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If Sugreeva is already a monkey, how can he be told that he made a monkey of himself?
Other clues come from expressions like Arya for the vanaras. Tara addressed Vaali as Arya. {12}
Vaali was praised by Sugreeva as having arya-bhaava {13}. Even Valmiki characterises Tara as
Aryaa the female of Arya. {14}. In Ramayana, the vanaras were not shown as just monkeys but as
elite human beings. Vaali exhibited the greatest power of a kshatriya as one who defeated Ravana!
Wife swiping done by both Vaali and Sugreeva might perhaps be to do with creating strong off-
springs. It was an accepted practice among kshatriyas and in times of distress when there was a
decline in number of valiant people. Sugreeva, the son of Riksharaja was the aurasa putra
(legitimate son) of Sun, according to Kabhanda {15}. Similarly Hanuman was an aurasa putra of Vayu
Deva and not Kesri. It was not looked down in those days and in those circumstances. Even Pandava
brothers were not aurasa putras of Pandu. Exigencies of the situation allowed them to seek other
ways to produce strong kshatriya men. This feature found among vanaras can be treated as a proof
of their kshatriya roots and the need to hold on to kshatriya-hood.
Even the vulture brothers, Jatayu and Sampati seemed to be kshatriyas in disguise. They along with
bears like Jambavan and vanaras were seen to meet often and in touch with each other in
Ramayana. Some kind of fraternity existed among them.
The vulture brothers stand a good chance to have become Ganda-Berunda in course of time in the
depictions of the kings of Karnataka and presently adopted as the state emblem of Karnataka. A
strong feature in support of this is that the earliest form of this mythical bird is found in Balligave
the cave of Vaali.
48
Pic courtesy:- http://www.kamat.com/jyotsna/blog/blog.php?BlogID=1149
This name Ganda-Bherunda has a meaning in Tamil too. Ganda(n) means a valiant person. In
Kannada it means the same as mighty. The Chola warriors came with a title Kanda (there is no ka-
ga difference in Tamil). Bherunda sounds like PeraNda(m) which refers to huge world. By this, the
name Ganda-Bherunda in Tamil refers to the vulture brothers who were valiant and were capable of
going round the world. Of them sampati lost his wings and could not move around, but he kept
himself informed of all the happenings in the world. He was the one who told the vanaras the
location of Sita. The might of the other vulture namely Jatayu is well known to all as one fought with
Ravana.
These two brothers of the same stock of the vanaras and bears must have chosen to be disguised in
the form of vultures perhaps due to their swiftness, keen eye sight and short neck! Kantha ()
means neck. Kantha could have corrupted into Ganda. Greeva in Sugreeva also refers to neck.
Dadhimukha refers to Sugreeva as a thick necked one (vipula greevah) {16}. For one having a wide
and think neck, taking up the guise of a bird is not a good idea (Sugreeva). But a short and slender
necked one can take up that guise as he can stretch his head and watch the ground from a tree
branch (Jatayu- Sampati / Ganda Bherunda).
The underlying feature in all these is that these people had gone into hiding for fear of Parashurama.
The appearance as Vanara was a convenient form of disguise. Ramavatara overlaps with the time of
Parashurama. Therefore the vanaras and bears had not discarded their disguise at the time of Rama.
49
But after Ramavatara, there is no trace of vanaras. They had come back to normal life after the
coronation of Rama. The Bappura lineage of Dadiga having lived till 1000 years ago with the memory
of their beginnings is a proof of kshatriya roots of vanaras and the havoc caused in their life by
Parashurama.
The strange but probable connection between these vanaras and Mundari speaking people can be
established in the following ways:
{1} The appearance of Oraons: From the records of the 19
th
century, Oraons were described as a
small race, averaging 4 feet and 5 inches. They had projecting jaws and teeth, thick lips, low
narrow foreheads and broad flat noses {17}. In the absence of cross-breeding with others down the
ages, the ancestors at the time of Parashurama or Rama could have looked the same as described
above. With an artificially appended tail, they could have been accepted as vanaras.
{2} Migration of Oraons: The legends of Oraons indicate movement from South India to Chota
Nagpur. The Oraons claim their descent from the Vanaras of the Ramayana period...The Oraon
legends suggest that the Oraons took part in the Ram-Ravan yuddha. Later the Oraons appear to
have proceeded upto Narbada till they reached the Sone valley. {18}
{3} Oraons as Kurukhs: The Oraons are also called as Kurukhs. Kurukku is a Tamil word for short.
Perhaps they were called as Kurukh due to this reason. Kurugu is also a Tamil word that refers to
eagle or vulture. Eagle is the totem of the one of the septs of Oraons. The vulture brothers (Jatayu
and Sampati) being a part of the same vanara clan can be related here.
{4} Kabiraj, the medicine man: The physician in the Munda clan is called as Kabiraj. Kabiraj goes to
the forests and collects herbs and roots to prepare the medicine. Kabi resemble Kapi, the vanara.
As dwellers of forests and contemporaries of Hanuman who lifted the mountain to gather Sanjivani
herb, the vanaras could have possessed good knowledge of medicinal herbs. The continuing
knowledge among those vanaras or oraons could have given rise to a class of physicians who came
to be called as Kapi-raj which in course of time corrupted into Kabi-raj.
{5} Phonetic similarity between Kisku and KisukAd: A clan of Santals is called as Kisku. It sounds
similar to Kishku or Kishkindha. {The Santals have 12 gotras namely Kisku, Hambrom, Murmu, Tudu,
Baske, Sorain, Besra, Pauria, Chore, Hansda, Bedia and Marandi}. Were they from Kishkindha which
came to be called as KisukAd in later days?
50
There is yet another derivation of Oraon from Uran having a connection to Parashurama. We will
discuss it in the next part.
Related article:- Hanuman and Sita conversed in Madhura language (Spoken language of ancient
India part 3)
References:
{1} The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India, Vol 3 by R. V. Russell
{2} Epigraphia Indica, XV., p 106. Quoted from Ancient Karnataka Vol 1- History of Tuluva. P 17 &
18.
{3} http://shimogainfo.net/index.php/shimoga-history/11-history.html
{4} http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balligavi.
{5} Valmiki Ramayana 4-62
{6} Mahabharata 12-51
{7} Valmiki Ramayana 5-62-33
{8} Valmiki Ramayana 3-72- 18&19
{9} Valmiki Ramayana 5-31-13
{10} Valmiki Ramayana 4-3
{11} Valmiki Ramayana 4-2-17
{12} Valmiki Ramayana 4-20-13.
{13} Valmiki Ramayana 4-24-12
{14} Valmiki Ramayana 4-24-29
{15} Valmiki Ramayana 3-72-21
{16} Valmiki Ramayana 5-62-31
{17} The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India - Volume IV of IV, by R.V. Russell.
{18} The tribal culture of India by Lalita Prasad Vidyarthi and Binay Kumar Rai, p32
(End of Part 6)
51
PART-7
FROM UR TO MUNDA.
According to anthologists the Konkan coast was the former home of the Oraon tribes of the Mundari
speaking groups. The Konkan coast is a raised or reclaimed region. Such region is known as Urvi or
Ur. The people of Ur are known as Uran or Uravan in ancient Tamil. The name Oraon sounds like
these words which refer to the people living in ur.
Ur and Oraon
Researchers believe that Ur, a place in Mesopotamia was originally the first place of organised city-
dwelling. But a few leafs from Tamil Sangam texts and Mahabharata tell a different story. During the
Tamil Sangam age culture, the land forms were classified into five, of which one category is about
fertile regions irrigated by water, called as Marutham. The place of dwelling in Marutham was
known as Ur and there were many Urs named after some special feature. The people of Ur are
known as Uran or Uravan or Ooravan or Ooran.
Coming to the Mahabharata source, the derivation of Ur is found in the episode of Parashurama. The
term Ur is derived from Uru, the Sanskrit word for thigh. Mahabharata says that when
Parashurama caused a massive devastation to the warrior class, there happened a sinking of the
earth. This is conveyed as though the earth has sunk due to the misdeeds of the people as there
were no kings to bring out orderliness. Seeing the Goddess Earth sinking, sage Kashyapa lifted her up
in his thigh, i.e., uru. It is because of this the Earth came to be known as Urvi. {1}
This shows that anywhere, if the earth is lifted up from sinking, it is a manifestation of Urvi and the
place comes to be called as Ur. It becomes fit for living, because in that episode Goddess Earth asks
Kashyapa to bring back the descendants of the kshatriyas who were living incognito for fear of
Parashurama. Therefore Ur is a place lifted from sinking and it becomes habitable thereafter. It must
be recalled here that Parashurama was linked with reclaiming or restoring the sunken or sinking
parts of the west coast on peninsular India. He did that after his war on kshatriyas. The episode of
Goddess Earths talk with sage Kashyapa conveys that the western coastal region was sinking soon
after the war on kshatriyas by Parashurama. However it was reclaimed by him later.
Even in the Tamil culture explained above, Ur is connected with some waterway nearby. In a
surprising connection, the people living in the artificially created floating islands of Lake Titicaca in
South America are known as Uru people! This name Uru with its relevance in a faraway place like
52
South America is an example of the prevalence of same ideas related to same words prevailing over
a vast part of the globe with its genesis in Vedic culture.
The period of this episode on Urvi, that is, the earth getting lifted up from sinking does match with
the reclamation of the western coastal lands by Parashurama. It is in those regions, fresh
settlements were made. Similar kind of lifting from water had happened in Ur of Mesopotamia (in
present-day Iraq). Ur was originally a coastal city on the mouth of Euphrates in the Persian Gulf but
due to shift in coastline it is inland today. The Persian Gulf was a high land before Holocene and it
started getting flooded in course of time. Any difference in the water level in Arabian Sea had an
effect on the level of Persian Gulf too. If during Parashuramas times, west coast of India had risen
up (due to a fall in the Arabian Sea level), similar trends could have been experienced in the coasts of
Persian Gulf. Therefore the Ur had come up there.
