Compiled by: Kandiah
Thillaivinayagalingam]
In the Indus seal,Marshall seal No.338,the
shape of the neck of the cocks and the straight shape of the wings of the tail
show that they were well groomed cocks.A close scrutiny of the images reveals
the tell-tale markers and the probable reason:the necks are raised;the tails
are up and stiff;the legs are unsettled and slightly raised above the ground
level.They are probably the gamecocks of Mohenjodaro in a fighting-mode.The
bull also looks like a ferocious one,trained for bull fights.The cocks are seen
as a pair where as the bull is single.This seal may perhaps be about the cock
fight and bull fight.The bull is alone-may be because the fighter at the other
end is not another bull but a man.Both cock fights and bull fights are popular
with pastoral and agrarian societies.Cock-fight is also one of the 64 arts.Also
in this seal,the images of two cocks are inscribed side by side,along with a
sign that is generally interpreted as ‘city’.Iravatham Mahadevan reads the sign
sequence on the seal as ‘cocks-city.’ For an important Indus city to be named
after cocks there has to be a reason.A cock being a common domestic
bird,normally found in every habitat,there has to be something special about
the cocks at that specific place to justify such naming.An analogy to this is
available in ‘kozhi’( kozhi hen or rooster), the name of the capital town
(Kozhiyur,also known as Urayur) of early Cholas of Tamilnadu.In this case as
well, the traditional accounts recall the valor of a ‘cock’ that fought against
an elephant at that place as the basis for this commemorative name.In
celebration of this episode,the Cholas of the sangam age even issued a coin
with an image of a cock fighting an elephant. The cocks were groomed for such
fights.Such cocks used to be ferocious.The instance of an elephant being
threatened by a cock might well be about a fighter cock jumping in ferocity
that made an elephant run away from that place.This seems to be a possible
explanation for the cock versus elephant fight that led to the popularity of
the cock and the place where it was seen.Perhaps Urayur in those days had
people who groomed cocks for fighting.Hence, tracing the genesis of
‘cocks-
In Kurunthogai:305, it is said that the thalaivi (heroine) suffered from
the pangs of pain of separation from her lover.The pain was not caused by
others and can not be cured by others.It was like the fight between the 'Kuppai
kozhikal"[குப்பைக் கோழிகள்]–the fight between the cocks that were
searching food from the wastes.There was none to prompt them to fight and none
to separate them in time. Similarly the heroine was suffering from a pain which
was not induced by others nor solved by others.Author of the poem is KUPPAI
KOZIYAR .This name is coined from a phrase he used in this poem.
"The bright flame of passion
that my eyes gave to me,
torments me to my very bone.
It is not possible to see him
and embrace him.
He is not capable of coming
and removing my distress.
My love affliction is like two
chickens
fighting alone on a rubbish pile
with no one to separate them.
Unless it ceases by itself,
no one will free me of my
suffering!"- [Kurunthogai:305]
The heroine lets her friend know about her love affliction.Here the poet
"Early summer season is here,
bees swarm
and spill honey from clusters of
murukkam
flowers, like rising flame, that look
like the
swaying-flame-like feathers of pretty,
fighting
roosters with sharp beaks, mates of
house-residing fowl
My lover has not come back, my
friend!"-.[Akananuru 277:13-20]
PART:70,WILL FOLLOW
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