Confusion Over Vanni, Vannian and Vanniyar

DISCLAIMER: This article was written to explain about communal name and not to put down any community.

There is a confusion among some researchers with the word Vanni. Today, there is a Tamil community which calls itself Vanniyar. In the past this community was known as Palle or Palli. 

They are numerous in the northern parts of Tamil Nadu and in the intersect between Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra. The Palli of Andhra and Karnataka speak Telugu and Kannadam. They don't consider Tamil as their mother tongue.

During the British rule, many communities in the Madras Presidency used the opportunity to rebrand itself. Even today, we can see some of them doing it. 

Since 1833, the Palli community campaigned to change their name from Palli to Agnikula Kshatriya or Vannikula which later became Vanniyar. Even in the census of 1891, a big majority of 89% still identified themselves as Palli and not as Vannikula.

Only in 1931 was the word Palli dropped and replaced with Agnikula or Vannikula. It was a campaign which took almost 100 years to succeed. 

Unlike what many people assumed, Vanni or Vanniyar is not the name of a community. It has several meanings. Although it is assumed that it comes from Agni (Fire), the actual word for Agni is Vahni and not Vanni. 

How Vahni and Vanni are related needs to be established by linguistic experts. However, there is a tree called Vannimaram which the Pallis worship as a sacred tree. 

The word Vanni can also be used to refer to forest dwellers, region of forest or even as a title synonymous with the word king. So the word Vanni has been misunderstood as a caste identity.

There is a region in Sri Lanka known as Vanni. As per records such as in Culavamsa, there have been migration of people from India into this region during the Chola period. However, the word Vanniyar is not confined to the Pallis alone. 

Although some may assume this to be true considering that the title Padayatchi exists in the Vanni region and the Palli community of northern Tamil Nadu use it, one has to understand that the Padayatchi title is also used by members of the Paravar community who live in coastal regions of neighboring Tamil Nadu. There is a subsect known as Arumboli Paravars who are also known as Padayatchi.

There were also migration of Paravar people into Sri Lanka as they lived closer to the island compared with the Pallis of the north. Possibilities of a mixed Padayatchi presence in Vanni should not be over looked.

Furthermore, anyone from Vanni region irrespective of caste is also called Vanniyar. The chieftains from the Karayar and Mukkuvar caste are also called Vanniyar. The local Veddah tribe is called Vanniyalaeto meaning forest dwellers or even Vanniminisu. 

In the Vanni region's social hierarchy, those of upper class are called MahaVanni and those below them are called SiriVanni. This shows that the word Vanniyar was also a regional identity and not just mere caste identity.

Among the Kallars of Thanjavur, there exist families which use the word Vanniyar as titles. They live in villages and streets bearing the name Vanniyan Theru. According to their history, the title was given to them by the Chola kings for their military service in Vanni, Sri Lanka. 

Among the Maravars caste, there are subdivisions known as Vannitha Maravar, Vanniya Maravar, Vannikutti Maravar and Vanni Kottu Maravar. There were also many Maravar feudal lords who used Vannian as titles. Some even had Vanni as name. 

One example is the nephew of the Sethupathi of Ramnad, Sadaikka Thevar (1636 AD - 1645 AD) . His name was Vanni Thevar and he was nicknamed Vannian. Vanni Thevar served as the commander of his uncle's army. 

Some spread false information in the internet that the Sivagiri Palayakarars were Palli because of the word Vanniya Maravar. This is not true. The Sivagiri Palayakarars are Maravars and one of the descendant happened to be a friend of mine.

Caste certificate of Sivagiri Zamin's descendant shows that they are Maravar.

These are some of the examples of how the word Vanni, Vannian, Vanniyar is used by different sets of people. 

There could be some inscriptions referring to chieftains as Vannian, however, that does not mean every inscription with Vanni or Vannian is referring to people of the same caste. 

The fact that the Palli community changed their caste name to Vanniyar in the early 20th century creates confusion among present day Tamils as many wrongly think that inscriptions of the past is referring to Pallis.  

As students of history, we must remind ourselves that the word Vanni, Vannian or Vanniyar found in the various Tamil inscriptions or literature may not necessarily refer to one community.

I hope this explanation helps to clear the ongoing doubt.

"Skirting along the hills they halted one evening at the fort of the Poligar Vaniah of Shevagherry ["Vaniah" stands here for Vanniya, the caste name or title of a branch of the Marava caste, to which the Sivagiri Poligar belonged. The Elayiram pannei Poligar was also a Vanniya]"

Page 114 

History of Tinnevelly by Bishop R.Caldwell (1881)

"The Vannian caste, known in Tinnevelly as Maravars, are chiefly the agricultural servants or sub-tenants of the wealthier ryota under whom they cultivate, receiving a share of crop varying from one-ffth to half" Page 16 

A Manual of The Tinnevelly District in The Presidency of Madras by A.J Stuart (1879)

"The Maravar or Vannian caste peculiar to Southern India has a history of its own of considerable interest. To this class belonged most of the Poligars or feudal chieftains who disputed with the English the posession of Tinnevelly during the later half of the last and the first years of the present century; as feudal chiefs and at the same time heads of a numerous caste or class of the population, and one whose charateristics was eminently adapted for the roll of followers of a turbulent chieftain, bold, active, enterprising, cunning and capricious, this class constituted themselves or were constituted by the peaceful cultivators, their protectors in times of bloodshed and rapine, when no central authority capable of keeping the peace existed" 

