Know the Etymology: 97
Place Name of the Day: Wednesday, 12 July 2017

Mullēriyāva, Nēriya-kuḷam, Tuvaranēri

முல்லேரியாவ, நேரியகுளம், துவரநேரி
Mullēriyāva, Nēriya-kuḷam, Tuvaranēri

Mul+ēriyāva
Nēri+a+kuḷam
Tuvarai+nēri/ Tuvaraṉ+ēri

The main lake

The dammed tank or the tank of the dam

The tank in the locality of Tuvarai trees

Ēri	large tank, reservoir for irrigation, lake (Tamil, DED 901, Cilappatikāram, 13: 192, inscription, 691 CE, SII, i, 151); stakes to support banking work, bank (Malayalam, DED 901); a raised bank, the bank of a tank, a tank (Kannada, DED 901); the term is noticed in a Tamil Brahmi inscription, but it probably comes as a place name (c. 2nd century CE, ETE, 60); the tank meaning seems to have come from the high-rising dam; Ēr: (verb) to rise high, ascend (Tamil, Caṅkam diction, Akanāṉūṟu, 13: 22-23); Ēr-tarum: (verb) rising high, ascending as horizon (Tamil, Caṅkam diction, Kuṟuntokai, 287: 8; Naṟṟiṉai, 335: 1); Ērpu: (noun) ascent, elevation (Tamil, MTL, Piṅkalam, 7: 429), Ēri: hump on bull is another meaning; related to rising high (Tamil, Malayalam, DED 904); Ēriya-kańda: the pole placed by the hump of bullocks in pulling a cart; "Karattayē mẹdin idiriyaṭa neravā savi kaḷa viyagata bańdina dik līya" (Sinhala, Sorata)
Eriya1	also Ēriya: tank, lake, as in Eriyāva in Kurunegala district and Mullēriyāva (Sinhala place names). See box on Ēri
Eriya 2	descending, coming down, "Bẹsiya, Basinṭa" (Sinhala, Sorata); Iḻi: (verb) to descend, fall, drop down (Tamil, DED 502); Ēriyāva in Rambukkana, Kegalle district is a descending place
Nēri	a dam or tank, as deducible from toponymic usage (Eezham Tamil place names); note the parallel Nāṅku-nēri in southern Tamil Nadu; 1. Niyara: dike, dam (Sinhala, Clough); Nivar: (verb) to rise high (Tamil, DED 3730); Niva: (verb) to rise, be elevated (Tamil, DED 3730); Niviruka, Nīruka: (verb) to rise, stand erect (Malayalam, DED 2822, cognates of Ñimir/ Nimir in Tamil); 2. Tēri: sand-hill (Tamil, DED 3461, mostly southern Tamil Nadu usage); hillock, swelling on the ground (Malayalam, DED 3461)
Nēriya	reservoir, lake, as in Maha-nāṉṉēriya, Minnēriya etc (Sinhala, place names). See box on Nēri
Mul	(adjective) first, chief, primary, (Sinhala, Clough); "Pūrvaya" (Sinhala, Sorata); Mutal: first as in rank, place etc. (Tamil, DED 4950). See another column.
Tuvarai	a shrub or small tree found in Vaṉṉi, Dalbergia latifolia (Tamil, Winslow). See column 96

Ēri and Nēri are two terms that come in Eezham Tamil and Sinhala place names in the context of tanks or lakes.

Ēri is a term commonly used in Tamil to mean a large tank or lake. The usage is seen since post-Caṅkam times and it probably originated with the advent of the construction of high dams. Ēr as a verb in Tamil/ Dravidian means to rise high. A hump, as on a bull, is another meaning of the word Ēri in Tamil.

