SOCIAL ORIGINS OF TINAI CONCEPT 21
themes. Each of these themes is given a further content classification. Both love and military affairs arc related to the five ecological regions. It is held that a particular love or military activity could be described as characteristic of a particular region. The regions and the behaviour patterns are referred to by the names of flowers peculiar to the regions.
Poetic Conventions and Traditional Details
Tolkappiyar in his attempt to analyse the poetic conventions describes and discusses in detail thellitcrary convention which correlates particular behaviour patterns in love and military matters with the particular ecologic'al regions. 7 Concerned as he was with only the poetic idiom of the day, he describes in an order of ascending importance the geophysical aspects of each region, the flora and the fauna, the economic activities, the religion and the diet of each region and behaviour pattern peculiar to each region. The love and the military behaviour patterns when schematized and set out by the grammarians seem to emerge as conduct-codes prescribed to each region!
The following tables indicate the regions, the identifying flowers and the particular behaviour:
A. FOR LOVE ACTIVITY
Region Flower Behaviour Patterns
1 Hills Kurinci Sexual union and those
(Strobilanthus) that lead to it
2 Pasturclands and Mullai Wife patiently waiting for
open terraces (Jasminium the husband who is away
Trichotemum) and those that lead to it.
3 Riverine- Marutam Wife'sulking over husband
agrarian (Terminalia visiting harlot and those
Tomentosa) that lead to it.
4 Littoral Neytal Agony of separation and
{Nymphae lotus nlpa) those that lead to it.
5 Uncultivated Palai Separation from family and
dry region (Mismusops Kauki) those that lead to it.
B. FOR MILITARY ACTIVITY
Region Flower Military Activity
1 Hill Vctci Capture and recapture of
(Iccova Coccinea) cattle
The action of the defenders is sometimes treated
separately and refered to by the flower Karantai
(Spheranthus Indicus).
2 Pastureland Vanci Guarding and raiding the
(Calamus Rotang) settlement.