Know the Etymology: 174
Place Name of the Day: Thursday, 25 May 2017

Pokkaiya-kuḷam, Gal-bokka

பொக்கையகுளம், க₃ல்பொ₃க்க
Pokkaiya-kuḷam, Gal-bokka

Pokkai+a+kuḷam
Gal+bokka

The pond or tank in the hollow ground

The rocky creek

Bokka	(singular), Boku: (plural) creek, gulf (Sinhala, Clough); Boku: (adjective) oval, hollow (Sinhala, Clough); also (noun) anything concave below, "Mẹdin yaṭaṭa nerệ deya"; corner, Gēmulla; secluded place, "Vijana sthānaya"; cove, bay, gulf etc., "Muhudin goḍabima kā geṇa giya koṭasa" (Sinhala, Sorata); Pōka, Phōkka, Bhōkka: hollow (Sanskrit, probable Dravidian origin noted, CDIAL 8391); Pokku: hollow (Tamil, DED 4452); Pokka: hole (Telugu, DED 4452), ditch (Kolomi, DED 4452); hole, cave (Naikri, DED 4452); Po: (verb) to make a hole (Tamil, DED 4452); Poku: (verb) to make a hole (Tamil, DED 4452). Cognates are found in 16 Dravidian languages. See box on Pokkai and also column 43 on Pokkaṇai/ Pokuṇa
Pokkai	hole, hollow, as in Pokku-vāy, Pokkai-vāy: toothless mouth (Tamil, DED 4452); Pokku: hollow (Tamil, DED 4452); Pokka: hole (Telugu, DED 4452), ditch (Kolomi, DED 4452); hole, cave (Naikri, DED 4452); Po: (verb) to make a hole (Tamil, DED 4452); Poy: (verb) to be hollowed (Tamil, DED 4452); Poykai: a natural spring or pond, tank (Tamil, DED 4533); Poku: (verb) to make a hole (Tamil, DED 4452); Pukkai: a spring-pond (Tamil, MTL, DED 4553); Bokka: gulf, creek (Sinhala, Clough); Boku: plural of Bokka, also as adjective means oval or hollow (Sinhala, Clough); Pōka, Phōkka, Bhōkka: hollow (Sanskrit, probable Dravidian origin noted, CDIAL 8391). Cognates are found in 16 Dravidian languages. See box on Bokka and also column 43 on Pokkaṇai
Kuḷam	pond, lake, tank (Tamil, DED 1828). See column 18
Gal	stone, rock, hill (Sinhala, Sorata; Kal in Tamil, DED 1298). See column 46.

Bokka in Sinhala means a creek or any hollow ground. It also means a gulf or cove. The meanings are related to concavity either vertical or horizontal.

Pokku and Pokkai are cognates in Tamil, meaning a hole or hollow, as in the phrase Pokku-vāy/ Pokkai-vāy, meaning a toothless mouth. The related Tamil/ Dravidian verbs are Po and Poku meaning to make a hole and Poy meaning to be hollowed (DED 4452, cognates are seen in 16 Dravidian languages).

Probable Dravidian etymology is cited for Pōka, Phōkka and Bhōkka in Sanskrit, meaning a hollow (CDIAL 8391)

Bokka often comes in Sinhala place names. Pokkai and Poy are rarely seen in Eezham Tamil place names.

See column 43 for related toponyms Pokkaṇai in Tamil and Pokuṇa in Sinhala

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Pokkaiya-kuḷam is a place near Foul Point in Moothoor division of Trincomalee district.

Gal-bokka comes as toponym in many places: Weligama, Matara; Madulla, Moneragala; Wellawaya, Moneragala and Aranayaka, Kegalle.

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Some related place names:

Bokka:

Bokka-vala: Pujapitiya, Kandy

Kẹlệ-bokka: Panvila, Kandy

Pallē-gala-de-bokka: Minipe, Kandy. See De-bokkāva

Uda-gala-de-bokka: Minipe, Kandy. See De-bokkāva

Pāna-bokka: Yatinuwara, Kandy; Udunuwara, Kandy. Pāṇa: from Pahaṇa: stone, gravel, "Pāṣāṇaya" (Sinhala, Sorata); Pāṣāṇa: stone (Sanskrit, CDIAL 8138)

Am-bokka: Pallepola, Matale. Am: water

Ūṟu-bokka: Pasgoda, Matara. Ūru: 1. Boar; 2. big

Niviti-vẹl-bokka: Welipitiya, Matara. Niviti: a plant, Malabar nightshade, Basella alba (Sinhala, Clough)

Vavulan-bokka: Kirinda Puhulwella, Matara. Vavulā: bat, flying fox, Pteropus edwardsii (Sinhala, Clough); Vāval, Vavvāl, Vauvāl: bat (Tamil, DED 5370)

De-bokkāva: Angunukolapelessa, Hambantota; Weeraketiya, Hambantota: De-bokka: a hollow in between two

Bokka-bẹdda: Uhana, Ampara. Bẹdda: forest, wood, thicket or jungle (Sinhala, Clough)

Ā-bokkā-gama: Rasnayakapura, Kurunegala. Ā: boundary, limit, landmark, "Sīmāva" (Sinhala, Sorata)

Mẹṭi-bokka: Mawathagama, Kurunegala. Mẹṭi: clay

Koṭikam-bokka: Wellawaya, Moneragala. Koṭikan-vavul: a kind of bat (Sinhala, Sorata). See Vavulan-bokka

Hora-bokka: Buttala, Moneragala. Hora: a large timber tree

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Boku:

Am-boku-dena: Pallepola, Matale. See Am-bokka. Am: water. See Am-bokka

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Pokkai:

Pokkaiya-kuḷac-cēṉai: Moothoor, Trincomalee

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Pokkalam/ Pokkaḷam:

Pokkalan-tampai: Pokkalam+tampai: Kāṅkēcaṉtuṟai, Jaffna (V. Almanac, p. 95). Tampai: a ground cleared of forest

Pokkara-vaṉṉi: Madu, Mannar. There is an abandoned tank and ruins at this place

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Po/ Poy:

Poyiṭṭi: Poy+iṭṭi: noticed as locality name in Kāṅkēcaṉ-tuṟai, Jaffna; Acceḻu, near Palāli, Jaffna; Iḷavālai, Jaffna and in Arāli West (near Nākapūcaṇi temple), Jaffna. The terrain of these places has sinkholes. Poy: (verb) to be hollowed (Tamil, DED 4452)

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Revised: Thursday, 25 May 2017, 18:30

First published: Sunday, 12 December 2010, 14:24