Page:Tamil studies.djvu/373

346 modern significance is expressed by a Tamil compound L14-18 oy or the 'setting sun. Doubting the correctness of Dr. Caldwell's argument Mr. Logan suggests that the terms கிழக்கு and மேற்கு were coined with reference to the rise and setting of the sun. This seems to be very ingenious, because, if that had been the case, the words for 'easť and 'west' should be cognates and found in all the Dravidian languages; and the necessity to coin a compound Tamil word padi-jnayiru in the place of a simple one, inerku, should never have been felt by the early inhabitants of Kerala.

Among the towns of the West coast Tondi (modern Kadalundi), Mandai, Musiri and Vanji occur frequently in early Tamil literature. Tondi was a famous sea-port and capital of a division of the Chera country ruled by Poraiyan, while Vanji or Karur was the metropolis of the other division ; Musiri (Gr. Mouziris) was a famous emporium of the West and centre of the pepper trade in India. The following quotations from ancient Tamil literature will be found interesting: - (1) 0:56#ni, Ella 60 @capocorig.-Ain. 178. (2) கலந்தந்த பொற்பரிசங், கழித்தோணி யாற்கரைசேர்க்குந்து

மலைத்தாரமுங் கடற்றாரமுந், தலைப்பெய்து வருநற்கீயும் புனலங்கள் ளின் பொலந்தார் குட்டுவன், முழங்குகடன் Lyal.co (

48).—Pur. 343. (3) Qw opis Sload QJG46 amuda A.—Pat. 3.

The above are cities of commercial and political