In the following figure the white patches along the coast were above the sea level during Holocene.
The arrow mark shows the Persian Gulf which was dry and landed.
53
The following figure shows west coast of Indian and Persian Gulf. A rise in the water level of Arabian
Sea could inundate the west coast of India (in white patch) and push up the water level in Persian
Gulf.
Location of Ur near the mouth of Euphrates is shown below. Today it is inland, but the coast was
closer to it in the past when the water level was high. By its name, it is known that it was a raised
land from near water.
54
This place Ur of Iraq was spelled as Urim in Sumerian language that resembles Urvi, the name that
Earth came to get for being lifted on the Uru of Kashyapa. (symbolism for earth- rising). In the
Sumerian legend, Goddess Nanna is said to be the Goddess of Ur. In a surprising similarity, the raised
(or extended) west coast of India was ruled by king Nannan and his descendants (before the
Kadamaba dynasty), according to Tamil Sangam texts. Sumerian Nanna has no etymological
explanation. Tamil Nannan means good person.
Similarly only in the context of Lake Urmia, the name Parasuwash is menioned. Lake Urmia is in the
border between Iran and Turkey. The 9
th
century BCE Assyrian records mention about Parasuwash
in the context of Lake Urmia. Does it show that Parashuramas followers went on to occupy the
raised regions of Lake Urmia? In a surprising similarity, Urmia in Syriac language means City of
water! This is further proof of connection between Ur and water which is explained only in Indian
texts (Mahabharata).
The following figure shows Lake Urmia and Ur in red circles.
55
In Tamil Sangam parlance the Ur is situated where good irrigation facilities exist. The Ur will be criss-
crossed with rivers or dotted with ponds and lakes. The dweller of Ur is Uran or Uravan. The Oraon
tribes, who claim themselves as the descendants of Vanaras of Ramayana period, could have
occupied the lifted-up regions of the west coast. Their name Oraon could have been the corrupted
forms of Uravan or Uran, the dweller of Ur.
It must be noted here that the word Munda refers to a raised platform in the coastal areas of Tulu
speaking regions of the west coast of peninsular India that was supposed to have been reclaimed by
Parashurama. This Munda was used by fisher folks to spread their catch. Even the mangoes grown
in this coastal area are called as Mundappa. This raises a question whether Munda is the local
term for Ur which is derived from Sanskrit Uru. Like Ur, Munda is a raised area, safe from inundation
and therefore fit for living.
After all the killing expeditions, Parashurama settled down in a place in this region called
Shurparaka. The name Shurparaka is derived from the Sanskrit word Shurpa which means
winnowing basket. A winnowing basket is of the shape of a gently raised structure. Its function is to
remove the finer elements from coarser sediment. The hard- based coastal land that is left high after
the finer and loose particles were washed off by the sea waves perhaps left an appearance of a
winnowing basket. Parashurama settled in such a land in the west coast. Today this place is known
as Sopora situated in Maharashtra.
Names of places with Munda are very common in this coastal part of Karnataka. It is more surprising
that this name Munda appears in the names of villages throughout India. There are nearly 801
villages having Munda in their names according to 2011 Census. They are spread throughout India
including Jammu- Kashmir and Andaman & Nicobar. This sheds light on a different feature of what
actually a Munda is. An analysis of that is continued in the next part of this series.
Given below is the list of some names of villages with Munda prefix {2}
Andaman & Nicobar Islands: Munda Pahar
Andhra Pradesh: Mundrai, Mundladinna, Mundla Pahar, Mundala, Mundur, Mundlapadu,
Mundlamuru, Mundla palle, Mundlavaripalle, Mundlapudi, Munda basti,
Bihar: Mundamla, Mundiari, Mundipur, Mundaramchhapra, Mundwa, Mundichak, Mundisarae,
56
Chattisgarh: Mundadih,, Mundagaon, ,Mundadeori,,Mundadadar, MundaTola, Mundeli, Mundera,
Mundara, Mundapal, Mundagarh, Mundenar, Mundaplli, Munderm, Mundwal,
Gujarat: Mundha, Mundamer, Mundhvay, Mundra, Mundi,
Haryana: Mundheta, Mundarka, Munda Majra, Munda khera, Mundhri, Mundh, Mundi Garhi,
Mundlana, Mundhlian, Mundhal Kalan, MundhalKhurd, Mundakhera, Mundakera, Mundra, Mundia
khera, Mundain, Mundra, Mundawa, Mundi, Mundhalia, Mundiakhera,
Himachal Pradesh: Mundah, Mundla, Mundha, Mundhal, Mundwin, Mundkher Genda, Mundkher
Tulsi, Mund kher, Mundru, Mundi khurd, Mundi kalan, Mundar, Mundu, Mundli,
Jammu & Kashmir: Mundli Gaon, Mundak Pal, Mundah, Mund dhar, Mund,
Jharkhand: Mundatanr, Mundradih, Mundhari, Mundro, Munda, Mundli, Mundih, Mundomala,
Mundo, Mundudih, Mundar, Mundatoli, Mundari, Mundiedal, Mundul, Munduam, Mundadeo,
Mundatand, Mundakati,
Karnataka: Mundwad, Mundaganur, Mundargi, Mundki, Mundaganamane, Mundagesara,
Munduvalli, Mundkuru, Mundanahalli, Mundre, Mundagadore, Mundaghatta, Mundagodu,
Mundanahalli, Mundur, Mundaje, Munderga, Mundodi.
Kerala: Munderi, Mundur, Mundathikode, Mundakayam, Mundothuruth,
Madhya Pradesh: Mundla, Mundrawaja, Mundhari, Munda, Mundia,Mundli, Mundedi, Mundla
Parval, Mundiaram, Mundlakhurd, Mundlakalan, Mundri, Mundlasondhya, Mundlibhoj,
Mundlidotru, Mundlasuleman, Mundat, Mundpura, Mundla Maina, Mundladev, Mundlana,
Mundipur, Mundaheda, Mundana, Mundis Kalma, Mundla Husain, Mundlabag, Mundla Nayata,
Madhya Pradesh: Mundla Dordar, Mundal Jotkaran, Mundi, Mundia, Mundia Kheda, Mundiya,
Mundla lodha, Mundra, Mundari, Mundala, Mundrai, Munditola, Mundhol, Mundol, Mundwada,
Mundalwad, Mundalgaon.
57
Maharastra: Mundipar, Mund, Mundhari, Mundikota, Mundala, Mundhal, Mundra, Mundwadi,
Mundagaon, Mundwali, Mundhani, Mundewadi, Mundhe, Mundhar, Mundka, Mundhela, Mundkati,
Mundabele, Mundhwa (near Pune).
Orissa: Mundaghat, Munder, Mundagohira, Mundala, Mundajohire, Mundatopa, Mundasahi,
Mundali, Mundakati, Mundali, Mundalo, Mundida, Mundabeda, Mundakeri, Mundaguda, Mundikia,
Mundagan, Mundikia, Mundati, Mundabadi, Mundakuri, Mundadaka, Mundapada, Mundapadua,
Mundakani, Mundagaon, Mundar, Mundapadar, Mundagad, Mundaguda,
Punjab: Mundi Karal, Mundi, Mundkhera,
Rajastan: Mundital, Mundana, Mundpuri Kalan, Mundraheri, Mundiya, Mundota, Mundwara,
Mundoti, Mundeti, Mundata, Mundol, Mundele, Mundri, Mundli, Mundiya, Munderi, Mundawali,
Mundol, Mundwara, Mundle,
Tamilnadu: Mundiyur, Mundachedu, Mundamalai,
Uttar Pradesh: Mundikheri, Mundet, Mundhol, Mundi,Mundali, Mundre, Mundhera, Mundia,
Mundele, Munder, Mundera, Mund, Mundadeo, Mundala, Munder, Munderwa, Mundbara,
Mundori,
West Bengal: Mundira, Mundamari, Mundakti, Mundukhola.
References:-
{1} Mahabharata, Shanti parva 49.
{2} http://tulu-research.blogspot.in/2014/02/331-munder-mundkur-munda-villages.html
(End of Part 7)
58
PART 8
TODA CONNECTION TO THE WORD MUNDA.
The word Munda is found in the names of many villages throughout India. It is generally believed
that Munda is the name of the community. But the fact is that the so-called Munda people do not
call themselves as Mundas! They have a different name for themselves. Munda is the name by
which they call the chief or head of a village. Even the Oraon people call their chief as Munda. It is
from this title of the chief, the entire community was given the name Munda by others in the past
couple of centuries. The same word Munda is in use in Tulu speaking regions to mean a raised land.
The same word refers to any village and is present throughout India.
The same word means shaven head in Sanskrit. It is strange to find researchers connect this Sanskrit
meaning to the name Munda of this community which they consider as totally indigenous and pre-
dating Aryanism. Does it mean that these people were influenced by the Aryan Brahmins in taking
up the word Munda to refer to their chief? If so, a question arises why this name Munda is not used
to designate the chiefs in Aryan or Sanskrit speaking / knowing regions and why it is used only by
these tribal people. Assuming that Munda is a Sanskrit word used by these people to refer to the
chief of the village, what word is Manki which they use to refer to the chief of group of villages?
For them, the head of a village is called Munda. The chief of Patti is Manki.
