Male Ear Rings

[nas_ng at lms420.jsc.nasa.gov]

   Re: Male Ear Rings
   ******************

1) In Tamil, male ear rings are called as kaTukku or kaTukkan.
Female ear rings have many names - kuzhai, thOTu, kammal, curuL, thongal, 
kaathOlai, kaathaNi, ceviyaNi, nakai ..,

2) From 12/13th centururies to 1900 A.D., there are hundreds of
solitary stanzas, called "tanippATal" wherein male poets wandering
in countryside were awarded with kaTukkans by chieftains.
As a thanksgiving measure, the poets composed stanzas
extolling the giver. It usually says, 
"these bright ear rings were awarded by this patron.
And, they always do a great job!
They beat on my cheeks to warn sternly so that
I will never go to uncourteous & uncultured men even if
they happen to be rich". For tamil poems, look at any of
the editions of tanippaaTal tiraTTu as well as prabandhas.

3) I have heard male ear rings served a practical
purpose. Vijayanagar & later Nayaka times were rough.
In the constant warfare, those fallen on battlefields
were distinguished to be Hindu or Muslim
depending on whether his ears were pierced or not.
Then, cremation or burial decisions could be made.

4) I have heard from Tiru. Variyar, a great kathakalakshepam
exponent that ears look like the  praNava mantram in Tamil
and it is complete only if they are pierced.
 
Tamil Om.
             .------------.
            /              \
           /                \
          ()        o    .__)
              .-.   __   \ 
              | |  |  |   >
              | |__|__|  /
              \._______./


The dot ("o") over the tamil letter "ma" that makes "ma" to "m"
represents the pierced hole of the ear. The clustered O & ma
form the human ear!

N. Ganesan
nas_ng at lms461.jsc.nasa.gov