Maravan - A Misleading Movie Title

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 rule of Suharto. The 1997-98 Asian financial crisis hit them hard. 

It is rumoured that Suharto consulted a Hindu astrologer and asked for a solution. He wanted the country to overcome the obstacle. The astrologer suggested that he print the image of Ganesha on the bank notes. Ganesha will remove the obstacle for Indonesia.

The government published the bank notes with images of Ganesha on 19 February 1998. During the next few months, the country saw widespread unrest. It escalated into the anti-Chinese riot causing Suharto to resign on 21 May 1998.

The astrologer was right. Indonesia's biggest obstacle at that time was actually Suharto and Ganesha removed him! Surprisingly, Indonesia has shown progress ever since then.

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 festival.
PICTURE CREDIT: S.James

One of the places mentioned as ruled by a feudal chief named Kangeya (Gangaiyar/Kangeyar) is Kandadevi. This place is located in the district of Sivagangai near the Devakottai area.

Kangeya divided his domain into 4 Nadus. The Nadus are Unjanai, Semponmari, Thennilai and Eravuseni. The Nadus were ruled by 4 Kallar brothers.

The descendants of these 4 brothers still live in this part of Sivagangai. They are known as Nattar. These Nattars have the right to pull the chariot in the Kandadevi Swarnamoortheeswarar temple festival as they were the ambalams (local rulers).

Another place mentioned in Culavamsa is Anjukottai. This place is located near Tiruvadanai of Ramanathapuram. There is also a branch of Maravar people known as Anjukottai Maravar.

Pudukottai inscription which refers to the Kallar chief as Nadalvar

The Culavamsa also mentioned Mukkulathor family names such as Karambarayar, Madhavarayar, Mundiyarayar, Muvarayar, Kalingarayar, Kallakavelar, Kanasirayar, Thondaiman and many more. 

There were also specific references to the Nadalvars who are also known as Nattar in the present era. Names like Kandiyuru Nadalvar refers to the ancestors of the present day Kandiyar family of the Kallar community. 

It is also stated in this Sri Lankan chronicle that the Kalingarayar, Munayadarayar and Kallakavelar were brother-in-laws of the Thondaiman. The names such as Kallakavelar shows their Kallar origin.

I have included some references from the Culavamsa below.

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 such as Pasupatham, Vamam, Bhairavam and a few others.

There is a Saiva Siddhanta movement in Malaysia which promotes the Thirumurai. They are also doing more than just promoting this. They are portraying Vedas and Agamas as something alien to the Tamil people. 

They do this because both the Vedas and Agamas are in Sanskrit. They also claim that the Siva worshipped by the Tamils is not the same as the Rudra mentioned in the Vedas.

Since this movement claims that their teaching is based on the Thirumurai, let us examine some hymns from the Thirumurai to confirm if their claim is valid.

The Thirumurai is a collection of teachings and hymns of the saints known as Nayanmar. There were 63 Nayanmar. Their work is collected into 12 volumes. The volumes were arranged without following the chronological order for some mysterious reason.

Among the oldest is Thirumular's Thirumantiram. This is also known as the 10th Thirumurai. Thirumular dedicated a chapter for Veda and Agama. It is known as Veda Sirappu (Greatness of Veda) and Agama Sirappu (Greatness of Agama)

Veda Sirappu
வேதத்தை விட்ட அறம்இல்லை வேதத்தின்
ஓதத் தகும்அறம் எல்லாம் உளதர்க்க
வாதத்தை விட்டு மதிஞர் வளமுற்ற
வேதத்தை ஓதியே வீடுபெற் றார்களே

Vētattai viṭṭa aṟamillai vētattiṉ
ōtat takumaṟam ellām uḷatarkka
vātattai viṭṭu matiñar vaḷamuṟṟa
vētattai ōtiyē vīṭupeṟ ṟārkaḷē

Thirumular mentioned that there is no Dharma other than the one prescribed in the Vedas. It shows how much importance is given to the Vedas as it is seen not only as a divine revelation but also as a complete knowledge system. 

