Devaneya Pavanar
Encyclopedia
Devaneya Pavanar was a prominent India
n Tamil author
who wrote over 35 books. Additionally, he was a staunch proponent of the "Pure Tamil movement" and initiated the Etymological Dictionary Project primarily to bring out the roots of Tamil words and their connections and ramifications.
In his 1966 Primary Classical language of the World, he argues that the Tamil language
is the "most natural" () and also a proto-world language
, being the oldest () language of the world, from which all other major languages of the world are derived. He believed that its literature, later called Sangam literature
and usually considered to have been written from 200 BCE and 300 CE, spanned a huge period from 10,000 to 5,500 BCE. These datings gain popularity by modern pseudo-historians such as in Graham Hancock
's book Underworld: The Mysterious Origins of Civilization. His above ideas are fringe ones and mainstream linguists, geologists and historians do not acknowledge them to be true.
Devaneya Pavanar composed many musical pieces (Isaik kalambakam) and many noteworthy poems, including the collection of Venpa. The title was conferred on him by the Tamil Nadu
State Government in 1979, and he was also addressed as "Sun of language".
He worked as a Tamil teacher in several High Schools, 1922-1944. During this time, he pursued autodidactic studies of Dravidian philology and comparative linguistics.
He was Tamil professor at Municipal College, Salem, 1944-1956. From 1956-1961, he was the head of Dravidian department at Annamalai University
. He was a member of the Tamil Development and Research Council, set up by the Nehru
government in 1959, entrusted with producing Tamil school and college textbooks. From 1974, he was director of the Tamil Etymological Project, and he acted as president of the International Tamil League, Tamil Nadu. (U. Tha. Ka.)
Devaneya Pavanar studied his elementary education in Murumbu and worked as a First Teacher also in Murumbu under the control of Young Durai. Devaneya Pavanar’s life size statue, research library, centunary arch, reading room is located in Murumbu, Viruhunagar District, Tamil Nadu.
Pavanar's Vadamoli Varalaru argues that hundreds of Sanskrit words can be traced to a Tamil origin, and at the same time he insisted that pure Tamil equivalents existed for Sanskrit loan words. He claimed that Tamil is a "superior and more divine
" language than Sanskrit. In his view the Tamil language originated in "Lemuria
" ( ), the cradle of civilization
and place of origin of language
. He believed that evidence of Tamil's antiquity was being suppressed by Sanskritists.
Pavanar's timeline for the evolution of mankind and Tamil is as follows:
In the preface to his 1966 book The Primary Classical Language of the World he wrote:
In a chapter entitled Tamil more divine than Sanskrit, Pavanar gives the reasons why he judges Tamil to be "more divine
" than Sanskrit, arguing for "Primary Classicality of Tamil", he enumerates:
His claims regarding the "Primary Classicality of Tamil":
and national mysticism
(Ramaswamy 1997, 2004) and of Indian nationalism
(Kaiwar et al. 2003). In the foreword to the to the 2001 reprint of Primary Classical Language of the World, Pavanar's assistant and disciple R. Madhivanan claims that
and continues into a eulogy to the effect that
M. Tamil Kudimagan, Ex-Minister for Tamil Development, Govt. of Tamil Nadu. Madurai, in the preface to the same volume, writes that "We are the followers of Pavanar and we are implementing the ideals of Pavanar in all walks of life".
V. Perumal compared Pavanar with English scholar Johnson:
Poet Bharathidasan
hails Devaneya Pavanar as the "King of all Tamils" .
The Cultural Heritage of India; vol. V: Languages and literature, p. 641 (ed. Chatterji, The Ramakrishna Mission, Institute of Culture, 1978) states that "but for his (Pavanar's) efforts the purity and antiquity of Tamil
might have been a myth."
The literary works and books of Pavanar have been "nationalised" by the Government of Tamil Nadu in the course of the "Golden Jubilee year of National Independence" (2006). This means that the copyright for Pavanar's work is now owned by the state of Tamil Nadu, his legal heirs having been compensated financially.
G. Elavazhagan of Tamilman Patippakam has brought out all the works of Pavanar for his centenary celebrations, 2000-2001.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n Tamil author
Tamil literature
Tamil literature refers to the literature in the Tamil language. Tamil literature has a rich and long literary tradition spanning more than two thousand years. The oldest extant works show signs of maturity indicating an even longer period of evolution...
who wrote over 35 books. Additionally, he was a staunch proponent of the "Pure Tamil movement" and initiated the Etymological Dictionary Project primarily to bring out the roots of Tamil words and their connections and ramifications.
