Know the Etymology: 118
Place Name of the Day: Thursday, 01 January 2009

Uyirththa Raasan Ku'lam

உயிர்த்தராசன்குளம்
Uyirttarācaṉkuḷam

Uyirththa+raasan+ku'lam

The tank of Our Lord of the Resurrection

Uyirththal	Coming back to life; Raasan: King; Uyirththa-raasan: Our Lord of the Resurrection (a reference to Jesus Christ)
Ku'lam	Tank, lake, reservoir

The place name is an interesting example to look at the sociocultural trends in recent times in naming or renaming places.

Uyirththaraasan Ku'lam was known before as Oottuvaayan Ku'lam.

Oottu-vaayan-ku'lam means the tank of the sluice or the tank from which a spring of water flows. (Oottu: spring; Vaay: mouth)

The place name in colloquial usage became Ooththu-vaayan-ku'lam and subsequently Ooththai-vaayan-ku'lam.

In such a rendering it meant the 'tank of the foul-mouthed person' or the 'tank of the dirty-mouthed person' (Ooththai: dirt)

The place name therefore became a disgrace to the inhabitants, which was especially felt by the children of the village who went for schooling in the neighbouring villages and were ridiculed.

As the inhabitants of the place were largely Catholics, it was decided by the villagers and by the local church authorities to change the place name as Uyirththa-raasan-ku'lam, in the 1970s.

A statue of Our Lord of the Resurrection was also made and was kept at the roadside near the entrance to the village.

In the same way a neighbouring village became Neasa-raasan-ku'lam (the tank of Our Lord of Love).

A marked phenomenon of modern times reflected in the toponyms is the shift that has taken place in the theme of identity, determining human-living space relationship.

Environment is no more the predominant criterion determining identity.

Religion, politics and names of individual personalities have become more popular themes of spatial identity, replacing environment.

Another tendency to be noted in this toponym from Mannaar is the exclusive use of Tamil in Christianizing the place name.

Uyirththaraasan Ku'lam is a GS area in the Mannaar Town division of Mannaar district. (Information: Dr. A.S. Sosai)

First published: Thursday, 01 January 2009, 00:02