Know the Etymology: 230
Place Name of the Day: Friday, 16 November 2012

Ba’ndaaranaayaka- pura,
Chelvanaayaka-puram

Baṇḍāranāyakapura, celvanāyakapuram

Ba’ndaaranaayaka+pura
Chelvanaayaka+puram

The settlement named after SWRD Ba’ndaaranaayake

The settlement named after SJV Chelvanaayakam

Pura	City, town, market town, any large village or collection of houses, house or cluster of houses walled in (Sinhala); A favoured suffix found in the place names of modern villages or colonies created under settlement schemes (Sinhala); Puram, Puri: Town, fort, temple, village, capital city, cultivation village (Tamil); Puram: A suffix much favoured in the names of modern villages or colonies that emerged with new identities or created under settlement schemes (Eezham Tamil); Puricai: Wall, fort wall (Tamil, Changkam diction, Natti’nai 287: 1-2); Pura: Town or city (Pali); Poor: A rampart, wall, stronghold, fortress, castle, city, town, also a town of Dasyus the Vedic people encountered (Vedic Sanskrit); Pura: A fortress, castle, city, town, small market town in contrast to a cluster of houses or village, a house, abode (Sanskrit); Purandaraa: Puram-daraa: Indra, the destroyer of strongholds or forts/ cities of Dasyus (Vedic Sanskrit).
Ba’ndaara-naayaka	In the context of the place name, stands for the personal name of SWRD Bandaranayake, the founder of Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) and former Prime Minister of Ceylon.
Chelva-naayakam	In the context of the place name, stands for the personal name of SJV Chelvanayakam, founder of the Federal Party or Ilangkai Thamizh Arasuk Kadchi.
Ba’ndaara	Son of a chief or nobleman, prince (Sinhala); Ba’ndaa: Son, boy, youth, son of a chief (Sinhala); Vaa’ndu: Boy (Tamil, colloquial); the etymological root is probably connected to Va’l/ Va’nmai (Tamil, DED 5304), Vaazh/ Vaa’nan (Tamil, DED 5372) or Vazhi (Tamil, DED 5297). Pa’ndaaram: Prince, royal personality (Eezham Tamil historiographical literature as in the examples, Changkili-veera-pa’ndaaram, Paranirupasingka-pa’ndaaram, Pa’ndaara-vanniyan etc. Also see column on Bandarawela;
Chelva	adjective form of Chelvam: Wealth, prosperity, beauty, enjoyment, happiness, (Tamil, DED 2786)
Naayaka	Chief, principal, head (Sinhala); Naaya: Leader, guide (Sanskrit); Naayaka: Guide, leader, chief, lord, principal (Sanskrit); Naayakan: Lord, master, chief (Tamil, MTL); Naayakam: Headship, superiority, pre-eminence (Tamil, MTL); More respectful form of Naayakan (Eezham Tamil)

Pura in Sinhala/ Prakrits/ Sanskrit and Puram or Puri in Tamil, are very old place name suffixes, meaning a fortified place, walled settlement, city, town or village.

An early form of the word found in Rig Veda as well as a modern form found in many of the place names in Northern South Asia, is the suffix Poor. It has even gone to Southeast Asia as in the place/ country name Singapore (Singha-pura/ Chingka-puram).

In Rig Veda, the word was found used to mean the fortified settlements of the Dasyus, who were described as demons. Modern studies identify the Dasyus as the native people encountered by the Vedic people. Hence there is a conjecture that the word Poor is probably of Non-Aryan origin, belonging to the cultural stratum of the pre-Vedic Indus civilization and its cities. However, early usages of the word is not found in Southern Dravidian.

A cognate of Pura found used in the earliest layer of Tamil literature is the word Purisai, meaning a wall or fort wall (Natti’nai, 287: 1-2). Puram and Puri are later found widely used in Tamil since the middle of first millennium CE.

A few place names in Sinhala and Eezham Tamil have the suffix Pura/ Puram coming from old times. The most important of them is Anuradha-pura, the name of the capital of an ancient kingdom in the island. But it is interesting to note that the early form of the place name found in the Pali chronicles is Anuradha-gama.

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In contemporary times, Pura and Puram have found a resurgence as place name components in Sinhala and Eezham Tamil and they have become the most politicised sociolinguistic cum toponymic expressions in naming new places.

