Know the Etymology: 84
Place Name of the Day: Saturday, 18 February 2017

Kottiyā-vattai, Kottā-vattai/ Koṟṟā-vattai, Mūtiyā-vattai, Toppiḷā-vattai, Ampaṭṭā-vattai

கொத்தியா-வத்தை,கொத்தா-வத்தை/கொற்றா-வத்தை, மூதியா-வத்தை, தொப்பிளா-வத்தை, அம்பட்டா-வத்தை
Kottiyā-vattai, Kottā-vattai/ Koṟṟā-vattai, Mūtiyā-vattai, Toppiḷā-vattai, Ampaṭṭā-vattai

Kotti+ā+vattai
Kottā+vattai/ Koṟṟā-vattai
Mūti+ā-vattai
Toppiḷā+vattai
Ampaṭṭā+vattai

The abode or locality of the deity Kotti (usually a wild place)

The thicket or locality of Kottāṉ/ Koṟṟāṉ creepers

The settlement of a person or people identified as Mūti

The settlement of a person or people identified as Toppiḷaṉ

The settlement of barbers

Vattai1	site, place, locality, abode, hamlet (Eezham Tamil, usage found only in place names especially in the Jaffna Peninsula, the meanings are deduced from toponymic usage, see related place names); Vatta: (singular), Vatu (plural and compound) site, place, land, "Vāstuva, Iḍama, Bhūmiya"; place where trees, plants etc. are cultivated, "Gasvẹl vẹvū iḍama"; residential place, "Vasana iḍama" (Sinhala, Sorata); garden, place of residence consisting of a garden or grove of coconut and other fruit trees (Sinhala, Clough); 1. Vatthu: site, ground, field (Pali, CDIAL 11606); Vāstu: the site or foundation of a house, site, ground, building or dwelling place, habitation, homestead, house (Sanskrit, Rig Vedic, M. Williams, CDIAL 11606); settlement, place having houses and associated lands (Tamil, inscriptions, 1196 CE, SII, v, 708; 1300 CE, SII, vii. 22); 2. Bat: (verb) to live in a place, to rear (Kolami, cognates in 15 Dravidian languages, DED 5372); Baduku: life, property (Kannada, DED 5372); related to Vāḻvu: living, residing, residence (Tamil, DED 5372); Vāḻ: (verb) to exist, live (Tamil, DED 5372); note the Ḻ/ D/ T changes; Ḻ/ Ṣ/ Y change is also a feature noticed in other examples; 3. Vayin: place (Tamil, DED 5549); residence, house (Tamil, Caṅkam diction, Perupāṇāṟṟuppaṭai, 132-133); Vaippu: (noun) place, land, earth, world (Tamil, DED 5549); village (Tamil, Caṅkam diction, Akanāṉūṟu, 126: 13); Vaiku: (verb) to stay, reside (Tamil, DED 5554, Naṟṟiṇai, 9: 4); Vai: (verb) to put, place, seat, lay by, (Tamil, cognates in 13 Dravidian languages, DED 5549); Ai/ At change is commonly noticed in southern South Asian languages; 4. Vati: (verb) to dwell, abide, to stay in a place such as a grove, (noun) lair, nest (Tamil, DED 5246, Caṅkam diction, Patiṟṟuppattu, 48: 15). See column 61 on Vatta in Sinhala
Vattai2	thicket, uncultivated ground found with bushes, scrub etc., an inferior settlement of lower echelons of society usually located on an unproductive land (Eezham Tamil, usage found only in place names especially in the Jaffna Peninsula, the meanings are deduced from toponymic usage, see related place names); Pattai, Paṟṟai: cluster, thicket, bushes, low shrubbery, underwood (Tamil, MTL, usage mostly noticed in Eezham Tamil, related to the root Paṟṟu: to grasp, adhere, DED 4034). See Vatta 2 in column 61
