Script, Print, Memory: Re-establishing the Cankam in Tamil Nadu

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Aim of this project is following up the reinstatement of the so-called Cankam texts as the oldest and most venerable part of Classical Tamil literature. These texts constitute a group of lyrical anthologies, heroic and erotic in genre, probably going back to the beginning of the Christian era but mostly forgotten by the late 19th century. From widely scattered bundles of neglected palm leaf manuscripts they have turned, within the course of little more than a century, into the main reason why recently Tamil has officially been declared to be the second classical language of India, next to Sanskrit. That complex process of resurrection, reinterpretation and reevaluation, leading from terse palm leaf notation via more or less explicit paper manuscripts into a lengthy series of printed books and a full apparatus of exegetical literature, is not well understood today. The transmissional history of the corpus will be followed up thoughout the different types of manuscript and the early editions. In order to throw light on the earlier development that lead to the gradual oblivion from public consciousness, the testimony of the commentaries from the grammatical tradition, along with certain legendary accounts in other literary traditions will be taken into account. For the modern period their counterparts in the revived oral tradition of the 20th century will have to be considered.