Know the Etymology: 225
Place Name of the Day: Friday, 12 October 2012

Achchezhu, Oorezhu, Ezhuthu-madduvaa’l

அச்செழு, ஊரெழு, எழுதுமட்டுவாள்
Acceḻu, Ūreḻu, Eḻutumaṭṭuvāḷ

Achchu+ezhu
Oor+ezhu
Ezhu+thoo
Maddu+vaa’l

The open land enclosed by a ridge or divided into plots by ridges

The open land of the village

The open land in the flood plains

The muddy surrounding or the mud-walled encirclement

Ezhu	Also Ezhuvu: A word component found in place and locality names, especially in the Jaffna Peninsula. Such places or localities are usually open fields with a stony or rugged terrain (Eezham Tamil, Jaffna); Edaar: Plain, open field (Tamil, Dravidian Etymological Dictionary 781); Edaari, Edaaru: A desert, wilderness (Telugu, DED 781). ZH > D interchange is a common feature
Achchu	Ridge in a field, a ridge that encloses an area, ridges that divide an area into plots (Tamil, DED 49). See column on Achchu-veali
Oor	Village, town, city (Tamil, Malayalam, DED 752); Village, town (Kannada, DED 752); Village (Kolami, Naikri, DED 752); Ooru: Village, town (Tulu, Telugu, DED 752); Uree: Village (Kodagu, DED 752); Uraa: House (Brahui, DED 752); Oori: A variation for Oor, rarely found in Eezham Tamil place names
Thoo	A stretch of land surrounded or partly surrounded by water, usually in the flood plains or lagoon environs (Eezham Tamil, especially in Jaffna). See column on Kappu-thoo for etymology
Maddu	Also, Mada, Madai: Mud, Muddy area (Tamil, usage of coastal folk); From Ma’ndi: Sediment (Tamil, DED 4676); Dregs, lees, sediment (Malayalam DED 4676); Mada: Mud, slime, scum, froth (Sinhala). See column on Maddak-ka’lappu for etymology
Vaa’l	Curve (Tamil); From Va’lai: Circle, surrounding region (Tamil, DED 5313); Vaa’lam: Circle, encirclement (Tamil); Aththa-vaa’lam: Jungle (Tamil, MTL cited from Winslow’s dictionary having Jaffna words. As Aththam itself means jungle, Vaa’lam obviously stands for area or region); Chakkara-vaa’lam: A structure, possibly a circle, with sculptural features explaining the earth and the universe. According to Ma’nimeakalai, such a structure existed at Kaavirippoom Paddinam (Ma’nimeakalai 6: 192-202); Waata: Enclosure, any enclosed ground as a courtyard, orchard etc., a wall surrounding a village or town, (Sinhala)

The component Ezhu or Ezhuvu, found in some place names or locality names of especially the Jaffna Peninsula, is a puzzling word.

In some instances such as Ezhuvai-theevu, the component could be interpreted as related to the word Eazhakam in old Tamil, and E’lu or E’luwaa in Sinhala, meaning a goat. In some other instances like in Eazhaalai (Eazhu-aalai) or in Oorezhu (Oor-eazhu) it could be possibly related to the Tamil word Eazhu, meaning seven.

But, there are instances like the place name, Achchezhu (Achchu-ezhu), and locality names such as Chearan-ezhu, Koan-ezhuvu etc., where the above interpretations are not appropriate.

The usage Ezhu found in these instances seems to be unique to Jaffna Tamil and seems to have come from a different word morpheme.

If we seek the help of geography in understanding the toponym component in the puzzling instances, almost all them are open lands of rugged terrain with stony outcrops. Some of them have come under cultivation or settlement in relatively recent times.

The places, Achchezhu, Oorezhu and Chearan-ezhu are located right on the limestone outcrop area along the northern coast of Jaffna Peninsula.

A geographically meaningful cognate that could be linguistically related to Ezhu is another Tamil word Edaar, which means a plain or open field (DED 781). Edaari or Edaaru in Telugu means a desert or wilderness (DED 781). ZH/ D interchange is a common linguistic phenomenon even within Tamil.