Page 17 & 18 A Manual of The Tinnevelly District in The Presidency of Madras by A.J Stuart (1879)

"At this time there were thrity-two Poligars in Tinnevelly, each of whom had entrenched himself in a fort and surrounded himself with a large body of armed retainers. The constant endeavour of each was to enroach on the domains of this neighbours, and especially to swallow up any revenue or right that still remained in the posession of the central government. Their armed retainers were either Maravars or Nayakas, the latter chiefly in the eastern villages, the former in the western country. These are described by Orme as tall, well made and well featured" 

Page 50

A Manual of The Tinnevelly District in The Presidency of Madras by A.J Stuart (1879)

"The taluk contains 268 villages, of which 222 are Government, 17 Inam, and 29 Kattuguttakai or rented. The population  numbers 180,219 souls, of whom 160,607 are Hindus, 18,966 Mahomedans, and 650 Christians. The castes most numerously represented are Vellalars or Pillais, 33,975; Vannians or Maravars, 47,945; Shanars, 13,313; Shephers, 12,956; and Brahmins, 10,791. The Pariahs amount to 11,148." 

Page 89 

A Manual of The Tinnevelly District in The Presidency of Madras by A.J Stuart (1879)

Descendants of Ancient Pallavas

DISCLAIMER
I will have to re-examine the origins of the Thondaimans (Pudukottai) and their connection with the Pallavas  due to several reasons. Although there are text such as Kalingathuparani that confirms that Karunakara Thondaiman was a Pallava prince, we will also have to look into etymological terms and if this relates to those in Pudukottai. There is also another branch of Thondaimans known as the Aranthangi Thondaiman.

The root word of Thondaiman and Thondai Nadu/Mandalam comes from the creeper known as Kovai (Coccinea Indica). Kovai is known as Donde in Telugu. It was customary for royal families to have a particular leaf or flower as symbols. 

Pallava comes from the Sanskrit root word Pallav which means any new leaf. It may or may not be in reference to kovai. It may also be a corruption of Pahlava. The later explains the Persian connection. 

Nevertheless, I encourage my readers to continue reading and engage in discussions. 

Thondai region in present day Tamil Nadu.

Whenever we speak about Tamil kingdoms, we make reference to the Chera, Chola and Pandya kingdom. 

There were many more little kingdoms which existed too. There was also a large kingdom which began in the Thondai region. It included northern parts of Tamil Nadu and southern parts of Andhra and Karnataka.

That is the kingdom of Pallava. They have a mix of Persia, Telugu and Tamil ancestry. They eventually became Tamilized and went on to build one of the most powerful Tamil empires in history.

In the olden days, linguistic identity was not a barrier. The royal dynasties intermarried freely with royalties of other kingdoms. 

For example, the Cholas intermarried with the Chalukyas of Karnataka. Pandyan royalties intermarried with Sinhala royalties of Sri Lanka. 

Such marriages were needed to strengthen ties between dynasties and forge alliances. These dynasties also intermarried with the royal families of Southeast Asia.

The descendants of the Pallava kings are still around.  

The royal emblem of Pudukottai.

Flag of Pudukottai with lion.

Have you heard about the kingdom of Pudukottai? 

It is presently a district in Tamil Nadu. Pudukottai was ruled by a line of kings known as the Thondaimans. You would have seen some people with the surname Thondaiman. 

It is said that after the fall of the Pallava kingdom. The Thondaimans took refuge in the area near Tirupathi. Centuries later, when the kingdom of Vijayanagra expanded south, the Thondaimans traveled with them. They then went to Pudukottai and became the rulers.

Interestingly, Pudukottai actually belonged to another line of Pallava kings known as the Pallavarayars. By that time, they were no longer kings and served as feudal lords under the Sethupathis. 

Vijaya Ragunatha Thevar @ Kilavan Sethupathi, the then ruler of Ramnad killed the ruling Pallavarayar chieftain and gave the land to his brother in law Ragunatha Raya Thondaiman. Pudukottai then became an independent state.

This is how the Thondaimans became the rulers of Pudukottai. The Thondaimans and Pallavarayars do intermarry. 

Ramachandra Thondaiman

Marthanda Bhairava Pallavarayar

Two centuries after the Thondaimans took over Pudukottai from the Pallavarayar dynasty, Ramachandra Thondaiman (20 October 1829 - 15 April 1886) became the king. He had 2 wives. The first wife gave him two daughters and the second wife gave him a son and a daughter.

But his son, Sivarama Raghunatha Thondaiman died before him leaving him no other male heirs. So Ramachandra Thondaiman adopted his grandson, Marthanda Bhairava Pallavarayar born to his daughter Brihadambal and son in law Kolandaswamy Pallavarayar.

Marthanda Bhairava Pallavarayar (26 November 1875 - 28 May 1928) then becomes the new ruler of Pudukottai. There were some issues with him remaining as the king. This is because he married an Australian woman named Molly Fink. They had a son.

Marthanda Bhairava Pallavarayar was then succeeded by his nephew Rajagopala Thondaiman. The throne goes back to the Thondaimans.

