Separate housing colonies for Aryans thereby legitimizing the caste system

The struggle between Sanskrit and Tamil which started during the times of Tamil grammarian Tholkappiyar [865 B.C] triggered a grammatical rule to eschew Sanskrit letters. This rule enunciated by Tholkappiyar is the starting point of Dravidian movement says Dr. S.Rajendiran in his Doctorate thesis “ Tamizh Kavithaiyil Dravida Iyakathin Takkam”. Even during the Sangam age we can find the Aryan influence and infiltration into literary texts corrupting the original version. It is known as Idaiserugal. But only in the Pallava period Aryan influence got entrenched deeply. Separate housing colonies for Aryans thereby legitimizing the caste system led to the upward mobility in social ladder of the Aryan peoples. Dr.K.K.Pillai who wrote a book “ The Caste System In Tamil Nadu” holds the above said view.

The Pallavas imposed taxes on agriculturalists and traders but exempted the Aryans. Sekkukaranam [Tax for oil extraction] Thattarakaranam [Tax on Goldsmiths] Paraikaranam [Tax on Musicians] were professional taxes, which Brahmins need not pay. This is revealed by the reports of the Archaeological Survey of India E.I. Vol XXXVI.No.20. pp 144-163.

As this method of worship was highly impressive and attractive, it was at once imitated. Especially after the advent of Appar and Sambandar

The essence of Brahminism was not idol worship. How came it then that the Dravidians built large temples in honour of their gods? The answer is simple. The Jains erected statues to their Tirthankaras and other spiritual leaders and worshipped them in large temples. As this method of worship was highly impressive and attractive, it was at once imitated. Especially after the advent of Appar and Sambandar, a period of miracles and piety was inaugurated and it was at this time that the whole country was studded with temples. (n.Tamilian Antiquery, No.2, p.23) It is further curious to note that, in the temples so constructed, a niche was given to each of the saints who in any way contributed to the revival of Saivism. In the great temple of Madura, as many as sixty-three Nayanars or Saiva devotees have been given a niche, each of them. One wonders if the saivaites had not borrowed this custom from the Jains who worshipped their saints in the way described , long before these Nayanars flourished. By far the most important of the Jain influnces that led either to the intellectual or moral uplift of the Dravidians was the establishment throughout South India of Matams and Patasalas to counteract the effect of Jain centres of learning and propagandism.” (Ibid. Pp.77-78)

The Jain contribution to Tamil literature forms the most precious possesion of the Tamils. The largest portion of the Sanskrit derivatives found in the Tamil language was introduced by the Jains. They altered the Sanskrit words which they borrowed in order to bring it in accordance with Tamil euphonic rules. One great pecularity of of Jain Tamil literature is that in some of the works which have become classical , Kural and Naladiyar, for example there is no mention of any God or religion. Not only Tamil literature but Canarese literature also owes a great deal to Jains. In fact they were its originators. ‘Until the middle of the the twelfth century it is exclusively Jain and Jain literature continues to be prominent for long after. It includes all the more ancient and many of the most eminent of Canarese writings’ Thus Rev.f. Kitt