சேயூர் முருகன் உலா: Seyur Murukan Ula (Tamil)

The Government of Tamilnadu, under a special scheme of publication of unpublished Tamil Manuscripts have come forward to undertake the printing and publishing of all the available unpublished Tamil Manuscripts in the State. Necessary funds towards the publication have been provided for the purpose. It is estimated that several hundred unpublished Tamil manuscripts dealing with native medicines, mathematics, music fine arts, and literary compositions of various nature, are lying unpublished in different Manuscript Libraries of this state and also in other parts of the country. Various manuscript Libraries in the State, have been approached to make available their unpublished text for publication. The authorities of these Manuscripts Libraries have come forward with interest and enthusiasm to afford necessary facilities for the same. Eminent Tamil Scholars, well-versed in the art of editing have been requested to take up the work of editing. Under the scheme the texts will be critically edited with suitable foot-notes and brief introductary analysis both in English and Tamil for the benefit of researchers and scholars. The selection of manuscripts, copying and editing have been entrusted to the Tamilnadu State Department of Archaeology and the printing and publication of the text have been undertaken by the Tamilnadu TextBook Society.

So far the texts of 75 manuscripts have been copied and a number of them edited and are made available in printed form in this series. Following the lead given by the Tamilnadu Government, other institutions are also coming forward to publish as many texts as possible. I am thankful to all the institutions and scholars who have come forward to join the Government in this venture. It is only a beginning and I do hope that all the available texts will be in the hands of scholars, educational institutions and public Libraries, so that the contribution of the Tamils through the in different fields will be available for the proper understanding and comprehension of the Tamil Language. literature and Culture.

The Ula is a long classical poem in the kalivenba metre describing the procession of the Lord along the streets encirling the local shrine during the car festival, and the expression of love which the young women witnessing the procession felt towards the Lord. It is said to be one of the types of minor poems later enumerated as the 96 prabandhas, from the 16th century.

The term Ula means a procession. The poem describes the ula of the Lord. The Lord of the temple is taken in procession during the annual brahmotsava or car festival of the temple. The poem consists of two sections-the first dealing with the ula and the second with the expression in words and action of the young women who fall in love with him. The very name suggests that it is associated with a temple.

The first section contains a narration of the temple legends. a description of the temple, the decking of the Lord for the pro cession, the starting of the procession, a detailed account of the other deities and temple officials who accompany, the play of the trumpets, and so on.

The second section gives in detail a description of the young women in the traditional seven stages who witness the procession. Like Shakespeare's Seven Apes of Man, the Seven Ages of Women is a familiar theme in the Tamil language, even from the Sangam period. The first stage is pedai, about seven years, yet a child interested naturally only in play and frolic. The second is petumbai, between 9 and 10 years, a growing girl; yet a girl just in the adolescent stage, who may just know and know not of sex love. The third is mangai, in the conventional age of 12, who is the flower of womanhood, who is capable physically and emotionally of sex-love, but has not yet known or experienced it.