Agama Sirappu
அஞ்சன மேனி அரிவையோர் பாகத்தன்
அஞ்சொ டிருபத்து மூன்றுள ஆகமம்
அஞ்சலி கூப்பி அறுபத் தறுவரும்
அஞ்சாம் முகத்தில் அரும்பொருள் கேட்டதே

Añcaṉa mēṉi arivaiyōr pākattaṉ
añco ṭirupattu mūṉṟuḷa ākamam
añcali kūppi aṟupat taṟuvarum
añcām mukattil arumporuḷ kēṭṭatē

Here, Thirumular explains that the Agama is born from the 5th face of Siva (4th line). The 2nd line states that there are 25 + 3 Agamas. So there are total 28 Agamas. 

1. Kamiga
2. Yojana
3. Sivithia
4. Karana
5. Ajitha
6. Deeptha
7. Sukshma
8. Sahasra
9. Hamsuma
10. Suprabeda
11. Vijaya
12. Niswasa
13. Swayambuva
14. Agneya
15. Vijaya
16. Raurava
17. Makuta
18. Vishala
19. Chandra Jnana
20. Mukha Bimba
21. Purorgeetha
22. Lalitha
23. Siddha
24. Santana
25. Sarvokta
26. Parameswara
27. Karana
28. Vathula

The Sanskrit Agamic text contains rules on rituals and even temple construction. Tamil temples generally follow the Kamiga Agama. 

Another Nayanmar, Thirunavukarasu @ Appar who is considered as among the 4 main Nayanmars, also referred to the Vedas.

அரியானை அந்தணர்தம் சிந்தை யானை
அருமறையின் அகத்தானை அணுவை யார்க்கும்
தெரியாத தத்துவனைத் தேனைப் பாலைத்
திகழொளியைத் தேவர்கள்தங் கோனை மற்றைக்
கரியானை நான்முகனைக் கனலைக் காற்றைக்
கனைகடலைக் குலவரையைக் கலந்து நின்ற
பெரியானைப் பெரும்பற்றப் புலியூ ரானைப்
பேசாத நாளெல்லாம் பிறவா நாளே.

Ariyāṉai antaṇartam cintai yāṉai
arumaṟaiyiṉ akattāṉai aṇuvai yārkkum
teriyāta tattuvaṉait tēṉaip pālait
tikaḻoḷiyait tēvarkaḷtaṅ kōṉai maṟṟaik
kariyāṉai nāṉmukaṉaik kaṉalaik kāṟṟaik
kaṉaikaṭalaik kulavaraiyaik kalantu niṉṟa
periyāṉaip perumpaṟṟap puliyū rāṉaip
pēcāta nāḷellām piṟavā nāḷē.

The 2nd line describes Siva as an Atom (the core) of the Vedas. Vedas are also known as Marai in Tamil.

Thirunganasambanthar said the following in the 6th Thirumurai.

பார்மலிந்தோங்கிப் பருமதில்சூழ்ந்த பாம்புரநன்னக ராரைக்
கார்மலிந்தழகார் கழனிசூழ்மாடக் கழுமலமுதுபதிக் கவுணி
நார்மலிந்தோங்கு நான்மறைஞான சம்பந்தன்செந்தமிழ் வல்லார்
சீர்மலிந்தழகார் செல்வமதோங்கிச் சிவனடி நண்ணுவர்தாமே

Pārmalintōṅkip parumatilcūḻnta pāmpuranaṉṉaka rāraik
kārmalintaḻakār kaḻaṉicūḻmāṭak kaḻumalamutupatik kavuṇi
nārmalintōṅku nāṉmaṟaiñāṉa campantaṉcentamiḻ vallār
cīrmalintaḻakār celvamatōṅkic civaṉaṭi naṇṇuvartāmē

The word Kavuni in the 2nd line refers to the Kaundinya Gotra of the Brahmins. Sambanthar was born in this lineage. The 3rd line describes Sambanthar as a person who has knowledge in the 4 Vedas and he has written the verses in refined Tamil. Those who recite it will attain the feet of Siva.

