minnalinfotech Tamil units of measurement

Tamil units of measurement

Measurements in ancient Tamil land were of seven kinds. They were number counts, balance weights, fluid volumes, grain volumes, length, time and the likeness.

Units of time in ancient Tamil history

    1 kuzhi(kuRRuzhi)= 6.66 millisecond-the time taken by the Pleiades stars(aRumin) to glitter once.
    12(base 8 ) or 10 kuzhigaL= 1 miy= 66.6666 millisecond-the time taken by the young human eyes to flap once.
    2 kaNNimaigaL= 1 kainodi= 0.125 second
    2 kainodi= 1 maatthirai= 0.25 second
    6(base 8 ) or 6 miygaL= 1 siRRuzhi(nodi)= 0.40 second-the time taken for a bubble (created by blowing air through a bamboo tube into a vessel 1 saaN high, full of water) to travel a distance of one saaN .
    2 maatthiraigaL= 1 kuru= 0.50 second
    2(base 8 ) or 2 nodigaL= 1 vinaadi= 0.80 second-the time for the adult human heart to beat once
    21/2 nodigaL= 2 kuru= 1 uyir= 1 second
    5 nodigaL= 2 uyir= 1 saNigam= 1/2 aNu= 2 seconds
    12(base 8 ) or 10 nodigaL= 1 aNu= 4 seconds
    6(base 8 ) or 6 aNukkaL= 12 saNigam= 1 thuLi= 1 naazhigai-vinaadi= 24 seconds
    12(base 8 ) or 10 thuLigaL= 1 kaNam= 4 minutes
    6(base 8 ) or 6 kaNangaL= 1 naazhigai= 24 minutes
    12(base 8 ) or 10 naazhigaigaL= 4 saamam= 1 siRupozhuthu= 240 minutes= 4 hours
    6(base 8 ) or 6 siRu-pozhuthugaL= 1 naaL(1 day)= 24 hours
    7 naaTkaL= 1 kizhamai(1 week)
    15 naaTkaL= 1 azhuvam(1 fortnight )
    29.5 naaTkaL= 1 thingaL(1 lunar month)
    2 thingaL= 1 perum-pozhuthu(1 season)
    6 perum-pozhuthugaL= 1 AaNdu(1 year)
    64 aaNdugaL= 1 vattam(1 cycle)
    4096(=8^4) AaNdugaL= 1 Oozhi(1 epoch)

Area Measurement

    1 Marakkal vaedaipadu (seeds required for planting rice) = 8 cents
    12.5 Marakkal vaedaipadu = 100 cents (one acre)

Area calculation and Measurement Chart .

    1 hectare = 2 acre 47 cent
    1 hectare = 10,000 sq.m.
    1 acre = 0.405 hectare
    1 acre = 4046.82 sq.m.
    1 acre = 43,560 sq.ft.
    1 acre = 100 cent = 4840 sq.gejam
    1 cent = 435.6 sq.ft.
    1 cent = 40.5 sq.m
    1 ground = 222.96 sq.m. = 5.5 cent
    1 ground = 2400 sq.ft.
    1 kuli = 44 cent
    1 kaani = 132 cent = 3 kuli
    1 kaani = 1.32 acre
    1 kaani = 57,499 sq.ft.
    1 acre = 2.25 kuli
    1 dismil = 1.5 cent
    1 furlong = 660 feet = 220 kejam
    1 kilometre = 5 furlong
    1 link / chain = 0.66 foot = 7.92 inch
    1 kejam = 3 feet
    1 mile = 8 furlong
    1 ares = 1076 sq.ft. = 2.47 cent
    1 chain = 22 kejam
    1 furlong = 10 chain
    1 kejam = 0.9144 metre
    1 township = 36 sq.mile
    1 sq.mile = 640 acre

Units of ancient trade
Balance weights
Gold weights

    4 nel edai= 1 kunRimaNi
    2 kunRimaNi= 1 manjaadi
    1 manjaadi= 1 paNavedai
    5 paNavedai= 1 kazhanju
    8 paNavedai= 1 varaaganedai
    20 paNavedai= 4 kazhanju = 1 kaqhsu
    80 paNavedai= 16 kazhanju= 4 kaqhsu= 1 palam.
    1.5 Kazhanji = 8 gram or one pown

Goods weights

    32 kunRimaNi= 1 varaaganedai
    10 varaaganedai= 1 palam
    40 palam= 1 veesai
    1000 palam =1 kaa
    6 veesai= 1 thulaam
    8 veesai= 1 maNangu
    20 maNangu= 1 paaram.

Grain volume

    1 kuNam= smallest unit of volume
    9 kuNam= 1 mummi
    11 mummi= 1 aNu
    7 aNu=1 immi
    7 immi= 1 uminel
    1 sittigai= 7 uminel
    360 nel= 1 sevidu
    5 sevidu= 1 aazhaakku
    2 aazhaakku= 1 uzhakku
    2 uzhakku= 1 uri
    2 uri= 1 padi
    8 padi= 1 marakkaal(kuRuNi)
    2 marakkaal(kuRuNi)= 1 padhakku
    2 padhakku= 1 thooNi
    5 marakkaal= 1 paRai
    80 paRai= 1 karisai
    96 padi= 1 kalam
    120 padi= 1 pothi(mootai)
    21 marakkal = 1 Kottai