Rajagopala Thondaiman is the last ruler of Pudukottai. His grandson R.Rajagopala Thondaiman is currently the head of the Pudukottai royal house.

Although no longer in power, the descendants of the ancient Pallava kings, the Thondaimans and the Pallavarayars, are still around. There are even some of them who lives in Malaysia and other parts of the world.

Will the Pallava Kingdom return? 

Prince Prithviraj Thondaiman, son of R.Rajagopala Thondaiman.
PICTURE CREDIT M. Srinath

INSCRIPTIONS  OF THE TANJAVUR TEMPLE
INSCRIPTIONS ON THE WALLS OF THE CENTRAL  SHRINE
NO. 22. ON THE SOUTH WALL, FIRST AND SECOND TIERS

This inscription is dated on the 64th day of the 35th year of the reign of Tribhuvanachakravartin Konerinmai-mondan and records the grant of the village of Sungandavirtta-Soranallur,[13] which formed part of the town of Karundittaikudi,[14] and which was situated on both banks of the Vira-Sora-Vadavaru[15] and on the northwestern extremity of the city of Tanjavur.

The village was divided into 108 shares, of which 106 were to be enjoyed by the Brahmanas of the village of Samantanarayana-chaturvedimangalam near Tanjavur, and 2 by the temple of Samantanarayana-Vinnagar-Emberuman in this village. Both this village and this temple had been called after his own name, and the granted village had been purchased from its former owners, by a person, who is designated in the text as the Tondaimanar, but whose proper name must accordingly have been Samantanarayana.

He was apparently a feudatory or high officer of the king, who made the grant at his instance and on his behalf. At the present time the title of Tondaiman is borne by the chiefs of the state of Pudukkottai in the Trichinopoly district. Their ancestor is reported to have ousted one Pallavarayan Tondaiman about 1680 A.D.[16] This chief was probably a descendant of Samantanarayana Tondaiman and of Karunakara Tondaiman, who, according to the Tamil poem Kalingattu-Parani,[17] was king of the Pallavas, resided at Vandai[18] and was the prime minister of the Chola king Kulotltunga.

The title Tondaiman means the king of Tondai[19] or Tondaimandalam, the Tamil name of the Pallava country, the ancient capital of which was Kanchipuram. The numerous Chola inscriptions found at this town prove that the Pallava kingdom must have fallen a prey to the Cholas. From the kalingattu-Parani it further appears, that the former rulers of Tondaimandalam were allowed to retain possession of their dominions as feudatories. In the subjoined inscription they appear in the same position during the time of Konerinmai-kondan.

The chief difficulty in this inscription is the numerous fiscal terms mentioned in connection with the grant. A good many of them had to be left untranslated,[20] while the translation of others is only tentative.

TRANSLATION

Hail! Prosperity! (the following is an order of) Tribhuvanachakravartin Konerinmai-Kondan.