The following verses are by Appar. He describes Siva as Vethiyan or the giver of Vedas in the first line. In the final line, he describes NaMaSiVaYa as the companion which will give salvation.

சொற்றுணை வேதியன் சோதி வானவன்
பொற்றுணைத் திருந்தடி பொருந்தக் கைதொழக்
கற்றுணைப் பூட்டியோர் கடலிற் பாய்ச்சினும்
நற்றுணை யாவது நமச் சிவாயவே

Coṟṟuṇai vēthiyaṉ cōti vāṉavaṉ
poṟṟuṇait tiruntaṭi poruntak kaitoḻak
kaṟṟuṇaip pūṭṭiyōr kaṭaliṟ pāycciṉum
naṟṟuṇai yāvatu namac civāyavē

The Rudra of the Vedas is Siva. They are the same. The terrifying aspect is Aghora while the auspicious aspect is Siva. The word Siva can be found in the Namakam and Chamakam of the Sri Rudram in the Yajur Veda.Take a look at the following final lines of the 1st Anuvaka of the Namakam

namaste astu bhagavan viśveśvarāya mahādevāya
tryambakāya tripurāntakāya trikāgnikālāya
kālāgnirudrāya nīlakanthāya mrtyuñjayāya sarveśvarāya
sadāśivāya śrīmanmahādevāya namaha

The Sanskrit Panchakshra NaMaSiVaYa occurs in the 8th Anuvaka of the Namakam

namah śivāya ca śivatarāya ca 

Pancha means 5 and Akshara means syllable. When this is written in Tamil, it will become NaMaChChiVaYa with 6 syllables. This is because in Tamil, when the first word ends with a vowel, it has to take the base syllable of the 2nd word for a proper continuation. 

So Nama Sivaya becomes Namach Chivaya in Tamil. Si is written as Ich and expanded as Cha or Sa. You can take a look at the last line of Appar's verses shown above.

So although written with 6 syllables in Tamil, it has to be still be correctly pronounced as 5 syllables in the Sanskrit way. The pronunciation of Chi happens because of conversion from Sanskrit to Tamil as explained above. If we were to separate Tamil Saivism from any Sanskrit influence, the pronunciation of NaMaSiVaYa can become inaccurate. 

There was a Nayanmar known as Pasupathi. He recited the Sri Rudram daily in the temple water tank. He did this with great intensity. For this reason, he was addressed as Rudra Pasupathi Nayanar. 

These are some of the examples taken from the Thirumurai. It shows that the authors of Thirumurai, the Nayanmars glorified the Vedas and the Agamas. 

The Nayanmars accepted it as the source of our knowledge system. They then wrote their own hymns and explanation based on this knowledge system for the benefit of the common people.

Even in the annals of the Tamil people, our kings are known to be not just patrons of Tamil language, but also guardians of the Vedas and Vedic practices. 

Kings like Palyagasalai Mudukudumi Peruvazhuthi Pandya was famous for his patronage of Vedic sacrifices. The Pandya, Chera and Chola kings were even mentioned in the Mahabaratha, a Sanskrit Itihasa. They participated in Yudishtira's Rajasuya sacrifice (Vedic sacrifice).

It only shows that the Tamil society had deep Vedic roots. 

Based on all these, it makes no sense for any present day Tamil Saivite association to distance itself from the Vedas or even the Agamas simply because they are written in Sanskrit. The Thirumurai which they held with high regards is linked with these scriptures. 

Siva worship transcends all boundaries and that includes linguistic boundaries. Love towards ones language should not become an obstacle to embrace complete Siva worship. 

Unfortunately, some are trying to make it exclusively Tamil. There should be an end to this extremism which is spreading like cancer among the present day Tamil society.

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, Page 4

I have included pages from W.E Maxwell's journal, An Account of The Malay Chiri, A Sanskrit Formula, at the end of this article. 