1 padi, = 1800 avarai pods = 12,800 miLagu seeds = 14,400 nel grains = 14,800 payaRu grains = 38,000 arisi grains = 115,200 sesame seeds
Fluid volume

    5 sevidu= 1 aazhaakku
    2 mahani = 1 aazhakku (arai kal padi)
    2 aazhaakku= 1 uzhakku (Kal padi)
    2 uzhakku= 1 uri (Arai padi)
    2 uri= 1 padi
    8 padi= 1 marakkaal
    2 marakkaal(kuRuNi)= 1 padhakku
    2 padhakku= 1 thooNi
    21 Marakkal = 1 Kottai

Length

    10 koaN= 1 nuNNaNu
    10 nuNNaNU= 1 aNu(atom)
    8 aNu= 1 kathirtthugaL
    8 kathirtthugaL= 1 thusumbu
    8 thusumbu= 1 mayirnuni
    8 mayirnuni= 1 nuNmaNal
    8 nuNmaNal= 1 siRu-kadugu
    8 siRu-kadugu= 1 eL
    8 eL= 1 nel
    8 nel= 1 viral= 8^8 aNu(atom)= 1.9444 centimetre
    12 viral= 1 saaN= 100 immi= 23.3333 centimetre
    2 saaN= 1 muzham= 46.6666 centimetre
    2 muzham= 1 kajam
    4 muzham= 1 paagam
    625 paagam= 1 kaadham= 5000 saaN= 1166.66 metres= 1.167 kilometre

Likeness (Saartthal)

Likeness has attributes of tone, sound, colour and shape for comparison of a given substance with a known standard.
Whole numbers

Old Tamil numerical characters

    1= onRu
    10= patthu
    100= nooRu
    1000= aayiram
    10,000= pathaayiram
    100,000= nooRaayiram
    1000,000= meiyiram
    10^9= thoLLunn
    10^12= eegiyam
    10^15= neLai
    10^18= iLanji
    10^20= veLLam
    10^21= aambal

Sanskrit texts elaborate the following version:

* 1 = ONDRU -one
* 10 = PATHU -ten
* 100 = NOORU-hundred
* 1,000 = AAYIRAM-thousand
* 10,000 = PATHAAYIRAM -ten thousand
* 100,000 = LATCHAM-hundred thousand
* 1,000,000 = PATHU LATCHAM - one million
* 10,000,000 = KODI-ten million
* 100,000,000 = ARPUTHAM-hundred million
* 1,000,000,000 = NIGARPUTHAM- one billion
* 10,000,000,000 = KUMBAM-ten billion
* 100,000,000,000 = KANAM-hundred billion
* 1,000,000,000,000 = KARPAM-one trillion
* 10,000,000,000,000 = NIKARPAM -ten trillion
* 100,000,000,000,000 = PATHUMAM -hundred trillion
* 1,000,000,000,000,000 = SANGGAM -quadrillion
* 10,000,000,000,000,000 = VELLAM -ten quadrillion
* 100,000,000,000,000,000 = ANNIYAM -hundred quadrillion
* 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 = ARTTAM -quintillion
* 10,000,000,000,000,000,000 = PARARTTAM -ten quintillion
* 100,000,000,000,000,000,000 = POORIYAM -hundred quintillion
* 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 = MUKKODI -sextillion
* 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 = MAHAYUGAM -ten sextillion

Fractions

    1= onRu
    3/4= mukkaal
    1/2= arai
    1/4= kaal
    1/5= naalumaa
    3/16= moonRu veesam
    3/20= moonRumaa
    1/8= araikkaal
    1/10= irumaa
    1/16= maakaaNi (veesam)
    1/20= orumaa
    3/64= mukkaal veesam
    3/80= mukkaaN
    1/32= araiveesam
    1/40 araimaa
    1/64= kaal veesam
    1/80= kaaNi
    3/320= araikkaaNi munthiri
    1/160= araikkaaNi
    1/320= munthiri
    1/102,400= keezh munthiri
    1/2,150,400= immi
    1/23,654,400= mummi
    1/165,580,800= aNu
    1/1,490,227,200= kuNam
    1/7,451,136,000= pantham
    1/44,706,816,000= paagam
    1/312,947,712,000= vintham
    1/5,320,111,104,000= naagavintham
    1/74,481,555,456,000= sinthai
    1/1,489,631,109,120,000= kathirmunai
    1/59,585,244,364,800,000= kuralvaLaippidi
    1/3,575,114,661,888,000,000= veLLam
    1/357,511,466,188,800,000,000= nuNNmaNl
    1/2,323,824,530,227,200,000,000= thaertthugaL

Currency

    1 pal (wooden discs/sea shellots)= (approximately) 0.9 grain
    8 (or 10 base 8 ) paRkaL =1 senkaaNi (copper/bronze) = 7.2 grains(misinterpretted by Roman accounts as 10 base 10 paRkal =9 grains)
    1/4 senkaaNi =1 kaalkaaNi (copper) =1.8 grains(misinterpretted by Roman accounts as 2.25 grains)
    64 (or 100 base 8 ) paRkaL = 1 KaaNap-pon a.k.a. Kaasu panam(gold) = 57.6 grains
    1 Roman dinarium was traded on par with 2 KaaNappon plus 1 SenkaaNi(=124 grains).
    18 Ana = 2.5 Rupee, 16 Ana = 1 Rupee, 1 Ana = 3 Thuttu, 1/4 Ana = 3/4 (mukkal) thuttu