Know the Etymology: 242
Place Name of the Day: Thursday, 11 April 2013

Kurulu-wæwa, Kuruvi-ku'lama

குருலு வெ₂வ
குருவி குளம
Kurulu Væva, Kuruvi-kuḷama

Kurulu+wæwa
Kuruvi+ku'lama

The tank of birds

Kurulu	From Kurullaa: A general name for bird (Sinhala); Kurulu-paa’luwa: A strip of cultivated land left for wild birds to feed; literally meaning the bird-waste (Sinhala); Kuruvi, Kureei: A general name for small bird (Tamil, DED 1793); Kuruku: Kinds of small birds (Tamil, Changkam diction); Kuruvi, Kurikil, Kooru: Sparrow (Malayalam, DED 1793); Gurubi, Gurbi: Sparrow (Tulu, DED 1793); Kuru’l: Lock of hair (Tamil, DED 1794); Kural, Kooral: Feather of birds, Woman’s hair (Tamil, DED 1794); Kurala, Kurula: Lock of hair (Sanskrit, CDIAL 3327); Kuru: (adjective) Small (Sinhala); Kuru’lu: Young, young children (Sinhala); Kuru’lai: Child, young of certain animals (Tamil, DED 1791); Kuruman: Young of certain animals and birds (Tamil, DED 1791)
Wæwa	Also Waapi: Lake, pond, large tank (Sinhala); Vaapee: Pond, tank (Sanskrit, CDIAL 11529); Vaapi: Pond (Pali, CDIAL 11529); Vaavee: Pond (Prakrit, CDIAL 11529); Vapi, Vavi: Tank (Brahmi ins. Sri Lanka); Veva: Tank (Inscriptions, Sri Lanka, c.6th century CE); Veyo: Tank (Dhivehi/ Maldivian); Vaavi: Tank, pond (Tamil, used since Changkam times, Paddinappaalai 244); Aavi: Tank, pond (Tamil, Theavaaram 1: 102: 9, Brahmi ins. Sri Lanka, Eezham Tamil place names)
Ku’lama	From Ku’lam: Tank, reservoir, lake, (Tamil, DED 1828)

Kurulu or Kurullaa in Sinhala, meaning a bird in general, is a cognate of the Tamil/ Dravidian word Kuruvi (DED 1793), meaning any small bird. Kureei and Kuruku are also the forms found in Tamil.

The etymology is either related to the root Kuru, meaning small or to Kurul/ Kural meaning lock of hair or feather of birds.

Kuruvi, Kureei, meaning bird in Tamil:

“Iruvi iruntha kuruvi” (Aingku’ru:noo’ru 30:5)

“இருவி இருந்த குருவி” (ஐங்குறுநூறு 30:5)

The bird that was sitting on the stubble


“Manai u’rai Kureei” (Ku’runthokai 31:6)

“மனை உறை குரீஇ” (குறுந்தொகை 31:6)

The bird that lives in the house premises


Kural, Kooral meaning feather in Tamil:

“I’rakin peyar kural koozhai en’ru” (Thivaakara Nika’ndu 3:193)

“இறகின் பெயர் குரல் கூழை என்று” (திவாகர நிகண்டு 3:193)

Kural and Koozhai are names of feather


“..Pa’raiyum..kooralum ..i’rakin peyar” (Pingkala Nika’ndu 8:84)

“..பறையும்..கூரலும் ..இறகின் பெயர்” (பிங்கல நிகண்டு 8:84)

Pa’rai….Kooral …are names of feather

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See earlier columns for the etymological discussions on Ku’lam in Tamil/ Dravidian (DED 1828) and Wæwa in Sinhala/ Indo-Aryan (CDIAL 11529), meaning a tank.

The usage Ku’lama in Sinhala is mostly found in recently Sinhalicised place names.

The currently used Sinhala form Wæwa is found in the inscriptions from 6th century CE onwards (but as Veva, without the æ script). The forms that are found in the earlier Brahmi inscriptions of the island are Vapi, Vavi and Avi.

The Tamil cognate Vaavi for the Indo-Aryan word was in use since the times of the Changkam literature. Another Tamil form Aavi is widely found used in the Eezham Tamil place names of the island.