Kotti	also Kottiyāḷ, Kotti-āttai: a goddess in folk believes, supposed to be residing in the wilds or thickets and is associated with childbirth rituals (Eezham Tamil, Professor K. Kanapathippillai); Kottip-pēy: a goddess or female spirit in folk believes, cited by mothers to scare naughty children (Eezham Tamil); Koṟṟiyār: Goddess of Parturition, Goddess of Childbirth (Tamil, MTL cites Jaffna Dictionary); Koṟṟi: literally meaning the female sovereign or the Regina; mother goddess residing in the forests and presiding over the forest tract of land, the queen of the forests attended by all spirits (Tamil, Caṅkam diction, Kalittokai, 89: 8); a feminine personal name probably coming from the goddess name (Tamil Brahmi inscription, ETE, 66, Mahadevan 2003); Koṟṟavi: queen (Tamil, DED 2169); Koṟṟavai: Koṟṟa+avvai: the ruling mother or the sovereign mother, goddess of war and victory (Tamil, DED 2169, DED 2169+273); Koṟṟam: sovereignty, power, victory (Tamil, DED 2169, Puṟanāṉūṟu, 338: 8; Akanāṉūṟu, 199: 21)
Kottā	from Kottāṉ, Koṟṟāṉ: a parasitic leafless plant, a leafless creeper that grows as entwining bunches and completely covers any host plant, walls etc., Cassytha filiformis (Tamil, MTL, Tivākaram, 4: 149; Piṅkalam, 9: 251); from Kottu: bunch, cluster (Tamil, DED 2092); Kaṟṟai: collection (Tamil, DED 1400); the varieties of Kottāṉ are also called, Uḻiñai, Narantai, Nūḻil: (Tamil, MTL, DED 689, DED 3604, Piṅkalam, 9: 281,); Koṭik-kottāṉ: equated to Kottāṉ, Cassytha filiformis (Tamil, MTL); equated to Nūḻil (Tamil, Piṅkalam, 9: 281); the juice of which is used to thicken buttermilk (Tamil, Winslow); Muṭak-kottāṉ: also called Uḻiñai in Caṅkam Tamil, the variety of Kottāṉ given to cattle to increase milk, Cardiospermum halicacabum (Tamil, MTL, DED 685); Erumaik-kottāṉ: Cassytha filiformis (Tamil, MTL); Pacuṅ-kottāṉ: Cassytha filiformis: (Tamil, MTL); Uḻiñai, Koṟṟa-uḻiñai: a Caṅkam poetic theme in which a fort wall is besieged (Tamil, Tolkāppiyam, 20: 8; Puṟapporuḷ-veṇpāmālai, 6); the poetic theme seems to have taken up the plant name because of its besieging attribute; Kottā: Vẹl-penela, Penela-vẹl, Cardiospermum halicacabum, the botanical term of Muṭak-kottāṉ in Tamil (Sinhala, Sorata, Clough)
Mūti	a term referring to or addressing to a member of the Paṟaiyar community (Tamil, Tirunelveli, Putumaippittaṉ short stories); Mūppaṉ: headman in some castes (Tamil, DED 4954); a chief of the Paṟaiyar community (Eezham Tamil); Mūtil: ancient clan of people (Tamil, Naṟṟiṇai, 367: 6; Mutu+il); ancient worrier clan (Tamil, Puṟanāṉūṟu, 19: 15; 289: 5); Mutuvaṉ: a hill tribe (Tamil, MTL); Mutu: old, ancient (Tamil, DED 4954); Mudiyansē: Mudali (Sinhala, Sorata); chief native revenue officer of a Kōralē (Sinhala, Clough); Mudiyanselage: used in the title of the Veddas (Sinhala)
Toppiḷāṉ	probably meaning an insignificant person? Or a person of an inferior service community; Topḷāṉ: comes as a name or term used by a landlord to call or refer to his cart driver and servant of odd jobs (Tamil, Tirunelveli, Putumaippittan short stories, Nācakārakkumpal); 1. Toppuḷāṉ: one having a prominent navel (Tamil, MTL, from Toppuḷ, Pokkuḷ: navel, DED 4460); Fūḷu: umbilical code (Dhivehi/ Maldivian); Fuḷu: an ordinary person (Dhivehi, Maldivian); 2. Toppai: the central portion of the head of a drum
Ampaṭṭaṉ	barber (Tamil, MTL); physician, surgeon (Tamil, inscriptions, 1014 CE, SII, ii, 66). Note the Tamil usages Maruttuvar and Paṇṭitar for a barber as well as a physician
Ā1	genitive case affix, not attested in literary Tamil but noticed in Tamil Brahmi inscriptions and in old Kannada (Tamil Brahmi Inscriptions, 23, 65, 66, ETE, Mahadevan, 2003, p. 290, 599); 'A' is the form of genitive case affix attested by literary Tamil and more frequently found in Tamil Brahmi inscriptions. This is the common form in Kannada but became obsolete in later Tamil. Ā is the form older than 'A' in Kannada (Mahadevan, ibid.)
Ā2	adjectival suffix noticed in old Tamil (Tamil Brahmi inscriptions, 61, 62, Mahadevan, ibid.)

