Bangalore Tamils
Bangalore Tamils
History
During the eleventh century AD, the areas in and around Bangalore were a bone of contention between the Tamil-speaking Cholas and the Kannada-speaking Western Chalukyas[4] .
The Chokkanathaswamy temple Tamil Inscription
Illaipakka Nadu (present day Yelahanka)
Yelahanka is referred to as Illaipakka Nadu of Rajendra Solavala Nadu (Gangaikondachola) in the inscriptions[1].
Tombalur or Desimanikkapattanam(present day Domlur)
Domlur itself is referred to as Tombalur and as Desimanikkapattanam in the inscriptions[1].
The Chokkanathaswamy temple which is the oldest in the City. The temple stands on a high base and probably was in the centre of the locality and once a prominent structure.The Tamil inscriptions of Chakravarthi Posalaviraramanatha Deva are addressed to the authorities of all temples in his kingdom. One epigraphy says that all kinds of taxes, tributes and tolls of Sondekoppa village have been granted by Devaraya II of Vijayanagar to the temple. The wet and dry lands in Tombalur together with wells, trees, houses are granted to God Sokkapperumal[1]. On the door frame dated about 1270 AD, it is written in Tamil that one Alagiyar donated the two door posts. Another Tamil inscription says, one Talaikkattu (maybe a general) and his wife donated as tax-free the temple property, for the God Tripurantaka Perumal, as also the dry and wet lands in the village of Jalapalli, the tank at Vinnamangalam and other lands below the big tank of Tombalur. The charge of the temple was given to Talai Sankurappachariyan[1].
The Chokkanathaswamy temple
The Chokkanathaswamy temple is the oldest in the City and the inscriptions on the temple suggest it belongs to the Chola period. Tucked in a bylane, not very far from the main Domlur Road is a quaint west-facing 10th century Chola temple, called the Chokkanathaswamy temple which is the oldest in the City. The temple stands on a high base and probably was in the centre of the locality and once a prominent structure.
Saligrama stone
The images of Vishnu or Sokka Perumal, his consorts Sri and Bhu in the garbhagriha, are carved from the saligrama stone from Gantikinadi (Nepal), the only place where the sacred stone is found. It was found that one of his consorts Bhudevi had a small chip off her nose. To correct this, the entire figure was scraped and the same was done to the other consort Sridevi too[1].
Tiruppavai
Dhanur masa Tiruppavai are sung throughout the month[1].
Old Madivala Someswhara temple Tamil inscriptions
‘Veppur’ (modern-day Begur)
The earliest record dates to 1247 AD and refers to lands donated “below the big tank of Vengalur” by a resident of ‘Veppur’ (modern-day Begur)[5].
Tamaraikkirai (present day Tavarekere)
Tamaraikkirai (meaning ‘the banks of the lotus pond’ in Tamil). Epigraphy expert H S Gopala Rao, Secretary of the Karnataka Itihasa Academy, points out that this is the old name for what we today know as Tavarekere[6].
Old Madivala Someswhara temple
The stone temple is said to be a Chola period temple, making it one among Bangalore’s oldest. And there is ample proof of its antiquity. Large portions of its outer walls are covered with inscriptions in Tamil and Grantha (an old script used to write Sanskrit) characters, attesting to the temple’s age. The earliest record dates to 1247 AD.The temple underwent extensive renovations five years ago,the inscriptions were largely unharmed. The temple’s outer walls that carry the inscriptions and also idols of various gods including Ganesha, Durga and Vishnu, remain unaltered.Inside, apart from shiny new flooring, the garba griha and artha mantapa were untouched. These inner chambers still remain small and darkened spaces that encourage a personal and intimate communion with the Lord[7]. Apart from four carved pillars, the artha mantapa has a large and elegantly proportioned granite Nandi facing the linga. Behind the Nandi, the eastern wall of the temple has a small opening that is directly in line with the linga[8].