The next higher level of Village in the Munda groups is called Patti. A Patti comprises of many
villages and the head of the Patti is called as Manki by the Munda people. *In Tamil, Patti refers to
the place where cattle are housed or raised. Since cattle wealth gave rise to prosperity, Patti became
prosperous and needed to be regulated and governed. Thus from Patti, came terms such as Pat,
Patna, Patnam, Patta, Pattam, Patta-nayaka etc.]
Even this word Manki is present in Aryan literature. There is a man called Manki whose story is
narrated by Bhishma to Yudhishtira in Mahabharata {1}. This story revolves around Mankis efforts
to multiply wealth by buying cattle for use in agricultural operations. Finally Manki renounced all
desires and attained Brahman-hood. Bhishma held him along with Bali, Prahaladha and Namuchi.
Interestingly like Munda, this name Manki is in existence in the coastal region of Uttara Kannada!
These two names of importance in Mundari culture namely, Munda and Manki seeming to have
Sanskrit basis, have a presence in the coastal region of the Peninsular India that was cleared by
Parashurama to pave way for new settlers. These names seem to tell the story of Indian past which
was not necessarily pre-Aryan or non- Aryan, but a culture that was indigenously Aryan and had both
Sanskrit and local language as the two eyes.
59
The exact decipherment of the word Munda can perhaps be traced to Toda people of the Nilgiris!
The Toda people call their village as Mund. {2}. Interestingly the Toda people have a connection
with the west coast of Peninsular India.
Toda connection.
Today the Toda people live in isolation in the higher regions of the Nilgiri hills. However the genetic
studies show that they are closer to Brahmins of Kerala! {3}. Though there is no legend on their
origins, this information takes their previous habitat or origins to the West coastal regions. Edward
Eastwick in his Handbook for India Part 1, published in 1859 had made an observation that Todas
regard the brahmans with contempt. This is quite strange given that there is hardly any contact
with Brahmins and that Todas are supposed to be living in the higher ranges of the hills in isolation.
The hatred might be the result of a past enmity when they were living in the coastal regions that
resulted in displacement of these people to Nilgiris. Based on the genetic studies it can be surmised
that the Todas were once Brahmins living in the west coast but segregated from the main clan due
to some skirmishes. Adding strength to this conjecture is the name that the Todas have for
themselves. According to Eastwick, the Todas called themselves as Toruvar - a term that is
phonetically similar to Tuluva or Tuluvar! Infact Tulu Nadu was called as Toualava Rajya in olden
days.
Yet another link comes from the buffaloes they keep. The genetic studies on the buffalo breeds of
South India had shown that Toda buffalos and South Kanarese buffalos are of the same origin. Few
mutations in two of the haplotypes of South Kanara buffalo were found to have contributed to
ancestral haplotypes of Toda buffalo suggesting the possible migration of buffaloes from Kanarese
region towards Nilgiris along the Western Ghats. Considering the close social, economic and cultural
association of Todas with their buffaloes, the present study supports the theory of migration of Toda
tribe from Kanarese/Mysore region along with their buffaloes {4} This affinity of the Todas with
Kanarese / west coast cannot be ignored in the study of Munda.
Mund, the village.
The Todas call their hamlets as Mund a name that must have stuck with them from times of
yore. The village is called as Munder in Tulu language. In Kannada the village is called as
60
Mundukur or Mundkur It is reasonable to assume that from Mund, the village, the name of the
chief or headman of the village came to be called as Munda!
The Toda mund (village), from, Richard Barron, 1837,
"View in India, chiefly among the Nilgiri Hills'.
Oil on canvas.
Pic courtesy:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kandelmund_toda_1837.jpg
Even the name of the Toda habitat, Nilgiri (Neela giri) is found in the legend of Mundari speaking
Savaras. A Savara king was making secret visits to Neela giri for worship. Neela giri was the old name
for Puri! Are they mere coincidences or indicative of a common origin of these people who had split
and migrated to different places?
The etymology of the word Munda referring to village is not in Sanskrit, but in Tamil!
Mund that refers to land either as village or as a raised one has the basic component MaN ( )
meaning mud. MaN is the Tamil word for mud. It also refers to land or world. There are many words
in Tamil derived from MaN. The Mandar is the soldier. The Mandala maakkaL is the king of the
land. As a ruler of MaN the land or the world, the king is called as maNdaleekan or
61
maNdalakan. While maNdala maakkaL refers to kings, a slight difference in the spelling as
maNdila maakkaL refers to the authorities who rule segments of the land or kingdom. The word
(for the ruler of a land or segment) seems to have changed as Mandila >Manda > Munda. It must be
remembered that Munda people call their chief of the village as Munda.
Manki
There are many Manki- Pattis in Mundari speaking regions. There is a place called Manki in Honnavar
Taluk in coastal Karnataka. Honnavar transliterates as Ponnavar in Tamil. Ponnavar means
cultivating gold. The rich produce of a land made the land be called as Ponnavar or Honnavar. This
shows that Manki stands for prosperity and growth. This very idea exists in the Mundari use of
Manki. The group of 17 villages comprising a Patti, administered by a Manki is treated as common
property shared by individuals whose main occupation is agriculture. An annual tax is collected by
Manki (Chief) to pay for security of the Patti. Such pattis are known as Manki-pattis by these people.
There is an interesting mutation in the use of Munda and Manki. Munda refers to a village in coastal
/ Tulu speaking regions. But the tribes of Chota Nagpur call the chief of the village as Munda!
Similarly Manki is the name of a place in coastal Karnataka, but these tribes call the chief of a group
of villages as Manki. The generic name of a place came to be used to denote the chief of that place
by the secluded Mundari people. This connection with coastal Karnataka may even mean that these
words have been carried by the Kurukhs or Oraons from their previous habitat to Mundari habitat in
Chota Nagpur.
The word Manki sounds like Tamil mandhi which means monkey! This region being close to
Vanaras regions raises the possibility of this name being related to that. Infact the name Hanuman
could have come from mandhi as anu-mandhi the anu related to the episode of him getting his
cheeks squeezed like a monkey. The one, who already took up a name as mandhi (monkey), came to
look like a monkey when his cheeks were deformed and therefore he is Anumandhi and Anuman or
Hanuman. {The English words Mud and Monkey do not have proper etymology in English or any
other European language. It is plausible that they have their roots in Tamil}. (more*)
Another interpretation for Manki is that it closely resembles the Tamil word Maggi or Maggu
which refers to the top soil or humus of the soil. This top layer is formed by the decomposition of the
plant material. It makes the soil fertile and helps in water retention too. It is matter of interest to
know how the coastal regions of the Konkan and Malabar regions were reclaimed and retained. A
forest cover in this region in the past could help in forming humus cover which could have helped in
strengthening the soil and making it fertile also. The Tulu coastal regions are known to be under
62
cultivation. This is not possible if it is just a reclaimed land form sea. The previous forest covers had
enriched the soil by forming humus cover.
The currently available scientific tool to decipher the time period of the formation of the extension
in the west coast is taken from Graham Hancocks maps based on sea-level changes computed by
Glen Milne. The current sea-level was obtained about 7000 years before present. That means the
present stretch of land on the west coast between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea did not
change in the last 7000 years. Any reclamation of land, that happened naturally or by Parashuramas
efforts could have happened before 7000 years ago.
The maps of Graham Hancock show that the coast was broader than it is now about 12,000 years
ago. The West coast of India was an extended one having Gujarat fused with main land and not as a
peninsula.
This stretch received good rainfall and therefore was dotted with rain forests. Vegetation had
thrived in the coast at that time. This was about 10,000 years ago.
63
As sea level rose, most of this extended land, west of Western Ghats went under sea water. During
Parashuramas times, the sea level had gone lower thereby exposing parts of the sunken coast. It is
on these regions that new settlements were made by Parashurama according to legend. The
reclaimed and regained lands must be having the earlier forest cover sunk in the ground as humus.
This is a probable explanation for why the Manki meaning maggu or humus is present on the
coast. The sea level attained the current level by 7000 years BP. From this it is deduced that
Parashuramas time was before this final level of sea surface.
Tulu from Tamil.
64
This region in the west coast houses Tulu Nadu and Kanara regions. These two words also have their
roots in Tamil. Thulu is the basal word for ThuLumbuthal () in Tamil word which
means rising up hopping up or brimming (mEl ezhumbuthal, thuLLUthal, thathumbuthal). This
word fits with a region that sprang up from the sea which is what Tulu and other regions of the west
coast are.
This part of the west coast is known as Kanara or Canara. Kanna or Kannam in the name Kanara is a
Tamil word that refers to an extension. The projections in the balcony of houses were called as
Kanna saalai based on the word Kanna to mean projection or extension. {5}. The reclaimed land or
the land that rose up due to sea-level change in the west coast were probably called as Kanna that
later changed into Kanara or Kannara or Kannada. The name Karunada (Karnata) was different from
Kannara as per Tamil text of Silappadhikaram. All these places are merged today.
Pur or Pura in Munda language.
The Manki heads Pura or pur the name that is used to designate a city or a town. In the Mundari
culture, the variations of the word pur or pura is seen to signify the larger group of hamlets. The
area headed by Manki is called as Paraha by Mundas; Pargana by Santals; pir or Pirhi by
Ho people. The underlying word is para as a corruption of pura. This word is a Sanskrit word and
certainly no Aryan or any outsider had influenced them. The Mundas were part of the early culture
of Sanskrit based vedic tradition.
To substantiate this further let us see other proofs in the next part.