Vattai is mostly a locality name suffix, noticed in Eezham Tamil place names, especially in the Jaffna Peninsula.

In the shade of toponymic meaning the word is not found in current Eezham Tamil usage or in the Tamil usage of Tamil Nadu. It has to be taken as a survival of an earlier linguistic strain in Jaffna and meanings have to be deduced from the context of the place names.

Sinhala has the cognate Vatta/ Vatu, to mean a place, residential place or a garden/plantation. The toponymic use of the word dates back to inscriptions of early medieval times when Eḷu/ Heḷa or Sinhala has evolved into an identifiable language.

A careful comparison of the Vatta-related Sinhala place names with the Vattai-related Eezham Tami place names would show affinities as well as considerable differences in usage.

In the toponymic examples noticed in Jaffna, Vattai is mostly an inferior and unproductive ground. In meaning a residential place, the examples would show that Vattai mostly stands for a humble hamlet of lower echelons of the society. Unrelated to the residential meaning, Vattai also means a thicket, low bush etc., corresponding to Pattai/ Paṟṟai meaning a thicket in common Eezham Tamil usage.

Compare the Vatta-related Sinhala place names listed under column 61 with the Vattai place-names given in this column. The differences may be due to the presence of more than one etymon, the use of the etymon/etyma in different ways by Sinhala and Eezham Tamil or may be because the current usage in Sinhala has changed from the surviving usage in Eezham Tamil.

Coming to etymology, in meaning a site, ground or residential place, Vatta/ Vatu in Sinhala and Vattai in Eezham Tamil, may be cognates of Vāstu in Sanskrit and Vatthu in Pali. The direct use of Vāstu noticed in post-12th century Tamil inscriptions may strengthen the case for the use of the Pali/ Prakrit cognate earlier.

But, there are also close parallels, verb forms and early usage examples in Dravidian languages. They cannot be ignored, as a pre-IA substratum was common to both Sinhala and Eezham Tamil.

Note the verb roots Vai (which could become Vat), and Vati in old Tamil, their noun forms Vayin, Vati etc., and the Kolomi verb Bat - all could be related to Vatta and Vattai in the said shade of meaning.

In meaning garden/ plantation in Sinhala and thicket in Eezham Tamil there could be another etymon or two different etyma.

Like Vil and Kāmam, the prefixes of Vattai-related place names in Jaffna also retain some old linguistic features.

