Tamil chronometry

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Measurements in ancient Tamil land were of seven kinds. They were number counts, balance weights, fluid volumes, grain volumes, length, time and likeness.

Contents 1 Units of time in Ancient Tamil history: 2 Units of Ancient trade: 3 Balance Weights 4 Grain Volume 5 Fluid Volume 6 Length 7 Likeness(Saartthal) 8 Whole Numbers 9 Fractions 10 Currency 11 References

[edit] Units of time in Ancient Tamil history:

• 1 kuzhi(kuRRuzhi)= 6.66 millisecond-the time taken by the Pleiades stars(aRumin) to glitter once.
• 12(base 8) or 10 kuzhigaL= 1 miy= 66.6666 millisecond-the time taken by the young human eyes to flap once.
• 2 kaNNimaigaL= 1 kainodi= 0.125 second
• 2 kainodi= 1 maatthirai= 0.25 second
• 6(base 8) or 6 miygaL= 1 siRRuzhi(nodi)= 0.40 second-the time taken for a bubble (created by blowing air through a bamboo tube into a vessel 1 saaN high, full of water) to travel a distance of one saaN .
• 2 maatthiraigaL= 1 kuru= 0.50 second
• 2(base 8) or 2 nodigaL= 1 vinaadi= 0.80 second-the time for the adult human heart to beat once
• 2 1/2 nodigaL= 2 kuru= 1 uyir= 1 second
• 5 nodigaL= 2 uyir= 1 saNigam= 1/2 aNu= 2 seconds
• 12(base 8) or 10 nodigaL= 1 aNu= 4 seconds
• 6(base 8) or 6 aNukkaL= 12 saNigam= 1 thuLi= 1 naazhigai-vinaadi= 24 seconds
• 12(base 8) or 10 thuLigaL= 1 kaNam= 4 minutes
• 6(base 8) or 6 kaNangaL= 1 naazhigai= 24 minutes
• 12(base 8) or 10 naazhigaigaL= 4 saamam= 1 siRupozhuthu= 240 minutes= 4 hours
• 6(base 8) or 6 siRu-pozhuthugaL= 1 naaL(1 day)= 24 hours
• 7 naaTkaL= 1 kizhamai(1 week)
• 15 naaTkaL= 1 azhuvam(1 fortnight )
• 29.5 naaTkaL= 1 thingaL(1 lunar month)
• 2 thingaL= 1 perum-pozhuthu(1 season)
• 6 perum-pozhuthugaL= 1 AaNdu(1 year)
• 60 aaNdugaL= 1 vattam(1 cycle)
• 3600(=10*6*10*6) AaNdugaL= 1 Oozhi(1 epoch)

[edit] Units of Ancient trade:

[edit] Balance Weights

Gold weights:

• 4 nel edai= 1 kunRimaNi
• 2 kunRimaNi= 1 manjaadi
• 1 manjaadi= 1 paNavedai
• 5 paNavedai= 1 kazhanju
• 8 paNavedai= 1 varaaganedai
• 20 paNavedai= 4 kazhanju = 1 kaqhsu
• 80 paNavedai= 16 kazhanju= 4 kaqhsu= 1 palam.

Goods weights:

• 32 kunRimaNi= 1 varaaganedai
• 10 varaaganedai= 1 palam
• 40 palam= 1 veesai
• 1000 palam =1 kaa
• 6 veesai= 1 thulaam
• 8 veesai= 1 maNangu
• 20 maNangu= 1 paaram.

[edit] Grain Volume

• 1 kuNam= smallest unit of volume
• 9 kuNam= 1 mummi
• 11 mummi= 1 aNu
• 7 aNu=1 immi
• 7 immi= 1 uminel
• 1 sittigai= 7 uminel
• 360 nel= 1 sevidu
• 5 sevidu= 1 aazhaakku
• 2 aazhaakku= 1 uzhakku
• 2 uzhakku= 1 uri
• 2 uri= 1 padi
• 8 padi= 1 marakkaal(kuRuNi)
• 2 marakkaal(kuRuNi)= 1 padhakku
• 2 padhakku= 1 thooNi
• 5 marakkaal= 1 paRai
• 80 paRai= 1 karisai
• 96 padi= 1 kalam
• 120 padi= 1 pothi(mootai)