References:-
{1} Mahabharata 12-176
{2} http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toda_people
{3} http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/955642
{4} http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21749476
{5} Tamil lexicon edited by N.C. kanthaiya pillai, page 144
65
(more*)
The Tamil word Mandila > Manda > Munda meaning 'world' is also found in Latin 'Mundus' with the
same meaning and forming the basis for many other words in European languages such as
'mundane' in English, 'Mundo' in Portuguese, 'Mundo' in Spanish, 'Monde' in French, 'Mund' in
Romansh and 'Monden' in Norwegian.
Some of the olden names of important places of pre-Christian Europe have Tamil names. For
instance, "Petra" - the place known for caravan trade in Jordan has the same word in Tamil to ,mean
'cattle'. The word 'wadi' in 'Wadi- Musa' (Valley of Moses) is a common word in Tamilnadu and
Karnataka to refer to cattle growing areas endowed with good water supply. There are many 'wadis'
even today in these states of Peninsular India. Its Sanskrit counterpart is 'Vapi'. My article on this can
be read here:- http://jayasreesaranathan.blogspot.in/2014/04/tamil-words-and-vedic-culture-in-
petra.html
To quote another Tamil word in Europe, the Slavic God 'Perun' having semblance of Indra, the lord of
thunder, is a Tamil word to indicate the leading or foremost person in any given context. Indra as the
chief of devas, he is 'Perun-Deva' in Tamil. To cite an example of usage of this word in Tamil,
'PerunDevi' is the common term in Tamil to denote the chief queen among others in Tamil kingdom.
"Perun" always denotes something great or someone in the lead.
In a surprising connection with this series on Parashurama's impact, Slavic God Perun always carried
an 'axe' to kill evil people. His axe was of much popularity in ancient times, such that the 'axe of
Perun' was used as an amulet to ward off evil spirits. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axe_of_Perun).
The axe-culture of Europe must be probed to ascertain its probable roots with Parashurama's
influence.
On a larger context, the presence of Tamil - Sanskrit words in European languages indicates the
possibility of Proto-Tamil- Sanskrit (PTS) instead of PIE. PTS coming from South Asia concurs with
genetic studies on human migration from South Asia to Europe.
(End of part 8)
66
PART 9
MARUTTAS AS PROGENITORS OF MUNDAS AND ASURS.
Munda in Sanskrit:-
The Sanskrit meaning of Munda is Shaven head. But the Munda people are not seen with shaven
head. From the records of the British period, it is known that they used do grow pigtails and even tie
up the long hair into a knot {1} They however have a custom of hair removal ceremony for the new-
born baby. This is done on the 9
th
day of birth, called as Narota ceremony when the baby is named. A
barber is called in and the razor is blessed by the elders by touching it. The use of razor shows that it
was not just hair cutting ceremony but hair removal ceremony.
This is perhaps done as continuing tradition from the time of the first ancestors who lost their men
while fleeing from the enemy. The children who were born after the death of their fleeing fathers
could have been administered the death related ceremony of hair removal once the birth pollution
period was over. This practice without remembrance of the cause for it is continuing till today.
Other than this, shaven head is something that Mundas are not known for.
At Narota ceremony.
67
However there is an exception to this found in a particular clan or sept of Mundas called Mudia or
Mudrundia. They say that this name means shaven head! {2}. The surprising element in this
name is that Mudi in Mudia is the Tamil word for hair!
The only people of the Mundari speaking tribes having shaven head are the women of Bonda tribes.
They are also known as Remo!
Remo from Ramayana times
The Remo or Bonda women used to shave their heads regularly. The reason for this habit is
attributed to an incident that happened in Ramayana times! Some women of these tribes happened
to see Sita taking bath in a pond and were cursed by her for having seen her bathing. The curse was
that they must have their heads shaven and be naked. Later she rescinded the curse by allowing
them wear a waist cloth. It is easy to dismiss this as a cooked up story, but why should a people who
were supposed to have been living in seclusion in remote places for ages have their women tonsure
their heads regularly and attribute the reason for it to Ramayana times?
Remo woman
68
Hair-dressing is naturally an integral feature of womanhood in any community. There have been
instances of forced tonsuring as a method of punishment or purification. Voluntary tonsuring as a
method of propitiation or prayer to God continues among women in many communities in India
even today. But to condemn all the women-folks of a particular community for all ages, to not grow
hair on the head looks odd. If the Bonda women have had some episode in the past, they could have
retained the memory of it in some corrupted form. But to connect that episode with Sita of
Ramayana could be a real incident and not a product of an external influence from Hindu
neighbours. As Ramas period overlapped with Parashuramas period, the people who accidentally
got exposed to Sita or anyone from outside would have changed their looks to avoid detection. The
name as Remo for these tribes, resembling Rama adds substance to this story.
Munda in Tamil
Looking for other meanings for Munda, Munda could even be a corrupt form of the Tamil word
mandai. In Tamil Mandai means head. This word fits with their frightened beginnings of danger
to head, as beheading was common mode of killing in wars. Thurstons recording of the castes of
South India contains a name MandapOtho who were found in Ganjam district and were roaming in
the streets of Puri the place where a Savara king made secret visits!! (Puri is connected with
Dakshina Kali too). Thurston records that MandapOthO man used to bury his head in sand as a way
of attracting people to give him alms. Manda in MandapOtho means head (Tamil word), Potho
means bury. The Manda or Munda referring to head seems to be the name associated with a
people of this region in Puri and Ganjam.
Munda also means headless body in Tamil. The MandapOtho people had exhibited headless body
by burying the head in sand. All this goes to show that people with a name connected to Manda
(head) or Munda (shaven or headless) were in existence in this part of the country.
Munda in Puranas.
The name Munda appears in Vishnu Purana in the list of kings who ruled Magadha. While giving the
names of kings and dynasties who ruled for 1390 years after Mauryas, there comes the mention of
thirteen Mundas and eleven Maunas as those among them. {3}. It is possible to assume these
Mundas to be different from the tribal Mundas as they were mentioned along with Maunas. The
names Munda and Mauna give an ascetic tinge to it. Mundaka Upanishad speaks of Shiro-Vratha in
which the ascetic carries the agni on his shaven head. This makes it plausible that ascetics were
known as Mundas. In the Buddhist lore too, a king by name Munda had existed.
But a similar list of kings found in Vayu Purana skips Mundas but retains Maunas. However
immediately afterwards, it mentions 13 Marundas as those who ruled Magadha. The number of
69
kings is same in both Vishnu Purana and Vayu purana, but the name Marunda appears in Vayu
Purana instead of Mundas. This makes it plausible that Marundas and Mundas refer to the same
clan.
The crucial name in the list of Vishnu Purana is Brihadratha and his dynasty as the early kings of
Magadha. Brihadratha finds mention in Rig Veda also. Jarasandha of Krishnas times was a
descendant of Brihadratha. Mundas or Marundas came long after Mauryas in the list of kings. The
surprising connection with Brihadratha is that a king by name Brihadratha fled for fear of
Parashurama! This king Brihadratha, who was the son of Deviratha and grandson of Dadhivahana
went into hiding in Gridhrakuta. {4}. It is possible that he belonged to the Brihadratha dynasty or it
was from him the Brihadratha dynasty was started. Their area of control was Bihar where the
Munda tribes are living. Mahabharata lists out other kings too who had escaped from Parashurama
and were living in secrecy. At that time, they were engaged in tending the cattle or working as
artisans and goldsmiths or doing odd jobs. After the period of Parashurama, these people returned
to their original places and started new life, mostly as kshatriyas. They were
{1} Haihayas.
{2} Vidurathas son of Purus race (protected by bear like people)
{3} Sarvakarman, son of Saudasa
{4} Gopathy, from Sibis dynasty
{5} Vatsa, son of Pratadana
{6} Brihadratha, son of Diviratha
{7} Maruttas.
The last name mentioned in the list was Maruttas, the descendants of a powerful king, Marutta.
They went to live in the sea shores to keep away from Parashurama. All of them returned to their
original regions after Parashuramas times.
The Brihadrathas had obviously restored their sovereignty in Magadha. There is no news on
Maruttas after that but the name Marundas appearing in Vayu Purana in the place of Mundas in
Magadha raise a question whether they were descendants of Marutta. The cross reference for this
comes from Ptolemys reference to a tribe by name Moroundai in the western border of
Gangaridai. This covers the region of Bihar. Further cross reference is taken from Plinys narration
on Moredes tribes along with Surari or Savaras. {5} But today there is no clan by this name or
resembling this name living along with Savaras in the tribal regions of Bihar or Jharkhand. The only
closest name is Mundas or Marundas (of Vayu purana)! The phonetic resemblance of Marundas with
70
Maruttas who were also at the receiving end of Parashuramas fury makes Mundas the possible
descendants of Maruttas.
Marutta and Asurs
Even the mythical stories on Asur tribes of smelting iron have a parallel with King Marutta. Fire is
the main component needed for iron smelting. The invention of smelting iron must have been
considered as a break-through idea for it opened up the possibilities of making various weapons and
also agricultural implements. In the narrations about King Marutta, it is said that he discovered the
wealth found buried inside the earth. {6}. The wealth seems to be the extraction of iron from iron
ores buried under the earth.
Though it is not told openly in the story of Marutta, there are indications to this effect in the story.
{7} Desiring to get wealth, Marutta approached Brihaspati, the preceptor of Devas to do a sacrifice
to get wealth. Brihaspati refused to officiate the sacrifice citing the reason that he was the priest of
Indra of Devas. Therefore Marutta approached sage Samvarta, brother of Brihaspati and the son of
the sage Angiras. [Angiras was connected with Atharva Veda and also Agni]. Samvarta is known as
Brihat Jyothi and said to be wandering naked. This symbolises agni that can be ignited in Nature. The
name Samvarta also means some kind of destruction or a dense mass. He agreed to officiate the
sacrifice which was refused by Brihaspati. Being opposed to Brihaspati, their sacrifice seems to
indicate something not done by Devas. As if to indicate that this sacrifice had some fierce nature of
agni or fire that is not Daivik but asuric, the story goes on to narrate an interesting episode.
