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Showing posts from 2015

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
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KVMA Chennai Flood Relief Fund

The Klang Valley Mukkulathor Association (KVMA) organized a fund raiser for the flood victims of Chennai. We named it the KVMA Chennai Flood Relief Fund. I announced it in Facebook on Friday 4 December 2015. We set the deadline at 12:00pm Monday 7 December 2015. Over 30 individuals donated.  We collected a total of RM6,500. Our initial target was only RM700 as that is equivalent to Rs10,000 but we managed to hit the Rs100,000 (Rs1 lakh) mark. We transferred Rs1 lakh to Chennai via Western Union on Monday. Based on the conversion rate of that day plus charges, it was equivalent to RM6,437.70. The funds will be managed by one Pradeep Rajan and his friends. The funds were used to purchase 1000 kilograms of rice, mats, blankets and other basic necessities which will be distributed to 100 needy families.  I wish to thank our donors who contributed. My friend from India, Kannan Thevar Sembiah responded immediately by donating Rs5,000. It was very kind of him to be supportive
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Who Is A Tamilar? Deciding The Tamil Identity

Tamil Nationalism or Tamilism as I prefer to call it has now re-emerged. It was pushed aside in the past by Dravidian Nationalism. I am in a way glad that it has re-emerged.  I only hope that the present torch bearers of Tamilism will lead the people in the right direction and stay away from any form of extremism. There are some articles in my blog which touches on Tamilism. Tamilakam   - Geographical boundaries of the present day Tamil world The 5 Landscapes of Tamilakam -  The different types of landscapes that exist in Tamilakam A Tribute to Taraki - Militarism of Tamil people and their military castes Dravidian Politics & Surnames - A simple explanation on how the eradication of surnames by Dravidian front affected the Tamil society The basic thing about Tamilism is the Tamil identity itself.  What makes a person Tamilar?  Today many people are able to converse in Tamil. They have names which sound similar. They reside in Tamilakam. Some are born in Tamilak
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Ganesha On Rupiah

Today is Vinayaka (Ganesha) Chaturthi. It is considered as the birth day of the elephant headed God. The legend of his birth is very popular. Parvati created him and requested him to guard her chamber. When Shiva returned, he saw Ganesha guarding the chamber. Ganesha did not allow Shiva to enter the chamber. This angered Shiva and he beheaded Ganesha. After realising that it was his son, Shiva brought him back to life. An elephant's head was placed as a replacement for the missing head. Shiva then made Vinayaka the leader of his Gana army. This is how he came to be known as Gana Athipathi or Ganapathi. The image of Ganesha is the most popular Hindu icon. It is even very popular in the most populous Muslim nation which was once a Hindu nation, Indonesia. If you take a look at the 1998 Indonesian bank note for 20,000 Rupiah, you can see an image of Ganesha on it. There is a story for this.  Back in 1990s, Indonesia was going through several crisis. It was under the ru
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Culavamsa - Some References To The Mukkulathor Community

The history of the Sinhalas of Sri Lanka begins with the arrival of Prince Vijaya from Kalinga. The island's history is recorded in the Dipavamsa, Mahavamsa and Culavamsa. Prior to the arrival of Vijaya, the Tamils have already established their kingdoms there. Vijaya's marriage to the Tamil princess of the Pandyan kingdom helped him to establish a new Sinhala kingdom in the island.  Few centuries later, there were battles between the Pandyas, Cholas and the Sinhalas. The Sinhala army occupied parts of southern Tamil Nadu in the 12th century during the time of Parakramabhu I. They were eventually defeated by the Tamils.  I managed to find some of the names of these places and their chieftains in the Culavamsa. The places are located in present day districts of Madurai, Sivaganga, Tirunelveli and Ramanathapuram. There were great battles involving many people particularly the ancestors of the present day Mukkulathor people. Kandadevi Swarnamoortheeswarar festiva
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Tamil Saivism, Agamas & Vedas