* * *

Vayin meaning house or place:

"வயின் தொறும் பெறுகுவீர்" (பெரும்பாணாற்றுப்படை, 132-133)

"Vayiṉ toṟum peṟukuvīr" (Perumpāṇāṟṟuppaṭai, 132-133)

You will get it in every house or household (in this context, a humble hut or a collection of huts of a hunting tribe)


Vaittu from the verb Vai (DED 5549), meaning to stay or reside:

"மணிபல்லவத்திடை வைத்தேன்" (மணிமேகலைi, 7: 22-23)

"Maṇipallavattiṭai vaitteṉ" (Maṇimēkalai, 7: 22-23)

I made her to stay or reside in Maṇipallavam


Vaippu meaning village:

"பயன் கெழு வைப்பு" (அகநானூறு, 126: 13)

"Payaṉ keḻu vaippu" (Akanāṉūṟu, 126: 13)

The village abounding with produce


Vati as verb (DED 5246) meaning to reside:

“பொழில் வதி பேர் எழில் வாழ்க்கை” (பதிற்றுப்பத்து, 48: 15)

The grand beautiful life of residing in a grove during summer


Vati as noun meaning abode:

“மா வதி சேர” (கலித்தொகை, 119:11)

"Mā vati cēra" (Kalittokai, 119: 11)

As animals return to their abode (in the evening)

* * *

Usage of Vāstu in Tamil inscriptions meaning a small settlement:

"வாஸ்துவும் வாஸ்துமரிவாரமும் குளமும் கோப்பிரசார பூமியுமாக" (Tamil inscription, 1196 CE, SII, v, 708)

"Vāstuvum vāstumarivāramum kuḷamum kōppiracāra pūmiyumāka" (Tamil inscription, 1196 CE, SII, v, 708)

The collection of houses, surrounding lands, tank and the grazing land for cows


"தங்கள் குடியிருப்பு நத்தமான வாஸ்துவும் வாஸ்து ஸே₂ஷமும்" (Tamil inscription, c. 1300 CE, SII, vii, 22)

"Taṅkaḷ kuṭiyiruppu nattamāṉa vāstuvum vāstu śēṣamum" (Tamil inscription, c. 1300 CE, SII, vii, 22)

Their settlement hamlet called Vāstu and the surrounding lands

* * *

Kotti means the goddess of childbirth in the folk culture of Eezham Tamils. She is also called Kottiyāḷ (Āḷ: feminine affix) and Kotti-āttai (Āttai: mother) in Eezham Tamil usages. She resides in the jungles but comes to houses to preside over the whole process of a confinement. Associated with childbirth, traditional midwives propitiated the deity in the past and it is common to see wild sites assigned for the ritual of Kotti still retaining the identity in many locality names.

Kotti obviously corresponds to Koṟṟi, widely referred to in Caṅkam Tamil literature as the great mother goddess presiding over the forest tract of land (Kāṭu-kiḻaḻ). Koṟṟi literally means 'The Regina'. Koṟṟaṉ is the masculine form. Koṟṟam means sovereignty, power and victory. The words are listed as Tamil/ Dravidian (DED 2169). Koṟṟi or Koṟṟavai (Koṟṟa-avvai: the sovereign mother) was syncretised with Kāḷi and Durga, but it is interesting to see some of the early concepts of Koṟṟi surviving in the folk traditions of Eezham Tamils.

See notes at the end of the column for further details.

* * *

Koṟṟi as presiding goddess of the forest tract:

"பெருங் காட்டுக் கொற்றிக்குப் பேய் நொடித்தாங்கு" (கலித்தொகை, 89: 8)

"Peruṅ kāṭṭuk koṟṟikkup pēy noṭittāṅku" (Kalittokai, 89: 8)

As the (naughty attendant) devil trying to tell fake stories to the (all knowing) mother goddess of the great forest [what the sulking wife told her deceiving husband]

* * *

Kottāṉ is a conspicuous creeper often found in arid scrubland. It is leafless, grows in thick entwining clusters and would completely cover any hosting shrub, wall etc. It was also called Uḻiñai, Narantai and Nūḻil in old Tamil, and because of its attributes the poetic theme of besieging a fort wall was also called Uḻiñai in Cañkam poetry.

Kottān has varieties and all of them are useful as fodder and medicine. One variety, called Muṭak-kottāṉ in Tamil, is called Kottā in Sinhala too (Sorata). The name Kottāṉ comes from Kottu meaning bunch or cluster in Tamil/ Dravidian (DED 2092).

