fasting unto death) to reclaim his dignity and glory.
In Sangam literature (such as the Purananuru), this act was seen as a mark of extreme courage rather than cowardice. For instance, the Chola King Kopperuncholan is famously known for performing this ritual. While options 1, 2, and 3 reflect other social realities of the Sangam era (like women bodyguards or field watchers), they do not define the specific code of honor represented by Vattakirutal.
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Guest previewThis is a 'Term-Definition' Bouncer targeting specific Sangam martial customs. While basic NCERTs mention Sangam literature generally, defining 'Vattakirutal' (Vadakkiruttal) requires the TN Board Class 11 History textbook or Upinder Singh. It penalizes superficial reading—you must know the *content* of the poems (Puram tradition), not just the names of the books.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
Sangam literature is described as a corpus that records social values, emotions and practices — implying it preserves specific technical terms for social/ritual behaviour.
A student could therefore look for the term in Sangam anthologies (or glossaries) expecting it to denote a culturally specific practice recorded in those poems.
Tholkappiyam is identified as the earliest Tamil grammatical text that deals with poetry and also the society and culture of the times, indicating specialized vocabulary and explanations may appear there.
One could consult Tholkappiyam or related grammatical/poetic treatises to find definitions or usage examples of the technical term.
The term 'Sangam' itself appears in later treatises (Iraiyanar Akapporul), showing that technical poetic terminology is discussed in post‑Sangam grammar/poetics as well as in the poems.
Hence search both Sangam poems and later explanatory works like Iraiyanar Akapporul for mentions or glosses of 'Vattakirutal'.
The thinai system shows Sangam poetry uses a systematic vocabulary tied to contexts (landscapes, lifestyles), suggesting other specific ritual or social practices are named distinctly in the corpus.
Using the pattern that poems pair terms with social/landscape contexts, a student might check contextual occurrences of 'Vattakirutal' (which region/type of poem it appears in) to infer its meaning.
Sangam‑period sources and later inscriptions record concrete rituals and royal practices, indicating literary sources often reflect ritual behaviours which can be cross‑checked with inscriptions.
A student could compare occurrences of 'Vattakirutal' in poems with inscriptional or ritual lists to see if it matches a known ritual practice mentioned elsewhere.
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