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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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My Talk On Melaka Chettis

My first post on this community can be read here : Chetti vs Chettiar- Are Those in Malacca Confused? 

 The Melaka (Malacca) Cheti community managed to retain their identity for 500 years in Melaka far away from their original homeland in India because of the following:

 1. They maintained their surnames; Pillay, Naicker, Chitty, Mudaliar, Rajah, Konar, Kullen, Pathar, Pandaram and Padayachi.
2. They still use their traditional Thali pendants; Telugu Pottu Thali and Tamil Thali
3. They still continue the worship of their Hindu family deities (kula deivam)

 If these 3 things were removed, the Melaka Cheti community would have lost their unique identity and assimilated with the local population in ancient Malaysia. The community would have not existed today.

 Here is the video of my talk which was delivered on Sunday 3 March 2019. The event was organised by Melaka In Fact.

 https://www.facebook.com/melakainfact/videos/1995264470599416/
Using some of the findings, I made some comparitive study. The Pillay familes of the Melaka Cheti have Angala Parameswari and Ayyanar as their family deity.

 There are 100 sub divisions among the Vellalar community in Tamil Nadu. The Vellalars groups on the eastern side of Tamil Nadu like Arunattu Vellalar, Saiva Vellalar, Isai Vellalar, Sozhiya Vellalar use Pillai behind their names. The Arunattu Vellalars have about 35-40 family names although they use Pillay/Pillai as a shared surname.

 Here are 3 examples which seems to strike some similarity with the Pillays of the Melaka Cheti community:

 Family name : Konnakudaiyan
Kula Deivam : Angala Parameswari
Village : Serugudi

 Family name : Panaiyadiyan
Kula Deivam : Ayyanar
Village : Serugudi

 Family name: Pavaludaiyan
Kula Deivam : Ayyanar
Village: Serugudi

 The Pillays of the Melaka Cheti could have been from the Arunattu Vellalar community. The Arunattu Vellalars can be found in areas like Kumbakonam and even Chidambaram.

 Coincidentally, many Padayachis live in these area. The remaining surnames of the Melaka Cheti could also be found in the regions surrounding these two places.

 Perhaps the ancestors of the present day Melaka Cheti community lived in the Kumbakonam or Chidambaram area in ancient times before they migrated to Melaka?

 This is of course just a theory.  We need to find more evidence to link it.


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