Controversies in History

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Myth of Tamil Antiquity Hathigumpha Inscription
2007-06-11 12:33:00
Kharavela of Kalinga records his conquest of a federation of Tamil kings in his Hathigumpha inscription, so the the antiquity of Tamil rulers is established. You might see this statement everywhere in the net. The only other inscription apart from Ashoka edicts to date that mentions rulers south of Kaveri or Tamil Nadu. However the truth is far from this. Let us see first what is Hathigumpha inscription?The Hathigumpha inscription("Elephant Cave" inscription), from Udayagiri, near Bhubaneshwar in Orissa, was written by Kharavela, the king of Kalinga in India, during the 2nd century BCE. Hathigumpha inscription consists of seventeen lines incised in deep cut Brahmi letters on the overhanging brow of a natural cavern called Hathigumpha in the southern side of the Udayagiri hill near Bhubaneswar in Orissa. It faces straight towards the rock Edicts of Asoka at Dhauli situated at a distance of about six miles.The inscription is written in a type which is considered as one of the most ...
More About: Myth

Myth of Antiquity of tamil Languge. Sangam age king Atiyaman
2007-06-05 09:10:00
As far as today there is no inscriptions by Sangam kings in Tamil Nadu. Which is a really surprising considering the inclination of sangam kings towards learning. However some would beg to differ. Let us see, how good is this theory.The inscription is found on a rock inside a cavern, on the hillock of Jambai, a village in South Arcot district, Tamil Nadu. The village is 15 k.m. away from Thirukkoilur town. The epigraph is in Tamil-Brahmi (except for the title in Prakrit) and rads: Satiyaputo Atiyan Natuman Anci itta PaliThe meaning of the epigraph may be rendered as 'The abode (pali) given by (itta) Atiyan Neduman Anci (name), the Satyaputra (title)'. In this inscription both the northern Brahmi letter sa and the Tamil-Brahmi letter Li have been used. In his Girnar rock edict II, Ashoka details the arrangements made by him within his empire and also beyond its borders: Ye Ca anta ata Coda, Pada, Satiyaputo, ceraputo, Tambapanni, Antiyogo nama Yonalaja'Everywhere in the conquered ...
More About: King , Myth

Myth of Antiquity of Tamil --Kallanani by Karikalan
2007-05-15 14:58:00
Myth of Kallanani by KarikalanThe Grand Anicut, also known as the Kallanai, is an ancient dam in Tamil Nadu state of south India. The Grand Anicut is the most ancient surviving irrigation work in Kaveri river delta. It is attributed to the Chola king Karikalan, and dates back to the 2nd century. It is considered the oldest water-diversion structure in the world still in use.A poet sings?Karikaalan kattivaithaan kallanai?Let us analyze the factsThe sangam literature Pattinappaalai sung by uruthirang kannanar was solely sung in praise of Karikaal chola. It has no mention of Kallanai. We only understand that he strengthened the banks of cauvery.Thiruttani and Velanjeri Copper PlatesParantaka's plate is dated 932 A.D. It gives the names of the progenitors of the Chola line beginning with Vishnu, followed by Brahma, Marichi, Kasyapa, Surya and Usinara. Karikala, Sibi and Koccengannan.KarikalaThree important events in the life of Karikala are mentioned.(1) He caused the crest of the C...
More About: Myth , Allan , Alla

Myth of Antiquity of Tamil Language- Tholkappiam
2007-05-14 12:06:00
Let us continue seeing how tamil languages date is taken to antiquityDate of TholkappiamThe dating of the earliest tamil grammatical work Tholkappiam has been debated much and it is still imprecise and uncertain and has seen wide disagreements amongst scholars in the field. It has been dated variously between 8000 BCE and 10th CE.While most of the antediluvian datings which stem mostly from a descriptive commentary in an 12th century work called Iraiyanar AgapporuL, about the existence of three Tamil Academies, which have been rejected as being devoid of any evidence, the genuine disagreements now center around widely divergent dates lying between the 3rd BC and 10th AD. As the Tolkappiyam is often claimed as the earliest extant work of Tamil literature, the dating of Tolkappiyam is inherently tied to the dates ascribed to the birth and development of Tamil literature as a whole.Viyapuri Pillai, the author of the Tamil lexicon and towering figure in the field dated Tolkappiyam to no...
More About: Language , Myth

