Replica of Halmidi Inscription

Halmidi Kannada Inscription 450 CE

Ancient Tamil Encyclopaedia -Part 27; One Thousand Interesting Facts -Part 27 (Post No.15,121)

Written by London Swaminathan

Post No. 15,121

Date uploaded in London –  26 October 2025

Contact – swami_48@yahoo.com

Pictures are taken from various sources for spreading knowledge.

this is a non- commercial blog. Thanks for your great pictures.

tamilandvedas.com, swamiindology.blogspot.com

xxxx  

164

Tamil is not Mother, but only Sister of Kannada and Telugu! தமிழ் மொழி – தாய் அல்ல , சகோதரியே!

Let us continue with Maamuular (MM) in Akananuru………..

In Akam 197, MM gives us a beautiful simile of a worn-out pillow. A housewife’s voluptuous shoulders became skeleton like an old worn out pillow in our bed, because her lover/husband did not return on time. He also gave us one more simile when he compared an elephant calf playing on its mother with a child playing/rolling on its mother. In this verse, we get a historical reference to Ezini, a chieftain.

***

165

In Akam 211, he says illiterate (uneducated) Ezini; also MM used his favourite cliché மொழிபெயர் தேயம் Mozipeyar Theyam in Tamil which means lands where many languages spoken or a Non Tamil land. From this we know about ancient India which is described as 56 desams in Sanskrit literature and old story books. Even a story telling grandma in Tamil Nadu says to her grandchildren that “all the kings of 56 Desams came to…….

***

Thanjavur Brihadeeswara temple

Tiruvalankadu Copper Plates

(These three images are taken from an article by Sunitha Madhavan in Hinduism Today.)

166

Tamil language a Mother or a Sister of Telugu and Kannada?

Now and then politicians say something about the relationship between Tamil and other languages. Apart from political controversy, one must look at how many Tamil words are in Telugu and Kannada. Even old Tamil dictionaries and Nikandus (thesauruses) have MORE Sanskrit words than pure Tamil words. The reason is ancient scholars considered these languages as sisters.

In the recent years, many Kannada and Telugu inscriptions have been discovered and reported in newspapers. The big difference between ancient Tamil and Non-Tamil inscriptions is that they are longer than ancient Tamil inscriptions. Tamil Nadu is the less affected state in foreign invasions. Why didn’t we find longer inscriptions in Tamil? Even the longest old inscription found at Poolankurichi belongs to fifth century CE only. Another point to be noted is that ancient Tamil Brahmi inscriptions have Prakrit and Sanskrit words.

No one has done any research on the proportion of Sanskrit words in these South Indian inscriptions. Inscriptions from the same period in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada should be taken for research. Tamil may not be the Mother of Kannada and Telugu, but may be the Sister of these Languages. This argument can be settled only after finding the proportion of language wise words.

***

முகபடாம் , தழை உடை, கொற்கை பூலாங்குறிச்சி தமிழ், தெலுங்கு ,கன்னட கல்வெட்டுகள் , பழையர் , கடல் தெய்வம் , கொற்கை, எழினி , மொழிபெயர்த்தேயாம் , முத்து, வலம்புரி, பெருஞ்சோறு, கூளிச் சுற்றம் (Ghouls)

167

Worship of Sea God

In Akam 201, MM gives us very important news about worship of Sea God. In the oldest book Tolkaappiam, Vedic God Varunan is shown as one of the Gods Tamils worshiped. Commentator of this poem confirms it. The words Sea God is not in the poem. Ancient commentators interpret it on the basis of Tolkappiam. Pazaiyar, the coastal people wore garments made up of plants and leaves. Even today we see such leafy garments in Hawaii (USA) tourist pictures. Another interesting point is that the women worshipped Sea God with pearls and Right Whorled Conches.

Historical references in the verse: Korkai port (Kapata Puram?), Pazaiyar- sea people, Pandya King, Chozas and their Paddy Fields

Wealth of the Country: The elephants have golden Mukhapataam , that is the ornamental cloth or metal plate that is covering the head and trunk of an elephant.

