An Analysis of South Indian Female Names found in Donors, Devotees and Daughters of God

Originally posted 10/11/03

This article in an attempt to further analyze a selection of names of temple women found in South Indian inscriptions. They are primarily Tamil in origin, and are from pre-14th century sources.

The source from these names is Donors, Devotees and Daughters of God by Leslie C. Orr.

The source was chosen not only because of my personal access to a copy, but also because in many cases Ms. Orr has done her own translation, and often provides contextual, translated paragraphs. In all cases the woman named has an indicated relationship with a known temple. In several cases the names are given in context with the names of family members.

Where available, I've provided dates of the inscriptions the name can be found in. However, given the narrow focus both of Ms. Orr's book and my own research, it can be safely assumed that the names would be appropriate to a South Indian temple woman of the 10th to 14th centuries.

Notes on pre- and suffixes in names

In many cases it is not clear whether a specific identifier is a title bestowed by a temple or member of the ruling class, or if it is simply a casual identifier.

In the case of 'nakkan', it seems more likely that it is an occupational identifier, much like "Bob the Smith". The frequency and casual usage seems to imply that this is more likely the case than it being a title that has been bestowed by some superior.

The suffix 'talaikkoli' seems to have a bit more nobility. The Online Tamil Lexicon (hereafter referred to as 'otl') defines it thus:

talaikkOli dancing woman who is an adept in her profession

Seen much less frequently than 'nakkan', it implies that those bearing it have excelled in their art and gained the respect of their peers in that fashion.

The Names