Know the Etymology: 274
Place Name of the Day: Wednesday, 14 August 2013

Ka’lukondayaawa, Konda-gala, Ko’ndaichchi

களுகொன்ட₃யாவ, கொன்ட₃க₃ல, கொண்டைச்சி
Kaḷukonḍayāva, Konḍagala, Koṇṭaicci

Ka’lu+kondayaava
Konda+gala
Kondaichchi

The dark hair-knot (shaped rock)
The hair-knot shaped rocky hill
The place found with a species of crested bird

Ko’ndai	Tuft, dressing of hair in large coil on the head, crest of a bird, head (as of a nail), knob (as of a cane), round top (Tamil, DED 2081); Cognates in Malayalam, Kota, Toda, Kannada, Kodagu, Tulu and Telugu. Ko’nde is the form in Kannada, Kodagu and Telugu (DED 2081); Ko’nda: Hill, mountain, rock (Telugu, Kannada, DED 1864); Ko’ndaichchi, Ko’ndaichchaan, Ko’ndaichchan, Ko’ndalaaththi, Ko’ndaik-ki’laa’ru, Ko’ndaik-kulaaththi: 1.Hoopoe, having a beautiful crest erected at will, 2. Madras Bulbul (Tamil, MTL, Jaffna dictionary); Ko’ndaiyan, Ko’ndaip-parunthu: A species of crested kite (Tamil, MTL, Jaffna usage)
Konde	(singular), Kondaa (plural): Knot or bunch in which the hair is tied up (Sinhala); Konda (singular), Konde (plural): Kind of binder or girdle used for tucking up the hair (Sinhala); Konda-kurullaa: A small bird, Madras bulbul (Sinhala); Konda-kohaa: Pied crested cuckoo, red-winged crested cuckoo (Sinhala); Konda-wanduraa: Madras langur (Sinhala). See box above for etymological connections.
Ka’lu	Black, blue or dark (Sinhala); Kaala: also Kaa’la: Black, dark, blue (Sanskrit, CDIAL 3083); Kaa’la, Kaa’laka: Black, dark (Pali, CDIAL 3083); Kaala, Kaalaya: Black, dark (Prakrit, CDIAL 3083); CDIAL traces Dravidian etymology for Kaa’la and cognates Kaada, Kari, Kariyaa, Kaari, Kaariyaa, Kaaro etc., of R/ L change (CDIAL 3083); Ka’ru: (verb) To grow black, darken (Tamil, DED 1395); Ka’ru-Ka’ru: To become very black (Tamil, DED 1395); Ka’ruppu (noun): Blackness, darkness (Tamil, DED 1395); Ka’ruval: Black person or animal (Tamil, DED 1395); Ka’rai: Blackness, darkness (Tamil, DED 1395); Cognates found in Malayalam, Kota, Toda, Kannada, Kodagu, Tulu, Telugu, Parji, Gadba, Gondi, Konda and Pengo (DED 1395); Kaazh: Blackness (Tamil, DED 1494); Kaazh, Kaadu: Black, blackness (Kannada, DED 1494); Kazhupu: Blackness (Kannada, DED 1494); Kaari, Kaa’li: Blackish (Tulu, DED 1494); Ka’laa: A shrub bearing edible black berries (Tamil, DED 1377)

Konde (Singular), Kondaa (plural) and Konda in word combinations in Sinhala generally mean the hair-knot or hairdo that is globular in shape.

The Sinhala words correspond to Ko’ndai in Tamil and to its cognates such as Ko’nta, Ko’nde etc., in other Dravidian languages. The words are of Dravidian etymology (DED 2081). They are related to the roots Kodi and Koadu.

Apart from hair-knot or tuft of hair, the words also stand for crest and knob-topped features. A rock of hill that stands alone, or the crest of which that stands alone in the shape of a knob also thus gets the name.

Related to another set of words, Ko’nda in Telugu and Kannada, corresponding to Kun’ru in Tamil also mean a hill or rock that usually stands alone (DED 1864).

Ko’ndai in Tamil and Konde/ Konda in Sinhala come as components in a range of phrases, standing for human beings, animals and birds to inanimate things that have a crest, knob-like feature, etc.

Ko’ndaichchi in Tamil mean a bird that has a crest. There are many synonyms beginning with the prefix ko’ndai, for this popular bird. Some of them are specific to Eezham Tamil.

