BIOGRAPHY OF KASARAGOD-2

Now we will examine the origin of the word Kanbalam. The day suitable for transplanting (paddy) seedlings is nattuvela. In Kasaragod, buffalo race is held prior to the commencement of nattuvela. A herd of buffaloes is karimpattam. A woolen cloth or blanket is karimpatam in Sanskrit. Karimpatam, made out of goat’s hair, is used to ward off cold climate, is black in color. In Malayalam, kari denotes black color. Patam, a Sanskrit word, means cloth. Ploughed field appears deep black, similar to woolen (karimpatam). This similarity has offered the origins of the word kampalam/ kampili. This reveals that it has a Dravidian beginning and Sanskrit recognition. A furrow, a trench by plough is kampalam. Kampalam is water. Kampili is black cloth. Kambali is bullock. The due lap of bullock is Kampalam. Bullock cart is kampali vahyakam.
it should be noted that while everywhere else bull race is held, in Kumbala it is buffalo race. The use of buffalo for ploughing and its availability in this region are the reason for that. Not only that the region afforded extensive pastureland, as to evident from place names. A resort or track of wild animals is kadavu. In Kasaragod there are many such cattle (buffalo both male and female, cow and bull) tracks such as kalikkadav, karaikkav is the grove in which cows are housed. Kattippoyil is a place name where buffaloes are found in plenty. Such extensive pastures for grazing cattle can also be seen in Kasaragod.
Kottiyur denotes a village after kottiyam, which means a bull. It is a cattle-rearing centre. Pullur is the name of place, which indicates the availability of grass in plenty. The god of the cowherds is known as Kalichan. Kalichan trees and Kalichan kavus are related with tree worship. Maniyani are the cowherds engaged in rearing cattles. On the pattern followed by the ancient Tamil in dividing the land into five tinais known as Ainthinai based on productivity, the hillocks represent Mullai and their valleys represent Marutham. Mullaicheri, Padimaruthu, Maruthom, are place names related to mullai and marutham.
He lives in the land between (idanad), Kurinchi and marutham. That is mullai. Hence he is known as idayan. His hereditary occupation is cattle breeding. His caste name is idayan. Their early god is kalichhan. Even after he entered into agricultural life, he continued the worship of Kalichan and retained worship of kanjiram tree. Even today this tree is planted in traditional houses near the family temple. It is used only for building temples or granary. In Thrikarippur and Cheruvathoor the vannan caste people staged Kalichan teyyam. This tree is also known as Kalichan Kanjiram When the villagers missed their cattle they prayed at the foot of these trees to regain their cattle. Such trees are marked with a heap of stones. These trees are inhabited by Imen¨m³ god and hence worshipped.
Ayurvedic texts accept two classifications of water - atmospheric and terrestrial. The former includes -- dharam (rain), karam (hail), tausharam (snow), haimam (ice). The latter are -- nadeyam (of the river), sarasam (lake), tadagam (tank), nairjharam (stream), palvalam (pond), vikiram (shallow excavated pit), kaupam (deep well), vapyam (stepped well), kaidaram (irrigated water).
Two to three thousand years ago, the life of the common people was not based on caste distinctions and prejudices. There was a broad division of the population on the basis of occupation, which was again based on the nature of the land they occupied.
Kurinchi (mountain land), Palai (arid land), mullai (pastures), marutam and neytal (coastal land) were the five divisions based on the nature of the land. The Kuravar (hunters) of Kurinchi, the Maravar (fighting men) of Palai, the Idayas (cowherds and shepherds) of Mullai, the Uzhavas (agriculturists) of Marutam and the Paravas (fishermen) of the Neytal were all from the same race.
Kumbla, situated about 14 km northwest of Kasaragod, is a lagoon separated from the sea by a sand pit connected by a narrow channel. The few caves discovered from this place are said to belong to the Vedic days. This shows the Aryan connection with Karnataka.
KasaramThe third argument for the derivation of the place name Kasaragod is centered on the words kasaram and crodam Crodam is cave, a cavity in the tree trunk. The interior of anything is crodam. It also means middle territory. Kudanad is the country on the eastern side of the Tamilnad. Kudaku is its Dravidian name and in Sanskrit it is known as Crodadesam.
Kasaram and Crodam when combined make the meaning the land of lakes. In Sanskrit Kasaram means the land of a group of ponds and pools. ‘vapikakupa kasarangal’. Vapika in this citation is a pond, pool or tank. It also means a well. ‘Vapi tu deerkkika’ vapi in this citation from Amarakosam means a long and large reservoir of water, also called nedunkeni,. Ka in the word vapika is a post-fix that changes the meaning of the word. Hole, hollow, cave is kupam. It also means a rock or tree in the midst of a river. Kasaram is lake. It can be a pond with plenty of lotus and the bronze-winged jacana (metopidius Indicus). Water birds like velir, vandaram are also found in the lotus pond, which are broadly defined as birds ecologically dependent on wetlands.
‘ Kasyasabde kasaradi’ Saras in this citation is lake where one hears the cooing of the birds like Saurus, a kind of bird found in a lotus pond. Lotus, water Lilly is also known as sarasam. Kanjangad is said to be the natural habitat of white lotus.Mayilatty, Kiliyalam are place names in Kasaragod where the songs of parrots and peacocks were reverberated.
– Continued