Upon knowing that the sacrifice by Marutta was going to be a grand one to bring out the wealth
buried under the earth, Brihaspati wished that he could have agreed to officiate. Indra decided to
fulfil this wish of Brihaspati and summoned Agni Deva to go and stop the sacrifice by Marutta done
under the supervision of Samvarta.
Agni went and blew up all along the way burning the forests and everything on the way. This shows
that some severe fire raged at that time. But Marutta planned to pacify Agni by offering a seat and
offerings. Agni wanted Samvarta to stop officiating the sacrifice and make Brihaspati to take his seat
instead. This infuriated Samvarta who said that he would burn Agni with his fierce evil eyes. Agni got
scared that he would be destroyed by the fire of Samvarta! This is a strange idea, but if we assume
that the sacrifice to get wealth buried under the earth was in fact cutting out iron ores and smelting
them in furnaces, this predicament of Agni would not sound strange. Agni as used in sacrifices is
Daivik as it does not hurt or scorch others.
71
But the heat of the furnaces does hurt others, besides scorching the surrounding area and this
makes it Asuric. That is how the basic difference exists in Agni as a Deva and Agni as an Asura. It is no
wonder that those who live by this agni (of Samvarta) as though they are doing it as a sacrifice came
to be called as Asur.
In this connection the narration in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad throwing light on what makes a Deva,
or a Manushya (human) or an Asura is worth relating. All the three (Deva, Manushya and Asura)
received an advice from Prajapati as da. The word da has several meanings, but each of them
understood the meaning of da in a way that is applicable to their nature and attitude. Each one was
aware of their area of deficiency and as such understood the meaning of da as the thing needed by
them to overcome their respective deficiencies. In this way, Asura understood the meaning of da
as being merciful because the innate tendency of Asura that makes him Asuric is the tendency to
harm others ruthlessly. {8} Applying this rationale in the above episode, the Asura-agni can harm
others indiscriminately while the Deva-agni does not; it only burns for the sake of carrying oblations
to respective destinations / Gods. (In the Rig Vedas, wherever a Deva entity is signified with an
Asuric connotation, it can be deduced that it refers to the furious or destructive side of the entity).
There exists a connection between Agni and Marutta too. Marut or Marutta means wind or gale.
When Maruts and Agni come together the fire is stoked well. There is a hymn in Rig Veda that calls
Agni to come with Maruts, the wind {9}. In the story of Marutta and Samvarta, Samvarta threatens
Agni that he would burn it! One of the meanings of Samvarta is destruction. Perhaps this warning by
Samvarta is allegorical to the destruction potential of the sacrifice of Marutta (wind) when Agni is
allowed to be present near the furnace.
72
In Maruttas story, Agni got frightened by the prospect of getting burned by Samvarta and went back
to Indra. The infuriated Indra decided to stop Samvarta by bringing thunder bolts and rains to douse
the sacrificial fire of Samvarta. This is also allegorical to a situation where smelting furnaces had to
be closed due to rains. But then again Marutta decided to give a seat and honour Indra and other
Devas in the sacrifice. Once given a seat, Indra became calm and accepted the offerings. He was
joined by other Devas too. Two bulls, one of red colour for agni and another of blue colour for
Viswadevas were sacrificed and the yajna was successfully done. It resulted in Marutta getting huge
wealth that was buried under the earth. No one else could come to possess the kind of wealth that
Marutta possessed. {10}
The place of Marutta
There is a cross-reference to this episode from Uttara khanda of Ramayana. {11} While Ravana was
roaming in his Pushpaka vimana, he happened to come to a place called Usheerabeeja
()where he found Marutta doing a sacrifice with Samvarta as the priest. Ravana called
Marutta for a fight but Samvarta stopped Marutta from taking up arms for the reason that he must
not deviate from the sacrifice that he had started doing. Samvarta said that if Marutta left the
sacrifice midway, Maheswara would burn up his dynasty. This is also allusive of giving up kshatriya-
hood which the Maruttas did when they fled for life from Parashuramas fury. Perhaps they didnt
become warriors after the self exile but diverted their attention to producing iron.
Ravanas period comes closely after Parashurama period and Maruttas are mentioned in
Mahabharata as people who had fled from the fury of Parashurama. This Marutta doing the sacrifice
with Samvarta must have the one who started new life after Parashurama's time. The meeting with
Ravana justifies this time period after Parashurama.
The amazing clue found in this narration is the meaning of the place Usheera Beeja. Usheera is the
fragrant root of the plant Vettiver (Andropogon muricatus ) that grows in river banks and marshy
soil. Bihar or the Mundari tribal regions are not known for growing this plant. But a place bearing
another name of the same plant was there in the west coast of India. It was known as
Sindhukalaka. In the map of the world called Kurma (tortoise) Chakra, Varahamihira gives the
names of places that were located in South West part of India which is actually the region of west
coast of India starting from the estuary of Indus river to peninsular west coast.
73
Kurma chakra division of India.
The region in rectangle is South west.
The line passing from Lanka to North is the axis that passes through Ujjain and Kurukshetra.
(Not accurate, only for illustrative purpose)
South West part of Kurma Chakra showing the probable location of Sindhukalaka on the estuary of
River Indus.
74
He lists out Hemagiri, Sindhukalaka, Raivataka, Surashtra, Baadara, Dravida and Maharnva in this
stretch {12} Of these Sindhukalaka coming before Raivataka and Surashtra places it at the estuary of
Sindhu where the Kalaka plants (vettiver / Usheera) grow well. Both Kalaka and Usheera refer to the
same plant that grows well in marshy coasts and estuaries.
The Maruttas lived incognito near the seashore to escape from Parashurama {13) Therefore Usheera
in UsheeraBija could refer to the coastal region in west. Once having come back to his previous
place, Marutta had retained Usheera as Usheera Bijas. It must be searched whether any place
resembling Usheerabija exists in Bihar Jharkhand region.
Marutta in Assyria:-
It is also probable that a section of Maruttas went from Sindhukalaka to Mesopotamia and Central
Asia where they founded Assyria.
(Sindhukalaka was the place of hiding for Maruttas to escape from Parashurama.
Once the threat was gone, they split with one group
going back to Bihar Jharkhand and another to Assyria)
Some of the names of Old Assyrian kings make a striking resemblance with the characters in Marutta
story and in Tamil. Among the early list of Assyrian kings who lived in tents, the name of the first
king was "Tudiya" . Tudiya is a Tamil word that refers to a clan that was one of the 4 olden clans as
per a verse in a Tamil Sangam text. Tudiya was a drummer by profession. Kadamaba is another one
of this group of four. Kadamba was a dancer who was seen wearing Kadamba flowers. {14} The 5
th
king after Tudiya in the list of Assyrian kings was Mandaru Mandura is the Sanskrit name for rust
of iron!
75
Another king in the link was "Ushpia" who founded the temple of Ashur. Is ushpia related to Usheera
or Sindhukalaka, in the West coast of India?
Another name is Nazi Marutta of Babylon. The Kudurru stones of Nazi Maruttash depict the image of
Scorpio that is referred to as Bica in Assamese to mean Iron-stone ore. {15}
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kudurru_of_Nazi-Maruttash.jpg
Maruttas movement through Mesopotamia reaching Assyria must be probed. Persia as Parsuwash
(in old Persian language) lends further support to the theory of Vedic kings having moved to these
parts of Middle east in the wake of threat from Parashurama.
Asur and Munda.
Research has shown that iron technology has been indigenous to India and iron was an important
source of income in Mauryan times. {16} Asurs must have been the unrecognised and invisible
contributors for the growth of this industry in ancient India. The Asur practices at the start of lighting
the furnace bear some resemblances to Maruttas story. They perform SANSIKUTASI worship which
is in the nature of some magic (as though how Samvarta managed to stop Agni and Indra from
obstructing the sacrifice).Two fowls of red colour (for agni) are sacrificed (In the sacrifice by
Samvarta, 2 bulls were sacrificed of which one was red, meant for Agni).
76
There is dance and merry making on this occasion. A peculiar feature is that musical instruments
which are very much essential for dance or any festive occasion is not played only during this
furnace-lighting ceremony of these tribes {17} . No one can give a proper reason for this. But if we
relate this to Maruttas sacrifice, the danger or obstruction to that sacrifice came from Indra, the
wielder of the thunder bolt. The sound of thunder means the arrival of rains that could douse the
fire of the furnace. Perhaps in memory of this, a practice came to stay not to beat any drums that
could mimic thunderbolt or arrival of rains.
Iron smelting by Asurs or the descendants or subjects of Marutta must have continued from
Maruttas times. The Agaria community of Asurs derive their name from agni. The name Maruttas
must have changed into Marundas in course of time. The Maruttas being warriors, a section of them
could have worked for regaining rulership which is indicated by Vishnu and Vayu Purana. There had
been others cut off from the mainstream. There is scope to believe that Marundas were originally
engaged in iron smelting. One of the words in Sanskrit to denote iron is Munda ( ). The Munda
people say that the word Munda has its origins in the word Murha which they say means root
of the tree. But Muru ( ) is the name of a variety of iron! The rust of iron is known as
Mandura ( ) in Sanskrit. These words of Sanskrit sounding like Munda and related to iron
cannot be dismissed lightly.
