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Nov 5 15 tweets 9 min read
What did people eat during the Rajaraja Chola times?
What were their favorite snack?
Did they consume meat? Did they drink alcohol in celebration?

A thread!

Warning: Reading this thread could trigger the foodie in you!

#PonniyinSelvan1
Kalki has documented some (not ALL) of the Chola's eating habits.
Mostly through Vandhiyadhevan!

Vanthiyathevan is the hero we always wanted: he flirts well, sleeps better, and eats like a king!

He relishes the good food served by Sendhan Amudhan's mom.
He Starts with Idiyappam and Coconut Milk, a combination straight from heaven.

Then moves on to Puliyodarai, and Corn Flour Paniyaaram.

Finishes off with curd rice.

Sumptous!
Ponniyin Selvan &Poonguzhali eat the fiber rich Varagu Rice (Kodo Millet) as cooked by the mute queen Mandakini.

What about snacks?

Some of Chola snacks: Roasted peanuts with a sprinkling of fresh coconut, millet & jaggery toffee made with sea water, or spiced guava and jamun
Food had moved beyond sustenance & had become a luxury for Cholas.

Records show they cultivated paddy, sugarcane, banana, brinjal, black gram, cow peas (‘karamani’) & spinach.

The phrase "Chozha Naadu Soru Udaithu" shows how fertile the land was, and droughts were unheard of.
Their food was bereft of the current day masala.

It was healthy - with a good mix of protein, carbs, fat and vitamins.

They included ghee- good fat, as part of their food and ate all their veggies.

Some natural fruit sugar was fine too - banana, jackfruit and sugarcane.
They relished their time preparing food. Avarai beans, cooked in tamarind gravy & served with bamboo shoot curry, is a time-consuming dish to prepare.

This dish was prized for its flavour & health benefits, & the texture, once soaked &cooked, had a rich, melt-in-the-mouth feel.
Due to abundance of sugarcanes, they savored sugar -in the form of akkara adisal (Sugar Pongal).

Their favorite snack seems to be Adhirasam, a sweet delicacy.

Fermented foods like Dosas, Appam, were regular foods too.

Post food, they had the habit of chewing Betel leaves.
Of course, they did consume meat as well.

From fish fry to Tortoise/Rabbit To Roasted Peppery Goat, it was a feast.

Historians say non-vegetarian food such as ‘kari choru’ (rice & meat cooked together) was common.
Offering ‘chatti choru’ (pot rice) is still in practice in TN.
Both men and women seemed consumed alcohol - as a celebration.
But they were well aware of the ill effects of alcohol.

Go back 1000 years, and one could see the then TASMACs displaying warning boards in entrance: "Bali Aaveer!" (You'd d!ë)

This is documented in Pattinapaalai:
All in all, during peace times, the Cholas savored good food, dressed up, drank alcohol, sung and danced, paid 16.66% tax, prayed to god, celebrated their king and lived with responsibility.

Live and Let Live.

A lesson 21st century could learn from history.

#Cholas #TamilNadu
If you liked this thread, please follow @labstamil for more such content.

Tag your fellow foodie friends and let them know.

RT The first tweet in the thread:
Sources:
1. Rajaraja Chozhan by Kannan: amzn.to/3UpvIq3
2. Indian Food, a historical companion: amzn.to/3sYVYvA
@krishashok @kbalakumar you might be interested in this thread on Chola period foods!

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More from @labstamil

Nov 4
#PonniyanSelvan1 is now on Prime.
Reading this spoiler-free thread could make you appreciate the film better!

What is the central conflict in Ponniyin Selvan? Is it interesting? What is the time period?

All of these are established in the 4th chapter itself, so gear up!
At its core- the story theme is the same as Mahabharatha, Baahubali & Game of thrones, if you will.

One king is retiring. Who is going to become the next king?

The fight is for the Chola throne. The period is 968 AD according to Kalki.

Also, according to history!
A quick history lesson:
Parantaka-1 has 3 sons - the elder son died early in a war.
The middle son Gandaraditya became the next king. His son Madhurantaka was 1 year old when he dies.
So, Gandaraditya asks his younger brother Arinjaya to succeed him.

Fate played a game here!
Read 8 tweets
Oct 30
Today is #KandhaSashti – the Soorasamharam day when Lord Muruga slays Soora Padman.

It happened at #Tiruchendur , a Padai Veedu, battle camp.

Did you know that Tiruchendur was also a battle camp for the Dutch in 1649 who stolë the temple idols?
(A thread)
Aganaanooru, Puranaanooru, Silapadhikaram mention Tiruchendur.

Since Muruga won over Sooran here & did Jayanthi Abishekam, this town was called Jayanthi.

Jayanthi became Sendhi & Sendhi became Thiru-Sendhoor overtime.

Why did this town become a center of conflict b/w invaders?
Because of its location.

It was just 9km south of Kaayalpatnam, where Dutch had opened their factory in 1645.

However, Portuguese who were a force to reckon in the 17th century, captured Kayalpatnam and forcibly departing the Dutch to Ceylon by 1648.
Read 17 tweets
Oct 29
Ponniyin Selvan route map - Book-5, part 1

Come, let us travel along Ponniyin Selvan & Periya Pazhuvettarayar to retrace their path in current day Tamilnadu.
With google map links!

This is the part which features the 1st de@th of a major character in the novel!

Let's go!
Nandini sends off her husband Periya Pazhuvettarar from Kadambur to Thanjavur;

So that she can implement her revënge plan on Chola dynasty in peace!

He crosses Kollidam river, but due to the raging cyclone, his boat falls in the river.
Everyone thinks the old man ded.

BUT,
The aging warrior still had a few tricks up his sleeve.
He swims to reach the shore on his own.

Alone & out of Nandini's influence, he is able to think clearly.
He walks to Thiruvijayamangai temple and sits near the Durga shrine to pray.

To give him strength to face the truth!
Read 20 tweets

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