Tamil units of measurement

 They were number counts, balance weights, fluid volumes, grain volumes, length, time and the likeness.

Units of time in ancient Tamil history

• 1 kuzhi(kuRRuzhi)= 6.66 millisecond-the time taken by the Pleiades stars(aRumin) to glitter once.
• 12(base 8 ) or 10 kuzhigaL= 1 miy= 66.6666 millisecond-the time taken by the young human eyes to flap once.
• 2 kaNNimaigaL= 1 kainodi= 0.125 second
• 2 kainodi= 1 maatthirai= 0.25 second
• 6(base 8 ) or 6 miygaL= 1 siRRuzhi(nodi)= 0.40 second-the time taken for a bubble (created by blowing air through a bamboo tube into a vessel 1 saaN high, full of water) to travel a distance of one saaN .
• 2 maatthiraigaL= 1 kuru= 0.50 second
• 2(base 8 ) or 2 nodigaL= 1 vinaadi= 0.80 second-the time for the adult human heart to beat once
• 21⁄2 nodigaL= 2 kuru= 1 uyir= 1 second
• 5 nodigaL= 2 uyir= 1 saNigam= 1/2 aNu= 2 seconds
• 12(base 8 ) or 10 nodigaL= 1 aNu= 4 seconds
• 6(base 8 ) or 6 aNukkaL= 12 saNigam= 1 thuLi= 1 naazhigai-vinaadi= 24 seconds
• 12(base 8 ) or 10 thuLigaL= 1 kaNam= 4 minutes
• 6(base 8 ) or 6 kaNangaL= 1 naazhigai= 24 minutes
• 12(base 8 ) or 10 naazhigaigaL= 4 saamam= 1 siRupozhuthu= 240 minutes= 4 hours
• 6(base 8 ) or 6 siRu-pozhuthugaL= 1 naaL(1 day)= 24 hours
• 7 naaTkaL= 1 kizhamai(1 week)
• 15 naaTkaL= 1 azhuvam(1 fortnight )
• 29.5 naaTkaL= 1 thingaL(1 lunar month)
• 2 thingaL= 1 perum-pozhuthu(1 season)
• 6 perum-pozhuthugaL= 1 AaNdu(1 year)
• 64 aaNdugaL= 1 vattam(1 cycle)
• 4096(=8^4) AaNdugaL= 1 Oozhi(1 epoch)

Area Measurement

• 1 Marakkal vaedaipadu (seeds required for planting rice) = 8 cents
• 12.5 Marakkal vaedaipadu = 100 cents (one acre)

Area calculation and Measurement Chart .

• 1 hectare = 2 acre 47 cent
• 1 hectare = 10,000 sq.m.
• 1 acre = 0.405 hectare
• 1 acre = 4046.82 sq.m.
• 1 acre = 43,560 sq.ft.
• 1 acre = 100 cent = 4840 sq.gejam
• 1 cent = 435.6 sq.ft.
• 1 cent = 40.5 sq.m
• 1 ground = 222.96 sq.m. = 5.5 cent
• 1 ground = 2400 sq.ft.
• 1 kuli = 44 cent
• 1 kaani = 132 cent = 3 kuli
• 1 kaani = 1.32 acre
• 1 kaani = 57,499 sq.ft.
• 1 acre = 2.25 kuli
• 1 dismil = 1.5 cent
• 1 furlong = 660 feet = 220 kejam
• 1 kilometre = 5 furlong
• 1 link / chain = 0.66 foot = 7.92 inch
• 1 kejam = 3 feet
• 1 mile = 8 furlong
• 1 ares = 1076 sq.ft. = 2.47 cent
• 1 chain = 22 kejam
• 1 furlong = 10 chain
• 1 kejam = 0.9144 metre
• 1 township = 36 sq.mile
• 1 sq.mile = 640 acre

Units of ancient trade

Balance weights

GOLD WEIGHTS

• 4 nel edai= 1 kunRimaNi
• 2 kunRimaNi= 1 manjaadi
• 1 manjaadi= 1 paNavedai
• 5 paNavedai= 1 kazhanju
• 8 paNavedai= 1 varaaganedai
• 20 paNavedai= 4 kazhanju = 1 kaqhsu
• 80 paNavedai= 16 kazhanju= 4 kaqhsu= 1 palam.
• 1.5 Kazhanji = 8 gram or one pown

GOODS WEIGHTS

• 32 kunRimaNi= 1 varaaganedai
• 10 varaaganedai= 1 palam
• 40 palam= 1 veesai
• 1000 palam =1 kaa
• 6 veesai= 1 thulaam
• 8 veesai= 1 maNangu
• 20 maNangu= 1 paaram.

Grain volume

• 1 kuNam= smallest unit of volume
• 9 kuNam= 1 mummi
• 11 mummi= 1 aNu
• 7 aNu=1 immi
• 7 immi= 1 uminel
• 1 sittigai= 7 uminel
• 360 nel= 1 sevidu
• 5 sevidu= 1 aazhaakku
• 2 aazhaakku= 1 uzhakku
• 2 uzhakku= 1 uri
• 2 uri= 1 padi
• 8 padi= 1 marakkaal(kuRuNi)
• 2 marakkaal(kuRuNi)= 1 padhakku
• 2 padhakku= 1 thooNi
• 5 marakkaal= 1 paRai
• 80 paRai= 1 karisai
• 96 padi= 1 kalam
• 120 padi= 1 pothi(mootai)
• 21 marakkal = 1 Kottai