* * *

Tamil Nadu literature of the last century shows that the term Mūti was used to address or refer to a person of the lowest echelons of the caste hierarchy. Often the term was used in the context of the Paraiyar community. There is a strong probability that the term might have originally meant a person coming from castes, clans and tribes that are considered ancient. Note such usages, Mūtil in Caṅkam literature, Mutuvaṉ for a hill tribe in Tamil Nadu, Mūppaṉ for a member or chief of the Paraiyar community in Eezham Tamil and Mudiyanselage taken up as a title by the Veddas in the island. The root Mutu, meaning old, ancient, senior etc., is listed as Dravidian (DED 4954).

The locality name Mūtiyā-vattai comes from Kaitaṭi, which was a major centre of the Paraiyar community in the Jaffna Peninsula.

* * *

The meaning and etymology of the word Toppiḷāṉ, as in the place name Toppiḷā-vattai, is uncertain. In a usage example seen in Putumaippittaṉ's short stories the term comes as the name of a person driving cart and doing odd jobs for a landlord. See box.

* * *

Ampaṭṭan commonly means a barber in current Tamil usage, but the word was meaning a physician in the old times. The term might have come from the practice of surgery. Note that the terms Maruttuvaṉ and Paṇṭitaṉ meaning a physician were also terms for a barber in Tamil usages.

Ampaṭṭaṉ meaning physician in old usages:

"மூன்றும் அம்பட்டன் கோன் சடங்கவியான ராஜராஜ ப்ரயோக₃ தரையனுக்குப் பங்கு" (Tamil inscription, 1014 CE, SII, ii, 66)

"Mūṉṟum Ampaṭṭaṉ Kōṉ Caṭaṅkaviyāṉa Rājarāja Prayōgataraiyaṉukkup paṅku" (Tamil inscription, 1014 CE, SII, ii, 66)

These three are shares of Rājarāja Prayōgataraiyaṉ [the title means a physician or surgeon], alias Ampaṭṭaṉ Kōn Caṭaṅkavi

* * *

The Ā ending noticed in all the place names taken for discussion is a noteworthy linguistic feature. It comes as a genitive case ending or as an adjectival affix.

Ā as genitive case affix doesn't have literary attestation in Tamil but it is noticed in the Tamil Brahmi inscriptions. 'A' having literary attestation in old Tamil as a genitive case ending is more commonly noticed in Tamil Brahmi inscriptions. It became obsolete later and Atu became the standard one. 'A' is the common genitive case affix in Kannada, but the use of Ā precedes it as observed in old Kannada inscriptions (Mahadevan 2003).

For the adjectival use of Ā also example could be seen in Tamil Brahmi inscriptions.

* * *

Ā as genitive case affix in Tamil Brahmi inscriptions:

"நல்லி[ய்] ஊர் ஆ பிடந்தை மகள் கீரன் கொற்றி" (Tamil Brahmi inscription, ETE, 66, Mahadevan 2003)

"Nalli[y] ūr ā Piṭantai makaḷ Kīraṉ Koṟṟi" (Tamil Brahmi inscription, ETE, 66, Mahadevan 2003)

Kīraṉ Koṟṟi the daughter of Piṭantai [Piṭṭantai] of the village Nalli (also note the feminine name component Koṟṟi)


Ā as adjectival suffix in Tamil Brahmi inscriptions:

"மூதா அமண்ணன்" (Tamil Brahmi inscription, ETE, 61, Mahadevan, ibid.)

"Mūtā amaṇṇaṉ" (Tamil Brahmi inscription, ETE, 61, Mahadevan, ibid.)