In his 1966 Primary Classical language of the World, he argues that the Tamil language
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
is the "most natural" () and also a proto-world language
Proto-World language
The Proto-Human language is the hypothetical most recent common ancestor of all the world's languages.The concept of "Proto-Human" presupposes monogenesis of all recorded spoken human languages....
, being the oldest () language of the world, from which all other major languages of the world are derived. He believed that its literature, later called Sangam literature
Sangam literature
Sangam literature refers to a body of classical Tamil literature created between the years c. 600 BCE to 300 CE. This collection contains 2381 poems composed by 473 poets, some 102 of whom remain anonymous The period during which these poems were composed is commonly referred to as the Sangam...
and usually considered to have been written from 200 BCE and 300 CE, spanned a huge period from 10,000 to 5,500 BCE. These datings gain popularity by modern pseudo-historians such as in Graham Hancock
Graham Hancock
Graham Hancock is a British writer and journalist. Hancock specialises in unconventional theories involving ancient civilizations, stone monuments or megaliths, altered states of consciousness, ancient myths and astronomical/astrological data from the past...
's book Underworld: The Mysterious Origins of Civilization. His above ideas are fringe ones and mainstream linguists, geologists and historians do not acknowledge them to be true.
Devaneya Pavanar composed many musical pieces (Isaik kalambakam) and many noteworthy poems, including the collection of Venpa. The title was conferred on him by the Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
State Government in 1979, and he was also addressed as "Sun of language".
Biography
Gnanamuthu Devaneyan Pavanar was born on 7 February 1902 in Sankaranayinar Koil(sankarankovil), Tamil Nadu to his parents Thiru.Gnanamuthu Devendrar and Paripuranam Ammaiyar. He was educated in the C.M.J. High School, Palayankottai, S.S.L.C. (1916–1918) and trained as a teacher in Madras University. He married in 1930 and had four sons and one daughter, the daughter being the fourth child.He worked as a Tamil teacher in several High Schools, 1922-1944. During this time, he pursued autodidactic studies of Dravidian philology and comparative linguistics.
He was Tamil professor at Municipal College, Salem, 1944-1956. From 1956-1961, he was the head of Dravidian department at Annamalai University
Annamalai University
Annamalai University is a Public University located in Annamalai Nagar, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India. The university offers courses of higher education in arts, sciences and engineering.The university also provides around 380 courses under distance mode...
. He was a member of the Tamil Development and Research Council, set up by the Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru
Jawaharlal Nehru , often referred to with the epithet of Panditji, was an Indian statesman who became the first Prime Minister of independent India and became noted for his “neutralist” policies in foreign affairs. He was also one of the principal leaders of India’s independence movement in the...
government in 1959, entrusted with producing Tamil school and college textbooks. From 1974, he was director of the Tamil Etymological Project, and he acted as president of the International Tamil League, Tamil Nadu. (U. Tha. Ka.)
Devaneya Pavanar studied his elementary education in Murumbu and worked as a First Teacher also in Murumbu under the control of Young Durai. Devaneya Pavanar’s life size statue, research library, centunary arch, reading room is located in Murumbu, Viruhunagar District, Tamil Nadu.
Views on Tamil versus Sanskrit
Divine language
Divine language, the language of the gods, or, in monotheism, the language of God is the concept of a mystical or divine proto-language, which predates and supersedes human speech.-Abrahamic traditions:...
" language than Sanskrit. In his view the Tamil language originated in "Lemuria
Lemuria (continent)
Lemuria is the name of a hypothetical "lost land" variously located in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. The concept's 19th century origins lie in attempts to account for discontinuities in biogeography; however, the concept of Lemuria has been rendered obsolete by modern theories of plate tectonics...
" ( ), the cradle of civilization
Cradle of Civilization
The cradle of civilization is a term referring to any of the possible locations for the emergence of civilization.It is usually applied to the Ancient Near Eastern Chalcolithic , especially in the Fertile Crescent , but also extended to sites in Armenia, and the Persian Plateau, besides other Asian...
and place of origin of language
Origin of language
The origin of language is the emergence of language in the human species. This is a highly controversial topic. Empirical evidence is so limited that many regard it as unsuitable for serious scholars. In 1866, the Linguistic Society of Paris went so far as to ban debates on the subject...
