Description

About the Book :-The following pages were thus inspired by the advice so kindly given by the Professor and the encouragement that this literary endeavour in a wide field of research in ancient culture and civilisation, received at his hands. Throughout this book, the aim has been to make literature speak for itself. Nothing has been adduced but what has been proved by the literary excerpts quoted in the footnotes. Extracts from the most ancient Tamil literature wherever they throw light on the principles of town planning have been collected together. The entire body of Tamil literature which bears on the subject of town or village planning and sanitation is very vast. And only a few of the more important literary illustrations selected from the standard classics in Tamil, and bearing on the topic have been picked out and examined here. The author went through 37 works in compiling this book. The origin and growth of cities on general is treated, as is the history of Madura, Vamji (Cochin?) and Canjeevaram (Kanchipuram). The rational of the principals of domestic architecture are also noted.