“From the rainy seas (kar) in the thirty-fifty (year of our reign), (the village of) Sungandavirtta-Soranallur, — which forms part of the town (nagara) of Karundittaikudi in Tanjavur-parru, (a subdivision) of Tanjavur-kurram[21] in Pandikulapati-valanadu,[22] and which the Tondaimanar had purchased from Tennagangadevan, Sinattaraiyan and other partners (ullittar), — was given for (providing) one hundred and eight shares (pangu), viz., one hundred and six shares for one hundred and six Chaturvedi-Bhattas, who had studied the Vedas and Sastras and were able to interpret (them), (and who lived) at Samantanarayana-chaturvedimangalam, — a village (agaram) in (the neighbourhood of) Tanjavur, (a city) in Tanjavur-kurram, (a subdivision) of Pandikulapati-valanadu, — which the Tondaimanar had bestowed (on them and called) after his own name; and two shares for (the image of) Samantanarayana-Vinnagar-Emberuman,[23] which he had set up in this village (and called) after (his own) name. The eastern boundary of (this village) is to the west of the boundary of Kulottunga-Soranallur, which forms part of Karundittaikudi, and of the boundary of the sacred flower-garden (called after) Gengaikonda-Soran, which forms part of Karundittaikudi; (that part of) the eastern boundary, which is to the south of the Vira-Sora-Vadavaru (river), is to the west of the boundary of Nandavanapparru,[24] (a quarter of) Tanjavur. (That part of) the southern boundary, which is to the east of the wall (madil) of Mummadi-Soran, is to the north of the boundary of Nandavanapparru; (that part of the southern boundary, which is) to the west of the (same) wall, is to the north of the boundary of Palatalipparru,[25] (a quarter of) Tanjavur. The western boundary is to the east of the highroad (peru-vari) of Kodivanm-udaiyal; (that part of the western boundary, which is on) the northern bank of the Vira-Sora-Vadavaru, is (at the same time) to the east of this river.[26] The northern boundary is to the south of the boundary of Kadavan-mahadevi, alias Virudarajabhayamkara-chaturvedimangalam.[27]  Altogether, (the land) included within these four boundaries, — excluding the cultivated land (vilai-nilam) and the dry land (punsey) of) Ava-kamallakulam, alias Jagadekavira-Suvarnamangalam, the cultivated land and the dry land of Palatalipparru, and the cultivated land and the dry land of Nandavanapparru, — (is divided into) fifty blocks (karani).[28] Of (these), the wet land (nanse[y]-nilam), — excluding ancient gifts to temples (devadana), (and) including the portion on the bank of the river (padugai-irai) and the portion consisting of the causeways between fields (tala-varamb-irai), — (contains), according to the book (pottagam),[29] sixty veli; the land on which the (village) servants subsist, (contains) fourteen veli; the land (which is occupied by) the village-site (agara-nattam), the place used for sacrificing to the gods (deva-yajana-bhumi), and the place used as pasture for the cows (go-prachara-bhumi),[30] (contains) six veli; the land which includes the houses of the cultivators (Vellan), the ponds, channels, hills, jungles and mounds, (contains) twelve (veli), one quarter and one eighth. Altogether, the land which includes the wet land and dry land, the site of the village, the places used for sacrificing to the gods and as pasture for the cows, and the houses of the cultivators, the ponds, channels, hills, jungles and mounds, (contains), according to the book, ninety-four (veli), one quarter and one fortieth. Deducting from this nine blocks in possession (kani) of Tennagangadevan, which contain sixteen (veli) of land, three quarters, four twentieths, one eightieth and one hundred-and-sixtieth, (there remain) forty-one blocks, containing seventy-seven (veli) of land, six twentieths and one hundred-and-sixtieth.[31]  These seventy-seven, six twentieths and one hundred-and-sixtieth (veli) of land, which may be more or less,[32] we gave, — including the trees over ground and the wells underground in this land, and all other benefits (prapti) whatever kind,[33] having first excluded the former owners and the hereditary proprietors, and having purchased (it) as tax-free property (kani) for the one hundred and six Bhattas of this village and for the two shares (of the image) of Samantanarayana-Vinnagar-Emberuman – from the rainy season in the thirty-fifth (year of our reign), as a meritorious gift (dharmadana), with libations of water, with the right to bestow, mortgage or sell (it), as a tax-free grant of land, to last as long as the moon and the sun. (This grant) includes all kinds (varga) of taxes (kadamai) and rights (kudimai), viz., (the right) to cultivate kar,[34] maruvu,[35] single flowers (?oru-pu), flowers for the market (kadai-pu), lime-trees, dry crops, red water-lilies, areca-palms, betel-vines, saffron, ginger, plantains, sugar-cane and all other crops (payir); all kinds of revenue (aya), including the tax in money (kasu-kadami), odukkum-padi, urai-nari, [36](the share of) the village watchman (? Padi-kaval) (who is placed) over the Vettis, (the share of) the Karanam who measures (the paddy?), the unripe (fruit?) in Karttigai, the tax on looms (tari-irai), the tax on oil-mills (sekk-irai), the tax on trade (sett-irai), tattoli, the tax on goldsmits (tattar-pattam), (the dues on) animals and tanks,[37] the tax on water-course (orukku-nir-pattam), tolls (vari-ayam), inavari,[38] the tax on weights (idai-vari), (the fine for) rotten drugs (arugal-sarakku), the tax on bazaars (angadi-pattam), (and) the salt-tax (upp-ayam); . . . . . . . . . . . the elephant-stalls (and) the horse-stables. Thus, in accordance with this order (olai), it shall be engraved on stone and copper. On the sixty-fourth day of the thirty-fifty year (of our reign).”

This is the signature of Gangayan, a native of Tunjalur in Miralai-kurram.
This is the signature of Pallavarayan, a native of Tunjalur in Miralai-kurram.


கலிங்கத்துப்பரணி (KALINGATTUPARANI)
Kalingattuparani is a poem written by Jayamkondar in the 12th century. It celebrates the victory of king Kulathungga Chola over the Kalingas. Kulathungga Chola had a commander named Karunakara Thondaiman. He was a Pallava prince.

3. கருணாகரத் தொண்டைமான்
குலோத்துங்க   சோழனுக்குப்  படைத்  தலைவனாய்  அமைந்திருந்த
கருணாகரத்    தொண்டைமான்   தொண்டை   நாட்டை    ஆண்டுவந்த
அரசர்    குலத்தைச்    சார்ந்தவன்   என்பது   அவன்   பெயராலேயே
அறியக்கிடக்கின்றது.  இவனைத்  தொண்டைமான்  என்றே பல இடங்களில்
ஆசிரியர்  கூறுகின்றார்.

i. 'அடைய அத்திசைப் பகைது கைப்பன் என்
     றாசை கொண் டடற் றொண்டைமான்'


   ii. 'தொண்டையர் வேந்தனைப் பாடீரே' '
என   வருமாறு  காண்க.  இவன்  தமையன்,  காஞ்சியில்  இருந்து
தொண்டை  நாட்டை  ஆண்டுவந்த  பல்லவ  அரசனாவன்.  இப்பல்லவன்
பெருமன்னனான   குலோத்துங்கனுக்கு   உட்பட்ட   பல   சிற்றரசர்களுள்
ஒருவனாய்    நெருங்கிய      நண்பனாகவும்     இருந்தான்     எனத்  
தெரிகிறது.   இந்நட்புக்காரணமாகவே  பெருமன்னனாகிய  குலோத்துங்கன்
காஞ்சியில் வந்து படைகளுடன்  தங்கியிருந்தனன்   என்க.   கலிங்கத்தின்
மேல் கருணாகரன்  படைத்    தலைவனாய்ப்    போர்க்கெழுந்தபொழுது,
இவன்    தமையனும், குலோத்துங்கனுக்கு    நட்புரிமை   பூண்டவனுமான
பல்லவனும்      துணைப்படைத்    தலைவனாக     உடன்சென்றானாகக்
குறிக்கப்படுகின்றான்.

