Page:Tamil studies.djvu/371

344 in the early Malayalam language are accordingly the 'Ramacharitram' and the 'Ramayanam' which are more after the model of Kamban’s great work.

In ancient Tamil literature Chera or Kerala is invariably spoken of as a Tamil country; and from the Tolkapyam it might be inferred that this kingdom had at least seven Nadus or provinces, namely—Venadu, Puzhinadu, Karka Nadu, Sitanadu, Kuttanadu, Kuda Nadu and Malayama Nadu, in all of which Kodum or vulgar Tamil was spoken. In later Tamil literature Malabar, Travancore and Cochin are called Malainadu or Malai-mandalam. Hence the Chera kings were also called Puzhiyan, Kuttuvan, Kuda-Nadan, Malayaman and Kolli-chilamban (Lord of the Kollimalais). For sometime the Kongu country (Salem and Coimbatore districts) was under them, and hence the people of the country were known also as Kongans. Two Tamil inscriptions in a Jain temple on the Tirumalai hill inform us that Adigaman Ezhini of Tagadur (Salem district) belonged to the Chera or Vanji family. SitaNadu is the Nilgiris and it is needless to say that it was within the Chera dominion.

The names of villages in Malabar and Travancore which have suffixes like, seri, ur, angadi (a bazar), kodu or kod (sumınit of a hill), kadu or kad (a forest), tod or tottam (a garden or canal), padi, karai, turai, kulam, kuricchi, kalam, vayal, eri, pattu, kundu, tali, iruppu, &c., are all pure Tamil words and indicate that they were originally built and occupied by the Tamils. The names of Malabar villages like