(Mutu+ā+amaṇṇaṉ) the senior Jaina monk

* * *

Kottiyā-vattai comes as a locality name in Cuṇṇākam in Valikamam South division of Jaffna district; Kokkuvil in Nalloor division of Jaffna district and in Kantarōṭai in Valikamam South division of Jaffna district. (Balasundaram, p. 197, p. 105,

Kottā-vattai or Koṟṟā-vattai is a locality in Karaṇavāy North of Vadamaratchi Southwest division of Jaffna district. There is one more Kottā-vattai in Kokkuvil, in Nalloor division of Jaffna district. (Noted as Koṟṟā-vattai in Balasundaram, p. 105, 187)

Mūtiyā-vattai is a locality in Kaitaṭi in Themaratchi division of Jaffna district.

Toppiḷā-vattai is a locality in Pulōli in Vadamaratchi division of Jaffna district. (Balasundaran, p. 193)

Ampaṭṭā-vattai is a locality in Aḷaveṭṭi in Valikamam North division of Jaffna district

* * *

Some related place names:

Vattai: As most of the Vattai-related toponyms are locality names they are not found in maps or in official records. The toponyms listed in this column largely comes from Īḻattu Iṭappeyar Āyvu, by E. Balasundaram (2002) and from personal observations.

Cūṟā-vattai: also Cūrā-vattai: Cuṇṇākam, Valikamam South, Jaffna. Cūṟā: probably Cūrai: a common thorny shrub found in Jaffna, Zizyphus oenoplia (Tamil, DED 2730); or Cūraṉ: a personal name

Cittā-vattai: Valikamam South, Jaffna

Cāttā-vattai: Kantarōṭai, Valikamam South, Jaffna. Cāttā: the deity Aiyaṉār

Pattā-vattai: Iḷavālai, Valikamam North, Jaffna

Val-vattai: Tuṉṉālai, Vadamaratchi Northeast, Jaffna. Val: jungle (Sinhala); Vallai: jungle (Tamil)

Vātara-vattai: Puttūr, Valikamam East, Jaffna.

Mal-vattai: Puttūr, Valikamam East, Jaffna; Valveṭṭi, Vadamaratchi Southwest, Jaffna; Polikaṇṭi, Vadamaratchi Northeast, Jaffna. See Mal-vatta in Sinhala

Kaṭṭiya-vattai: Puttūr, Valikamam South, Jaffna. Kaṭṭi: enclosure (Tamil); also a group of bonded labourers, as in Kottuk-kaṭṭi in Karainagar

Koṅka-vattai: Puttūr, Valikamam south, Jaffna

Paḻa-vattai: Valveṭṭi, Vadamaratchi Southwest, Jaffna. Paḻa: (adjective) fruit, old (Tamil)

Paṟṟiya-vattai: Valveṭṭi, Vadamaratchi Southwest, Jaffna. Paṟṟi: Paṭṭi?

Vaṭuvā-vattai: Pulōli, Vadamaratchi Southwest, Jaffna. Vaṭuvā: people of the Telugu country; from Vaṭukar (Tamil, DED 5218); from Vaṭa: north (Tamil, DED 5218)

Kuḷakkōṭṭa-vattai: Pulōli, Vadamaratchi Southwest, Jaffna. Kuḷakkōṭṭaṉ: a king identified with the Trincomalee temple and the construction of many tanks in the north and east. Kuḷak-kōṭu: tank bund (Tamil, DED 1828+2200)

Kaḷappirā-vattai: Pulōli, Vadamaratchi Southwest, Jaffna

Nayinā-vattai: Tumpaḷai, Vadamaratchi Northeast, Jaffna. Nayiṉār: a lord, as addressed or referred to by people of the lower sections (Tamil)

Cāttiyō-vattai: Alvāy, Vadamaratchi Southwest, Jaffna. Probably, Cāttu: camp or market ground of caravan traders (Tamil as well as Sinhala); "Tavalama" (Sorata); Cāttu: company of traders, caravan traders (Tamil, Caṅkam diction, Kuṟuntokai, 390: 3); Sārtha: caravan, troop, company (Sanskrit, CDIAL 13364); Sattha: caravan (Pali, Prakrit, CDIAL 13354); Cār: (verb) be associated or connected with (Tamil, DED 2460); Cārttu: (verb) to join, unite (Tamil, DED 2460)

Iṅkiliyō-vattai: Alvāy, Vadamaratchi Southwest, Jaffna. Iṅkiliyō: English?