In course of time Marundas had moved away from iron smelting. Those who were doing it came to
be called as Asurs perhaps due to the connection with Asura Agni. An Asur story of the Munda
version says how those Asurs greedy of making gold (alchemy?) suffered destruction. That story also
narrates how the land was scorched by the furnaces accompanied with rain of fire. Perhaps seeing
the environmental hazards of iron smelting, the Marundas aka Mundas started turning their
attention to agriculture, but Asurs continued with iron smelting. The concept of sacred groves must
have come up after experiencing the side effects of iron smelting on the environment and the loss of
forests that were cut to supply fire-wood for the furnace.
An Asur tribe preparing the furnace.
77
The hazards of fire as expressed in Mundas myths perhaps made them shun fire in any form. They
even shunned the sacrificial fire in their marriage ceremonies. In Vedic marriages, the couple go
round the fire to take marriage oath. But in the marriage custom of Mundas, the bride goes round
the bride groom for seven times with a pot of water. Water being given an important place in all the
ceremonies and customs of Mundas seem to indicate a conscious decision to move away from fire
related works and adopt water related customs, obviously with an intention to preserve water and
have a cool environment in the neighbourhood of iron smelting Asurs.
Axe as an indicator of Iron age in Parashuramas times.
Parashurama was known by that name for wielding an axe. The Savara tribes of the Mundari
speaking group are known for always carrying an axe the weapon cum implement of Parashurama.
Savaras were contemporaries of Parashurama and they took shelter in the mountains and forests of
Bihar to escape from him. {18} The main purpose of the axe was to cut trees of the forests
apparently for the purpose of clearing the land.{19} A Savara myth says that Mahadeva gave them
the axe to clear the forests and the plough to cultivate the land. In the times of Parashurama, axe
was in wider use for they needed to clear forests to build settlements. The story of Jamadagni itself
is replete with references to how he shifted his residence to new places by clearing forest lands. Axe
being the commonly available implement, had also come in handy in beheading Renuka and killing
kshatriyas!
Axe or Parashu has a presence in the tribal names too. One group of Agarias of Asur clan are known
as Parsa and they are engaged in producing high grade iron even today. There are caste names in
Chhattisgarh as Parsoli from Parsa meaning axe. It is derived from the Sanskrit word Parashu, the
axe. Among the Oriya (Uriya) tribes too, there is a section by name Pharsi with the meaning axe.
{20} Without a fused presence of Sanskrit in the country or community and without the iron
technology being present for thousands of years in the past, these tribal names or use of axe as an
integral identity of people ( as in the case of Savaras) could not have come to stay.
References:
{1} The Tribes and Castes of the Central of India - Volume IV of IV, by R.V. Russell
{2} The Tribes and Castes of the Central of India - Volume III of IV, by R.V. Russell
{3}Vishnu Purana 4-24
{4} Mahabharata 12-49
{5}Tribes in ancient India by Bimala Churn Law.
http://archive.org/stream/TribesInAncientIndia/TribesInAncientIndia_djvu.txt
78
{6} Mahabharata 14-63
{7} Mahabharata 14-Chapters 6 to 10
{8} Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 5-2- 1 to 3
{9} Rig Veda 1-19
{10}Mahabharata 14-89
{11} Ramayana 7-18
{12} Brihad Samhita 14-19
{13} Mahabharata 12-49
{14} Pura nanuru - verse 335. There were 4 clans in existence from olden days in the Tamil society.
They were PaaNan / PANa / BANa (bard), Parayan (who plays the drum called Parai), Tudiyan (who
plays the drum called Tudi) and Kadamban (a dancer who wears Kadamba flowers)
{15} http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2013/11/assur-asur-and-their-meluhha-speech-in.html
{16} http://bharatkalyan97.blogspot.in/2013/06/asur-metallurgists.html
{17}http://newsjharkhand.com/Special.asp?Details=15
{18} Mahabharata 14-29
{19} Rig Veda 9-96-6
{20} The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India --Volume I (of IV), by R.V. Russell
(End of Part 9)
79
PART 10
MUNDAS A FUSED CULTURE OF TAMIL AND SANSKRIT SPEAKING VEDIC SOCIETY.
One of the common views held by many scholars is that Aryans or Hindus influenced the Mundari
people such that these people had started worshiping Aryan Gods. The same explanation is given
to justify the presence of Sanskrit words in their language. However a closer examination of their
festivals and practices give rise to a view that such Aryan practices are running basically in their
culture. Another important observation is that they all have had some connection with peninsular
India and ancient Tamil or proto-Tamil.
The basic problem is in thinking that Mundas are different from Hindus. All the features and ideas of
their culture are seen in rural India even today. They are found in Tamil Sangam texts too that
describe the culture that existed 2000 years ago. Texts like Malai padu kadaam and Maduraik
kaanchi describe the life style of different types people living in forests and hills and we do find
them similar to the life style and beliefs of Mundas. The Mundari speaking people show a close
semblance to the life style in Peninsular India. We will discuss them in this article.
The Vedic or Aryan festivals of Mundas.
The Mundas celebrate Bissho karma puja which is the same as Vishwa Karma Puja Vishwa Karma
being the Creator-architect. It is easy to attribute this to some influence from Hindus. But their
celebration of Asharhe Puja in Ashada month is something that Vedic society was celebrating but
had given up long ago. This is similar to Ashada Puja in the Vedic society in which Goddess
Saraswati was invoked as Vaak Devi to help in determining the level of prosperity of the upcoming
rainy season. The available record of this Puja is found only in Brihad samhita authored by
Varahamihira. {1) This puja was in vogue before the times of Varahamihira. No wonder Mundas
worship Goddess Saraswati too which people think is an influence from Hinduism.
Monsa Puja
Another festival is the Monsa Puja which they celebrate in Shravan month. For Mundas, Monsa
signifies serpents. Their belief in Monsa as a serpent God is so indigenous and so deep rooted that
whenever they see a snake in the dream, they connect it to Monsa Devi. In Vedic culture there is
Goddess Manasa Devi with a hood of a snake upon her head. Manasa Devi appears with a child in
her hand.
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Pic courtesy:-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Manasa_Devi_Linden-Museum_SA38226L.jpg
There is a story behind this appearance of Manasa Devi, narrated in Mahabharata. This story
recognises the child in Manasas hand as Astika who was born to release the ancestors. Hindus
believe that the snake signifies an impediment to getting progeny and worship of snake removes this
impediment. The iconography of Manasa Devi seems to be the precursor to this belief. By
worshiping Manasa Devi who is a personification of snake, one is blessed with a child. The child is
desired primarily to pay off ancestral debts through ancestral worship. This concept is very much
original and oldest concept of the Vedic society. The accessory elements may be missing in Mundari
Monsa Devi. But the snake identity is retained by them. Monsa Devi could not have been an adopted
concept as they have dream interpretations for Monsa. It must have been a former concept that was
retained by them even after they had gone into isolation.
The same idea of Manasa Devi with a child is there in Tamil nadu by the name Isakki amman.
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This Goddess is found in many regions of Tamilnadu where some valorous women in the deed of
protecting a child had been deified as Isakki. There is mention of Isakki as Iyakki in the 1
st
century AD
text of Silappadhikaram, thereby establishing this deity as an olden concept. By the name Iyakki, it
means that she is one who drives the world / souls. She is Iccha shakthi of Creator God. That is
identified as Manasa Devi. Thus a similar meaning with a similar iconography had existed throughout
India. The original idea must have been Monsa Devi worshiped by Mundas. The idea of Monsa with
serpent related to progeny could have been converted into forms of Manasa and Isakki, perhaps
after Parashurama ushered in Devi worship through his Kalpasutra.
Plough festival, Akshay Tritiya and Rohini
The paddy sowing festival of Santals is called Ero. It is done on Akshaya Tritiya in the month of
Chithrai on the day when Sun and Moon exalts simultaneously. Even Toda people have a
celebration on Akshaya Triteeya! This day is an important day in Vedic society. How did the Mundari
people come to possess the knowledge to compute the date of Akshaya Triteeya if they had not had
that knowledge by themselves from the time of their previous habitat?
A surprising connection to this day is that it is the day of Parashuramas birthday! This day must have
been an important day in the coastal region of Konkan and Malabar. Toda people hailing from there
can be expected to have remembered this day but lost out the significance in course of time. The
Santali tradition of remembering this day for ploughing might have come from an early Tamil
practice. The Tamils had a tradition of starting the first ploughing called ponnEru (golden plough)
in the month of Chithrai. It continues even today. The plough is called Er or Eru in Tamil. The
festival Ero sounds like Tamil Eru (yEru) which means plough.
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On the day of Akshaya Tritiya, Moon will be in the asterism of Rohini (Aldebaran). On this day the
agricultural tribes of Jharkhand including the Mundari people start sowing the seeds. The star Rohini
is identified with Creator God Brahma. Anything to do with growth and development is done on this
day. This is a concept of Vedic society. The Mundas and other tribes of Jharkhand sow the seeds on
this day, but without any pomp and festivities. This is something unusual for a society that is known
for songs and dances for every activity. Perhaps this day coinciding with Parashurama Jayanathi
could have nipped out the festivities! However the day was not discarded due to its significance for
growth related activity. The absence of festivity does indicate a conscious decision to do away with it
due to Parashuramas connection to this date. But this reason could have been forgotten over time.
Today this date had been commercially exploited by gold merchants calling people to buy gold.
Originally this date was used as an ideal time for starting the agricultural practices to get a golden
harvest.
From axe-culture to Plough culture.
In this context it is apt to make a comparison between axe culture and plough culture. Axe culture
is identified with Parashurama and Plough culture is identified with Balarama, another avatar of
Vishnu. In Parashuramas times, new settlements were made by clearing the forests. Axe was the
main implement to cut the trees. The Bhargava people of Parashuramas clan fell out with Haihaya
rulers and were forced to move out of Vindhya ranges. They were said to have made new
settlements by clearing the forests.