'தொண்டை யர்க்கரசு முன்வருஞ்சுரவி
துங்க வெள்விடை உயர்த்த கோன்
வண்டையர்க்கரசு பல்ல வர்க்கரசு
மால்களிற்றின் மிசை கொள்ளவே'
எனவருமாறு  காண்க.  தமையன்  தொண்டைநாடு முழுதும் ஆட்சி
செய்து    கொண்டிருப்ப,     குலோத்துங்கனுக்குப்    படைத்தலைவனாய்
அமைந்த  கருணாகரன்,  வண்டைநகரின்   கண்    இருந்து   தொண்டை
நாட்டுப்பகுதியை ஆட்சி  செய்து கொண்டிருந்தவனாக அறியப்படுகின்றான். மேற்குறித்த

3. Karuṇākarat toṇṭaimāṉ
kulōttuṅka cōḻaṉukkup paṭait talaivaṉāy amaintirunta
karuṇākarat toṇṭaimāṉ toṇṭai nāṭṭai āṇṭuvanta
aracar kulattaic cārntavaṉ eṉpatu avaṉ peyarālēyē
aṟiyakkiṭakkiṉṟatu. Ivaṉait toṇṭaimāṉ eṉṟē pala iṭaṅkaḷil
āciriyar kūṟukiṉṟār.

I. 'Aṭaiya atticaip pakaitu kaippaṉ eṉ
ṟācai koṇ ṭaṭaṟ ṟoṇṭaimāṉ'

ii. 'Toṇṭaiyar vēntaṉaip pāṭīrē' '
eṉa varumāṟu kāṇka. Ivaṉ tamaiyaṉ, kāñciyil iruntu
toṇṭai nāṭṭai āṇṭuvanta pallava aracaṉāvaṉ. Ippallavaṉ
perumaṉṉaṉāṉa kulōttuṅkaṉukku uṭpaṭṭa pala ciṟṟaracarkaḷuḷ
oruvaṉāy neruṅkiya naṇpaṉākavum iruntāṉ eṉat
terikiṟatu. Innaṭpukkāraṇamākavē perumaṉṉaṉākiya kulōttuṅkaṉ
kāñciyil vantu paṭaikaḷuṭaṉ taṅkiyiruntaṉaṉ eṉka. Kaliṅkattiṉ
mēl karuṇākaraṉ paṭait talaivaṉāyp pōrkkeḻuntapoḻutu,
ivaṉ tamaiyaṉum, kulōttuṅkaṉukku naṭpurimai pūṇṭavaṉumāṉa
pallavaṉum tuṇaippaṭait talaivaṉāka uṭaṉceṉṟāṉākak
kuṟikkappaṭukiṉṟāṉ.

'Toṇṭai yarkkaracu muṉvaruñcuravi
tuṅka veḷviṭai uyartta kōṉ
vaṇṭaiyarkkaracu palla varkkaracu
mālkaḷiṟṟiṉ micai koḷḷavē'
eṉavarumāṟu kāṇka. Tamaiyaṉ toṇṭaināṭu muḻutum āṭci
ceytu koṇṭiruppa, kulōttuṅkaṉukkup paṭaittalaivaṉāy
amainta karuṇākaraṉ, vaṇṭainakariṉ kaṇ iruntu toṇṭai
nāṭṭuppakutiyai āṭci ceytu koṇṭiruntavaṉāka aṟiyappaṭukiṉṟāṉ. Mēṟkuṟitta

'வண்டை வளம்பதி பாடீரே
மல்லையும் கச்சியும் பாடீரே
பண்டை மயிலையும் பாடீரே
பல்லவர் தோன்றலைப் பாடீரே'

'Vaṇṭai vaḷampati pāṭīrē
mallaiyum kacciyum pāṭīrē
paṇṭai mayilaiyum pāṭīrē
pallavar tōṉṟalaip pāṭīrē'


SRI VARADARAJASWAMI TEMPLE, KANCHI: A STUDY OF ITS HISTORY, ART AND ARCHITECTURE
By K.V. Raman

The Chola army was led by Karunakara Tondaiman, a scion of the old Pallava family, who now served under the Cholas. The parani has it that when Kulottunga held a durbar in his palace at Kanchipuram, it was reported to him that the Kalinga king Anantavarman was in default of his annual tribute which caused the expedition.

It is indeed interesting to note that an epigraph dated 43rd year of Kulottunga 1 in our temple mentions Karunakara Tondaiman and his wife Alagiyamanavalini Mandaiyalvar. He is said to have belonged to Vandalanjeri in Tirumaraiyur Nadu in Kulotunga Chola Valanadu. His wife donated a lamp to the temple .

Alagiyamanavalini is the name of the consort of Lord Ranganatha of Srirangam and the adoption of this name and her gift to this Vishnu temple at Kanchi may show us that she was a devotee of Vishnu.

