Kaladi and Sankara

[Sudalaimuthu Palaniappan]

In a message dated 11/12/99 7:11:26 PM Central Standard Time,
vsundaresan at HOTMAIL.COM writes:

> >
>  >Here a person has been named kAlaTiccaGkaran (Sankara of Kaladi). If we
>  take
>  >this person to be the father of azakiyaperumAL, the mazavarAyar, then the
>  >father should have received the name probably towards the end of the 12th
>  >century.
>
>  This is fascinating information. However, I am unclear on the reason behind
>  the interpretation you propose. I presume the rest of the inscription
>  provides the details

The interpretation of the name is based on the Tamil naming convention found
in the inscriptions. Brahmin names can have four parts, i.e., place name,
gotra name, father's given name, and the person's given name. In addition, if
a person has an alias, it will be the fifth component. For non-brahmins, we
do not have the gotra name. The place name is also optional. The component
"mazavarAyan2" can be considered a title (or an alias because it follows
"An2a") given to important officials or chieftains who are not brahmins.
Brahmin title will be brahmarAyan2, brahmAtirAjan2, etc. clearly
distinguishable from non-brahmin titles. We do not have the name of the natal
village as part of the name based on the information elsewhere in the
inscription. So the first part kAlaTiccaGkaran2 must be the father's given
name (in the same manner as persons being named Kasi Viswanathan even today)
and azakiyaperumAL must be the son's given name.

Given the important position held by this azakiyaperumAL in 1235-36 AD, it is
likely he would have been born ca. 1200 AD if not earlier. That means, his
father must have been born ca. 1180 if not earlier. This means that obviously
kAlaTiccaGkaran2's parents were contemporaries of cEkkizAr, author of
periyapurANam.


Regards
S. Palaniappan