It will be best to read it with an open mind. Keep in mind that although there could be elements of Hinduism, the Perak royal family of today have embraced Islam. They are no longer Hindus.

As a Hindu Malaysian, I pray that the Almighty Mahadeva Shiva bless the new ruler of Perak and his loyal subjects.

DAULAT TUANKU!!!

The Science Behind Tamil Calendar

This article is written in such way so that those with no prior knowledge in astronomy understands it. There are actually more information which have been left out as it could confuse the readers.

Click the link below to read the previous article relevant to this topic:
http://sharmalanthevar.blogspot.com/2013/03/tamil-new-year-date.html

The Tamil people follow the Sidereal Solar Calendar. A sidereal year is the time it takes for Earth to orbit the Sun with respect to Zodiacs and also the time the Sun takes to return to the same position with respect to these Zodiacs. The Zodiacs are actually a set of fixed stars in the sky. 

The imaginary black circle around the Sun is known as the Ecliptic. Although Earth orbits the Sun in red circle, it does not follow a horizontal line. The Earth is actually tilted by 23.5 degrees. 

The points where the Earth's orbit touches the Ecliptic is known as Equinox. There are two Equinox. 

The first Equinox is known as the Spring Equinox. The last Equinox is known as the Autumnal Equinox. 

Presently, Spring Equinox happens around 20 March each year. This is the moment which the Telugu people celebrate as Ugadhi festival as per their Tropical Solar Calendar. 

Since the Earth rotates while orbiting the Sun and there is also its own wobbling, there will be a slow down. Because of this, there will be a slight shift in the Spring Equinox each year. This causes the arrival of seasons to fall back by 1 day once every 71.6 years. 

The position of the Zodiacs are permanent and this is an important reason to follow the Sidereal Solar Calendar. The first Zodiac is Aries and this Zodiac is located after the first equinox.

The entry of Earth into Aries is what we Tamils celebrate as Puthandu (New Year). It usually happens around April 14. 

There are some Tamil scholars who claim that Nacchinaarkiniyar, in his commentary to Tholkaappiyam says that Tamil New Year started in mid August (Aavani) and ended in mid July (Aadi). So they disagree with it starting in mid April (Chithirai).

What they don't realise is, there are many calendar cycles in India and each has a difference purpose. 

The year mentioned by Nacchinaarkiniyar actually refers to a spiritual year meant for the learning of Vedas. It is not the same as the ordinary material year which we follow.

This is the same concept which we can see in modern day companies having a separate financial year which does not begin on January 1. Some companies start their financial year in March instead of January 1. That does not mean the actual year begins in March.

Our Tamil ancestors did not blindly invent the Sidereal Solar Calendar. This is actually a very accurate calendar. It is not based on the birth of any religious Prophet. It is not based on any historical event. It is not a mere coincidence. 

It is based on the science of astronomy. This is the truth behind our calendar system which we have been following for many centuries. 

Movie Review - Komban (2015)

(SPOILER ALERT!)

I watched the much anticipated "controversial" Tamil movie, Komban, few hours ago.  Unlike what some caste based group like Puthiya Tamilagam  tried portraying, there is actually nothing controversial about this movie.

Prior to its release in Tamil Nadu, Dr.Krishnasamy of the Pallar caste dominated Puthiya Tamilagam, filed a petition in the court seeking to ban this movie. Dr.Krishnasamy claimed that this movie will cause caste clashes to happen. 

However, after watching this movie, I can boldly say that the protest is not based on any truth. It is clear that the protest was probably motivated by personal hatred. It was the same Dr.Krishnasamy who protested more than a decade ago and caused Kamal Hassan's Sandiyar to be renamed as Virumandi.

There was also a protest by a lawyer named Mr.J.Anthony Livingston. He claimed that the movie insults the Nadar community. However, this is not true as there is no reference to the Nadars in the movie. Furthermore, actor Sarathkumar who is also the president of the Nadigar Sangam, has spoken against the protest. Sarathkumar is also from the Nadar community.

