Know the Etymology: 267
Place Name of the Day: Sunday, 22 January 2017

Uṇu-vatura-bubula, Bibila, Vaturāva, Illa-vatura

உணுவ[த்]துர-பு₃பு₃ல,
பி₃பி₃ல,
வ[த்]துராவ,
இல்ல-வ[த்]துர
Uṇu-vatura-bubula, Bibila, Vaturāva, Illa-vatura

Uṇu+vatura+bubula
Bibila
Vaturāva
Illa+vatura

The hot water spring

The spring of water

The water-rich farm or paddy field

The water-rich paddy field in the gem-bearing gravel bed

Vatura	water (Sinhala, Clough); Vaturu: flood, flow of water (Sinhala, Clough); “Jalaya, Pravāhaya, Gaň-vatura” (Sinhala, Sorata); 1. CDIAL traces cognate to Viṣṭara: anything spread out (Sanskrit, CDIAL 11987); 2. Vitir: (verb) to scatter, throw about, sprinkle (Tamil, DED 5400); 3. Vranti: river (Telugu, DED 5250); Vanta: river, rivulet (Telugu, Kolami, Naikri, DED 5250); 4. Vār: (verb) to flow, over flow, pour (Tamil, DED 5356); Vārttu, Vāttu: adverb forms of Vār (Tamil, DED 5356); Vāru: flood, water channel, stream, torrent (Kui, DED 5356); 5. Pata: (verb) to become moist, marshy (Tamil, DED 3906); Pasiṅkara: wetness, dampness (Tulu, DED 3906); Patam: water (Tamil, DED 3906); Patalai: large-mouthed pot (Tamil, DED 3909); Pātra: drinking vessel (Sanskrit, CDIAL 8055); Pattar: water trough (Tamil, DED 4079, Caṅkam diction, Naṟṟiṇai, 92: 6); Pattal: small water hole, bucket to draw water (Tamil, DED 4079, Caṅkam diction, Naṟṟiṇai, 240: 8; Akanāṉūṟu 155: 9); Pātti: watering trough, spout, drain (Tamil, DED 4079)
Vaturāva	cultivated ground having abundance of water, farm (Sinhala, Clough); Vaturā: paddy field having abundance of water; "Diya bahula kuṁbura" (Sinhala, Sorata); from Vatura meaning water; see box on Vatura/ Vaturu
Bubula	(singular), Bubul (plural): spring of water for purposes of irrigation, bubble, blister (Sinhala, Clough); Bubulu, Bubuḷu: spring of water, "Ulpata" (Sinhala, Sorata); Budbuda: bubble (Sanskrit, CDIAL 9278) Bubbuḷa: bubble (Pali, CDIAL 9278); Bobbuḷi: bubble (Kannada, Tulu, DED 4525); Koppuḷam: bubble, blister (Tamil, DED 2106); Koppuḷi: rinse in bubbles as water (Tamil, DED 2106);
Bibila	from Bibilu: spring of water, "Ulpata" (Sinhala, Sorata); Bibula: bubble, blister, fountain, spring or place where water oozes (Sinhala, Clough); Biṁbula: bubble, spring, fountain (Sinhala, Clough); see box on Bubula
Illa	probably shortened from Illam: metal ore bearing layer of earth, or gem bearing gravel layer of earth; "Lōhavarga hō mẹṇik tibena pas-taṭṭuva" (Sinhala, Sorata); Illama: vein of metal (Sinhala, Clough); 1. See column on Īḻam for the metallurgical connections of the term; 2. Cillam: shivers, fragments, small pieces (Tamil, MTL cites Jaffna Dictionary); Cil: small piece as of broken glass, potsherd, flat round stone (Tamil, DED 1577); Cilli: small broken pieces of stone etc. (Tamil, DED 1577)
Uṇu	hot, warm, "Uṣna vū" (Sinhala, Sorata); decrease, "Ūṇāva" (Sinhala, Sorata); Uṇuhum, Uṇusum: heat, "Uṣṇa" (Sinhala, Sorata, Clough); Uṇa: fever, "Jvaraya" (Sinhala, Sorata); 1. Uṣṇa: hot (Sanskrit, Rig Vedic, CDIAL 2389); Uṇha: hot (Pali, CDIAL 2389); 2. Uṇaṅku: (verb) to dry in the heat of sun, become shrink (Tamil, DED 601, Caṅkam diction, Naṟṟiṇai 101: 2-3); Uṇakku: (verb) to cause to dry, dry in the sun (Tamil, DED 601, Caṅkam diction, Naṟṟiṇai, 63: 1-2); cognates in 7 Dravidian languages); Oṇk: (verb) to dry in heat or sun (Kota, DED 601); Oṇagu: (verb) to dry, become emaciate (Kannada, DED 601); Ōrāṇa: (verb) to dry (Gondi, DED 1073); 3. Aṉal: fire, heat as of fever, warmth (Tamil, DED 327); (verb) to burn, be hot, to cause heat as the sun, fire or fever (Tamil, DED 327); Aṉali: fire, sun (Tamil, DED 327); Āṇisu: (verb) to crack or burst by the heat of the sun (Kannada, DED 353)

Vatura/ Vaturu means water, flood and flow of water in Sinhala. CDIAL traces a cognate, Viṣṭara in Sanskrit, meaning anything spread out. But closer cognates with verb forms, directly related to the Sinhala meanings, could be seen in Dravidian. See box on Vatura.

