Tamil units of measurement 1

Tamil units of measurement

Measurements in ancient Tamil-speaking South India were widely different from modern day metric and
imperial systems. These ancient measurement systems spanned systems of counting, distances, volumes, time,
weight as well as tools used to do so. While India is one of the countries to use the metric system International
System of Units (Tamil Nadu state included), some of these older day measurement systems, especially those of
counting are used in the present day.
Other units that have persisted are those of area – the 'cent' (not to be confused with the dollar-cent) and the ‘ground’,
both used to measure land and the ‘molam’ which has been relegated to measuring the length of a jasmine-garland
sold on streets.
There are several similarities between the measurement system used in Tamil Nadu and that used by the Indus
Valley civilization. A shift of Indian mathematicians to South India after the 12th century[1] could be a driving factor
for homogenization. However, this remains a hypothesis because study of ancient science has been neglected in
India[2]. A large number of ancient manuscripts in Kerala and Tamil Nadu remain untranslated and unpublished[3].

Units of time in ancient Tamil history

• 1 kuzhi(kuRRuzhi) = குழி (குற்றுழி)= 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 (கண்ணிமைகள்)= 1 kainodi (கைநொடி)= 0.125 second
• 2 kainodi= 1 maatthirai (மாத்திரை) = 0.25 second
• 6(base 8) or 6 miygaL= 1 siRRuzhi(nodi) சிற்றுழி (நொடி)= 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 (சாண்).
• 2 maatthiraigaL= 1 kuru (குறு) = 0.50 second
• 2(base 8) or 2 nodigaL= 1 vinaadi வினாடி = 0.80 second-the time for the adult human heart to beat once
• 21⁄2 nodigaL= 2 kuru= 1 uyir உயிர் = 1 second
• 5 nodigaL= 2 uyir= 1 saNigam சாணிகம் = 1/2 aNu அணு = 2 seconds
• 12(base 8) or 10 nodigaL= 1 aNu= 4 seconds
• 6(base 8) or 6 aNukkaL= 12 saNigam= 1 thuLi துளி = 1 naazhigai-vinaadi நாழிகை வினாடி = 24 seconds
• 12(base 8) or 10 thuLigaL= 1 kaNam கணம் = 4 minutes
• 6(base 8) or 6 kaNangaL= 1 naazhigai= 24 minutes
• 12(base 8) or 10 naazhigaigaL= 4 saamam சாமம் = 1 siRupozhuthu சிறுபொழுது = 240 minutes= 4 hours
• 6(base 8) or 6 siRu-pozhuthugaL= 1 naaL நாள் (1 day)= 24 hours
• 7 naaTkaL= 1 kizhamai கிழமை (1 week)
• 15 naaTkaL= 1 azhuvam அழுவம் (1 fortnight )
• 29.5 naaTkaL= 1 thingaL திங்கள் (1 lunar month)
• 2 thingaL= 1 perum-pozhuthu பெரும்பொழுது (1 season)
• 6 perum-pozhuthugaL= 1 AaNdu ஆண்டு (1 year)
• 64 aaNdugaL= 1 vattam வட்டம் (1 cycle)
• 4096(=8^4) AaNdugaL= 1 Oozhi ஊழி (1 epoch)
Tamil units of measurement 2

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 Kuzhi = 576 Sq.ft
• 1 Mā = 100 kuzhi = 10000 sq.ft.
• 1 Kāni = 4 Mā = 40000 sq.ft.
• 1 kāni = 92 cents = 0.92 acre
• 1 kāni = 400 kuzhi = 40000 sq.ft.
• 1 acre = 436 kuzhi
• 1 Veļi = 7 kāni = 6.43 acres = 2.6 hectares
• 1 dismil =2.5 cent
• 1 furlong = 660 feet = 220 kejam
• 1 kilometre = 5 furlong
• 1 link / chain = 0.66 foot = 7.92 inch
• 1 kejam = 9.075 sq.ft.
• 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
• 1 cent = 48 kejam
Tamil units of measurement 3

Units of ancient trade

Balance weights

Gold weights
• 4 nel edai (நல் எடை) = 1 kunRimaNi (குன்றிமணி)
• 2 kunRimaNi (குன்றிமணி) = 1 manchaadi (மாஞ்சாடி)
• 1 manchaadi (மாஞ்சாடி) = 1 paNavedai (பணவெடை)
• 5 paNavedai (பணவெடை) = 1 kazhanchu (கழஞ்சு)
• 8 paNavedai (பணவெடை) = 1 varaaganedai (வராகனெடை)
• 20 paNavedai (பணவெடை) = 4 kazhanchu(கழஞ்சு) = 1 kaqhsu (கஃசு)
• 80 paNavedai (பணவெடை)= 16 kazhanchu(கழஞ்சு)= 4 kaqhsu (கஃசு)= 1 palam (பலம்)
• 1.5 Kazhanchu(கழஞ்சு) = 8 grams or one sovereign/pawan.

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
• 22 maakaani = 100 gms
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
Tamil units of measurement 4

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

• 1= onRu
Tamil units of measurement 5

• 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
Tamil 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- one 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- one sextillion
• 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 = MAHAYUGAM- ten sextillion
Tamil units of measurement 6

Fractions
• 1= onRu
• 3/4= mukkaal
• 1/2= arai / paadhi
• 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
Tamil units of measurement 7

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

References
[1] Indian Institute Of Science, Landmarks of Science in Early India - Michael Danino (http:/ / www. iisc. ernet. in/ prasthu/ pages/ PP_data/ 105.
pdf)
[2] Gupta, Jayanta (September 4, 2003). "Manuscripts narrate a tale of neglect" (http:/ / articles. timesofindia. indiatimes. com/ 2003-09-04/
kolkata/ 27184974_1_manuscripts-restoration-library). Times of India (Kolkata: Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.). . Retrieved 19 May 2012.
[3] Indian Institute Of Science, Landmarks of Science in Early India - Michael Danino (http:/ / www. iisc. ernet. in/ prasthu/ pages/ PP_data/ 105.
pdf)

Tamil Measurements (http://www.ponniyinselvan.in/articles-f6/tamil-measurements-t26435.html)

Article Sources and Contributors 8

Article Sources and Contributors

Tamil units of measurement Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=509948120 Contributors: Arunprabu.v, Bnitin, Bobblewik, Chowbok, CrypticBacon, Inbamkumar86, John of
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