Ayda Kattis; Need help with the inscription on blade???

[Jens Nordlunde]

The stamp Gav shows can also bee seen without any gold, but it can also look like the attached, inlaid with silver.
The sign represents the sound 'OM'. See Robert Elgood: Hindu Arms and Ritual, Pp. 234-235.

[BANTARU]

I dont think that is Tamil. Must be Kannada. The Kodava tribespeople live in Coorg, Karnataka. though they have their own language.

I'm a Tuluva so I have a different language bu I'll ask some of my acquaintances.

[laEspadaAncha]

Originally Posted by BANTARU

I dont think that is Tamil. Must be Kannada. The Kodava tribespeople live in Coorg, Karnataka. though they have their own language.

I'm a Tuluva so I have a different language bu I'll ask some of my acquaintances.

Interesting, because my wife and her family hail from Mangalore (but they are native Kannada speakers, not Tulu), though she grew up in Coimbatore (before relocating to B'lore after 12th standard). She says she is certain the script is not Kannada (though after 14 years of marriage, I can vouch that if she is incorrect it wouldn't be the first time she was wrong about something ), and nearly as certain it is an older form of Tamil.

BTW, I was reprimanded for my earlier post in which I said she couldn't read Tamil, which is incorrect; she said she couldn't read this script because it is in an old Tamil script. However, she did recognize a couple of the syllables with some varying dergees of success and certainty, though in sounding the four sequential syllables following the date, she can't quite make sense of it (and I probably did as much harm as good in my attempt to transcribe them phonetically ).

Anyway, still a work in progress, but until something more definitive comes along, this is something to go on - she said she'll see if she can make sense of it later on...

[Gavin Nugent]

Originally Posted by Jens Nordlunde

The stamp Gav shows can also bee seen without any gold, but it can also look like the attached, inlaid with silver.
The sign represents the sound 'OM'. See Robert Elgood: Hindu Arms and Ritual, Pp. 234-235.

Thank you Jens.

I will read further when I have my library out of storage.

I look forward to seeing the script on blade translated in time.

Gav

[laEspadaAncha]

Correction - it appears to be Malayalam. Didn't need the Mrs (Miss Direction?) for this one...



The string after the date appears to spell out "Janavari," which, according to my wife, is a (phonetic) Malayali adaptation of "January," thereby reading, "January 1888."

Any Malayalis in the forum to confirm?





ETA: It is interesting to see the shared similarities among Dravidian languages, just as you see similarities among European languages, Sanskrit-based languages, or any other branching path of a respective language tree.

[laEspadaAncha]

To follow up the last post:

[laEspadaAncha]

Apparently, in January 1888, in Travancore, Dewan T. Ram Rao and the Maharaja agreed on the formation of a legislative council that was seen as the kernel of precedence that resulted in the legislative creation of modern-day Kerala. From this link:

Pre-Independence Period (1888-1947)
The seed for a legislative body was sown in Travancore, when in January 1888, the Dewan T.Ram Rao proposed to the Maharaja, the organisation of a Legislative Council so that "the Dewan would gain the benefit of discussing with and taking the opinion of responsible officers associated with him in matters of legislation, one of the most important functions of Government". This proposal was readily approved by Sri Mulam Thirunal Maharaja and a regulation was passed on 30th March, 1888, creating a Legislative Council, of three year tenure, and composed of 8 members of whom 6 were to be officials and 2 non-officials nominated by the Maharaja. The Dewan was to preside over the meetings.

[olikara]

Yes the text is in Malayalam, the language spoken in Kerala.

It reads: 'Kumbalakaran ayyappan
maryamba ambalathil koduthaddu
1888 Janavari'

Which translates as:
'Given by Ayyappan of Kumbalam to the Maryamba Temple 1888 January'

Ayyappan - Name of the Donor
Kumbalam - Name of the town he hails from
Maryamba - Name of the presiding deity in the temple, probably the Goddess Mariamman.
1888 Janavari - 1888 January.

Hope this helped.