1 Neettal Azhavu (Length)
ellu (til/sesame) | siRu-kadagu (mustard) |
nellu (rice grain) | ellu |
viral | nellu ( cm) |
saaN | viral ( cm) |
(distance from tip of thumb finger to tip of little finger) | |
muzham | saaN ( cm) |
(distance from elbow to tip of middle finger) | |
kajam | muzham |
paagam | kajam |
sangili (chain) | kajam |
furlong | kajam |
kilo metre | furlong |
mile | furlong |
2 Niraththal Azhavu (Weights/Balance)
Gold Weights | |
kunRimaNi | weight of nellu (rice grain) |
kazhanchu | kunRimaNi |
sovereign/pawan | kazhanchu ( grams) |
Grain and Fluid Volume | Moogathal Azhavu (Volume) |
sittigai | a pinch |
sevidu | nellu (rice grain) |
aazhaakku | sevidu |
uzhakku | aazhaakku |
uri | uzhakku |
padi | uri |
marakkaal (kuRuNi) | padi |
pothi (mootai) | padi |
Kottai | marakkaal |
3 Parapa Azhavu (Area)
kuzhi | sq. ft |
marakkal vedaipaadu | cent; area required to sow padi |
rice grain | |
acre | cents = marakkal vedaipaadu |
acre | kuzhi |
kaani | kuzhi = cent |
veli | kaani |
4 Fractions
These small fractions, in the table below, were used by ancient stone sculptors of south India.
mukkaal | |
arai/paadhi | |
kaal | |
arai-kaal | |
veesam (or maakaani) | (one Aana in currency) |
mundru veesam | |
oru maa | |
iru maa | |
mundru maa | |
naal maa | |
arai veesam | |
arai maa | |
kaal veesam | |
mukkaal veesam | |
kaani | |
mukkaani | |
arai-kaani | |
munthiri | |
keel-munthiri | |
immi | |
mummi | |
aNu | |
kuNam | |
panDam | |
pAgam | |
vinDam | |
naga-vinDam | |
sinDai | |
kathirmunai | |
kuralvalaippadi | |
veLLam | |
nuN-maNal | |
Therthukkal | |
Till recently, the sale and purchase of land used the decimal form in kaani units which is equal to cents. The decimal form is in base 16. In other words, both and takes value between and because and . For instance, to represent cents, they write kaani. Similarly, represented cents. So, when poet Bharathiyar asked “kaani niLam Vendum, parasakthi!” (Oh Lord! give me one kaani land) did he has ask for 132 cents. Probably, not! He probably meant the fraction of the smallest saleable land that existed during his time.
5 War Batallion
The batallion of an army had measurements. In mahabharat, there is a mention that Arjun destroyed akkroni batallions in a single day — the day after his son Abhimanyu was killed in war– while trying to locate Jayadharth before sunset. One akkroni batallion must have had entities. An entity refers to one of these: a Chariot, an elephant, a horse or one foot soldier. A paththi is a group containing one Chariot, one elephant, three horses and 5 foot soldiers (10 entities). Three paththi makes one kulmam (30 entites). Three kulmam made one kaNam (90 entities). Three kaNam made one bhagini (270 entities). Three bhagini made one kridalai (810 entities) and three kridalai made one samu (2430 entities). Ten samu made one akkroni. This means Arjun killed entities. Was it possible? What was the population then?