In his times Parashurama was known to be carrying the axe always. Even the Mundari speaking
people carry the axe all the time. Particularly the Savaras are known to be carrying it always. There
was even an attempt to decipher the name Savara from the Scythian word Sagaris having the
meaning axe. In the words of Cunningham, It seems therefore not unreasonable to infer that the
tribe who were so called took their name from their habit of carrying axes. Now it is one of the
striking peculiarities of the Savars that they are rarely seen without an axe in their hands. The
peculiarity has been frequently noticed by all who have seen them. {2}
The Asur- Marundas also must have carried the axe to procure wood for furnaces. The Sanskrit name
of axe as Parashu exists in Asur clan names as Parsa. However the common word for axe in Mundari
language sounds closer to its Tamil equivalent. In Tamil the axe is called as Kodari. In Mundari
language a small axe is called as Konde. Likewise the plough is called as Hada in Mundari
similar to its Sanskrit equivalent Hala. But the first ploughing is called as Ero similar to the Tamil
word Er for plough.
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Makar festival.
The Makar parba or Makar parva is celebrated by Santals of the Mundari speaking people. The
words Makar and Parva are Sanskrit but the festival is similar to Tamil festival of Pongal celebrated
on Makar Sankaranthi. It is a three day celebration in Santali as well as Tamil tradition. On the first
day that comes before Makar sankaranthi, Santali children and youth burn logs of wood in the
morning in a celebration called Kumbha. On the same day Tamils burn discarded things in the
morning in a celebration called Bhogi.
Maghe festival.
The Maghe festival coming on Full Moon of Margashira is related to Dattatreya Jayanthi. However
this was also the day when Paavai nonbu was started in Tamil lands. But the features of Tamil
Paavai festival is not found in Maghe Parba. Maghe parba resembles only Dattatreya Jayanthi that
was discussed in Part 2. This festival bears the imprints of an earlier memory of the Vedic society.
Phagu festival.
Phagu festival is related to Holi festival. It is celebrated on the full moon of the Phalguni month. The
name Phagu is corrupted from Phalguni. It was a very old festival in the Vedic society as it is about
Holika, the aunt of Prahalad. This has reference to the Narasimha Avatar,that preceded
Parashuramas times.
Tamil culture in Mundas.
The flower festival of Sarhul celebrated by the Munda people resembles such festivals noted in
ancient Tamil lands. Sarhul sounds like Sarakonnai flower of Tamil lands
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Sarakonnai flower
The first flower in spring and first rains in summer were celebrated in Tamil culture. Even today
raining the flower festival (Poo-chorithal) is celebrated in almost all the Amman temples in Tamil
lands in the month of Chithrai. Sarhul of Mundas seems to resemble that.
The Karam festival is related to Kadamba festival of the Konkan region which was discussed in Part 1.
Remnants of Skanda culture in Savaras.
One example of a very olden connect with Peninsular India is seen in the traditional names that
Savaras have for their religious functionaries. They have a village priest, a Shaman, a helper to the
Shaman and one who does funeral rites. Shamanism in India can be traced back to Skanda cult. Even
today one can witness Shaman practices among Skanda devotees on popular festival days for
Skanda. In the Tamil Sangam age it was too widespread and there were people called Velan who
used to do fierce dances to the accompaniment of drum-beats to drive out the evil spirits or to spell
oracles. This tradition is said to come in Kura-magal community of Valli, the local tribal girl whom
Skanda married. Kura- magal means the girl from Kurava community. (There is a Korwa clan among
Mundari speakers!).
The Shaman priest of Savaras bears a similar name Kuranmavan. {3} This is a Tamil word
meaning the guy of the Kurava clan. Kura-magal is a female and Kura-mavan is a male.
The helper to this Shaman priest is Idaimayan. This also sounds like a Tamil word Idai-magan the
one who comes in between or in the middle meaning one whose services are taken in between, or
one who comes in the middle in the hierarchy.
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The one who does funeral rites is known as Siggamavan. Mavan in this word is a Tamil word used
in colloquial form for magan meaning person. Sigga perhaps comes from Sigi in Tamil which
means fire! As one engaged in keeping up the funeral fire, it is perfectly logical that he was called as
Sigi-mavan that corrupted as Sigga mavan meaning the guy working on fire
Savaras
Pic courtesy:-
Project Gutenberg's Castes and Tribes of Southern India, by Edgar Thurston
The Santals call the head of the village as Manjhi.Manjan is the Tamil word that refers to a man.
Similarly the word Pergana is common among Santals and widely prevalent in North east India. It
refers to some groups or septs among them. This context of the word Pergana seems to convey
that it is Perum-gana in Tamil meaning the big group.
Mundas original name is a Tamil word.
The Mundas call themselves as Horoko in which horo refers to man, according to them. In their
speech the letters h and r are interchangeable with k and l respectively. As such horo is also
mentioned as kolo or kol. Mundas say that hor or kol means man. This can be seen in the way
they refer to people as Santali Hor, Mundari hor or Mundari kol etc.
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But there exists a word Kolam in Tamil that refers to appearance or form. In Tamil it is common
to use the word Kolam along with a name to refer to someone in the form of so and so. For
example Andi-k-kolam means in the form of an ascetic. This can be understood as ascetic man in
which kolam comes to refer to man. But that is not the actual meaning of kolam. The word kolam
here only means in the form of. Lord Skanda is famously referred to by the term Andi-k-kolam
meaning Skanda in the form of ascetic.
The same idea seems to exist in the word kol of Mundas. They refer to a Santali as Santali hor(kol).
By the logic of the usage in Tamil, Santali Hor means one in the form of Santal. They say Larka
kol to mean one in the form of war-like person. The say sAdAn Horo to refer to a non-Munda or
a foreigner. The word sAdAn is a corrupt form of sAdArana in Tamil and SAdharan in Sanskrit -
which means ordinary. If we substitute form or appearance for horo or kol, the word sAdAn Horo
refers to ordinary man and not a Munda! The subtlety in the use of hor or kol is understood
from this word.
The word Kolam is used in Tamil when a person is in disguise in that form. The Mundari speaking
people were actually living incognito and hiding their true identity. In such a context it makes perfect
sense to refer to a person to be in the form of a Santal or in the form of a Kurukh or Korwa and so
on by the use of the word kol. So when the Munda identifies himself as Hork-ko (ko in the word
makes it plural. Similar use of ka or ga for plural is there in corrupt form of Tamil. Eg avanga to
refer to they or these people), he is making a reference to his disguised form as so and so. A society
that is living by hiding its identity can be expected to use such terms.
Tamil and Sanskrit in Munda septs and totems
The presence of Tamil is seen in the word they use to refer to the septs. Mundas are divided into
septs called Killi. Killi is a Tamil word. There were Chola kings by names Killi Valavan, Nalam
killi, Pernar killi etc. Killi in their name exists as family name or clan name. But no analysis or
information exists on why these kings came to have killi in their names. But the application of the
word killi as it exists in Mundari language shows that the word Killi is derived from Kilai. Kilai
means branch and also relatives. Therefore a group of people who are related to each other or
those who belong to the same gotra could be called as Kilai. From Kilai, the word killi had come.
Among Mundas, people of the same Killi do not marry within the Killi. This establishes the gotra
identity among the same killi. The Tamil meaning as relatives concurs with this practice.
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I wonder whether any connection exists between Cholan Killis and Mundari Killis! Mundas were
Maruttas originally. The Cholans trace their origin in Sibis dynasty. This is known from many Sangam
texts and also from copper plate inscriptions found at Thiruvalangadu. A commonality exists
between them as both Sibi and Marutta people had gone underground to escape from Parashurama.
Sibis descendants lived near the river Sindhu in North west India and Maruttas lived incognito in
Shindhu kalaka of the same region. It is possible the some of them had gone further west and to
central Asia. But Cholavarman, a descendant of Sibi dynasty came to Pumpukar and founded the
Chola dynasty. {4} This was before Parashuramas times as there is a narration in a Tamil text called
Manimegalai of how the Cholan king of Pumpukar went into hiding when Parashurama was around
on the lookout for kshatriyas.
{Note on Cholas:- Cholavarmans ancestry coming from Sibi in North west India must not be
considered as proof of Tamil speaking people having come from North west of India. The original
Tamil speakers were Pandyans who came from the now submerged regions in the Indian Ocean.
Tamil as a language refined with grammar was developed by Pandyans. However Tamil in corrupt
form called as Kodum Tamil (meaning stunted Tamil which is what Apabrahmsa also means)
existed in other regions of India. It is a different history of how this happened. It will be discussed in
another series).
There is no etymology for Chola in Tamil. But Choda or Chauda or Chaula as variations of this name,
refer to tuft. There is a proverb in Tamil related to Cholas and their tuft. (Cholian Kudumi chumma
aadaathu meaning the the tuft of the Cholia does not shake for no reason) The tuft of a Chola
was tied in the front of the head. The existence of this proverb and people with Cholia titles and
having tuft connected to Cholia make it known that Cholas were originally known for this kind of
tuft. Perhaps the Cholas got their name from the tuft they sported.
The following illustration shows the front-tuft. The picture is that of Periyaazhwar, a Vaishnavite
saint who was the father of AndAL. He is always depicted with the Cholia tuft that is tied in the front
of the head.
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Cholistan in present-day Pakistan might perhaps be the place of Chola origin. The presence of Brahui
language with similarities with Tamil could be related to the emergence of Cholavarma from this
part of the country. It must be noted that the similar front-side tuft is found in people of the olden
days in the stretch starting from Pakistan to Russia. A genetic study on the traditional front-tuft
people of Eurasia and Cholia titled castes of Tamilnadu such as Cholia Brahmins and Cholia Vellalas
needs to be done to look for connections.
