Tamil units of measurement

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 The introduction to this article provides insufficient context for those unfamiliar with the subject.
Please help improve the article with a good introductory style.
This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims.
Please improve the article by adding references. See the talk page for details. (September 2007)

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

Contents

[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] Area Measurement

  • 1 Marakkal vaedaipadu (seed required for planting rice) = 8 cents
  • 12.5 Marakkal vaedaipadu = 100 cents (one acre)

[edit] Units of ancient trade

[edit] Balance weights

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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)
  • 21 marakkal = 1 Kottai

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 mahani = 1 aazhakku (arai kal padi)
  • 2 aazhaakku= 1 uzhakku (Kal padi)
  • 2 uzhakku= 1 uri (Arai padi)
  • 2 uri= 1 padi
  • 8 padi= 1 marakkaal
  • 2 marakkaal(kuRuNi)= 1 padhakku
  • 2 padhakku= 1 thooNi
  • 21 Marakkal = 1 Kottai

[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

Old Tamil numerical characters

  • 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).