. He believed that evidence of Tamil's antiquity was being suppressed by Sanskritists.
Pavanar's timeline for the evolution of mankind and Tamil is as follows:
- ca. 500,000 BCLower PaleolithicThe Lower Paleolithic is the earliest subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age. It spans the time from around 2.5 million years ago when the first evidence of craft and use of stone tools by hominids appears in the current archaeological record, until around 300,000 years ago, spanning the...
: origin of the human race, - ca. 200,000 to 50,000 BCMiddle PaleolithicThe Middle Paleolithic is the second subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. The term Middle Stone Age is used as an equivalent or a synonym for the Middle Paleolithic in African archeology. The Middle Paleolithic and the Middle Stone Age...
: evolution of "the Tamilian or Homo Dravida", - c. 200,000 to 100,000 BC, beginnings of Tamil
- c. 100,000 to 50,000 BC, growth and development of Tamil,
- 50,000 BC: Kumari KandamKumari KandamKumari Kandam is the name of a supposed sunken landmass referred to in existing ancient Tamil literature...
civilisation - 20,000 BCUpper PaleolithicThe Upper Paleolithic is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. Very broadly it dates to between 40,000 and 10,000 years ago, roughly coinciding with the appearance of behavioral modernity and before the advent of...
: A lost Tamil culture on Easter IslandEaster IslandEaster Island is a Polynesian island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, at the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian triangle. A special territory of Chile that was annexed in 1888, Easter Island is famous for its 887 extant monumental statues, called moai, created by the early Rapanui people...
which had an advanced civilisation - 16,000 BC: Lemuria submerged
- 6087 BC7th millennium BCDuring the 7th millennium BC, agriculture spreads from Anatolia to the Balkans.World population was essentially stable at around 5 million people, living mostly scattered across the globe in small hunting-gathering tribes...
: Second Tamil Sangam established by a Pandya king - 3031 BC31st century BC-Events:*c. 3100 BC: Narmer unifies Upper and Lower Egypt into one country; he rules this new country from Memphis.*c. 3100 BC: Narmer, pharaoh, rules .)...
: A Chera prince wandering in the Solomon Islands saw wild sugarcane and started cultivation in Tamil Nadu. - 1780 BC: The Third Tamil Sangam established by a Pandya king
- 7th century BC7th century BCThe 7th century BC started the first day of 700 BC and ended the last day of 601 BC.The Assyrian Empire continued to dominate the Near East during this century, exercising formidable power over neighbors like Babylon and Egypt. In the last two decades of the century, however, the empire began to...
: TolkappiyamTolkappiyamThe Tolkāppiyam is a work on the grammar of the Tamil language and the earliest extant work of Tamil literature. It is written in the form of noorpaa or short formulaic compositions and comprises three books - the Ezhuttadikaram, the Solladikaram and the Poruladikaram. Each of these books is...
, the earliest extant Tamil grammar
In the preface to his 1966 book The Primary Classical Language of the World he wrote:
There is no other language in the whole world as Tamil, that has suffered so much damage by natural and human agencies, and has been done so much injustice by malignant foreigners and native dupes.
The general belief that all arts and sciences are progressively advancing with the passage of time, is falsified in the case of philology, owing to the fundamental blunder of locating the original home of the Tamilians in the Mediterranean region, and taking Sanskrit, a post-Vedic semi-artificial composite literary dialect, the Indian Esperanto, so to speak, for the prototype of the Indo-European Form of Speech.
Westerners do not know as yet, that Tamil is a highly developed classical language of LemurianKumari KandamKumari Kandam is the name of a supposed sunken landmass referred to in existing ancient Tamil literature...
origin, and has been, and is being still, suppressed by a systematic and co-ordinated effort by the Sanskritists both in the public and private sectors, ever since the Vedic mendicants migrated to the South, and taking utmost advantage of their superior complexion and the primitive credulity of the ancient Tamil kings, posed themselves as earthly gods (Bhu-suras) and deluded the Tamilians into the belief, that their ancestral language or literary dialect was divine or celestial in origin.
