Collection of names of animals as portrayed in Tamil classics

A country of a antheral and pistillate cervid drinking from a pool, depicted successful Ainthinai Aimpathu, is often cited to exemplify the perfect enslaved betwixt lovers. Set successful the arid Palai landscape, the poem describes however the Pinaimaan (female deer) and the Kalaimaan (male deer), exhausted aft wandering successful hunt of water, get astatine a tiny pool. However, determination is lone capable h2o to quench the thirst of one. In an enactment of emotion and self-denial, the antheral pretends to portion truthful that the pistillate whitethorn quench her thirst, portion the pistillate feigns drinking for the involvement of the male. Thus, neither genuinely drinks.

References to plants and flowers

This occurrence is among galore successful Tamil classical poesy that captures the intimate enslaved the past Tamils shared with nature. The literate scenery is not inhabited by animals alone; it is richly adorned with references to plants and flowers. Kurinjipattu, for instance, speaks of 99 flowers, and Tamils wore antithetic flowers for antithetic occasions. Many of these carnal names person gone retired of usage. To retrieve this vocabulary, H. Chithiraputhiran, a erstwhile prof astatine Tamil University, Thanjavur, has compiled a dictionary of animals successful classical literature. Titled Tamil Sevvilakkiyangalil Vilangina Sorkal: Special Dictionary-Index, Concordance, Dictionary (Classical Tamil Literature-Special Dictionary of Animals), the enactment has been published by the Central Institute of Classical Tamil. Animals and flowers are intricately associated with the 5 physiographical divisions (thinai) of the past Tamil country, each reflecting a chiseled ecological and affectional world. 

As R. Chandrasekaran, Director of the Central Institute of Classical Tamil, notes successful his instauration that the elephant, tiger, bear, and lion beryllium to the Kurinji region; the cervid and rabbit to Mullai; the buffalo and otter to Marudham; the shark to Neithal; and the reddish canine oregon dhole to Palai. These associations uncover the ecological consciousness embedded successful classical literature. Animals suited to the climatic conditions of each scenery find a predominant notation successful the poetry. In Nattrinai, the hero, returning from war, sees a jungle fowl scratching the bedewed crushed and offering an earthworm to its mate. Moved, helium urges his charioteer to usage the long-unused goad and thrust the horses faster truthful that helium whitethorn scope his beloved without delay. Here, the connection Kaanvaranam is utilized to notation to the jungle fowl.

The Tamils employed a singular richness of vocabulary to notation to animals, utilizing not lone aggregate synonyms for a azygous taxon but besides chiseled presumption to denote the male, female, young, and adjacent groups of animals. Deer unsocial are identified by 38 names; buffaloes by 20; lions by 15; goats by 28; bulls by 31; horses by 23; monkeys by 17; mongooses by 13; tigers by 20; cats by nine; elephants by 45; porcupines by five; rabbits by three; dogs by 11; pigs by 13; donkeys by four; and cows by 27.

Mr. Chithiraputhiran has listed these names successful alphabetical order, on with references to the 41 literate works successful which they look and the lines that notation them. He has enriched the enactment by providing a broad array that includes the English and technological names of the animals. He besides explains the challenges successful identifying carnal names, arsenic words specified arsenic Maa and Maan are often utilized arsenic prefixes and suffixes. For instance, Maa combined with Ari becomes Arima, meaning lion. Maan combined with Ulai becomes Ulaimaan, which besides denotes a lion. Karima refers to an elephant; Kalima to a horse; Kaimma to an elephant; Paima to a horse; and Mathama to an elephant. While Maan denotes a deer, Kalaimaan, Nalmaan, Paimaan, and Mulavuman are besides utilized for horses. There are besides words that scarcely suggest carnal names: Pongadi denotes an elephant, portion Kayanthalai refers to an elephant calf. Varivayam and Koduvari are presumption for tiger, portion Kadamalai and Pinimugam denote elephant.

Distinguishing sex

Certain presumption separate the enactment of animals, portion others are applied crossed species. Oruthal refers to the antheral of respective animals, including elephant, bull, buffalo, pig, tiger, and deer. Eru denotes a bull, antheral deer, and antheral buffalo, including the Kalaimaan. Kaduvan is utilized for the antheral of the monkey and the cat. Pinavu denotes the pistillate of respective animals, including the tigress, dhole, pig, bear, monkey, and elephant. In galore cases, the circumstantial carnal referred to successful a poem indispensable beryllium inferred from its context.

Pothu is 1 of the Tamil words that has disappeared from mundane use. In Kerala, however, the word Pothu denotes buffalo and meat. According to the Tolkappiyam, Pothu was utilized to notation to the antheral of respective species, including bull, buffalo, deer, crocodile, and peacock.

This antithetic effort, Mr. Chithiraputhiran believes, volition beryllium utile for comparative studies of akin works successful different languages, arsenic good arsenic for the compilation of wide and specialised dictionaries successful Tamil.