Cattle Raiding at Night (Yaamam – Aanirai Kavarthal)

The war tradition of the Tamils primarily revolved around the concept of Aram (righteousness). There is no evidence of wars taking place during the night. However, it can be inferred from Tamil traditions that the main reason for wars—namely, the capturing of cattle herds—occurred during the night-time hours (yaamam).
Keywords:Tamils – War – Aram – Yaamam (night-time) – Capturing cattle – Civilization – Megalithic age – Tribal traditions – Bards – Poets – Poverty – Hunger – Kings – Ownership – Land – Fame.