Colonizing the Realm of Words: The Transformation of Tamil Literature in Nineteenth-Century South India

Glossary

Glossary Although unfamiliar terms are generally explained in the text when they are first used, the following glossary contains a list of recurrent words for quick reference. T = Tamil, E = colonial English or “AngloIndian ” usage as described by Yule/Burnell (1994) and Lewis (1999), M = Malayalam, S = Sanskrit. anna (E) Indian unit of currency. 16 annas = 1 rupee. aÂÂatåÂam (T) lit. “the giving of rice/food.” The public distribution of food by a wealthy donor. ara‰kªr¯ r¯ am (T) lit. “ascending the podium.” The first public recitation of a literary work before a larger audience. åt¥Âam (T) a central Hindu religious institution (monastery) that administers subordinate ma†ams and temples. åt¥Âavittuvå (T) leading poet-scholar of an åt¥Âam. avaiya†akkam (T) lit. “addressing/appeasing the assembly [of fellow poets].” Verse in which the poet apologizes for the shortcomings of his work, comparable to the captatio benevolentiae in classical Western rhetorics. calico (E) cotton cloth. camaståÂavittuvå (T) court poet. Ca‰kam literature (T) the oldest extant corpus of Tamil poetry (c. 100 BCE to 250 CE). 295 296 Colonizing the Realm of Words cår¯ r¯ ukkavi (T) see cir¯ appuppåyiram. chattram (E) home for pilgrims and traveling highcaste Hindus. choultry (E) see chattram. cilª†ai (T) Skt. ßleƒa. A kind of pun (“double entendre” or paronomasia). cir¯ appuppåyiram (T) lit. “special preface,” also called cår¯ r¯ ukkavi “praise poem.” A kind of congratulatory verse written for and prefixed to someone else’s poetic composition. cittirakkavi (T) lit. “picture poem.” Skt. citrakåvya. Poem in which the lines or syllables are arranged so as to fit into a fanciful picture or diagram (cittiram) if written down. c¥††ukkavi (T) epistolary poem or versified letter. dewan (E) prime minister of an Indian state or manager of a zamindari. Foujdaree translator (E) translator employed for criminal as opposed to civil cases in the colonial legal system. køvai (T) a Tamil poetic genre. ma†akku (T) see yamakam. ma†am (T) Skt. ma†ha. A kind of Hindu monastery. mofussil (E) hinterland, the rural localities as opposed to the metropolis. munsiff (E) rank of an Indian civil judge. murajapam (M) prayer ceremony. mutt (E) see ma†am. pirapantam (T) Skt. prabandha. A group of genres or “hypergenre” of Tamil poetry. poligar (E) Tam. på¬aiyakkårar. An Indian local ruler or native king. pulavar (T) Tamil poet-scholar, Tamil pundit. 297 Glossary raiyat (E) wealthy peasant. rudråkƒa beads (S) the berries of Elaeocarpus Ganitrus strung up and used for religious purposes (often compared to a rosary). sandhi (S) change in the appearance (and pronunciation ) of words when they are joined in a phrase or sentence. Sarasvat¥ (S) goddess of learning and the arts. sheristadar (E) head legal officer. ßleƒa (S) see cilª†ai. sthalapurå£a (S) see talapurå£am. Sudder Court/ (E) court of appeal in the colonial legal Sudder Udalut system. Sudr Ameen (E) rank of an Indian civil judge. tahsildar (E) the chief revenue officer of the subdivision (taluk) of a district. talapurå£am (T) Skt. sthalapurå£a or mahåtmya. A temple myth or a text containing the localized legends of a particular sacred place explaining its foundation. taÂippå†al (T) an occasional poem or “solitary stanza.” tiripu (T) a technique in Tamil poetry. tulåbhåram (S/M) also tulåpuruƒadånam. Weighing the body of the raja against an amount of gold to be distributed to brahmins. Vª¬å¬ar (T) landowning non-brahmin caste in South India. vir¯ alivi†ut¶tu (T) lit. “dancing-girl sent [as] messenger.” A Tamil poetic genre. yamakam (T) Skt. yamaka. A poetic technique. zamindar (E) Indian landholder paying taxes to the British. zamindari (E) the estate of a zamindar. ...