Cakkaḷā-vattai: Naviṇṭil, Vadamaratchi Southwest, Jaffna (V. Almanac). Cakkaḷai: seems to be meaning mud. See Cakkaḷā-ōṭai.

Vaṭṭu-vattai: Vadamaratchi Southwest, Jaffna. Vaṭṭai: paddy field

Vaṭṭā-vattai: Vadamaratchi Northeast, Jaffna. Vaṭṭai: paddy field

Kuppiḻā-vattai: Kōppāy, Valikamam East, Jaffna. Kuppiḻā: Kuppuḻai: a creeping plant, Vernonia zeylanica (Tamil, MTL)

Yā-vattai: Kōppāy, Valikamam East, Jaffna. Yā: 1. a tree, Hardwickia binata (Tamil, DED 5150); 2. neighbourhood, "Samīpa" (Sinhala, Sorata); Yā: (verb) to bind, be inseparable from (Tamil, DED 5149); 3. Yāya: open champaign country (Sinhala, Clough); Āyvu: width, breadth (Tamil, DED 366); Viyal, Viyan, Viyam: extensiveness, vastness (Tamil, DED 5404); Viyal-uḷ: wide, open space (Tamil, DED 5404)

Alliya-vattai: Kōppāy, Valikamam East, Jaffna. Note Alliya-vatta in Dompe, Gampaha

Tampuḷāṉ-vattai: Iṇuvil, Valikamam South, Jaffna. Tampuḷāṉ?: Taṅkalān: a section of Paṟaiyar community (K. Veluppillai, p. 116)

Cōḻā-vattai: Vēlaṇai, Kayts, Jaffna

Kirā-vattai: Karainagar, Jaffna. Kirā, Kirāy, Kiṟāy: rugged grassland (Tamil, inscriptions, 953 CE, SII, vii, 651)

Cūḷā-vattai: Māviṭṭapuram, Valikamam North, Jaffna, Cūḻā: 1 Cōḻa?; 2. Cūla: small "Sulu" (Sorata); 3. Cūḷai: potter's kiln (Tamil, DED 2709)

Vīrā-vattai: Tolpuram, Valikamam West, Jaffna. Vīrā: 1. Vīraṉ: a personal name (Tamil); 2. Vīrai: a tree (Tamil, Sinhala)

Koṭṭiyā-vattai: Tolpuram, Valikamam West, Jaffna. Note Koṭṭiyā-vatta in Ingiriya, Kalutara. Koṭi/ Koṭṭi: enclosure

Kaliyā-vattai: Valikamam West, Jaffna. Kaliyā: probably a personal name, Kaliyaṉ

Naliyā-vattai: Valikamam West, Jaffna

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Kotti:


Kotti-āttai-mūlai: Tirunelvēli, Nalloor, Jaffna (former YMHA grounds adjacent to Paṇikka-vaḷavu, which has become part of Jaffna University grounds now); Kotti-āttai-mūlai or Kotti-mūlai is found in many places in Jaffna

Kottiyālaṭi: Kotti-āl-aṭi: The locality of the banyan tree where Kotti dwells; Tellippaḻai, Valikamam North, Jaffna (the present location of the Tellippaḻai hospital. The hospital was transferred from KKS to this place in the 1960s). Āl: banyan tree

Kottammai: Kōppāy, Valikamam East, Jaffna

Kottiyā-kumpaṉ: Karaithuraippattu, Mullaiththeevu. Kompaṉ: 1. heap, mound; 2. jungle, thicket (DED 1733, 1741)

Kottiyā-pulai: Manmunai West, Batticaloa

Koṟṟāṇṭāṉ: Iyakkacci, Pachchilaippalli, Kilinochhi (V. Almanac). See Koṟṟāṇṭār-kuḷam.

