Know the Etymology: 233
Place Name of the Day: Sunday, 16 December 2012

Kandu Palaatha

கந்து₃ பலாத்த
Kandu Palāta

Kandu+Palaatha

The hill-district

Paḷāta

district, province, circuit (Sinhala, Clough); region, “Pradeśaya” (Sinhala, Sorata); 1. Paḷu: knot, joint, joint in bamboo (Sinhala, Clough); Paḷuva: the part cut off (Sinhala, Clough); Paḷu-paḷana: splitting, breaking (Sinhala, Clough); Paḷu-paḷanavā: to split, to cleave (Sinhala, Clough); Pōḻ: (verb) to divide into parts (Tamil, DED 4599); Poḷi: to split (Tamil, DED 4560); Poḻi: ridge, boundary, limit (Tamil, DED 4557); Poḻil: earth, world, country, district (Tamil, DED 4558); Poḷava, Poḷova, Poḷovu, Poḷō: earth, the earth (Sinhala, Clough, Sorata); 2. Piḷ: (verb) to divide, cleave asunder (Tamil, DED 4194); Piḷa: (verb) to split, cleave, part asunder (Tamil, DED 4194); Piḷavu: (noun) cleft, gap, division (Tamil, DED 4194); Piḷattal: the act or splitting (Tamil, DED 4194); 3. Paḷa, Pala: = Poḷa, Pola: place, spot (Sinhala, Sorata); Palal, Paḷal: (adjective) wide, broad, extended (Sinhala, Clough); Pulam: place, region, quarter, rice field (Tamil, DED 4303); Pola: place, a plough field (Kannada, DED 4303); Pula: pasturage (Tulu, DED 4303); Polamu: field (Telugu, DED 4303); Polam: field (Kolami, DED 4303); 4. Pāl: part, portion, share, section, dividing (Tamil, DED 4097); side, region, quarter (Tamil, Winslow, MTL); part (Malayalam, DED 4097); division, part, portion, share (Kannada, DED 4097); Pālu: share, portion, part, division (Tulu, DED 4097); share, portion, part, division, lot, fraction (Telugu, DED 4097); Palm: portion, division (Kota, DED 4097); Pela: portion (Parji, DED 4097). Cognates are found in Kota, Kodagu and Toda too (DED 4097)

Kandu

Plural and conjunctional form of Kanda: Hill, mountain, hillock, (Sinhala). See columns on Kudimbi Kanda and Kattadi-kanda for etymological discussions.

The Sinhala word Palaatha means a district, province or a circuit.

It is a word of Dravidian etymology. The related cognate in Tamil is the word Paal, meaning, part, portion, share, section, dividing etc. (Dravidian Etymological Dictionary 4097), as well as side, region, quarter. Note usages in Tamil such as Ap-paal (that side/ beyond), Ip-paal (this side) etc., as well as the usage of Paal in divisions of gender and number in Tamil grammar (Aa’n-paal, Pe’n-paal etc.).

See table for further related cognates for Palaatha in other Dravidian languages. See columns on Kudimbi Kanda and Kattadi-kanda for etymological discussions and place names related to Kandu/ Kanda.

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Paal meaning a part, side, division, direction, place in Tamil:

“Pakuththal, pakkam, thisai, iyalpu ena vakuththa naankum paal en’ru aakum,” (Thivaakara Nika’ndu 11:336)

“பகுத்தல், பக்கம், திசை, இயல்பு என வகுத்த நான்கும் பால் என்று ஆகும்,” (திவாகர நிகண்டு 11:336)

Dividing, side, direction and attribute: these stipulated four are known as Paal




“Paathiyum idamum payasum ku’namum pakkamum thisaiyum iyalpum paalea,” (Pingkala Nika’ndu 10: 792)

“பாதியும் இடமும் பயசும் குணமும் பக்கமும் திசையும் இயல்பும் பாலே,” (பிங்கல நிகண்டு 10: 792)

Half/ part, place, milk, character, side, direction and attribute are Paal

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Kandu-palaatha is a place in the Rideegama division of Kurunegala district.

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Some related place names:

Uda-palaatha: The upper division/ district; Uda-palaatha division, Kandy district

Naanaa-thota-palaatha: The circuit of the bating place cum ferry point; Balapitiya division, Galle district

Pele-gas-palaatha: The locality of the Pelan or pæla shrub (Kurrimia zeylanica or Æt-heraliya or Pelanga zeylanica); Balapitiya division, Galle district

Polathu-palaatha: The locality to get gadjan (dried and plaited coconut palm leaves for roofing and fences); Balapitiya division, Galle district. Pol-atta: gadjan

Lenegal-palaatha: The locality of the rock or rocky hill having a cave; Karandeniya division, Galle district

Vilattawa-palaatha: The locality of the pond-side; Bingriya division, Bingriya division, Kurunegala district.

Nuwara-gam-palaatha: The rural division of the city; N. palaatha division, Anuradhapura district

First published: Sunday, 16 December 2012, 12:13