Around 370 Sinhala villages and towns, recognized in Sri Lanka’s official list of local administrative units have the suffix Pura in their place names. Except a very few, almost all of them are modern place names. Most of them have prefixes of personal names of historical or political personalities of the Sinhala-Buddhist nationalist shade.

Meanwhile, Around 150 Tamil places listed under the administrative units of the North and East of the island have the toponymic suffix Puram. Once again, except a very few, almost all of them are modern place names. Similar to the place names of the Sinhala-Buddhist nationalist shade, most of the new Tamil place names having the suffix Puram in the North and East too have prefixes related to religion or political, social and literary personalities of the Eezham Tamil nationalist shade.

Interestingly, there are many new place names of Christian affinities that have the suffix Puram in Tamil, while the Tamil-speaking Muslims in the island have gone for new place names of Islamic affinities with the suffix Puram in the North and East and the suffix Pura in the Sinhala provinces.

A perusal of the examples given below would show the paradigm changed in naming places both in Sinhala and Tamil: From geography, environment, fauna, flora, hydraulics, economy, and caste to nationalism, historical revival, religion, politics, political/ social/ literary personalities and communal identities.

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Ba’ndaaranaayaka-pura is a village in the Dompe division of Gampaha district. There is another village by this name in the Va’n’naaththi-villu (recently Sinhalicised as Vanathavilluwa) division of Puththa’lam district.

Chelvanaayaka-puram is a village in the Trincomalee Town and Gravets division of Trincomalee district. There is another village, Thanthai Chelvaa-puram in Valikaamam North division of Jaffna district.

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Some related place names:

Pura: Some old examples

Sri Jayawardanapura Kotte: The fort of Sri Jayawardanapura (the auspicious fort of victory); Colombo division, Colombo district. An old name politically revived in the 1980s.

Anuradha-pura: The city of the prince; Anuradhapura division, Anuradhapura district. This is one of the few examples for the Pura suffix in the old place names. Anu-Radha: Prince; Anu: A prefix meaning succession (Sanskrit); Radha: Raja, king (Sinhala, Dhivehi and certain South Asian languages); Da/ Dha and Ja/ Jha interchange in Sinhala, Dhivehi and certain other South Asian languages; Radhun: King (Dhivehi/ Maldivian); Anu-raasapuram/ Anu-raajapuram/ Anurai-nakar are the Tamil forms of the place name noticed in Eezham Tamil historiographical literature; Anuraadha: Person born under the constellation Anuraadhaa/ Anushyam (Sankrit); Anu-raadha-gama/ Anu-raadha-pura: The ancient capital of Ceylon found by the above named Anuraadha (Sanskrit-English Dictionary, Monier Williams)

Ratna-pura: The town of gems; Ratnapura division, Ratnapura district. The place is recognised by that name for gem mining since early times

Pura: Examples of new place names given with prefixes of the names of historical personalities of Sinhala-Buddhist nationalist shade:

Gajaba-pura, Wijaya-pura, Sena-pura, Thissa-pura, Gemunu-pura, Mihindu-pura, Perakum-pura, Parakrama-pura, Abhaya-pura, Agbo-pura, Dutugemunu-pura, Saddhathissa-pura, Kawanthissa-pura, Gotabhaya-pura, Mahasena-pura, Viharamahadevi-pura, Vijitha-pura, Kithsri-pura, Sangabo-pura, Walagamba-pura, Welusumana-pura, Devanambiyathissa-pura, Pandukabhaya-pura, Nishankamalla-pura, Wijayabahu-pura

Pura: Examples of new place names having Buddhist religious or Sinhala nationalist affinities:

Sinha-pura, Mahinda-pura, Mihindu-pura, Sanghamitta-pura, Saman-pura, Siri-bo-pura, Indrasara-pura, Jayanthi-pura, Bodhiraja-pura, Nandimitra-pura, Maithree-pura, Shrawasthi-pura, Dadala-pura, Sirisaman-pura, Shanthi-pura, Nirmala-pura, Sirimangala-pura, Gothami-pura, Subhoothi-pura, Daham-pura, Lanka-pura, Weera-pura, Rohana-pura.