The Nayanmars. Picture taken at KL Mariamman Devasthanam. The Tamils are largely Hindus. The Hindu philosophy is based on the teachings of Vedas, Agamas, Upanishad, Itihasas, Puranas, Gita and various other texts. Veda and Agama fall into a class known as Sruthi meaning not of human origin or heard.  Today we also have Tamils who are Christians and Muslims. In the past, we also had Tamils who were Jains and Buddhist. The Bhakti movement revived Hinduism among the Tamils who at one point of time embraced Jainism and Buddhism. It was the Bhakti movement headed by the Alwars and Nayanmars which returned the Tamils to Hinduism. The Tamil Hindus can be divided into the principles of Shan Matham meaning 6 Religion. Most of them are either Saivites or Vaishnavites. The Saivites have Thirumurai as their holy book while the Vaishnavites have the Nalayira Divyaprabandham. The present day Tamil Saivites follow the Saiva Siddhanta school of Saivism. In the past, there were other schools
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The Perak Coronation Address

Whispering the royal secret into the ears of the ruler.  Collecting water from 7 tributaries of Perak river in 7 pots. It will be used for the bathing ritual of the ruler. According to Hinduism, river water from 7 tributaries in 7 pots represents the holy rivers of Ganga, Yamuna, Godavari, Saraswati, Narmada, Sindhu and Kaveri. Many people in Malaysia are now talking about the  Perak coronation. The Perak royal family still follows an ancient legacy. There are many elements of Hinduism and Animism in it. Back in January 1881, W.E Maxwell of the Colonial Civil Service (British Malaya) published a journal about the Perak coronation. It is called as a Chiri. A Chiri is actually a coronation address and it contains Sanskrit words. R.O. Winstedt and R.J. Wilkinson have also written about the Perak coronation and its Hindu influence in their book A History of Perak which was first published in June 1934. The following is taken from The Straits Times, 2 March 1939, P
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Popular posts from this blog

The Indian confusion - Race, Caste, Clan & Surnames

Before you read, keep in mind that this was not written with the intention to divide the people. It was written with the intention to explain the meaning of each group. The write up on my journey in Bali is still in progress. I have to transfer some image files in order to upload them. So I thought of writing about the biggest confusion in the Indian Malaysian community. It is a sensitive one too. But clarification should be given. Else, when are we going to understand it? To my friends of other races who happened to read my blog, this will probably be enlightening as many may not be aware of our demographics. First of all, there are two main classification for us in Malaysia. Indian & Ceylonese. Many assume it to be a homogenous race like Chinese, but it isn't. The Chinese have many languages but they have a common language called Mandarin. They also have one writing script. This is what makes the over 1 billion Chinese worldwide as a homogenous race. Ancient Chinese
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Dogs of Tamil Nadu

Pictures taken from Google. Credit goes to the various people who uploaded them. I apologise for not being able to identify the original owner of the pics. Whenever we speak of dogs, we tend to focus on the European breeds.  This is due to their popularity and demand. Unknown to many, India has about 88 native dog breeds. Six of these breeds are from the southern state of Tamil Nadu. Most of these dogs from Tamil Nadu evolved naturally. That makes them more suitable to the hot climate in the south. Furthermore, these dogs require less medical attention as their immune system is stronger, making them less prone to disease which are common among the European breeds. In Tamil Nadu, we can find breeds like the famous Rajapalayam, Kombai, Alangu Mastiff, Chippiparai, Kanni and Malayeri. Both the Alangu Mastiff and Malayeri are now extinct. Malayeri The Malayeri (hill climber) was a shepherd dog used by the tribals to herd sheeps. It was commonly found in the hills of Tamil Nadu-K
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How To Find Your Kula Deivam?

*DISCLAIMER-Article written from a believer's perspective.  One of the most common questions I get from my readers is  "How do I find my Kula Deivam?" Kula Deivam is the patron deity of your lineage. Some families have more than 1 deity.  The easiest way to know your Kula Deivam is of course by knowing the ancestral village of your patrilineal lineage (father's side).  Usually the Kula Deivam shrines will be in the ancestral village. If the family has migrated to several villages, then the shrine will usually be in the main village where the family originated from. Knowing your caste or clan background is also helpful in finding out more about your Kula Deivam. For females, they have an advantage. They also inherit the Kula Deivam from their matrilineal lineage (mother's side). So if you are a woman, your mother's Kula Deivam (from her mother) will continue to be present throughout your life. If you are married, your husband's Kula Deivam (from
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