Know the Etymology: 199
Place Name of the Day: Thursday, 31 March 2011

Kadaiya-moaddai

கடையமோட்டை
Kaṭaiyamōṭṭai

Kadaiyar+moaddai

The pond of Kadaiyar community

Kadaiyar

A community that was originally agricultural workers, but later was known as lime burners (Tamil); Kadaisiyar: Female agricultural workers (Tamil, Changkam Diction, Puranaanoo’ru 61:2); Vayal-kadaignar: Workers in the paddy field (Tamil, Nammazhvaar Paasuram 4:52); Karugn-kaik-kadaiyar: Agricultural workers (Tamil, inscription 1012 CE, SII, vii, 863); Kadaiyar: The lowest in the social echelon (from the root Kadai meaning the last, lowest etc; Tamil, Dravidian Etymological Dictionary 1109); Considered on par with Pa’l’lar, agricultural workers (Tamil, contemporary transactions of the community with the Government of Tamil Nadu); Lime burners (Tamil, Portuguese records, accounts on Mannaar); Kadaithal: Mixing or reducing lime to make lime plaster (Tamil, Jaffna usage); Vathiriyar: Another community name often mixed with Kadaiyar (Tamil, contemporary accounts in Tamil Nadu)

Moaddai

A natural pond in a hollow landscape. Such ponds, where running water accumulates, are usually shallow and found with reeds etc. But, they also may have taken shape by the collapse of surface and by getting subterranean water (Eezham Tamil); Moazhai: Pool, Subterranean watercourse, cleft, crevice (Tamil, Dravidian Etymological Dictionary 4994); Moozhai: A hollow place (Tamil, DED 4994); Muzhai: Cave, cavern, den (Tamil, DED 4994); Madu: Pond, pool, deep place in a river or channel (Tamil, DED 4658). Also see column on Thuvara-moaddai.

Kadaiyar is a Tamil community or caste that has almost lost its identity among Eezham Tamils today. But Portuguese missionary records tell us of their presence in the island, especially in the Mannaar region. They were one of the first Tamil communities, along with Paravar, who got converted to Catholic Christianity by the Portuguese in Mannaar.

In the Portuguese accounts and later in the Dutch records (1697), Kadaiyar were a community placed among the fisher folk. They were also noted as a community specialised in burning lime to prepare mortar or lime plaster for construction of buildings.

Mortar or lime plaster was made by burning coral and shells in kilns and then by powdering them. This was mixed with other ingredients in making the cement of the past, called Chuthai in Tamil. Even today, the whitewashing material is made in this way. Chu’n’naampu kadaithal (grinding lime) is a phrase heard in Jaffna and Kadaithal in this context must be meaning grinding (from the verb Kadai, meaning mash to pulp, turn in lathe etc, DED 1141).

Dennis B. McGilvray in his study of the east coast of the island (2008) notes the still existing identity of Kadaiyar as a caste engaged in burning lime and in whitewashing services in the Batticaloa region. He further records that Kadaiyar or lime burners are accorded equal rank with Paraiyar in the east coast, but while the latter are regarded as shareholding members of the local Hindu caste system, the Kadaiyar are completely marginal, having arrived recently as Christians from the outside. (Crucible of Conflict: Tamil and Muslim Society on the east coast of Sri Lanka, 2008, p 151, 156)

A Dutch census of 1790 taken in Jaffna differentiates Kadaiyatkaarar from Kadaiyar. There were 16 Kadaiyatkaarar and 351 Kadayar among the tax payees in Jaffna at that time (Moothuthambi Pillai 1912).

Kadaiyar were one of the first communities that accepted Catholic Christianity of the Portuguese in Tamil Nadu too. One of their early churches, attributed to the initiatives of St Francis Xavier, is found at Kompuththu’rai in the Thooththukkudi region. The place was earlier known as Kadaiya-kudi (the settlement of Kadaiyar).

* * *

However, another picture we get from early literary and contemporary accounts of Tamil Nadu is that Kadaiyar were a community of agricultural workers placed on a par with Pa’l’lar.

Even in January this year there was a media report that 7 communities, Kudumpar, Pa’n’naadi, Kaalathi, Kadaiyar, Pa’l’lar, Vathiriyar and Devendra-kulaththaar have requested the Government of Tamil Nadu to consider all of them as one group, under the identity Devendra-kulaththaar (Times of Chennai, 26-01-2011).

