가락국(駕洛國)과 고대 남인도(南印度)의 문화적 접촉에 관한 고찰: 물고기숭배를 중심으로

Abstract

Studies on the possibility of cultural contacts between ancient India and ancient Korea were mostly concentrated on the Heo Hwang-ok tale from Samgukyusa (Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms), and, in these studies, the twin fish symbol found in both Ayodhya (India) and Royal tomb of King Suro of Garak Kingdom (Korea) was regarded as a significant link which showed a definite connection between these two regions in ancient times. Korean scholars’ views on Heo Hwang-ok tale are roughly divided into two: the one is to acknowledge ‘A-yu-ta’ mentioned in the articles on the Garak Kingdom of Samgukyusa as the name of a kingdom which was historically existed in ancient India. In line with this view, some scholars insist that the native place of Heo Hwang-ok is the present Ayodhya of North India. The other view is to regard Heo Hwang-ok tale as a fictional story which is not based on historical facts. As a result, the followers of this view consider A-yu-ta in the articles on the Garak Kingdom as a mythical fiction. In this paper, I explored the possibility of cultural interaction between Garak Kingdom and ancient Tamil kingdoms on the basis of fish worship which had been prevalent in these two areas. I suggest that fish worship was an important cultural foundation for both the ancient Tamil kingdoms of South India and the Garak Kingdom of southern part of Korea. From the results of previous studies, the most convincing evidence of cultural interaction between India and Korea in ancient times is a similarity between Tamil and Korean languages. Therefore, I tried to figure out evidences of cultural interaction based on fish worship, paying particular attention to place names which can be considered as the most conservative linguistic information. There are several mountain and place names which include the syllable ‘Eo’ (魚, fish) in the area of ancient Garak Kingdom. It seems that such mountain and place names reflect a combination of the fish worship of ancient Tamil kingdoms and the mountain worship of ancient Garak Kingdom. The influence of the fish worship of ancient Tamil kingdoms can be found in the foundation tales of several Buddhist temples in the area of ancient Garak Kingdom. In addition, the record of Samgukyusa on the origin of mountain name related to India is also an another evidence. Fish worship was a conspicuous cultural phenomenon of ancient Tamil kingdoms. Even now, goddess Minakshi is the most powerful figure worshipped in these areas, and the word ‘Minakshi’ has a meaning of fish. Pandya Kingdom, one of the kingdoms of ancient Tamil, used the twin fish symbol as its flag ornament, and Minakshi is known as the princess of Pandya Kingdom. The area of ancient Garak Kingdom is not only close to South Sea but also was a major transportation point at which Milyang River and Nakdong River join. We can say that it was an area particularly suitable for cultural exchange through the sea route. Ancient Tamil kingdoms existed in the area of Dravidian Culture extending along the Coromandel coast of South India also carried out vigorous cultural exchange with various Asian countries outside India. In short, ancient Tamil kingdoms were bridgeheads conveying Indian culture to overseas, especially Asia.