In a chapter entitled Tamil more divine than Sanskrit, Pavanar gives the reasons why he judges Tamil to be "more divine
Divine language
Divine language, the language of the gods, or, in monotheism, the language of God is the concept of a mystical or divine proto-language, which predates and supersedes human speech.-Abrahamic traditions:...
" than Sanskrit, arguing for "Primary Classicality of Tamil", he enumerates:
| Tamil Tamil language Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore... Language |
Sanskrit Language |
|---|---|
| Primitive and original. | Derivative. |
| Spoken and living language. | Semi-artificial literary dialect. |
| Of Lemurian Origin. | Of Indian Origin. |
| Scriptural studies exoteric. | Scriptural studies esoteric. |
| Inculcation of cosmopolitanism. | Division of society into numerous castes on the basis of birth and parentage. |
| Admission of all to asceticism. | Restriction of asceticism to Brahmins. |
| Holding higher education common to all. | Restriction of higher education to Sanskritists. |
| Encouragement of gifts to all the poor and needy. | Enjoinment on the donorsto give only to the Sans-kritists. |
| Love of truth. | Love of imposture and plagiarism. |
| Laying of emphasis on love, as means of attaining eternal bliss. | Laying of emphasis on knowledge, as means of attaining union with the universal soul. |
| Having monotheistic Sai-vism and Vaisnavism as religions. | Having a system of sacrificesto minor deities as religion. |
| Literary description natural. | Literary description imaginary. |
His claims regarding the "Primary Classicality of Tamil":
-
- Lemurian origin of Tamil.
- Phonological simplicity of Tamil.
- Catholicity of Tamil.
- Tamulic substratum of the Aryan family of languages.
- Morphological purity and primitiveness of Tamil.
- The presence of the words ‘amma’ and ‘appa’Mama and papa in almost all great languages in some form or other.
- Absence of Nominative case-termination in Tamil.
- Separability and significance of all affixes in Tamil.
- Absence of morphological gender in Tamil
- Absence of arbitrary words in Tamil.
- Traceability of Tamil to its very origin.
- Logical and natural order of words in Tamil.
- Absence of dual number in Tamil.
- Originality and natural development of Tamil.
- Highest order of the classicality of Tamil.
Reception
Pavanar was considered by his followers to be a groundbreaking scholar in Dravidology with political leanings towards Dravidian nationalism. He does figure in works on language activismLinguistic purism
Linguistic purism or linguistic protectionism is the practice of defining one variety of a language as being purer than other varieties. The ideal of purity is often opposed in reference to a perceived decline from an "ideal past" or an unwanted similarity with other languages, but sometimes simply...
and national mysticism
National mysticism
National mysticism is a form of nationalism which raises the nation to the status of numen or divinity. Its best known instance is Germanic mysticism, which gave rise to occultism under the "Third Reich". The idea of the nation as a divine entity was presented by Johann Gottlieb Fichte...
(Ramaswamy 1997, 2004) and of Indian nationalism
Indian nationalism
Indian nationalism refers to the many underlying forces that molded the Indian independence movement, and strongly continue to influence the politics of India, as well as being the heart of many contrasting ideologies that have caused ethnic and religious conflict in Indian society...
(Kaiwar et al. 2003). In the foreword to the to the 2001 reprint of Primary Classical Language of the World, Pavanar's assistant and disciple R. Madhivanan claims that
and continues into a eulogy to the effect that
M. Tamil Kudimagan, Ex-Minister for Tamil Development, Govt. of Tamil Nadu. Madurai, in the preface to the same volume, writes that "We are the followers of Pavanar and we are implementing the ideals of Pavanar in all walks of life".
V. Perumal compared Pavanar with English scholar Johnson:
Poet Bharathidasan
Bharathidasan
Bharathidasan was a twentieth century Tamil poet and rationalist whose literary works handled mostly socio-political issues. His writings served as a catalyst for the growth of the Dravidian movement in Tamil Nadu...
hails Devaneya Pavanar as the "King of all Tamils" .
The Cultural Heritage of India; vol. V: Languages and literature, p. 641 (ed. Chatterji, The Ramakrishna Mission, Institute of Culture, 1978) states that "but for his (Pavanar's) efforts the purity and antiquity of Tamil
Tamil people
Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...
might have been a myth."