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Ēri meaning a large tank:

“வெள்ள நீர்ப் பண்ணையும் விரி நீர் ஏரியும்” (சிலப்பதிகாரம், 13: 192)

“Veḷḷa nīrp paṇṇaiyum viri nīr ēriyum” (Cilappatikāram, 13: 192)

The Paṇṇai type of pond having floodwater and the Ēri type of tank having an expanse of water


The verb Ēr meaning to rise high:

“கரும்பின் ஏர் கழை” (அகநானூறு, 13: 22-23)

“Karumpiṉ ēr kaḻai” (Akanāṉūṟu, 13: 22-23)

The straight-rising stem of sugarcane


"திங்களும் திகழ் வான் ஏர் தரும்" (நற்றிணை, 335: 1)

"Tiṅkaḷum tikaḻ vāṉ ēr tarum" (Naṟṟiṇai, 335: 1)

The moon also rises high on the bright sky

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In meaning a dam or tank in place names, the term Nēri seems to be related to Niyara in Sinhala meaning a dam. Niyara corresponds to the verbs Nivar in Tamil and Niviruka/ Nīruka in Malayalam meaning to rise or to stand erect. Like Ēr > Ēri, the tank meaning of the term Nēri also seems to have come from high-rising dam

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Mullēriyāva is a place as well as the name of a large lake or lagoon in Kolonnawa division of Colombo district.

Nēriya-kuḷam is in Venkalachcheddikuḷam division of Vavuniya district.

Tuvaranēri is a tank and place located near Ciṉṉap-pūvarasaṅkuḷam in Vavuniya North division of Vavuniya district (Padawiya MS). It is one of the villages noted in 1819-1839 British records (Aruna Selladurai, p. 114).

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Some related place names:

Vākanēri: Koralaippattu, Batticaloa. Vākai+nēri; Vākai: a tree, sirissa, Albizzia; fragrant sirissa, Albizzia odoratissima (Tamil, DED 5333)

Vākanērik-kuḷam: Koralaippattu, Batticaloa. See Vākanēri

Vaṉṉērik-kuḷam: Karaichchi, Kilinochchi. Vaṉ+nēri+kuḷam; Vaṉmai, Vanpu: strength, firmness (DED 5276)

Uḷuvanēri: Manthai East, Mullaiththeevu. 1. Uḷuva+nēri; Uluva: forest, see column 109; 2. Uḷuvai+nēri; Uḷuvai: a freshwater fish, white caboose, Ophicephalus punctalus (Tamil, Winslow); a brown freshwater fish, Gobius giuris (Tamil, DED 693)

Kaṭu-nēriya: Nattandiya, Puttalam. Kaṭu: probably, Kaṭṭu: dam

Minnēriya: Hingurakgoda, Polonnaruwa. This is a large reservoir. 1. Min+ēri; 2. Min+nēri; Min: fish (Sinhala); Mīṉ: fish (Tamil, DED 4885)

Ēriyāva: Rambukkana, Kegalle. Ēriyāva: Eriya: could mean a descending place in this context

Nēriyāva: Ganewatta, Kurunegala. 1. Nēri: dam, tank; 2. Nēri: a tree, Kẹpiṭiyā gasa, Croton, lacciferum (Sinhala, Sorata, Clough)

Eriyāva: Ehetuwewa, Kurunegala. The place has a reservoir.

Nānnēriya: Galgamuwa, Kurunegala. Nāna: to bathe, "Snānaya karaṇa" (Sinhala, Sorata)

Ihala Nānnēriya: Galgamuwa, Kurunegala. Ihala: front part. See Nānnēriya and Maha-nānnēriya

Maha-nānnēriya: Galgamuwa, Kurunegala. This is a lake. See Nānnēriya

Ginnēriya: Polgahawela, Kurunegala. 1. Bullock (Sinhala, Clough, Sorata); Goṇā: bullock (Clough); 2. A kind of plant or tree, "Gas vesesak" (Sinhala, Sorata); 3. Ginnēriya: = Gini-hiriya: a small plant, Chinoria myxa (Clough)

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Revised: Wednesday, 12 July 2017, 18:30

First published: Wednesday, 25 June 2008, 23:44