Tamil Kinship

Unlike the Westerners, Tamil people have a very elaborate kinship system.
PICTURE CREDIT: http://www.familyholiday.net/family-tree-craft-template-ideas

The Tamil people have a very elaborate and systematic kinship system. Families can be categorized into two main groups. Panggali (Parallel Cousins) and Muraipasangga (Cross Cousins). Panggalis are treated as siblings while Muraipasangga are those who we can marry. Therefore, the terminology used for the Panggali is the same as our siblings.

Parallel Cousins = Father's brother's children or Mother's sister's children

Cross Cousins = Father's sister's children or Mother's brother's children

The Panggali or Muraipasangga group is not only for immediate families but also for the extended families. Certain clans have family names which determines who is who in the entire clan. 

Therefore, members of such clans will avoid marriage with their Panggali families as they will carry the same surname. This is similar to the Gothra system.

Certain terminology in the Tamil kinship can be used for more than one relationship. For example, a person can call his sister’s husband as Machan, Attan or even Maaman depending on the relationship of the families prior to the marriage.

The terms used for in-laws are also used for the Muraipasangga. 

I have given some examples of the terminology which we have below. Each of these terminology represents a particular relationship. 

Father - Thanthai
Mother - Thaai
Grandfather - Paattan
Grandmother - Paati
Maternal Grandmother - Ammayee
Paternal Grandmother - Appayee
Great Grandfather - Poottan
Great Grandmother - Pootti
Great Great Grandfather - Ottan
Great Great Grandmother - Otti
Great Great Great Grandfather - Seyon
Great Great Great Grandmother - Seyol
Great Great Great Great Grandfather - Paran
Great Great Great Great Grandmother - Parai
Son - Magan
Daughter - Magal
Grandson - Peyaran
Grandaughter - Peyarti
Great Grandson - Kollu Peyaran
Great Granddaughter - Kollu Peyarti
Great Great Grandson - Ellu Peyaran
Great Great Grandaughter - Ellu Peyarti
Brother - Sagothar
Sister - Sagothari
Elder Brother - Annan
Elder Sister - Akka
Younger Brother - Thambi
Younger Sister - Thangachi
Father's Elder Brother - Periappa
Father's Younger Brother - Chithappa
Father's Sister - Athai
Mother's Brother - Maama
Mother's Elder Sister - Periamma
Mother's Younger Sister - Chinnamma
Athai's Son - Attan
Athai's Daughter - Athachi
Parallel Cousins - Panggali
Cross Cousin - Muraipasangga
Husband - Kanavan
Wife - Manaivi
Annan's Wife, Wife's Akka - Anni
Thambi's Wife, Wife's Thangachi - Kolunthiya
Kanavan's Annan - Muthaar
Kanavan's Thambi - Kolunthanar
Manaivi's brother, Sister's husband - Machan
Wife's Sister's Husband - Sagalai (Annan/Thambi)
Husband's Brother's Wife - Orupadi (Akka/Thangachi)
Machan's Son, Brother's Son (Female), Son-in-law - Marumagan
Machan's Daughter, Sister's Daughter (Male), Daughter-in-law - Marumagal

My wife’s younger sister becomes my Kolunthiya. I can call my Kolunthiya’s husband as Thambi. Our relationship is also known as Sagalai, brothers through marriage as our wives are sisters. Sagalais and their children become Panggalis. They are like siblings. 

The kinship of the Tamils was created to ensure that there is a proper system to define family relationships. It was also created to avoid incest among the people. 

The choice of words in Tamil kinship may vary depending on the region or clan a person originated from. But the family relationship in general, is the same for all Tamils. 

The earliest ancestor 7 generation ago is known as Paran (male) and Parai (female). This is how the term Paramparai is born for the Tamil family tree. The Tamil word for tradition, Parampariyam, is taken from Paramparai Niyayam. So our ancestors are not only the founders of our family tree but also the pioneers of our tradition.

Breaking Tamil Nadu

The state of Tamil Nadu is 130,058 square km. It has 29 districts and a population of 72 million people. That is roughly the size of Peninsular Malaysia and more than triple the population here. 

Although Tamil Nadu is not the biggest state in India, it is still a large state with a large population. 

During the last decade, political organisations like Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) and Kongunadu Munnetra Kalagam (KMK) have called for the state to be divided into smaller states. 

The usual call is to either bifurcate or trifurcate the state by using the Kaveri river (and Amaravathi & Kollidam) as natural boundary(s).

If we were to refer back to ancient political geography of Tamil Nadu, the state can be also divided into the following 5 smaller states. This includes the Union Territory of Puducherry.

Thondai Naadu
Nadu Naadu
Kongu Naadu
Chola Naadu
Pandya Naadu

A rough sketch of possible new states in Tamil Nadu based on ancient political geography.
DISCLAIMER: This image is not 100% accurate.

There are pros and cons in breaking the state. 

Smaller states means better administration. With smaller states, the existing taluk divisions within each district can be upgraded into districts. It will be much more easier to manage smaller districts compared with bigger ones. 

Each state will have their own police force. That could be an effective way to tackle crime as their area of concentration is now smaller.

In North India, large states were split for economic growth. The state of Uttarakhand sees rapid growth after it was split from the larger Uttar Pradesh. Similarly the state of Chattisgarh is doing better after splitting from Madhya Pradesh.

In Tamil Nadu, new districts like Virudhunagar, Dindigul were carved out of larger districts to make administration easier.