1 padi, = 1800 avarai pods = 12,800 miLagu seeds = 14,400 nel grains = 14,800 payaRu grains = 38,000 arisi grains = 115,200 sesame seeds

Fluid volume

• 5 sevidu= 1 aazhaakku
• 2 mahani = 1 aazhakku (arai kal padi)
• 2 aazhaakku= 1 uzhakku (Kal padi)
• 2 uzhakku= 1 uri (Arai padi)
• 2 uri= 1 padi
• 8 padi= 1 marakkaal
• 2 marakkaal(kuRuNi)= 1 padhakku
• 2 padhakku= 1 thooNi
• 21 Marakkal = 1 Kottai

Length

• 10 koaN= 1 nuNNaNu
• 10 nuNNaNU= 1 aNu(atom)
• 8 aNu= 1 kathirtthugaL
• 8 kathirtthugaL= 1 thusumbu
• 8 thusumbu= 1 mayirnuni
• 8 mayirnuni= 1 nuNmaNal
• 8 nuNmaNal= 1 siRu-kadugu
• 8 siRu-kadugu= 1 eL
• 8 eL= 1 nel
• 8 nel= 1 viral= 8^8 aNu(atom)= 1.9444 centimetre
• 12 viral= 1 saaN= 100 immi= 23.3333 centimetre
• 2 saaN= 1 muzham= 46.6666 centimetre
• 2 muzham= 1 kajam
• 4 muzham= 1 paagam
• 625 paagam= 1 kaadham= 5000 saaN= 1166.66 metres= 1.167 kilometre

Likeness (Saartthal)

Likeness has attributes of tone, sound, colour and shape for comparison of a given substance with a known standard.

Whole numbers

• 1= onRu
• 10= patthu
• 100= nooRu
• 1000= aayiram
• 10,000= pathaayiram
• 100,000= nooRaayiram
• 1000,000= meiyiram
• 10^9= thoLLunn
• 10^12= eegiyam
• 10^15= neLai
• 10^18= iLanji
• 10^20= veLLam
• 10^21= aambal

Sanskrit texts elaborate the following version:

* 1 = ONDRU -one
* 10 = PATHU -ten
* 100 = NOORU-hundred
* 1,000 = AAYIRAM-thousand
* 10,000 = PATHAAYIRAM -ten thousand
* 100,000 = LATCHAM-hundred thousand
* 1,000,000 = PATHU LATCHAM - one million
* 10,000,000 = KODI-ten million
* 100,000,000 = ARPUTHAM-hundred million
* 1,000,000,000 = NIGARPUTHAM- one billion
* 10,000,000,000 = KUMBAM-ten billion
* 100,000,000,000 = KANAM-hundred billion
* 1,000,000,000,000 = KARPAM-one trillion
* 10,000,000,000,000 = NIKARPAM -ten trillion
* 100,000,000,000,000 = PATHUMAM -hundred trillion
* 1,000,000,000,000,000 = SANGGAM -quadrillion
* 10,000,000,000,000,000 = VELLAM -ten quadrillion
* 100,000,000,000,000,000 = ANNIYAM -hundred quadrillion
* 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 = ARTTAM -quintillion
* 10,000,000,000,000,000,000 = PARARTTAM -ten quintillion
* 100,000,000,000,000,000,000 = POORIYAM -hundred quintillion
* 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 = MUKKODI -sextillion
* 10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 = MAHAYUGAM -ten sextillion

Fractions

• 1= onRu
• 3/4= mukkaal
• 1/2= arai
• 1/4= kaal
• 1/5= naalumaa
• 3/16= moonRu veesam
• 3/20= moonRumaa
• 1/8= araikkaal
• 1/10= irumaa
• 1/16= maakaaNi (veesam)
• 1/20= orumaa
• 3/64= mukkaal veesam
• 3/80= mukkaaN
• 1/32= araiveesam
• 1/40 araimaa
• 1/64= kaal veesam
• 1/80= kaaNi
• 3/320= araikkaaNi munthiri
• 1/160= araikkaaNi
• 1/320= munthiri
• 1/102,400= keezh munthiri
• 1/2,150,400= immi
• 1/23,654,400= mummi
• 1/165,580,800= aNu
• 1/1,490,227,200= kuNam
• 1/7,451,136,000= pantham
• 1/44,706,816,000= paagam
• 1/312,947,712,000= vintham
• 1/5,320,111,104,000= naagavintham
• 1/74,481,555,456,000= sinthai
• 1/1,489,631,109,120,000= kathirmunai
• 1/59,585,244,364,800,000= kuralvaLaippidi
• 1/3,575,114,661,888,000,000= veLLam
• 1/357,511,466,188,800,000,000= nuNNmaNl
• 1/2,323,824,530,227,200,000,000= thaertthugaL

Currency

• 1 pal (wooden discs/sea shellots)= (approximately) 0.9 grain
• 8 (or 10 base 8 ) paRkaL =1 senkaaNi (copper/bronze) = 7.2 grains(misinterpretted by Roman accounts as 10 base 10 paRkal =9 grains)
• 1/4 senkaaNi =1 kaalkaaNi (copper) =1.8 grains(misinterpretted by Roman accounts as 2.25 grains)
• 64 (or 100 base 8 ) paRkaL = 1 KaaNap-pon a.k.a. Kaasu panam(gold) = 57.6 grains
• 1 Roman dinarium was traded on par with 2 KaaNappon plus 1 SenkaaNi(=124 grains).
• 18 Ana = 2.5 Rupee, 16 Ana = 1 Rupee, 1 Ana = 3 Thuttu, 1/4 Ana = 3/4 (mukkal) thuttu