The earliest literary reference to the community comes from the Changkam Tamil literature Pu’ranaanooru, in which the women of the community are mentioned as workers in the paddy fields:

“கொண்டைக் கூழைத் தண் தழைக் கடைசியர் சிறு மாண் நெய்தல் ஆம்பலொடு கட்கும்” (புறநானூறு 61: 1-2)

“Ko’ndaik koozhaith tha’n thazhaik kadaisiyar Chi’ru maa’n neythal aampalodu kadkum” (The Kadaisiyar of bun-coiffure wearing fresh leaves, pluck small beautiful lotuses and lilies too along with weed in the paddy fields; Pu’ranaanoo’ru 61: 1-2)

The community is associated with paddy fields in a verse of Nampiyaa’ndaar Nampi of 10th century CE:

“வயல் கடைஞர் பறை முழங்கும் புகலி” (நம்பியாண்டார் நம்பி, ஆளுடைய பிள்ளையார் திருவந்தாதி 52)

“Vayal kadaignar pa’rai muzhangkum pukali” (The place Pukali where the drums of the Kadaignar of the paddy fields are heard; Nampiyaa’ndaar Nampi, Aa’ludaiya Pi’l’laiyaar Thiruvanthaathi 52)

A Tamil inscription of 1012 CE refers to the community as “Karung-kaik-kadaiyar” (strong-handed Kadaiyar), meaning that they were workers (South Indian Inscriptions, VII, 863)

Probably, Kadaiyar were the lowest in the hierarchy of the agricultural workers as the term suggests:

“என் விதி வசத்தால் கடைபடு சாதி பிறக்கினும்” (நம்பியாண்டார் நம்பி, கோயில் திருப்பண்ணியர் விருத்தம் 17)

“En vithi vasaththaal kadaipadu chaathi pi’rakkinum” (Because of my fate even if I am born in the lowest of the castes; Nampiyaa’ndaar Nampi, Koayil Thiruppa’n’niyar Viruththam 17)

It is not clear whether the Kadaiyar as agricultural workers and the Kadaiyar as lime-burners placed among the fisher folk were the same or not. Whether the name too belongs to two different etymologies is another question.

A point to be noted here is the presence of the identity of a community called Vathiriyar in another place name, Vathiri in Vadamaraadchi, Jaffna. In Tamil Nadu, Vathiriyar is placed among the agricultural workers, Pa’l’lar, and their identity is almost interchangeable with Kadaiyar. The etymology of Vathiriyar is probably related to Vaththiri, which means leather straps (Madras Tamil Lexicon). The village Vathiri in Jaffna was known for leather works.

Whether Kadaiyar the agricultural workers have become lime burners in the context of Eezham Tamils needs further investigation.

Note that three place-names, Kadaiya-moaddai, Kadaiyan-ku’lam and Kadaiyan-kadduk-ku’lam associated with Kadaiyar found in the island are also associated with water resources. Allocating water resources for exclusive use of a community was a practice of the past.

* * *

Moaddai is a commonly found Eezham Tamil term meaning a natural pond.

Such ponds are usually found in hollow landscapes where either running water accumulates or collapse of surface opens up subterranean water. The Moaddai ponds are usually shallow and are found with reeds etc.

Tamil dictionaries don’t give any relevant meaning for the word Moaddai. But, there is a relevant Tamil/ Dravidian cognate Moazhai, which means a pool, subterranean watercourse, cleft, crevice etc (Dravidian Etymological Dictionary 4994).

ZH becoming D is a common feature not only between Tamil and other languages but also within Tamil itself as observed by the Tamil grammar Veerachozhiyam.

The other related words of Moaddai/ Moazhai in Tamil are Moozhai that means a hollow place and Muzhai that means a cave, cavern, den etc (DED 4994).

Note the following examples for the use of the word Moazhai as a pond and subterranean water in Tamil literature.

“ஆழியான் என்னும் ஆழ மோழையில் பாய்ச்சி அகப்படுத்திi” (பெரியாழ்வார் பாசுரம் 3:7:4)

“Aazhiyaan ennum aazha moazhaiyil paaychchi akappaduththi” (Dipping and captivating in the deep pond that is lord Vishnu himself; Periyaazhvaar Paasuram 3:7:4; 6-7th century CE)

“மண் தலம் கிழிந்த வாயில் மறிகடல் மோழை மண்ட” (சுந்தரகாண்டம் 6:60)

“Ma’n thalam kizhintha vaayil ma’rikadal moazhai ma’nda” (When the subterranean water like a blocked sea surged through the mouth where the earth cracked; Kamparaamaaya’nam, Chuntharakaa’ndam 6:60)

* * *

Kadaiya-moaddai is a village in Munthal division of Puththa’lam district

* * *

Some related place names:

Kadaiyan-ku’lam: The tank of Kadaiyar or the tank of a male member of the Kadaiyar. This is a place in Pa’l’likkudaa in the Poonakari division of Ki’linochchi district.

Kadaiyan-kadduk-ku’lam: The dammed tank of kadaiyar or the dammed tank of a male member of the Kadaiyar community. This is a place in the Karaithu’raippattu division of Mullaiththeevu district.

Vathiri: Probably, (The place of) the Vathiriyar community. This is a place in Vadamaraadchi Southwest (Karaveddi) division of Jaffna district.

Vaththiriyan: Probably, (the place of) the Vathiriyar community; Pachchilaippa’l’li division, Ki’linochchi district

First published: Thursday, 31 March 2011, 01:07