Pura: Examples of new place names having personal names of Sinhala political or social personalities:

Senanayake-pura, Bandaranayaka-pura, Sirima-pura, Gamini-pura, Munasinha-pura, Diyasena-pura, Subhasingha-pura, Rasanayaka-pura, Abesinghe-pura, Uksiri-pura, Jayawirama-pura, Wijayasiri-pura, Thilaka-pura, Rathnayaka-pura, Thennakon-pura, Samaranayaka-pura, K.C. De Silva Puraya, Soysa-pura, Obesekara-pura, Mahinda-pura, Gotabhaya-pura

Pura: Examples of some new secular place names:

Nelum-pura, Samagi-pura, Aruna-pura, Soma-pura, Kumudu-pura, Kusum-pura, Ruwan-pura, Mangala-pura, Udaya-pura, Sandanada-pura, Kadira-pura, Meewath-pura, Mal-pura

Pura: Examples of some Muslim place names in the Sinhala provinces

Rifai-pura (Polonnaruwa), Al-hilal-pura (Polonnaruwa), Akbar-pura (Polonnaruwa), Hijra-pura (Kandy), Dickwella Muslim Yonaka-pura (Matara)

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Puram: Examples of some old place names:

Chuzhi-puram: The Chola fort or the fortified settlement/ town of the Cholas; Valikaamam West division, Jaffna district

Thol-puram: The old fortified settlement or town/ village; Valikaamam West division, Jaffna district. Thol-puram is perhaps named thus to differentiate it from the adjacent Chuzhi-puram

Maavidda-puram: Convincing explanation not found; Valikaamam North division, Jaffna district

Valli-puram: Probably from Vali-puram, the fortified place/ town/ village in the sandy locality; Vadamaraadchi Northeast division, Jaffna district

Puram: Examples of new place names having Hindu religious affinity:

Vinaayaka-puram (found in 7 districts), Muththu-vinaayaka-puram, Cheathu-vinaayaka-puram, Ka’neasa-puram, Ka’napathi-puram, Vikkineasvara-puram, Linga-puram, Siva-puram, Uruththira-puram, Nadaraaja-Aanantha-puram, Umaiyaa’l-puram, Ampaa’l-puram, Muruka-puram, Skantha-puram, Kumaara-puram, Thangka-vealaayutha-puram Thurkaa-puram, Theavi-puram, Ka’n’nakai-puram, Ka’n’naki-puram, Aiyanaar-puram, Aiyan-puram, Naaka-thampiraan-puram, Chanthira-puram, Inthira-puram, Thirumaal-puram, Kirush’na-puram, Inthu-puram, Chiththaanaikkuddi-puram, Viveakaanantha-puram, Raamakirush’na-puram, Vipulaanantha-puram, Saarathaa-puram.

Puram: Examples of new place names having the names of Tamil literary personalities:

Paarathi-puram (Batticaloa, Trinco, Mullaiththeevu, Ki’linochchi), Va’l’luva-puram, I’langkoa-puram, Vipulaanantha-puram

Puram: Examples of new place names having the names of political personalities of Tamil nationalist shade or names of social personalities:

Kaanthi-puram, Thanthai Chelvaa Puram, Chelvanaayaka-puram, Chelvaa-puram, Raamanaatha-puram, Thanka-puram, Navaraththina-puram, Thampinaayaka-puram, Kanakaraththina-puram, Thampiraasaa-puram, Raasaiyan-puram, Mayilvaakana-puram, Kumaarasaami-puram, Maa’nikka-puram

Puram: Examples of some new Tamil-Muslim place names:

Majeeth-puram (Ampaa’rai), Ameer Ali-puram (Ampaa’rai), Uthumaa-puram (Ampaa’rai), Musthapaa-puram (Ampaa’rai), Hijraa-puram (Mullaiththeevu, Mannaar), Jinnaa-puram (Trincomalee),

Puram: Examples of some new Tamil-Christian place names

Anthoniyaar-puram (Mannaar), Saveriyaar-puram (Mannaar), Aaroakkiya-puram (Mullaiththeevu), Maathaa-puram (Ki’linochchi), Iruthaya-puram (Trincomalee, Batticaloa), Karu’nai-puram (Batticaloa), Hithaya-puram (Ampaa’rai), Annai-puram (Ampaa’rai), Basthiyan-puram,

Puram: Examples of some new, secular place names:

Anpuvazhi-puram, Paaddaa’li-puram (Trinco and Batticaloa), Samaathaana-puram, Aanantha-puram, Suthanthira-puram, Neethi-puram, Viththaka-puram, Viththiyaa-puram, Vasantha-puram

First published: Friday, 16 November 2012, 23:57