Dear Rajam,
do you happen to have a more detailed reference to the Porunarāṟṟuppaṭai 
passage?
Herman



Herman Tieken
Stationsweg 58
2515 BP Den Haag
The Netherlands
00 31 (0)70 2208127
website: hermantieken.com<http://hermantieken.com/>
________________________________
Van: Tieken, H.J.H. (Herman) <[email protected]>
Verzonden: dinsdag 4 januari 2022 09:33
Aan: rajam <[email protected]>
Onderwerp: Re: [INDOLOGY] Ears of the Buddha

Dear Rajam, do you happen to have a more detailed reference to the 
Porunarāṟṟuppaṭai passage?
Herman

Herman Tieken
Stationsweg 58
2515 BP Den Haag
The Netherlands
00 31 (0)70 2208127
website: hermantieken.com<http://hermantieken.com/>
________________________________
Van: INDOLOGY <[email protected]> namens rajam via INDOLOGY 
<[email protected]>
Verzonden: dinsdag 4 januari 2022 06:02
Aan: Asko Parpola <[email protected]>
CC: Indology List <[email protected]>
Onderwerp: Re: [INDOLOGY] Ears of the Buddha

Ear-piercing is an age-old tradition in South India and Sri Lanka, which is 
practiced even now.

Elongating ear lobes IS also a practice in some ethnic groups in South India. 
It is NOT for renunciation.

The earliest literary attestation we have is from porunarāRRuppadai 
(பொருநராற்றுப்படை) where a dancing woman (in a group of wandering bards) is 
described as having elongated ear lobes; her ears are compared to the handle of 
a scissors. I may not be using the right term, sorry.

So … I think it must have been a pan-indic practice to grow long ear lobes.

Regards,
rajam



On Dec 30, 2021, at 11:41 PM, Asko Parpola via INDOLOGY 
<[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:

A very rich collection of references to the ear is:

Bollée, Willem B., 2010. Remarks on the cultural history of the ear in India. 
Pp. 141-167 in: Balbir, Nalini (ed.) 2010. Svasti: Essays in honour of 
Professor Hampa Nagarajaiah for his 75th birthday. Bangalore: K. S. Muddappa 
Smaraka Trust.

On p. 145 Bollée discusses the form of the ear, starting with “Karṇa ‘Longear’ 
(?)” and “Vikarṇa ‘With widely extended ears’” … “Long ears are a positive mark 
of Mahāvīra (…); such people, however, are to be excluded from the sacrifice to 
the dead.” …

Best wishes for a Happy New Year 2022,

Asko Parpola


On 31. Dec 2021, at 8.32, Allen Thrasher via INDOLOGY 
<[email protected]<mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:

If the particular work of art shows a large piercing or rather a hole in the 
ear, it must intend to communicate that he used to have large and heavy 
earrings, which he renounced.  This does not necessarily mean that his ears 
were not also naturally pinayata.


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