For a start, let me just frankly clarify to all that Komban is about the Mukkulathor community of Ramanathapuram (Ramnad) district. It has the similar social atmosphere of Thevar Magan and Paruthi Veeran. This can be easily understood when one watches the movie although there is no mention of any caste name in their script. 

Furthermore, the names of the regions mentioned as Vellanadu, Semmanadu and Aappanadu; the kinship terminologies  such as Aiyah, Chinnaiyah, Mathani; names like Muthaiyah, Niraikulathan, Kombayyan, Doraipandi; worship of Karupusamy; use of weapons like Valari; phrases like "Vecha kudumi, adicha mottai" and "Kadichittu vaadanu sonna, kavvittu varanom, athanda unmaiyana Mara-payyen"; blowing of the conch and absence of Brahmin priest in the wedding scene just adds to the Mukkulathor-ism in the movie.

So it is not a secret that Komban has a caste flavor in it. Should this be a movie shot in Coimbatore and emphasizes on local culture, then it will be based on the local Vellala  Gounder caste. Karthi's other recent movie, Madras, is based on the political aspirations of the Parayar community.

This is not something bad at all as the movie makers only intend to create the right social atmosphere for their story line. Most importantly, it did not insult any particular caste. 

There may be caste flavor in such movies, but there is no casteism in a bad light. So why should we even protest about it? As viewers, we should have the maturity to accept it. This is not a culture shock for us Tamils.

Komban is based on the life of the people in three divisions of Ramnad named Vellanadu, Semmanadu and Aappanadu. These Nadus are usually old divisions of the kingdom which once existed. There are several Nadus like this in Tamil Nadu especially in the south.

Karthi plays the role of Kombayya Pandian. A no-nonsense, carefree butcher from Aappanadu. Tambi Ramiah acts as his maternal uncle, Rajakili. Kovai Sarala as Karthi's mother. Rajkiran as his father in law, Muthaiah, from Semmanadu. Lakshmi Menon as Pazhani, his wife; Karunas as Muniandi, his elder cousin; and Veluchamy Ramamoorthy (Mathayanaikootam) as his Chinnaiah named Doraipandi.

There is a power struggle in the local panchayat of these three Nadus. This is where the villain Kundan plays an important role. He, his sons, son-in-law and henchmen are the local mafia. They decide on the entire panchayat system and kills anyone who questions their authority.

Our hero Komban has a rough start with Muthaiah. He disrespects his father in law and during an argument, even hits him. Komban then realizes his mistake, promises his wife that he will tone down his temperament and work for the better. Things then get better between Komban and Muthaiah.

Fate some how adds a twist and causes Komban to cross swords with Kundan and his gang. The movie is then all about how Komban overcomes Kundan and saves his family especially his father in law from being killed by Kundan.

Like all other good Tamil movies, the hero defeats the villain and saves his family.

Komban is basically the more decent version of Paruthi Veeran with a happy ending. 

The presence of Thambi Ramaiah and Kovai Sarala in the movie brings in humor. Karunas, though a comedian, played a serious role. Rajkiran was as usual superb in his fatherly role. Lakshmi Menon too did well as a typical yet confident village girl. Can't think of anyone else to act in her role. Veluchamy who acted as Veera Thevar in Mathayanaikootam did well in this movie. However, he played a lesser serious and more joyful role.

If you are someone who does not like excessive fight scenes, then this movie is not for you. There will be a fight scene probably once almost every 15 minutes right from the start till the end of the movie. However, this is something which I expected.

As what one of my friends said "Namba padam, appadithaan irukom"

Other than that, the movie also emphasized on the importance of clan ties, family responsibilities, the importance of patience, and putting aside ego to seek forgiveness. The last reminded me of Kamal's message in Virumandi.

The entire movie was shot in villages in Ramanathapuram district except for one song which was shot in a village nearby Chennai. Sceneries were fine and suited the village theme.

I will say that GV Prakash did fairly good for the music and songs. My favourite is Kambikara Vetti.

Overall, I was entertained by this movie and will surely recommend others to watch it. I will give it a 3.7 out of 5.