Twin cities
In the 19th century, Bangalore essentially became a twin city, with the "pētē", whose residents were predominantly Kannadigas, and the "cantonment" created by the British, whose residents were predominantly Tamils.[9]
At Present days
Today, the erstwhile Cantonment area of Bangalore comprising Ulsoor, Shivajinagar, Benson Town, Richard’s Town, Frazer Town, Austin Town, Richmond Town, Cox Town, Murphy Town and others still boast a large Tamil populace.Tamil-speaking people are largely found in the districts of Bengaluru Urban, Bangalore Rural
Largest ethnolinguistic minority in Bangalore city
In 1991, Tamils constituted the largest ethnolinguistic minority in Bangalore city making up 21.38% of the total population. Today, Tamil speakers form an estimated 25-30 percent of the population of Bangalore city. [10] As of 1971, Tamil formed the second-largest mother tongue in Bengaluru .[11]
Hebbar Iyengar
Hebbar Iyengars were formerly an endogamous group and constitute a part of the Iyengar sub-caste of the Karnataka Brahmins. They are traditionally followers of Ramanuja and Vedanta Desika. They hail primarily from Hassan, Mysore, Tumkur, Bangalore, and surrounding areas in southern Karnataka. The characteristic dialect of the Hebbar Iyengars is called Hebbar Tamil and is a mixture of Iyengar Tamil, Kannada and Sanskrit. The group's primary mother tongue is Hebbar Tamil which is spoken in most Hebbar Iyengar households, though Kannada and English are increasingly taking its place. A peculiar characteristic of Iyengar Tamil (including Hebbar Tamil) is its retention of divine or holy food terminology. For example, Iyengar Tamil makes distinctions between potable ([t̪iːrt̪o] and non-potable water ([d͡ʒʌlo]), the former considered sacred but both borrowed from Sanskrit. Standard Tamil exhibits only the generic term for 'water'.
The Vaishnavite Brahmins
The Vaishnavite Brahmins of Southern Karnataka use the Tamil surname "Iyengar" and are believed to have migrated during the time of the 11th century Vaishnavite saint Ramanujacharya. Most Iyengars in Karnataka use sub-dialects of Iyengar Tamil.
Southern Karnataka
Tamil-speaking people are largely found in the districts of Bengaluru Urban, Bangalore Rural, Mysore, Mandya, Kolar, Ramanagara and Chamarajanagar in southern Karnataka.In Karnataka, Tamils form 3.46% of the total population of the state[12].Almost 5 million Tamils live outside Tamil Nadu, inside India. There has been a recorded presence of Tamil-speaking people in Southern Karnataka since the 10th century.[13]
Kempe Gowda
Some believe that Kempe Gowda, the founder of Bangalore city, was a Vanniyakula Kshatriya from Kanchipuram district.
- ^ a b c d e f g "History Of the Temple".
- ^ "DeccanHerald". DeccanHerald.
- ^ "DeccanHerald".
- ^ Landscapes of Urban Memeory: The Sacred and the Civic in India's High-tech City. ISBN 8125022546.
- ^ "DeccanHerald". DeccanHerald.
- ^ "DeccanHerald". DeccanHerald.
- ^ "DeccanHerald". DeccanHerald.
- ^ "DeccanHerald". DeccanHerald.
- ^ . p. 50 http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-05172004-231956/unrestricted/4.pdf.
{{cite book}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ "REUTERS". REUTERS. Mon Feb 5, 2007.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ P. Padmanabha. Census of India, 1971. Manager of Publications. pp. 668–669.
- ^ [[http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_Data_Online/Language/Statement3.htm.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ {{cite book|title=Landscapes of Urban Memory|pages=100–102|chapter=The Settlement of Tamil speaking Groups in Smriti Srinivas (2004). Orient Blackswan. ISBN 8125022546, ISBN 9788125022541 http://books.google.co.in/books?id=-JXDD0gcHgoC&pg=PA100.
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