Different castes dominate different regions in Tamil Nadu. Caste reservation policy is applied for university intakes and government jobs. 

If the states are split, dominant castes like Vanniyars, Kongu Vellalars and Mukkulathors will no longer need to compete with each other. This is because they are each concentrated in their own region.

Kongu Vellalars in Kongu Naadu
Vanniyars and Mudaliars in Thondai and Nadu Naadu. Mukkulathors in Chola and Pandya Naadu

The splitting of Tamil Nadu will also mean there will be 3-5 Tamil Chief Ministers. There will be more voice for the Tamil people in the Indian government.

However, there can be negative effects too. 

Major rivers of Tamil Nadu

If Tamil Nadu is split into smaller states, each state will have control over the culture of the state. 

They can even decide on matters like Tamil education. If Chola Naadu decides to revert back to Grantha script instead of Vatteluttu script, the other states cannot interfere. We will then have a segment of people who read Tamil using different scripts.

Although industrialised, Kongu or West Tamil Nadu is a landlocked area. That means they need to depend on other states including Kerala for sea products. They also need their permission to use their ports. This can impact the imports and exports. 

Furthermore, if you were to look at the river map of Tamil Nadu, you will notice that the rivers cut across the regions. 

Kaveri river which originates in Karnataka passes through Kongu Naadu before reaching Chola Naadu. If Kongu Naadu builds a dam, they can control the water level of Kaveri just like what Karnataka is doing to Tamil Nadu today. This can then lead to enmity between states.

All these needs to be considered before breaking the state. 

A rough sketch of New Tamilakam with its five contemporary divisions of Thondai, Kongu, Chola, Pandya and Eelam. Based on present day district boundaries.

  DISCLAIMER: This image is not 100% accurate.

Christian Inculturation

I was exposed to Christians and their religion at a very young age. I was born in Hospital Assunta which was started by the Christian missionaries. I grew up having many Christian friends around me. 

When I was 6, I was admitted in the same hospital I was born due to asthma. Since I was too young to walk outside the hospital in order to worship in the nearest temple, I decided to just worship in the hospital chapel. I saw no harm in doing that. I still feel the same way. 

Russian Church in Sofia. One of the few churches which I visited.

I did the same thing when I was in Bulgaria. Went into churches, light up candles, offered my prayers to the Holy Mother in silence. This will not make me less Hindu. I still chant the Kalabhairava Ashtakam and the Panchakshra during my daily prayers.

But despite the religious tolerance I have, I do have a different opinion about missionary activities. I never liked their style of work and many things which they do. This is because I do believe in respecting native culture.

Should someone intend to preach Christianity, then let it be based on the true teachings of Christ. Let is be based on the contents of the Holy Bible. 

Christianity should not be spread by lies and fraudulent methods. People should become Christians for what it really is than for what they think it was.

My 1st contact with missionaries happened at the age of 13. I lived in Kajang back then and I used to be active in football. So one fine Saturday, I attended a football clinic in town. It was organised by some local footballers. They had a Brazilian white guy as the coach for the day. 

So we were playing football and one of the guys committed a foul. We had an agreement that whoever commits a foul must do 10 push ups. Our team had a mix of races. One Malay guy committed the first foul.

As he was about to do his push ups, the Brazilian guy stopped him. He offered to do the push up for him.

"Jesus died for us in the cross. I will do push ups on your behalf"

I was happy when he did that. Because I played defence and I always end up committing lots of foul.  

During the end of the clinic, there was a briefing.

"Boys, we are very happy you participated today. We hope we helped you improve your football skills. If you are interested to participate again in the future, please join us for further explanation. It will be in the church tomorrow morning. We can probably talk about sending you boys to Brazil for further training. Breakfast is provided."

Only then I got the message. They are here not to only teach football but to also spread their religion.

My 2nd contact happened when I was in secondary school. This time I was in USJ. No more in Kajang.  My door bell rang on one evening. I went out and noticed there were two white guys on bicycles.

"Hi! I am XXX and this is YYY. We were cycling and noticed your house. It looks very pleasant. Ermm the picture on your entrance, is that the elephant God Ganesha?"

I responded with a Yes and asked him what they want.

"Oh nothing actually. We just wanted to meet your parents to talk about Lord Jesus. We would like you to know how life can be better, more peaceful with Jesus in your life. Can we come in?"

I just told them that I appreciate their presence but we are not interested. Shook hands and told them to just leave.

My 3rd contact happened when I was in college. I had this Chinese male lecturer for my Multimedia class. We once had a group discussion. My friend asked him for some assistance. He then replied,

"Son, things like this needs further explanation. Trust in Jesus and he will fix it for you"

Me and my friend were quite shocked but we didn't want to make an issue out of it. Is Jesus going to sit in exams for us? 

We thought he was joking but well he wasn't. Few days after the incident, he invited me over to his house for a Christmas party.

"Hey Sharmalan. Why don't you join us for the party? We will have grilled beef. You know, Indians should stop eating lamb. It is not good for the heart. Try beef. It is better. Your classmates XXX, YYY, ZZZ and KKK will also join us for the party. We can talk about life and also how Jesus helps us alot"

An invitation which I declined for obvious reasons.

But these people are not that bad. They never forced their religion on me and their attempt was quite mild. There is another group of people who do even worse things.

The former pastor of a particular church in Klang, Pastor Jambunathan, told me many things about the method used by the missionaries. 

