Toranams (

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Brahmic family, Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that ...

) are hanging decorations in

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

. These decorations are rooted in

Tamil culture Tamil culture refers to the culture of the Tamil people. The Tamils speak the Tamil language, one of the oldest languages in India with more than two thousand years of written history. Archaeological evidence from the Tamilakam region indicat ...

. The history of this decoration extends back to the

Sangam period The Sangam literature ( Tamil: சங்க இலக்கியம், ''caṅka ilakkiyam''), historically known as 'the poetry of the noble ones' ( Tamil: சான்றோர் செய்யுள், ''Cāṉṟōr ceyyuḷ''), connote ...

. In those days there were no printed invitations, so the decorations served to indicate to people visiting that place whether it is a happy occasion or mourning. Toranams is made up of tender coconut leaf blades and is made in two different types. Toranams is mentioned in a song sung by 8th century

Andal Andal (ISO 15919: Āṇḍāḷ), also known as Godhai, Nachiyar, and Godha Devi, is the only female Alvars, Alvar. (Orthodoxy posits the number of Alvars as ten, though there are other references that include Andal and Madhurakavi Alvar, ...

pasuram,

Nachiyar Tirumoli ''Nachiyar Tirumoli'' () is a set of 140 verses composed by Andal, one of the twelve Alvars in Sri Vaishnava tradition in Hinduism. In her restlessness and eagerness to attain Vishnu, Andal attempts various methods by which she can attain union ...

of the ''

Divya Prabandham The Naalayira Divya Prabandham () is a collection of 4,000 Tamil verses composed by the 12 Alvars. It was compiled in its present form by Nāthamuni during the 9th–10th centuries. The work, an important liturgical compilation of the Tamil ...

'' in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: People, culture and language * Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka ** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...

literature:
வாரணம் ஆயிரம் சூழ வலம் செய்து
நாரண நம்பி நடக்கின்றான் என்றெதிர்
பூரண பொற்குடம் வைத்துப் புறமெங்கும்
தோரணம் நாட்டக் கனாக்கண்டேன் தோழீ நான் Meaning : ''I had a dream oh friend! The town was decked with festoons and golden urns. Surrounded by a thousand caparisoned elephants, our Kannan came towards me (to marry me).'' She explains to Krishna about the dream she had.

Types

* Mangala Toranams - Auspicious ones are used during festival seasons and happy occasions in homes and temples. Toranams has a bird like design and got four or five them which faces upward direction. Thoranam3

* Amangala Toranams - Inauspicious ones are used in mourning places. They feature three birds which face downwards. Another thoranam is ''Maavilai Toranams'' made up of mango tree leaves which are tied up on the main door of a temple or house for auspicious occasions. Mango leaves are considered to be a good disinfectant and they purify the air, which helps when there is a gathering of people for festivals are other positive occasions. Veppilai thoranam is made up of Neem leaves. The words veepam (neem) + ilai(leaf) equal the word veppilai. Neem is considered to be a very good disinfectant for various diseases such as smallpox and mysterious fevers, especially during the summer season. In

Tamil nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is the southernmost States and union territories of India, state of India. The List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of Indi ...

the

Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...

festivals were celebrated during summer and neem leaves are very prominently hung in temples, houses, and streets.

References

{{reflist Tamil culture

Types

See also

References