The usage of Vaavi and Aavi in Tamil:

“Che’ruvum vaaviyum mayangki neer attu” (Paddinappaalai 244)

“செறுவும் வாவியும் மயங்கி நீர் அற்று” (பட்டினப்பாலை 244)

The Che’ru type of ponds and Vaavi types of tanks turned water-less


“Aavik kamalaththu annam iyangkum” (Champanthar Theavaaram 1:102:9)

“ஆவிக் கமலத்து அன்னம் இயங்கும்” (சம்பந்தர் தேவாரம் 1:102:9)

The swans move like lotuses in the pond or the swans move into lotuses in the pond

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A note on the etymology of the word Tank (reservoir):

Tank is a commonly used word in the English usage of South Asia, to mean a storage pond, artificial lake or a reservoir of water. But it is not an English word. The Concise Oxford Dictionary marks the word Tank, in the above shades of meaning, as Indian English.

Hobson Jobson, a glossary of Anglo-Indian words, prepared by Col Henry Yule and renowned epigraphist Dr A C Burnell in 1886, gives the following meaning for the word Tank: “A reservoir, an artificial pond or lake, made either by excavation or by damming.”

According to Hobson Jobson, Tank “is one of the perplexing words which seem to have a double origin, in this case one Indian, the other European.”

Tracing the Indian origin of the word, Hobson Jobson brings out the usages Taankh in Gujarat and Tanka in Rajasthan and Maharashtra. Possibly, the word is related to Tadaaga in Sanskrit, the glossary says.

On the other hand, a word Tanque was used by the Portuguese from the very beginning of their contact with India, and this word is a form of Stagnum in Latin, Hobson Jobson notes, adding examples of derivatives such as Estang in old French and Estanque in Spanish.

Passages from early writings cited by Hobson Jobson show that the Portuguese were using the word Tanque as early as in 1498 CE, to mean stone-built ponds they found in Kerala.

The word Thaangkal meaning a tank in early Tamil usages:

Interestingly, an early Tamil lexicon Cheanthan Thivaakaram dated to c. 8th century CE comes out with a word, Thaangkal, meaning reservoir of water.

“Ilagnchi thaangkal chunai ealvai oadai eari kayam payam uva’lakam, vaavi” (Thivaakara Nika’ndu 5:61)

“இலஞ்சி தாங்கல் சுனை ஏல்வை ஓடை ஏரி கயம் பயம் உவளகம், வாவி” (திவாகர நிகண்டு 5:61)

Ilagnchi. Thaangkal, Chunai, Ealvai, Eari, Kayam, Payam and Uva’lakam (are words for) Vaavi (reservoir of water)


Another early Tamil lexicon Pingkalam, dated to c. 10th century CE, also confirms that Thaangkal means a reservoir:

“Kuddam thaangkal…ku’lam neer nilaip peyarea” (Pingkala Nika’ndu 4:157)

“குட்டம் தாங்கல்…குளம் நீர் நிலைப் பெயரே” (பிங்கல நிகண்டு 4:157)

Kuddam, Thaangkal…and Ku’lam are names for a reservoir of water




The use of the word Thaangkal, meaning a reservoir, is noticed in Tamil inscriptions too:

“Ivvoorka’l thaangkal pattukka’lum udpada vi’lai nilamum” (South Indian Inscriptions vii, 818)

“இவ்வூர்கள் தாங்கல் பற்றுக்களும் உட்பட விளை நிலமும்” (South Indian Inscriptions vii, 818)

The cultivation fields, including the Thaangkal (tanks) and adjacent lands of this village

The word Thaangkal is also noticed in the place names of Tamil Nadu, meaning a reservoir of water. One well-known example is the lake Veadan-thaangkal near Chennai, which is also a bird sanctuary.

Tracing the etymology, the word Thaangku as a verb in Tamil means to hold, bear, keep etc., (Tamil, DED 3153) and the word Thangku means to stay, remain, to be reserved, to be obstructed etc., (Tamil, DED 3014).

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Kurulu-wewa is a village in the Nawagattegama division of Puththa’lam district

Kuruvi-ku’lama is a village in the Rasnayakapura division of Kurunegala district. Obviously, Kuruvi-ku’lama is a recently Sinhalicised place name.

* * *

Some related place names:

Kurulu-gama: The village of birds; Kebthigollewa division, Anuradhapura district

Kaha-kurullan-pelessa: The jungle of Kaha-kurullaa birds (Black-headed Oriole, Oriolus melanocephalus); Thanamalvila division, Moneragala district

First published: Thursday, 11 April 2013, 21:38