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KURAL.
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that the style and diction of Silappadikāram were such as to have influenced the other literary productions of the age. Moreover, some of the best books written by the Jains belong to 9th or 10th century A.D. For these reasons, 150-500 A.D. cannot be considered as the Jain period of Tamil literature. Again 200 B.C.150 A.D. is supposed to be the Buddhistic period and the main works cited for this period are Tolkāppiyam and Kural. The author of Tolkāppiyam is usually supposed to be a Brahmin, but very cogent reasons have been adduced lately for regarding him a Jain, while Kural was certainly composed by a Jain. There are no traces of Buddhistic influence in any of these works. The best thing, therefore, seems to be not to divide Tamil literature into periods corresponding to the predominance of religious faiths.
Instead, therefore, of adopting the familiar plan of dividing Tamil literature into periods, we shall attempt to classify Jain works under various groups, such as Didactics, Kāvyas and other teatises.
1. Didactic Works. Among works of this nature composed by the Jains, speoial mention must be made of Tirukkural, Nāladiyār and Pazhamozhi Nānūru.
1. Kural. -We have already noticed that Kural: its its author was a Jain. But every rival sect in the Tamil country has claimed Kural as its
importance
