has adverted to this ancient examination of cultural origins), their choice of names for these regions should be an indication of a high degree of classification of natural phenomena they had already then attained. It would have been natural for a primitive people to have chosen names for these regions from their most important agricultural produce, or from the chief occupation of the people. Instead, to signify the mountain regions they chose the strobilanthus, the flower of a plant that blooms once every twelve years on the hills of South India; to signify the pasture-lands they chose the white jasmine, the prettiest and most fragrant flower of the region; to signify the littorals they chose the species of water-lily that abounds in the lakes and tanks of the maritime tracts; to identify the agricultural riverine plains they chose the flower of the myrtle tree, a landmark of the locality; and to signify the desert jungle they chose the flower of the paalai tree, a tree that looks luxuriant even in the heat of summer.⁴

A complete and accurate study of Nature was, therefore, imposed on the Tamil poets by poetic tradition and rule. Poets of other languages were never compelled to make a study of flora and fauna, and the seasons, by the rules of poetics. They could have excelled in poetry without any such minute study and observation as was enjoined on the Tamil poets. Since most poems were classified according to region and landscape, it was imperative on the aspirant to the good graces of the Tamil muse to preface his literary attempts with a study of flora and fauna, and a detailed observation of the varied aspects of the vast domain of Nature by sea and hill and field and meadow and desert. Of these regions the Tamil poet had not only to study the visible phenomena or the several objects

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   ⁴ This nomenclature came into vogue decades before the Cankam poetry, we know, came into existence. Already at the Cankam period references to some of the regional flowers such as kuriñci and paalai are comparatively rare, and the origin of the nomenclature is mentioned by no poet. Hence the difference of opinion between the commentators as to these regional names originally signifying flowers, or trees, or the patterns of behaviour ascribed to the regions. The opinion of the earliest commentator, Ilampuranar that the regions were named after the flowers seems to be the most convincing. Marutam is terminalia Eomentosa.