Achchezhu could therefore mean an open field divided into plots by ridges made by different landowners. See column on Achchu-veali for discussions on the word Achchu. Oorezhu, a neighbouring place of Achchezhu could mean an open field that was belonging to a village or part of a village. Chearan-ezhu and Koan-ezhuvu are probably open field properties of individuals.

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Ezhuthu-madduvaa’l in Jaffna Peninsula is another puzzling toponym.

It seems that it is a combined toponym; names of two places, Ezhu-thoo and Maddu-vaa’l, put together.

Ezhu-thoo could be interpreted as the open field in the flood plains, surrounded or partly surrounded by water. Another possibility is that it means a locality in the flood plains for grazing goat. See column on Kappu-thoo for discussions on the component, thoo.

The place name Maddu-vaa’l could have simple interpretations such as the muddy curve (Vaa’l: curve), muddy surroundings (Va’lai: surroundings) or muddy region, circle etc (Vaa’lam: region, circle, encirclement). See column on Maddak-ka’lappu for discussions on the word Maddu, meaning mud.

Ezhuthu-madduvaa’l is in fact located in a flood plains area, having muddy stretches along a lagoon.

However, the occurrence of a place name Maddi-vaazh in a 12th century Chola inscription, while listing names of military bases in the north of the island, brings in a possibility of interpreting Maddu-vaa’l, as meaning a mud encirclement (a fort of earthen walls or embankment), if the former is taken as a variation of the latter.

While recording a military expedition, the Thiruvaalangkaadu inscription of Rajadhiraja II, dated 1178 CE, mentions Maddivaazh as one of the military bases occupied by Parakramabahu I in the northern part of the island, but was re-conquered by the Cholas. The other military bases mentioned along with it are Oo’raaththu’rai (Kayts), Valikaamam (a part of Jaffna Peninsula), Pulaichcheari (?) and Maathoaddam (Maanthai in Mannaar).

The inscription infers that these places were already bases of strategic importance and Parakramabahu’s army occupied them in preparation of war.

Maddivaazh is traceable most probably to Maddu-vaa’l and not to another place Maddu-vil (meaning the mud pond) in Jaffna Peninsula, as have been suggested by some.

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Achchezhu is a village of the Valikaamam East division of Jaffna district

Oorezhu is also a village of the Valikaamam East division of Jaffna district

Ezhuthu-madduvaa’l is a village in the Thenmaraadchi division of Jaffna district

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Some related place names:

Ezhu/ Ezuvu:

Chearan-ezhu: The open field belongs to a person from the Chera country; a locality name in Navu’ndil, Vadamaraadchi South West division, Jaffna district (Balasundaram, p.296)

Paa’n-ezhu: The open field or barren land settled by the Paa’nar community. This is a locality in the Thampaalai village of Valikaamam East division, Jaffna district (Balasundaram p209). The Paa’nar community is known for camping or settling in open fields outside of villages

Koan-ezhuvu: The open field belongs to a person of the name Koan or the open field belongs to the king; a locality name in Koappaay, Valikaamam East division, Jaffna district (Balasundaram, p.252). Koappaay itself means either the king’s mansion or the king’s expanse

Ezhuvaakkai: Ezhuvu-kai (Kayam): The pond of the open field or Ezhuvaa-kai: The pond for goats, or Ezhu-vaakkai: The side for goats/ the side of the open field; a locality name found in Vallipuram village of Vadamaraadchi North East division, Jaffna district (Balasundaram, p317). Vaakkam: Side, surroundings, adjacent area, locality (Tamil); Cognate of Paakkam: A neighbouring hamlet, fishermen colony, a hamlet of the coastal tract or hilly tract, village, seaside village (Tamil, Changkam Diction, DED 4047). Vallipuram is an open field of sand dunes, and is a coastal village. Also see column on Morawaka.

Eazhaalai: Eazh-aalai: The seven villages, or Ezhu-aalai: The hamlet in the open field; Valikaamam South division, Jaffna district

First published: Friday, 12 October 2012, 06:43