Ko’ndaiyan is another bird, a crested kite. It is also called Ko’ndaip-parunthu. Ko’ndaiyan is noted as Jaffna usage by the MTL. Note the place name Ko’ndaiyan-kea’ni under the related place names

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Kondai meaning tightly knotted hairdo in the shape of a knob:

“Ko'ndaik koozhaith tha'ndazhaik kadaisiyar” (Pu'ra:naanoo'ru, 61-1)

“கொண்டைக் கூழைத் தண்டழைக் கடைசியர்” (புறநானூறு, 61-1)

The leaf-clad female paddy field labourers of Ko’ndai (knob-shaped and tightly knotted) hairdo

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Ka’lu in Sinhala means black, blue or dark colour. It is a cognate of Kaa’la/ Kaala in Sanskrit, Pali and Prakrit, meaning the same (CDIAL 3083).

However, words taken as belonging to Dravidian etymology such as Kaazh, Ka’ru, Kaar etc., that are seen in both verb and noun forms, are also obvious cognates of the said Sanskrit/ Pali/ Prakrit/ Sinhala words.

ZH/ ‘R/ R/ ‘L/ L changes are common features in South Asian languages. A form such as Ka’laa is also noticed in Tamil in certain contexts (DED 1377).

A Comparative Dictionary of Indo-Aryan Languages traces Dravidian etymology to Kaa’la (CDIAL 3083).

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Ka’lu-kondayaawa is a place in Dompe division of Gampaha district. It is a place of rock mounds that have been quarried in recent times.

Konda-gala is in Pelmadulla division of Ambalangoda division of Galle district

Ko’ndaichchi is a coastal village in the Musali division of Mannaar district. It is a short form of Ko'ndaichchik-kudaa, meaning the cove shore found with Ko'ndaichchi birds.

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Some related place names:

Wæli-konda: The sand mound or hill shaped like a hair-knot; Imaduwa division, Galle district

Konda-deniya: The river valley making an armpit like turn; Harispattiwa division, Kandy district. Ko’nda: Socket of the arm where it joins the shoulder (Sinhala); Koa’n: Angle; Koa’nam: Curve, curvature, angle, corner (Tamil, DED 2209); Konda: Corner (Telugu, DED 2209)

Konda-gam-mulla: The hair-knot (hill) village corner; Katana division, Gampaha district


Ko’ndai:

Ko’ndaiyan-kea’ni: The constructed pond frequented by crested kites; Koa’ra’laippattu division, Batticaloa district

Ko’ndai-madu: The tank of Ko’ndal/ Kon’rai trees; Puthukkudiyiruppu division, Mullaiththeevu district; Karaithu’raippattu division, Mullaiththeevu district. In this context the word is not connected to tuft of hair.

Ko’ndalup-pilavu: The fields of Ko’ndal trees: Puthukkudiyiruppu division, Mullaiththeevu district


Ka’lu:

Ka’lu-gala: The place of black granite or the dark rocky hill; Aranayaka division, Kegalle district; Warakapola division, Kegalle district; Palagala division, Anuradhapura district; Ambagamuwa division, Nuwara Eliya district; Udadumbara division, Kandy district; Palindunuwara division, Kalutara district; Ka’lu-gala: (singular), Ka’lu-gal (plural): Common black granite (Sinhala)

Ka’lu-gal-oya: The river or stream in black granite bed; Udadumbara division, Kandy district

Ka’lu-galla: The place of black granite or the dark rocky hill; Kegalle division, Kegalle district; Polpithigama division, Kurunegala district;

Ka’lu-gala-hena: The shifting cultivation field in the black granite area; Kotapola division, Matara district

Ka’lu-gala-watta: The garden or grove in black granite area; Pathadumbara division, Kandy district

Ka’lu-gala-goda: The bank or hill of black granite; Imaduwa division, Galle district

Ka’lu-gal-hinna: The black granite outcrop; Udapalatha division, Kandy district. Hinnaa: Wart (Sinhala)

Ka’lu-gal-thenna: The place of black granite; Ambanganga division, Matale district

Ka’lu-aggala: The dark upper rocks or rocky hill; Hanwella division, Colombo district; Divulapitiya division, Gampaha district

Ka’lu-golla: The dark (dense and shady) grove; Damana division, Ampaa’rai district

Mahaa-ka’lu-golla: The big dark forest: Siyambalanduwa division, Moneragala district