The Cholan presence in the region near Indus makes them and Maruttas share language and
traditions. The title Killi for Cholan kings to be same as Killi of Mundas must be viewed in this
perspective too. }
Sanskrit and Tamil in totems of Killi.
Each Killi of Mundas has a totem as an identity. The names of these totems are found to be Sanskrit
or Tamil. For example Kachap killi has Kachap as totem kachap means tortoise in Sanskrit. Likewise
there are totems like Tuti that refers to Tulsi plant. Mundas use tulsi leaves in pujas to sprinkle
water. Soe totem refers to sura in Tamil which refers to a fish. Nag totem refers to serpent. Purthi
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totem means insect. In Tamil Puchi means insect. The term Purthi seems to be a corrupt form of
Tamil word Puchi. Hansda totem refers to swan. Obviously Hansda is a corruption of Hamsa!
The fusion of Sanskrit and Tamil is seen in the totem Kamal. It means lotus in Mundari language
too. The link with Tamil word exists in the Sept name that has Kamal as the totem. The sept name is
Tamar Pergana Tamarai is a Tamil word for lotus! Tamar Pergana is similar to Tamarai Perum
gana. The septs and totems are something indigenous to the Mundari people. They have come
from their basic culture. Many totems were formed in course of time, but their names certainly
show Tamil or Sanskrit words mingled in their language. The co-existence of Tamil and Sanskrit in
these names show how these two languages had co-existed as part and parcel of the society in their
previous origins.
In this context it must be mentioned, that the famous Tamil Sangam age Grammar book called
Tholkappiyam (meaning ancient Kavya) was authored by a descendant of Jamadagnis lineage or
Jamadagni Gotra! Popularly known as Tholkappiyar, his original name was Trunadhoomagni In
the very first verse of this grammar book he expresses his qualification as having mastered the
Sanskrit Vyakarana text called Aindram. It is with the knowledge of this Vyakarana text, he had
written the grammar for Tamil. A JAmadagya possessing fine knowledge of Tamil and even qualified
to write a grammar book in Tamil that became the official grammar book of the Sangam Assembly is
a crucial piece of evidence that Tamil was a widely spoken language and that it co-existed along with
Sanskrit in India, particularly from Vindhyas downward south and among Vedic sages. The probable
time period of this grammar book was 1500 BCE the time when the last and the 3
rd
Sangam was
inaugurated.
The Mundari tribes.
The Mundas had existed as Maruttas and then as Marundas. Those who were engaged in iron
smelting were identified as Asurs. The Santals seem to have come from Coromandal coasts. The
Savaras came from the Vindhya regions. The Kurukhs aka Oraons came from Kishkindha as they
were descendants of vanaras. The Bhuiyas, a Munda tribe, call themselves as Pwan-ka-put or
Children of the Wind, that is of the race of Hanumn, who was the Son of the Wind. {5}
The former regions of these tribes were near Vindhyas and the west coast of South India. The
warrior ancestors of these tribes living in these regions left these regions due to fear of Parashurama
and later settled in the hills and forests of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Bengal and Orissa. Of them the
mention of Savaras by Mahabharata comes as a strong evidence of why they still continue to be as
they are now. The Mahabharata says that they became Kshatriya vrratyas due to the rage of
Parashurama. The Savaras and others who fled had to live on whatever they could lay their hands
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on. They had to subsist on anything that they can catch hold of, say a frog or rat. Mahabharata 18-
135 says,
By accepting food from a eunuch, or from an ungrateful person, or from one who has
misappropriated wealth entrusted to his charge, one is born in the country of the Savaras situated
beyond the precincts of the middle country.
This is to say that one would get degraded food in Savara areas which was beyond the Madhya desa
of Saraswathi basin. Though Savaras existed in seclusion, their existence was known to people in
Mahabharata times.
The fear of Parashurama resonated upto Pumpukaar of the Chola kingdom. The reigning Cholan king
Kanthan handed over the kingdom to his son born to a concubine thinking that Parashurama would
not consider him to be pure kshatritya race. That Parashurama went after only valiant kshatriyas is
known by a similar reference to one Balika of Amshuman dynasty who was always surrounded by
women. This earned him a name NAru kavacha the one who is protected by women. It is for this
reason he was spared by Parashurama, says Srimad Bhagavatham {6}
Inscriptional evidence:-
That the Parashurama episode was a fact of history is known from an inscription of the Cholas.
Parashurama crowned the one born to a Haihaya princess whose father was killed by him while his
wife was pregnant with this child. Parashurama crowned him somewhere in Konkan region near a
hill called Mooshika (in Tamil Ezhil malai). This king was called as Rama kuta Mooshika one
crowned by Rama of Bhargava kula. King Rajendra Chola I captured this crown given by
Parashurama from the sAntima dweepa {7}
Today no place exists by this name. But the Tulu Gramapadhata mentions an island called sAnti as
one among 77 islands that belonged to Gorashtra on the west coast of India. {8} None of these
islands exist today. But a look at the sea level maps of Graham Hancock shows that some islands had
existed in this part of the sea which were once an extension of west coast at the time of Ice age.
The following series of maps would reveal the changes that happened in course of time.
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92
The figure below shows the complete inundation of the island under sea water. The arrow-mark in
yellow points to the sunken island which is seen in light blue.
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This image shows the region of south west in the Kurma Chakra of division of India as it existed
about 2000 years ago. According to Varaha mihira, places called Hemagiri, Sindhukalaka, Raivataka,
Surashtra, Baadara, Dravida and Maharnva were located within the curve as shown in the figure
above. {9}
This region housed some important places of pilgrimage in Mahabharata times.
There is reference in Mahabharata of a pilgrimage by Pandavas that speak about the islands off
Konkan coast near Surparaka where sacrificial platforms for Jamadagni were present. {10}. As per
Mahabharata accounts, the Pandavas went to Surparaka. From there they crossed certain tract on
the coast of the sea and reached the islands dotted with forests. Those places were beheld by rulers
and ascetics in the past. The Pandavas offered their worship, fasted and made donations. Then from
there they came back to Surparaka. From Surparaka they went to Prabhas (Somnath) where the
pilgrimage was formally concluded. {11}
The islands off Konkan coast that Pandavas visited are no longer there. A marine exploration of this
region would reveal many clues to Parashuramas historicity.
West-coast connection to Dravida and Manu
The importance of those islands is something that goes far beyond Parashuramas times. What it
could be?
An important feature of the Parashurama episode is that he relocated Brahmins in the stretch of
west coast that was reclaimed from the sea. In the process, people like Kurukhs /Oraons had to quit
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this place or were forced to leave this place to make room for the new settlers. The so-called Dravida
Brahmins were made to settle in this stretch who later spanned out to Kanchipuram and Andhra. Of
all the places in India, why Parashurama chose this stretch and even made his final abode in
Surparaka in this stretch is a big question. Added to this is the mystery of the sunken islands off
Surparaka that Pandavas visited.
There are many leads to unravel this mystery in British records, Mahabharata and some inscriptions
on Dravida lands in this stretch as far as south Kerala near Aryan-kaavu the place where the
famous Iyappa temple is located. An analysis of these leads give us a revelation that Vaivaswatha
manu also known as Dravidewara Manu was living in this stretch before Holocene when the sea
levels were low due to Ice age in the Northern hemisphere. When the sudden sea floods happened
at the end of Ice age, Manu and his men (who were prepared for the flood) were pushed by the sea
currents in the Arabian seas that gushed from Indian Ocean. The currents carried them northward
and pushed them into river Saraswati and reached them as far as the Himalayan mountains. The
birth of Rig Vedas started after that. But the previous habitat in the west coast of India was lost to
the seas.
The following illustration shows the probable movement of inhabitants - Vaivaswata Manu and his
subjects and sages who lived in the coastal extensions at the beginning of Holocene.
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River saraswati was flowing mightily at that time. The estuary of that river formed the entry point of
Manu pushed by the currents (or pulled by the Mathsya, the mythical Fish) which came to be called
as Dwaraka. Every time this entry was swallowed by the sea, another Dwaraka was built in
remembrance of that early entry that facilitated the growth of new civilisation of Vaivaswatha
Manu.
In course of time, when the domination of Kshatriyas grew to the extent of arrogance, Parashurama
was present in the picture affected by an act of arrogance and atrocity by the Kshatriyas (Haihaya
Kartha veeryarjuna) . He decided to call it a day and destroyed every kshatriya around him. Wanting
to start from the beginning, he reclaimed the lost coast of Dravida Manu and settled the Brahmins
who had come from the time of Manu. The explanation and justification of this require another
series of articles which I will take up in a future date.
(Concluded)
References:-
{1} Brihad samhita chapter 26.
{2} The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India - Volume IV of IV, by R.V. Russell
{3} Tribal culture of India L.P Vidyarthi & Binay Kumar p260
{4}http://www.whatisindia.com/inscriptions/south_indian_inscriptions/volume_3/no_205b_aditya_
ii_karikala.html
{5} The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India, Vol 3 by R. V. Russell
{6} Srimad Bhagavatham - 9.9.40
{7} One dated at 1024 AD found on a rock on top of Thirumalaik kunRu near POLur and another
dated 1031 AD found in the southern side of the sanctum sanctum of Rajarajeswara temple in
Tanjore.
{8} Ancient Karnataka Vol I History of Tuluva.
{9} Brihad samhita 14- 19
{10} Mahabharata 3-88
{11} Mahabharata 3-118