MM adds the picture of a happy bear family in the forest . the hidden meaning is that your lover will hurry back when he sees the male and female bears playing with one another

201 அம்ம, வாழி – தோழி – பொன்னின்
அவிர்எழில் நுடங்கும் அணிகிளர் ஓடை
வினைநவில் யானை விறற்போர்ப் பாண்டியன்
புகழ்மலி சிறப்பின் கொற்கை முன்துறை,
அவிர்கதிர் முத்தமொடு வலம்புரி சொரிந்து, 5
தழைஅணிப் பொலிந்த கோடுஏந்து அல்குல்
பழையர் மகளிர் பனித்துறைப் பரவ,
பகலோன் மறைந்த அந்தி ஆர்இடை,
உருகெழு பெருங்கடல் உவவுக் கிளர்ந்தாங்கு,
அலரும் மன்று பட்டன்றே: அன்னையும் 10
பொருந்தா கண்ணள். வெய்ய உயிர்க்கும்’ என்று
எவன் கையற்றனை, இகுளை? சோழர்
வெண்ணெல் வைப்பின் நல்நாடு பெறினும்,
ஆண்டு அமைந்து உறைகுநர் அல்லர்- முனா அது
வான்புகு தலைய குன்றத்து கவாஅன், 15
பெருங்கை எண்கின் பேழ்வாய் ஏற்றை
இருள்துணிந் தன்ன குவவுமயிர்க் குருளைத்
தோல்முலைப் பிணவொடு திளைக்கும்
வேனில் நீடிய சுரன் இறந்தோரே.

***

168

Akam 233 gives us information about Perunchoru. This word Perunchoru means Big Cooked rice, that is, big balls of cooked rice are offered to the departed souls who are in the heaven, by the Chera king Uthiyan Cheral.

The word Perunchoru occurs in Purananuru verse 2 as well, composed by Mudi Nagarayar (Mr Nagaraja or Mr Shiva who has snake /Naga on his head). There the previous lines refer to the fight between the Kauravas and Pandavas in the Mahabharata war. The commentators say that King Uthiyancheral supplied food for both the warring factions without any partiality.

I think this is wrong. How is it possible for Uthiyan cheral to live 3000 years before the Sangam age? So, the real meaning is, Uthiyan cheral offered balls of rice for the dead in Mahabharat battle. He did not take sides, so he offered Big Rice Balls for both the factions. Maamuulanar makes it very clear in Akam verse. Moreover, such Big Balls are taken by the Spirit/ Ghosts/Ghouls, he adds

The word in the Akam verse is Kooli where from Ghouls is derived . In Madurai Chellaththamman temple, every year on a particular night, ballas of rice mixed with animal blood will be thrown upwards/in the sky. The Madurai Corportaiion Council used to switch off the street lights for this event. I lived very near by this place. We were tod that the balls of rice thrown into the sky wont fall on the ground. Whatever may be the truth, offering balls of rice is a custom associated with dead people or their spirits. Brahmins do this in funeral rites but with small balls of rice called Pindam. The word Pindam is also in Sangam literature in this connection.

In short Perunchoru (big Cooked Rice) is a funeral rite.

In Akam verse Swarga is translated as Thurakkam

233 அலமரல் மழைக்கண் மல்குபனி வார, நின்
அலர்முலை நனைய, அழாஅல்- தோழி!-
எரிகவர்பு உண்ட கரிபுறப் பெருநிலப்
பீடுகெழு மருங்கின் ஓடுமழை துறந்தென,
ஊனில் யானை உயங்கும் வேனில், 5
மறப்படைக் குதிரை, மாறா மைந்தின்
துறக்கம் எய்திய தொய்யா நல்லிசை
முதியர்ப் பேணிய, உதியஞ் சேரல்
பெருஞ்சோறு கொடுத்த ஞான்றை, இரும்பல்
கூளிச் சுற்றம் குழீஇயிருந் தாங்கு, 10
குறியவும் நெடியவும் குன்றுதலை மணந்த
சுரன்இறந்து அகன்றனர் ஆயினும், மிகநனி
மடங்கா உள்ளமொடு மதிமயக் குறாஅ,
பொருள்வயின் நீடலோ இலர் – நின்
இருள்ஐங் கூந்தல் இன்துயில் மறந்தே! -Akam 233

Tags- தமிழ் மொழி – தாய் அல்ல, சகோதரியே, Ancient Tamil 27; One Thousand Interesting Facts -Part 27 Encyclopaedia -Part, பெருஞ்சோறு, கூளிச் சுற்றம் (Ghouls)