Ka’lu-golla-yaaya: The expanse of the dark forest; Siyambalanduwa division, Moneragala district

Ka’lu-attana-golla: The grove of Ka’lu-attana (a species of thorn apple) shrubs (Datura fastuosa); Hnguranketha division, Nuwara Eliya district

Ka’lu-wana: The dark forest; Thumpane division, Kandy district; Poojapitiya division, Kandy district

Ka’lu-wennewa: The dark forest; Nikawerattiya division, Kurunegala district

Ka’lu-kele: The dark forest; Nuwara Eliya division, Nuwara Eliya district; Dimbulagala division, Polonnaruwa district

Kalu-pe: The dark grove: Hikkaduwa division, Galle district

Ka’lu-wala-goda: The bank or hill of the dark forest; Karandenya division, Galle district

Ka’lu-diya-wala: The forest of dark waters; Yakkalamulla division, Galle district

Ka’lu-wella: The dark shore: Galle Four Gravets division, Galle district

Ka’lu-gama: Bingiriya division, Kurunegala district

Ka’lu-gamuwa: Doluwa division, Kandy district; Udapalatha division, Kandy district; Mawathagama division, Kurunegala district; Weerambugedara division, Kurunegala district; Kuliapitiya division, Kurunegala district; Polgahawela division, Kurunegala district

Hinda-ka’lu-gama: The dark village settled or the dark village of Euginea caryophylloea trees (Hinda: having sat; Heendan: The said tree peculiar to the island (Sinhala)

Ka’lu-ganga: The river of dark waters; Laggala-Pallegama division, Matale district

Ka’lu-tara: The port at the mount of Ka’lu-ganga, the dark river; Kalutara division, Kalutara district. Tara is a variation of Tura/ Thu’rai, meaning a port.

Ka’luwaripuwa: Kalu-arippuwa: The dark eroded area; Katana division, Gampaha district, Divulapitiya division, Gampaha district

Ka’lu-mada: The dark mud; Divulapitiya division, Gampaha district

Ka’lu-dewala: The dark pagoda or temple; Panadura division, Kalutara district; Matale division, Matale district

Ka’lu-bo-vila: The pond of the dark Bo tree; Dehiwala division, Colombo district

Ka’lu-bo-vitiyana: The dark mound of Bo trees; Pitabeddara division, Matara district

Ka’luwa-gaha-yaaya: The expanse of the dark tree; Weeraketiya division, Hambantota district

Ka’lu-gaha-kandura: The hill stream of the dark tree; Meegahakivula division, Badulla district

Ka’lu-gaha-waadiya: The camp at the dark tree; Medagama division, Moneragala district

Ka’lu-bulu-landa: The jungle high ground of Bulu trees; Welimada division, Badulla district

Ka’luwa-modara: The dark estuary; Beruwala division, Kalutara district

Ka’lu-pahana: The dark rock or gravel; Agalawatta division, Kalutara district; Hildummulla division, Badulla district. Paha’na: Stone, gravel (Sinhala); Paashaa’na: Stone (Sanskrit, CDIAL 8138); Paasaa’na, Paasaa’naka: Stone, rock (Prakrit, CDIAL 8138)

Ka’lu-vila: The pond of dark waters: Nachchdoowa division, Anuradhapura district

Ka’lu-kandawa: The dark hill; Palindunuwara division, Kalutara district

Ka’lu-kohu-thenna: The place for dark variety of paddy; Yatyanthota division, Kegalle district. Kohu: A kind of paddy (Sinhala)

Ka’lu-aarachchi-goda: The village/ bank/ hill of the dark village officer; Niyagama division, Galle district

Ka’lu-aarachchiya-gama: The village of the dark village officer; Nachchadoowa division, Anuradhapura district

Ka’lu-wachchi-mulla: Dankottuwa division, Puththalam district

Ka’lu-wadu-mulla: The corner of the dark carpenter; Ambalangoda division, Galle district

Ka’lu-pedi-gama: Probably, the village of the dark chief of washermen; Peadiya: Washerman or the chief of washermen (Sinhala)


Ka’luvan:

Ka’luvan-kea’ni: The constructed pond of dark waters, or the constructed pond of a dark coloured fauna or flora; Ea’raavoorpattu division, Batticaloa district

First published: Wednesday, 14 August 2013, 02:22