Vaturā and Vaturāva in Sinhala mean a farm or cultivation field that has abundance of water. Obviously the usages are related to Vatura/ Vaturu meaning water. In some place names, Vatura/ Vaturu itself seems to be meaning a water-rich farm or cultivation field. See related place names.

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Patam meaning water in Tamil/ Dravidian:

“தண் பதம் கொள் விழவர் ஓதை” (சிலப்பதிகாரம், 7: 2-4)

“Taṇ patam koḷ viḻavar ōtai” (Cilappatikāram, 7: 2-4)

The noise of those who celebrate the festival by taking bath in the cool water (newly arriving river water in this context)


Pattar meaning a water trough in Tamil/ Dravidian:

“கேணிப் பய நிரைக்கு எடுத்த மணி நீர்ப் பத்தர்” (நற்றிணை, 92: 6)

“Kēṇip paya niraikku eṭutta maṇi nīrp pattar” (Naṟṟiṇai, 92: 6)

The trough of crystal clear water made for cattle using the pond-well

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Bubula and Bibila in the context of place names mean a natural spring of water. The words that basically mean a bubble stand for a bubbling natural spring. Bubbuḷa in Pali and Bobbuḷi in Dravidian (Kannada and Tulu) come closer to the Sinhala word forms. But all of them are onomatopoeic in etymology.

The term Illa in the context of the place name Illa-vatura may be a shortened form of Illama in Sinhala meaning a metal-ore layer or gem-bearing gravel layer of earth. The latter is more appropriate to the geographical context. See column on Īḻam for the metallurgical connections of the term. In another etymological possibility Illama could be related to Cil/ Cilli in Tamil/ Dravidian (DED 1577) and Cillam in Eezham Tamil (MTL), meaning shivers, fragments and small pieces of stones.

According to Clough, Illa in Sinhala means a plant, Callicarpa lanata. The plant, bearing bunches of bead-like berries, is commonly called beautyberry.

Uṇu meaning hot in Sinhala is traced to Uṣṇa in Sanskrit and Uṇha in Pali meaning the same (CDIAL 2389). However, for alternative etymology, see box for the Dravidian cognates and their verb forms that cover not only heat but also the other meanings in Sinhala such as decrease and fever.

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Uṇu-vatura-bubula is a place found with hot water springs in the Mahaoya division of Ampara district.

Bibila, often written in English as Bibile, is a place in the division of its own name in Moneragala district. There is another Bibila in Naula division of Matale district.

Vaturāva is a place in Kalawana division of Ratnapura district.

Illa-vatura is in Udapalatha division of Kandy district

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Some related place names:


Vaturāva:


Ẹla-kanda-vaturāva: Baddegama, Galle

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Vatura: suffix


Yaṭa-vatura: Padukka, Colombo

Hal-vatura: Bulathsinhala, Kalutara

Dī-gaha-vatura: Pathadumbara, Kandy

Tala-vatura: Udunuwara, Kandy

Mā-vatura: Udapalatha, Kandy

Mī-vatura: Udunuwara, Kandy

Pol-vatura: Kothmale, Nuwara Eliya

Miyana-vatura: Neluwa, Galle

Tōra-vatura: Kurunegala, Kurunegala

Dē-vatura: Badalkumbura, Moneragala

Mā-ruk-vatura: Rambukkana, Kegalle

Ala-vatura: Bulathkohupitiya, Kegalle

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Vatura/ Vaturu/ Vaturē: prefix


Vatura: Kegalle, Kegalle

Vaturu-gama: Dompe, Gampaha

Vatura-kuṁbura: Yatinuwara, Kandy; Pitabeddara, Matara

Vatura-vela: Balapitiya, Galle

Vaturē-gama: Balapitiya, Galle

Vaturu-vila: Elpitiya, Galle

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Bubula/ Bibula/Bibila:


Bubula: The spring of water: Hingurakgoda division, Polonnaruwa district; Rideemaliyadda division, Badulla district

Diya-bubuḷa: Minipe division, Kandy district; Kundasale division, Kandy district;

Diya-bubula: Matale division, Matale district

Bubula-landa: Beruwala division, Kalutara district

Kuḍā-bibula: The small spring of water; Weeraketiya division, Hambantota district

Bibilā-deṇiya: The site of a fountain; Udubaddawa division, Kurunegala district

Bibila-mulla: The corner of a spring of water; Medagama division, Moneragala district


Revised: Sunday, 22 January 2017, 21:45

First published: Wednesday, 24 July 2013, 16:42