ABSTRACT
Transitions in history have been identified with a view to marking progression, and asserting a teleological movement by juxtaposing a ‘to’ and ‘from’ while studying historical periods. The idea of transition has been defended on account of its challenge to the static view of the pre-modern past, particularly as articulated in colonial India. In its dictionary meaning, ‘transition’ signifies a shift or a phase; within the discipline of history, transition implies specific kinds of shifts, be they dynastic, political, economic or social. The assumption is that the transitional phase is one which gains coherence only because of its specific positioning between two clearly marked phases. This chapter examines two issues which can be seen as reflecting historical transitions in early Tamiḻakam in the period between the fourth and sixth centuries ce.
