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Showing posts from January, 2016

Manabharana Is Not Malay (Manabharana Bukan Melayu)

In recent times, an alarming narrative has emerged within the Malaysian blogosphere, suggesting a historical event that appears to be a misinterpretation or perhaps a deliberate misinformation campaign. The claim revolves around a so called Malay prince named Manabharana from Srivijaya, purportedly attacking and conquering the Chola kingdom. This misleading story has gained traction and is spreading like wildfire across various social media platforms. The need to address and rectify such inaccuracies is crucial not only for the sake of historical accuracy but also for fostering a responsible and informed online community. To delve into the matter, it is essential to clarify that historical records reveal the existence of multiple individuals named Manabharana throughout history. However, a nuanced understanding reveals that all these figures were Tamils (Damila) hailing from the Pandya kingdom, with references to their exploits documented in Tamil inscriptions and Sri Lankan chronicles

The Origin of The Sailendra Dynasty

The Sri Vijayan empire of South East Asia was once a superpower of the region. They controlled over 24,000 islands. This was once a very successful maritime empire.  Prior to the establishment of Srivijaya, there were other kingdoms such as Tarumanegara and Kutei. Many of these kingdoms were influenced by Indian kingdoms such as the Pallavas and Kalingas. The people of the kingdom were local natives. This includes the royalties. But there were intermarriages with the people and royalties of India. The Sri Vijayan empire was first mentioned by the Chinese traveller I-Tsing in 671 AD. The earliest record referring to the Sailendra dynasty in Indonesia are in inscriptions. It has a mix of Sanskrit, Javanese and Old Malay. The oldest reference to the Sailendra dynasty in Indonesia is the Sojomerto Inscription dated around late 7th century AD to early 9th century AD. This is the oldest proof of the Sailendra dynasty in Sri Vijaya.  The earlier Chinese (671 AD) record and Keduka

Chora Man Dakini - The Spirit of The Sword

A dancing Dakini The Patriot team explained that the word Chura comes from Sanskrit Kshurapatnam referring to blade. They also said that Kshura could be an abbreviation of blade later morphed in Chura.  The commonly accepted theory for the sword in Malaysia is Blade from Mandakini which the Patriots also agree with.  I would like to present more evidence that the sword is actually a representation of a Dakini as mentioned in my first article on this topic. Dakinis are female spirits. They are known in both Hinduism and Buddhism. One aspect of religious practice which is common for both of these two Dharmic religion is Tantra. The word Tantra has its own meaning. I have previously explained the Hindu point of view in my article. Here is the link http://sharmalanthevar.blogspot.my/2014/03/tantra-more-than-just-sex.html Both Hinduism and Buddhism have dozens of common deities. There are also various schools within this two Dharmic religion. The form of Hinduism or Buddhism w

Chora Man Dakini - The Sword of The Cholas

Please read these 2 articles before proceeding. It will give you the needed basic understanding.  The Perak Coronation Address  (click)  The Meaning of Chola  (click) Yesterday, I made the above announcement in Facebook: I was actually refering to the royal sword of Perak. This sword belonged to the Chola dynasty and I will explain about it.  The sword is known as Chura Si Manja Kini, Chora Mandakini, Chora Man Dakini, Chora Samanda Kian, Chora Sa Mendang Kian.  Some say that it is Churiga Si Mandakini and claims that it means The Blade From Mandakini in Sanskrit. Mandakini is a river in Uttar  Pradesh.  If we were to check its language structure, it will not be possible to construct such phrase in Sanskrit as the  word Si and Churiga has no proper meaning when combined in such way.  Furthermore, it also has no meaning in the Malay language. I am of the opinion that it is Chora-Man-Dakini and pronounced as Choraman Dakini. According to Tantric practices, Dakinis  ar

The Meaning of Chola

Picture Credit Nara  Among the various empires of South India, it is perhaps the Cholas who were the most popular. The Cholas were known since the days of Ramayana. Together with the Pandyas and Cheras, they are part of the oldest dynasties which formed the trinity in the Tamil land. According to inscriptions, Chola was also written as Sora or Chora. The plural form being Sorar or Chorar. In Telugu, R is replaced with D, hence they are known as Choda. Indian History, 26th edition  by V.K Agnihotri (Chief Editor) There was a branch of Cholas in Andhra. This is a result of intermarriage between the Cholas and the feudal families in Guntur which happened during the time of Karikala Chola. So that family remained there as Telugu Chodas. There are many references to them in Andhra. The Mauryan emperor Ashoka mentioned the Cholas as Choda in his rock edicts. The Greek writer, Ptolemy called them Sorai in his book about India. Sorai is a corruption of Sorar. The word C

Matahari - The Eye of Vishnu

Vishnu Our Sun is known as Matahari in the Malay language. Many Malaysians and Indonesians use this word daily but they don't know its origins. The Malay people call the eye as Mata. It has the same meaning in Polynesia and the Philipines.  Hari is a Sanskrit word which means Vishnu. Hari also means a day in the Malay language. There is a Hindu connection. The Malays have many art form. One of it is the Wayang Wong of Johor. The coming of Vishnu in the form of sunrise is portrayed in the Wayang Wong. I have attached some evidence to show that the Malays equate the Matahari to Vishnu. Remember this the next time you say Matahari. Sinkritisme dalam Wayang Wong Johor (Penerbit USM)  by Mohd Kipli Abdul Rahman Pengantar Sejarah Kebudayaan Indonesia 2 by R. Soekmon

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The Indian confusion - Race, Caste, Clan & Surnames

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Dogs of Tamil Nadu

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How To Find Your Kula Deivam?

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