A padi, = 1800 avarai pods = 12,800 miLagu seeds = 14,400 nel grains = 14,800 payaRu grains = 38,000 arisi grains = 115,200 sesame seeds

[edit] Fluid Volume

• 5 sevidu= 1 aazhaakku
• 2 aazhaakku= 1 uzhakku
• 2 uzhakku= 1 uri
• 2 uri= 1 padi
• 8 padi= 1 marakkaal
• 2 marakkaal(kuRuNi)= 1 padhakku
• 2 padhakku= 1 thooNi

[edit] Length

• 10 koaN= 1 nuNNaNu
• 10 nuNNaNU= 1 aNu
• 8 aNu= 1 kathirtthugaL
• 8 kathirtthugaL= 1 thusumbu
• 8 thusumbu= 1 mayirnuni
• 8 mayirnuni= 1 nuNmaNal
• 8 nuNmaNal= 1 siRu-kadugu
• 8 siRu-kadugu= 1 eL
• 8 eL= 1 nel
• 8 nel= 1 viral
• 12 viral= 1 saaN= 100 immi= 23.3333 centimetre
• 2 saaN= 1 muzham= 46.6666 centimetre
• 2 muzham= 1 kajam
• 4 muzham= 1 paagam
• 6000 paagam= 1 kaadham= 5000 saaN= 1166.66 metres= 1.1167 kilometre

[edit] Likeness(Saartthal)

Likeness has attributes of tone, sound, colour and shape for comparison of a given substance with a known standard.

[edit] Whole Numbers

• 1= onRu
• 10= patthu
• 100= nooRu
• 1000= aayiram
• 10,000= pathinaayiram
• 100,000= nooRaayiram
• 1000,000= meiyiram
• 10^9= thoLLunn
• 10^12= eegiyam
• 10^15= neLai
• 10^18= iLanji
• 10^20= veLLam
• 10^21= aambal

[edit] Fractions

• 1= onRu
• 3/4= mukkaal
• 1/2= arai
• 1/4= kaal
• 1/5= naalumaa
• 3/16= moonRu veesam
• 3/20= moonRumaa
• 1/8= araikkaal
• 1/10= irumaa
• 1/16= maakaaNi (veesam)
• 1/20= orumaa
• 3/64= mukkaal veesam
• 3/80= mukkaaN
• 1/32= araiveesam
• 1/40 araimaa
• 1/64= kaal veesam
• 1/80= kaaNi
• 3/320= araikkaaNi munthiri
• 1/160= araikkaaNi
• 1/320= munthiri
• 1/102400= keezh munthiri
• 1/2150400= immi
• 1/2,3654400= mummi
• 1/16,5580800= aNu
• 1/149,0227200= kuNam
• 1/745,1136000= pantham
• 1/4470,6816000= paagam
• 1/31294,7712000= vintham
• 1/532011,1104000= naagavintham
• 1/7448155,5456000= sinthai
• 1/14,8963110,9120000= kathirmunai
• 1/595,8524436,4800000= kuralvaLaippidi
• 1/35751,1466188,8000000= veLLam
• 1/3575114,6618880,0000000= nuNNmaNl
• 1/2,3238245,3022720,0000000= thaertthugaL

[edit] Currency

• 1 pal(wooden discs/sea shellots)= (approximately) 0.9 grain
• 8 (or 10 base 8) paRkaL =1 senkaaNi (copper/bronze) = 7.2 grains(misinterpretted by Roman accounts as 10 base 10=9 grains)
• 1/4 senkaaNi =1 kaalkaaNi (copper) =1.8 grains(misinterpretted by Roman accounts as 2.25 grains)
• 64 (or 100 base 8) paRkaL = 1 KaaNap-pon a.k.a. Kaasu panam(gold) = 57.6 grains
• 1 Roman dinarium was traded on par with 2 KaaNappon plus 1 SenkaaNi(=124 grains).

[edit] References

• [1] Mu.Varadharasanaar's "Brief history of Tamil and their literature"
• [2] Ancient trade routes -map
• [3] Contacts with West
• Kanthalagam, Tamizh Alavaimuraigal.
• [4] Ancient trade sea routes