He claimed that he was kicked out from the church for disagreeing with them especially on things like conversion of orphans and the poor. Many Nepali and Myanmar workers were also converted by them. 

Well, this is just the tip of the iceberg. The real issue is not the conversion but the method used to convert people.

I am not sure how many of you are aware of the term "Christian Inculturation". It is a covet method used by the missionaries. Basically they adopt local practice, modify it, re-brand it as Christian practice and sell it back to the people. 

Perhaps I should show you some pictures which I took from the internet on how this is being done in India:

The Upanishad is a Hindu scripture now it became Christian scripture. 

Images like this are now being circulated in the internet to bring Jesus into Hindu celebrations.

Hare Rama! Hare Krishna! Hare Yeshu??? 

Hindu Temple or Christian Church?

Hindu Yatra or Christian Yatra? Kumbham in Christianity??

Hindus or Christians?

Part of the ceremony in the Christian Yatra. They also conduct something called Christian Pooja by using coconuts and incense sticks like the Hindus.

The Saffron Christians

Christians dressed as Hindu monks going around to convert Hindus.

Krishna or Jesus? Jesus in blue and flute?

Baby Ganesha now a Christian?

Christ became Hindu god?

A new Hindu God?

Hindu God?

The new Buddha?

Bharathanatyam, a Hindu classical art dedicated to Shiva Nataraja now dedicated to Jesus?

Christian Bharathanatyam?

Christian Bharathanatyam?

The album Suprabatham is now a Tamil Christian song album. It has songs like Saranam Yesuve. Suprabatham is no longer Venkatesa Suprabatham which we all know.

Hindu slokas and mantras modified. OM SRI YESU BHAGAVATE NAMAHA. Is this from the Bible?

These pictures were taken from the internet. It was compiled by the people behind the following page which was formed in response to the missionary activities in India.

The page can be accessed at  https://www.facebook.com/hinduconversioninfo

There was another page in the past. It was known as Ban Christian Missionaries in India. They deactivated the page due to pressure from the Christians.  

Christian Inculturation is not something new in India. Back in the 17th century, there was an Italian missionary named Father Constanzo Beschi. 

Also known as Viramamunivar due to his contribution towards the Tamil script, Beschi was among the first to use inculturation in a very radical manner.

He dressed up in saffron robe like Hindu saints. He then claimed that the Bible is the 5th Veda. Therefore, all Hindus must now adhere to this Veda because it is the conclusion of the previous 4 Vedas. He claimed that this Veda was lost and he brought it back.

How cunning!

During the last decade, a new cult group emerged in India. They also have a branch in Malaysia. They are supported by Tamil film personalities like Snehan. 

According to them, their method of conducting weddings is the real Tamil way of doing it. So all Tamils must now follow this method.

The video below shows how their wedding is done:

This cult group known as Dynamic Puratchi Kalyanam (Revolutionary Dynamic Wedding) was started by a Tamil Christian man named Dr.Gabriel.

Need I explain more?

Hindus in general are not against the preaching of another religion. We have always welcomed other religions with open arms. In fact, Hindus were the only few people who gave the Jews protection in India when the rest of the world was busy chasing them out.

However, Hindus can't be blamed for speaking up against inculturation like this. This is definitely not the right way to spread Christianity.

Woman On Period & Hindu Rituals

This image is now being circulated in social media. I think the person who created this image has an unexplainable hatred towards religion. His/Her view on Hinduism is a misguided one. 

I remember one joker from Utusan once wrote an article on Manusmriti and tried to make fun of the Hindus. Looks like Utusan is not alone.

Manusmriti is a Smriti, meaning written by man. Therefore, it has no authority over modern Hindus. Vedas are Sruti, meaning non-human and divine origin. It is based on revelation received by Sages through their spiritual experience. 

Manusmriti was actually written by Manu, a king who ruled during ancient times. It was actually the constitution of his kingdom. As we all know, man made law can always contain flaws. Manusmriti has alot of good things in it and also loads of crap. 

It is not necessary for modern Hindus to follow Manusmriti. It was written for people of a different era. Hindus have the free will to use their own intelligence.

Women actually have a high position in the Hindu world. There are also many rituals which can only be done by them. Certain fast are only observed by women. So the joker who created this image need to do some homework. 

Hinduism is perhaps the only remaining religion which sees God in the form of woman, Shakti. What else is needed to explain this?

However, women are usually prevented from conducting rituals when they are on periods. The actual reason behind this is deep rooted in prehistoric times.

Those days, there were no sanitary pads. The women on periods used cloth. So there was odor and blood stain. 

Prehistoric people lived in jungles and women on periods had a higher tendency of attracting predatory animals like lions and tigers.

Religious rituals were not individual but done in groups. People lived in groups. So their rituals will always have some sort of gathering.

So segregating such woman during such ritual reduces the chances of danger for the others in the community/village. But of course, our good prehistoric ancestors would have assigned someone to guard the woman in the hut when the rest are busy with their ritual. 

This could be one reason. 

The other reason is women on periods usually have mood swings and many go through pain. Periods are also not hygienic. They may not feel comfortable to conduct a ritual. It is better for them to just take a break on such occasions.

Over the time, people forget the actual purpose and turn it into a tool to discriminate women. 

Logic eh?