Koṟṟāṇṭār-kuḷam: Iyakkacci, Pachchilaippalli, Kilinochchi (One Inch Sheet). Koṟṟa-āṇṭār-kuḷam. This may be a reference to a male deity or a lord. But note the use of the word Koṟṟam.

Koṟṟaiyūr: Koṟṟai-ūr: Karaṇavāy North, Vadamaratchi Southwest, Jaffna (Balasundaram, p. 223)

Kotti-kiḻavaṉ-kōyil: Tolpuram, Valikamam West, Jaffna. This is a folk temple noted in the paddy fields of this place in the early 1980s. Kotti-kiḻavaṉ, literally meaning the husband of Kotti, stands for Siva. Koṟṟavai-ciṟuvaṉ, literally meaning the child of Koṟṟavai is a term used for Murukaṉ.

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Kottāṉ:


Kottāṉ-tīvu: Munthal, Puttalam

Kottaṉ-kalaṭṭi: Valveṭṭi, Vadamaratchi Southwest, Jaffna

Kotta-vaḷavu: Tampālai, Valikamam East, Jaffna

Kottai-tuṟai: Arāli, Valikamam West, Jaffna

Kottana-vatta: Rambukkana, Kegalle

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Mūti:


Mūtiya-kuḷam: Maruthankeni, Jaffna (One Inch Sheet)

Mūppaṉ-kuḷam: Naṭṭāṅkaṇṭal, Mannar (One Inch Sheet)

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Notes:

The following description of the Kotti ritual is based on an essay in Tamil by Prof K. Kanapathippillai, published in Īḻattu Vāḻvum Vaḷamum:

In the past, when there was no institution called maternity hospital, children were born at home, usually in the kitchen, which was a separate component in a traditional Jaffna household.

Kotti was the presiding as well as the protecting deity for the entire process of confinement. The traditional midwife, who was usually an elderly lady, was considered an embodiment of Kotti.

Counting from the day of birth, on the 5th day or on a subsequent odd day, depending on the health of the mother and child, a send off ceremony used to be arranged for Kotti. It took place at dusk.

Special dishes, including fried fish were made for this purpose. The midwife would spread them in the kitchen on winnows. Thereafter, she would light a torch made of the outer cover of coconut flower and would show it around the mother and child, chanting repeatedly, ‘mother and child are healthy' (Tāyum piḷḷaiyum cukam cukam), as though announcing it to Kotti.

She would now usher Kotti to leave the house by showing the torch in the nooks and corners of the kitchen, saying ‘don't stay back in the hedges and bushes' (Cettaikka pattaikka nillātai Kottiyāttai).

The food used to be taken by the midwife. It was believed that Kotti, who came with the confinement, would now leave with the midwife, after chasing away evil spirits.

In another interpretation, Kotti herself was a possessing spirit. The midwife would take all the mat, mattresses, pillows, dress etc. of confinement along with little of all the food offerings in an old basket to a suitable, lonely stretch of land. There she would throw the mat etc., keep the food offering and extinguish the torch by rubbing it on the earth.

The belief was that Kotti would come back and take the child if the torch was not extinguished. Thereafter the midwife will take her part of the food offering to her house. Any person accompanied her to leave her at home should wash his/ her face and feet before entering his/ her house.

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The traditional midwifes became unheard of, in the second half of 20th century and with the disappearance of their social function Kotti also disappeared.

But the name Kotti survives in the folklore, mostly to scare naughty children. The mothers would say that naughty children would be handed over to Kottip-pēy. Kotti is also cited to prevent children going near fences, saying that she would be standing there.

There are no temples or images for Kotti.

Another deity, sometimes associated with midwifes, is Pēycci or Pētti. Both the names are short forms of Pēr-āycci and Pēr-āttai meaning the Great Mother. In this form the goddess has many folk temples, which have been Sanskritized in recent times.

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Revised: Saturday, 18 February 2017, 16:09

First published: Friday, 14 March 2008, 13:43