Publishing history
The Central Plan Scheme for Classical Tamil of the Centre of Excellence for Classical Tamil recommends- "To publish the translated but not yet published Sattambi Swamigal's Adhibhasa which seeks to establish that Tamil is the most ancient language. When published, it will provide an impetus to Pavanar's findings"
The literary works and books of Pavanar have been "nationalised" by the Government of Tamil Nadu in the course of the "Golden Jubilee year of National Independence" (2006). This means that the copyright for Pavanar's work is now owned by the state of Tamil Nadu, his legal heirs having been compensated financially.
G. Elavazhagan of Tamilman Patippakam has brought out all the works of Pavanar for his centenary celebrations, 2000-2001.
Awards and honours
- A Silver plate presented to him by the Tamil Peravai, Salem in 1955 in appreciation of his service to Tamil.
- A Copper Plate presented to his by the Governor of Tamil Nadu 1960 in appreciation of his contribution to the collection of administrative terms in Tamil.
- A Silver Plate presented to his by the South Indian Saiva Sinddhanta Works Publishing Society, Thirunelveli Ltd., in 1970 in appreciations of his research work in Tamil philology and etymology.
- Official centenary celebrations of Pavanar were held at Sankarankoil (5 February 2002) and Gomathimuthupuram (6 February) of TirunelveliTirunelveliTirunelveli , also known as Nellai , and historically as Tinnevelly, is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is the headquarters of the Tirunelveli District and the sixth biggest city in Tamil Nadu...
district and at ChennaiChennaiChennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
(8. February), attended by the Minister for Education and the Chief Minister O. PanneerselvamO. PanneerselvamO. Paneerselvam is the current Finance Minister and a former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu. Prior to his entry into politics, he owned agricultural lands and a tea shop which he still owns. He was the chairman of Periakulam municipality in 1996. Then he contested the 2001 MLA election from...
. - In February 2006, a commemorative stamp of Devaneya Pavanar was released by the Postal Department in Chennai.
- In October 2007, a memorial was installed at MaduraiMaduraiMadurai is the third largest city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. It served as the capital city of the Pandyan Kingdom. It is the administrative headquarters of Madurai District and is famous for its temples built by Pandyan and...
by the Government of Tamil NaduGovernment of Tamil NaduThe Government of Tamil Nadu, headquartered at Chennai is the governing authority for the Indian State of Tamil Nadu. It is seated at the Fort St. George...
in honour of Devaneya Pavanar.
See also
- Kumari KandamKumari KandamKumari Kandam is the name of a supposed sunken landmass referred to in existing ancient Tamil literature...
- Maraimalai AdigalMaraimalai AdigalMaraimalai Adigal was an eminent Tamil orator and writer. He was a devout Hindu as a staunch follower of Saivism. He has authored more than 100 books, including works on original poems and dramas, but most famous are his books on his research into Tamil literature. Most of his literary works were...
- Pure Tamil movement
- Tanittamil IyakkamTanittamil IyakkamThe Thanittamil Iyakkam is a movement of linguistic purism in Tamil literature attempting to emulate the "unadulterated Tamil language" of the Sangam period, avoiding Sanskrit, Persian and English loanwords. It was notably initiated by the writings of Maraimalai Adigal and Paventhar ...
- Anti-Hindi agitationsAnti-Hindi agitationsThe Anti-Hindi agitations of Tamil Nadu are a series of agitations that happened in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu during both pre- and post-Independence periods...
- Indigenous AryansIndigenous AryansThe notion of Indigenous Aryans posits that speakers of Indo-Aryan languages are "indigenous" to the Indian subcontinent.The "Indigenous Aryans" position may entail an Indian origin of Indo-European languages, and in recent years, the concept has been increasingly conflated with an "Out of India"...
- Paleolithic Continuity TheoryPaleolithic Continuity TheoryThe Paleolithic Continuity Theory , since 2010 relabelled as the Paleolithic Continuity Paradigm , is a hypothesis suggesting that the Proto-Indo-European language can be traced back to the Upper Paleolithic, several millennia earlier than the Chalcolithic or at the most Neolithic estimates in other...
- Divine languageDivine languageDivine language, the language of the gods, or, in monotheism, the language of God is the concept of a mystical or divine proto-language, which predates and supersedes human speech.-Abrahamic traditions:...
- Nationalism and ancient history
- The Primary Classical Language of the World
External links
- Devaneya Pavanar (tamilnation.org)
- publications (worldcatlibraries.org)