Myth of Antiquity of Tamil Language- Silapathikaram
2007-05-11 15:23:00
Let us see how the date of tamil language is advancedDate of Sila pathikaramGajabahu synchronismGajabahu synchronism is the chronological device used by historians to help date tamil literature. From a mention in the silapathikaram, the Lanka king Gajabahu is taken to be a contemporary of the cheran king senguttuvanThe passage"The monarch of the world circumambulated the shrine thrice and stood there proferring his respects. In front of him the Arya kings released from prison, kings removed from central jail, the Kongu ruler of Kudagu, the king of Malva and Kayavaku, the king of sea-girt Ceylon, prayed reverently to the deity thus.."Kayavaku here, despite disagreement has been taken to mean Gajabahu. According to the Mahavamsa , Gajabahu I reigned between 113 - 134 CE, while Gajabahu II reigned in the 12th century CE. This, in turn, has been used to imply that the Chera king, who according to the pathirupattu ruled for 55 years may be dated to c. 110 - 165 CE. This computation, which...
More About: Language , Tamil , Myth , Kara

Tamil Brahmi Myth of Antiquity of Tamil.
2007-04-29 07:27:00
Myth of Tamil Brahmi and script.There is Ashokan Brahmi standardised by Ashoka found all over India. And there is tamil Brahmi. Let us see the genesis of Tamil Brahmi.Tamil Brahmi GenesisThe early Brahmi inscriptions posed a greater challenge on account of their archaic characters and orthographic conventions, which were different from the original Brahmi used for Prakrit. The challenge seemed insuperable even to the most competent among the pioneering epigraphists. The major breakthrough in the decipherment of the cave inscriptions of Tamil Nadu came with K.V. Subrahmanya Aiyer (1924). He was the first to recognise that these are inscribed in Brahmi, but with certain peculiarities and new forms of letters, due to its adaptation for the Tamil language which has sounds (phonetic values) not known to the Prakrit (Indo-Aryan) language and northern Brahmi script. Yet, this lead was not seriously followed and was soon forgotten. Even Subrahmanya Aiyer did not pursue his line of enquiry t...
More About: Letters , Myth

Origin of Pallavas
2007-03-13 06:46:00
Origin of PallavasTamil Origin Let us see the theory of Tamil origin. The word Pallava means branch or twig in Sanskrit. The word is rendered as Tondaiyar in Tamil language. The Pallava kings at several places are called Tondamans or Tondaiyarkon. The territory of the Pallavas was known as Tundaka Visaya or Tundaka Rashtra. The word Tondan in Tamil means slave, servant, follower or helper and can either be suggestive of the subordinate position the Pallavas bore to the Satavahanas. On collapse of the Satvahana power, the Pallavas asserted themselves and annexed a large part of Chola territory but the epithet Tondon remained and their territory also came to be called Tondamandlam. The word Pallava (which in Sanskrit means twig or branch) is a translation of Tamil word Tondaiyar and Tondaman and this finds confirmation in some of the copper plate charters which do bring in 'tender twigs' (=pallavams) of some kind in connection with the eponymous name Pallava'. But the scholar...
More About: Iran , Origin , Lava , Alla

Origin of Satavahana Andhra Myth
2007-02-14 07:32:00
Satavahana Dynasty is also called Andhra ?s. Let us analyze thisWho is Satavahana dynasty?The Satavahanas were the political successors of the Mauryas in the Deccan and their rule lasted for four and a half centuries from about 230 B.C. their empire seems to have extended from the Konkan Coast in the West to the Godavari and Krishna Deltas in the East, while to the South it must have reached as far as Chandravalli. Where is this claim made? If we search the various sources. We can see this claim comes only with reference to Puranas.Those who claim Satavahana as Andhra?s cite the Puranas as the only source. Let us see the various Puranas.1. No where in the Puranas Satavahana?s is mentioned.2. No where we have any references to Satavahana kings.So what does the purana?s tell?Matsya Purana: Sisuka Vishnu Purana: SiprakaVayu Purana: Sindhuka Bhagvatha Purana: Vrsola Bali (i.e. Strong Sudra)Brahmanda Purana: ChismakaAll this is supposedly to refer to King Simuka who ...
More About: Myth , Hana , Origin