vaTakalai and ten2kalai (2)

[Sudalaimuthu Palaniappan]

We can even go outside the usage by AzvArs to see this. Kampan (9th -12th
century AD) treats ten2col and vaTacoL kalai as equivalent as given below.

ten2 col kaTantAn2 vaTacol kalaikku ellai tErntAn2              (kam.
2.4.137.4)

cEkkizAr (12th century) clearly refers to Sanskrit by the term vaTakalai in
the following line.

ten2 tamizum vaTa kalaiyum tEcikamum pEcuvan2a               (peri. 4156.1)

kacciyappar  (14th century AD?) refers to Tamil as ten2kalai in the following
verse.

veLLai Ati viyan2 kavi yAvaiyum
teLLitin2 mozi ten2 kalaiyE mutal
uLLa palkalai otu kin2RArkaLum
vaLLiyOr kaLum man2Ru toRum INTuvAr
(kantapurANam 195.1-4)

In the following verse paraJcOti (16th century AD?) equates the use of "col"
and "kalai".

aRamakaL Akkamum malarin2 mEya cem
niRamakaL Akkamum nIti cAn2Ra pOr
maRa makaL Akkamum vaTacol ten2 kalait
tiRamakaL Akkamum ciRantatu annakar
(tiruviLai. 42.14)


In the following verse, the use of col, kalai, Ariyam, and ten2kalai make the
semantics clear.

akkaram nARpattu eTTum avvazi vERu vERu
makkaLAyp piRantu pal mAN kalaikaLin2 vakaimai tErntu
tokka Ariyamum En2ai col patin2eTTum Ayntu
takka ten2 kalai nuN tErccip pulamaiyil talaimai cArntAr
(tiruviLai.51.11)

This usage is found not only in literary texts but also in inscriptions.

In SII vol. 7, no. 129, of 12th century AD at tirukkOyilUr, we find the
members of an agricultural board are described as

"centamiz vaTakalai terintuNarntu nIti kETTu nipuNarAki"

In an inscription of cuntarapANTiyan2 (1285-1300AD), we find the members of a
guild being described as

"ten2tamiz vaTakalai terintuNarntu nIti cAttira nipuNarA"

Regards
S. Palaniappan