56 
ON THE ORIGINAL INHABITANTS 
The Telugu, Kanarese and other cognate northern races, 
when they had forgotten their claim to the name of Dra- 
vidians, called the Tamil language Aravam. This word 
Aravam is most likely a corraption of Dravidam. Dravidam 
or Dramilam became in its turn Daramidam (DaramUam), 
Aravidam (Aravilam), and finally Aravam.^' However 
peculiar these changes may appear to the uninitiated, to 
the scientific philologist they can afford no special difficulty. 
Even in Sanskrit we occasionally observe an initial d 
dropped, e.g., in a.sru, tear, which is haKpv in Grreek, thrdne 
in German, and lacryma in Latin ; while the elision of 
an explanation of the original meaning of the word." See Introduction 
to Comparative Bnwidian Grammar, p. 13. 
The name Tirumala becomes in colloquial Telugu also Tiramula, Tirmala. 
and Timma. This last word must be distinguished from Timma for tim- 
madu or timmanna, monkey. Similarly does idmbulamu, betel, become tama- 
lamu (or tammalamu) and tamma ; and tamara, lotus, tammi. 
In Tamil the verb otu (g?^) means to recite the Veda, while ottu 
(ee^^) signifies the Veda itself. Both words are Tadbhavams formed 
from the Sanskrit word Yeda. 
^' The Tamil form Tiravidam for Dravidam appears to prove that the origin 
of the -wordiBravida had been forgotten, when it was re-introduced into Tamil. 
As the Telugu and Kanarese languages do not insert an i between two con- 
sonants in the same manner as Tamil does, the derivation of Aravam from 
Dravidam gains in probabilitj-. In Kanarese the Tamil people are besides 
called Tigalar, which I am inclined to consider alsoas a corruptionfor Trimala. 
The r in the first syllable was dropped, and the labial in the second has 
been changed into a guttui'al g, as is not unfrequent ; compare, e.cj., Kudaman 
and Kudavan with Kudagan. Tigala and Arara have in this case the same 
meaning. I am aware that the Rev. Mr. Kittel, whose opinion carries 
much weight, has dechired that the original foi'm of Tigatjxr {Tiguhir) was 
Tigurar. 
The derivations of Aravam hitherto proposed appear to me to be in- 
appropriate. Dr. Gundert thought it could be connected with aram, \-u-tue, 
and aravan would have the meaning of a moralist. Others preferred the 
Tamil word arira, knowledge, and arivm or aravan represented thus the 
Tamulian as the intelligent person of the South, others derived it from an 
obscure Tamil district Arara. The defect of these etymologies is the fact that 
the Tamil people ignore the word aravam, so far as their name is concerned. 
The Telugu pamlits are in favor of arava meaning a-rava, without somid, for 
the Tamil language does not possess aspirates, or is according toothers rather 
rough ; while some Kanarese pandits proposed as its root the Kanarese word 
arava, half, or dotiuient, as the ancient Kanarese people are said to_have 
