Academic literature on the topic 'Tamil Christian literature'

The contribution of Christians in the history of Tamil literature is immeasurable. The works of Christians in our country are as excellent as the works of Christian missionaries in the west. There are more than hundred christuva Citrilakiyankal collected by the researcher. Christian Literatures are considered to be liturgical, devotional, secular and social in the category of reformed literature and serve as reference points for Christian theological theological thinkers. Christuva Citrilakiyankal refer to the problems found in the Christian community has revolutionary works, but also point to the unparalled love and purity of Jesus Christ. And tell those who have seen Christ to live in purity. Jesus is the salvation, wisdom and incomparable lord. Simplicity, sweetness, speed and vivacity come together in Christian Literatures. Christian Literatures have given priority in singing about the characteristic interests of the Saints rather than high lighting their physical beauty. In the same way, many have sung the praises of the lord without singing much about the glory of which the lord dwells. In Tamil devotional literary tradition, Bridal mysticism is glorified. This tradition is also found in the Bible. Hero – Heroine is singing in imitation of God as lover and himself as lover.

Human beings’ life is running around these words live, virtue, non-violence, support, warmth and mercy. Their lives are improving only because they know the meaning of these words. There are many books and epics, all of them emphasize moral teachings and its characteristics. The history of each book is also published by the writers. Accordingly, the Bhagavad Gita is the holy book for Hinduism, the Quran is the holy book for Islam and Holy Bible for Christianity. The Holy Bible is not only the basis of Christian life but also the basis of many Christian Tamil literatures. The Holy Bible has embraced all the life principles of life in the lives of Saint Mary, the mother of Jesus and Saint Joseph, the father of Jesus. The Holy Bible consists of two parts, the Old and the New Testament. In the Old Testament the life and death of Jesus are recorded. New Testament is about the history of Jesus’s life, his deeds of charity, love and his teachings. The article examines the Christian Tamil literatures that were written after the Bible.

In the area of the Tamil language, which has a rich literary heritage of over 2,000 years that extends from Sangam literature to today's modern literature, the minor literature is known to be the product of the Naayakar period. Against the backdrop of various religions, which have contributed from time to time to the great work of enriching Mother Tamil, many minor literature books have emerged in Tamil. Christian Ammanais is the most famous of this type of minor literature, which originated in Tamil in the context of Christianity. This article explores the place of Christian Ammanai in Tamil minor literature and discusses its merits.

The article deals with the biography and scientific achievements of one of the founders of Tamil studies, G.U. Pope. His many years of selfless activity in the field of Indian education, the creation of basic textbooks and anthologies of the literary Tamil, which generations of schoolchildren and students studied, and translation of the main texts of ancient and medieval Tamil literature, have earned well-deserved honor and respect from the Tamils, for whom he is a national hero. His identification and study of the main ideas of Śaiva Siddhānta based on the biography and poems of the Tamil poet Māṇikkavācakar using Tiruvaruṭpayaṉ and Civappirakācam by Umāpati Civācāriyar (which he introduced into academic discourse) have largely retained their scientific significance and today. For the first time in Russian Tamil studies, Pope is shown as the first person to realize the philosophy of Tamil Śaiva Siddhānta value for understanding South Indian Śaivism. The article discusses in detail Pope's analysis and formulae of the main provisions and key ideas of Śaiva Siddhānta based on the comparative method, which allowed him to involve previously unexplored treatises of Umāpati Civācāriyar, and sacred writings of Hinduism, in comparison with the Christian religion, including the Gnostics and the Apocrypha. In conclusion, the author characterizes Pope's main scientific achievements, which influenced not only the development of academic Tamil studies, but also the national consciousness of the Tamils, their awareness of their unique identity, value and originality of own culture.

Devotional literature is a book of virtues that teaches virtue. Although the gods of various religions are different, all the theologies emphasize the idea that mankind should live together without any differences. It is the people who follow different religions who judge that my deity is superior and the deities worshiped by others are inferior. Saiva Nayanmars, Vaishnava Alvars and the Siddhars of Tamil Nadu saw revolution in religious philosophies. The songs which they criticize and condemns caste system and religion in the society. Siddhars like Shivavakkiyar believe giving image to the increase’s inequality. Even in 20th century caste and religious issues are there. In order to eradicate all these, literature conveys the moral values to people. The period from 7th to 12th century AD in our Tamil language was the period when the Devotional Literature gained strength, and it continued till the 19th century. Hence the Christian and Islamic literature flourished. However, Devotional literature refers to Saiva Vaishnava literature. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to explain the principles of knowledge implied in Saiva Vaishnava literature. This article shows the importance of developing moral thoughts which are mandatory.

The novels of Indian writerA. Madhaviah (1872–1925) are deeply ambivalent toward British Protestant missions in the Madras Presidency. The son of a Brahmin family from the Tirunelveli District in what is now the state of Tamil Nadu, Madhaviah had the opportunity to form close intellectual relationships with British missionaries and Indian Christian converts while studying for his B.A. at the Madras Christian College, completing his degree in 1892. Although he remained a Hindu throughout his life, Madhaviah's first English novel,Thillai Govindan(1903), praises some missionaries for their moral characters, naming in particular the Madras Christian College's principal, William Miller (1838–1923); however, the same novel also criticizes other unnamed Madras missionaries for extravagant lifestyles that squandered the money of unsuspecting supporters in Britain (64). Madhaviah's deep commitment to late-nineteenth and early twentieth-century Indian women's reform movements, including widow remarriage, the abolition of child marriage, and women's education, meant that he often agreed with British missionaries championing similar reforms in Indian society. However, his early novels also criticize the proselytizing activities of missionaries, particularly in educational settings. In his Tamil novelPadmavati Carittiram(1898, 1899) and English novelSatyananda(1909), Madhaviah exposes missionary attempts to take advantage of a young pupil's inexperience in an educational setting or to exploit a quarrel between pupil and family members to secure a conversion. Yet in contrast, Madhaviah's final English novel,Clarinda: A Historical Novel(1915), offers perhaps the most positive depiction of an Indian Christian conversion in his fiction. A historical novel that reimagines the life of a renowned eighteenth-century Marathi Brahmin woman convert living in Thanjavur, Madhaviah'sClarindaoffers Christian conversion as a liberating decision for the young Clarinda. Her conversion allows her as a widow to escape the patriarchal control of her abusive husband's family and to contribute to her community as a philanthropist and an early social reformer. While Madhaviah remained critical of certain conversion tactics, which could transgress ethical boundaries, Madhaviah also acknowledged that missionary goals for women's improved lot within society often intersected with his own convictions.