Know the Etymology: 291
Place Name of the Day: Monday, 23 September 2013

Maru-kona, Koa'naa-va'lai

மருகொன, கோணாவளை
Marukona, Kōṇāvaḷai

Maru+kona
Koa'na+va'lai

The death end
The surroundings (locality) at the corner

Kona	(singular), Kon (plural): End, corner, angle (Sinhala); Konai: Tip, end (Tamil, DED 2174); Kone: Extremity, point, tip, end, corner, sprout (Kannada, DED 2174); Point, end, extremity (Tulu, DED 2174); Kona: End, extremity, point, tip, summit (Telugu, DED 2174); Pointed end (Konda, DED 2174)
Koa'nam	Curve, curvature, scimitar, angle, corner, (Tamil, DED 2209); from the root Koa'n; Crookedness, angle (Tamil, DED 2209); Ko'na: Corner, angle, point of the compass, (Sanskrit, CDIAL 3504)
Maruwaa	Death personified (Sinhala); Maru: Region or soil destitute of water, sandy desert (Sinhala); Maara: Death (Sanskrit, CDIAL 10063); Death usually personified (Pali, CDIAL 10063); Mara'na, Maara'na: dying and killing respectively (Sanskrit, CDIAL 9869, 10065); Death (Pali, CDIAL 9869, 10063); Ma'ral: Death; Ma'rali: Death personified, Yama; Ma'ram: Death personified, Yama (Tamil, DED 4763); Ma'ravai: Anything cruel by nature (Tamil, DED 4763); Ma'ravan: Inhabitant of desert tract; Ma'raththi: Woman of desert tracts (Tamil, DED 4763)
Va'lai	(verb) To surround; (noun) Circle, surrounding region (Tamil, DED 5313); Va'laichal, Va'laippu: Enclosure, courtyard (Tamil, DED 5313). Cognates in 8 Dravidian languages

The component Kona found in the Sinhala place names means an end or corner.

The closest cognates are Kona in Telugu and Kone in Kannada and Tulu, meaning an extremity, point, tip, end or corner.

Tamil has a cognate, Konai, meaning a tip or end, but it is found used only in old literature that too very rarely. Kone is commonly used in Kannada and Tulu.

All the said cognates are listed as words of Dravidian etymology (DED 2174).

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Koa'nam in Tamil, meaning a corner or angle, may be a related word to Konai. The etymology of Koa'nam is traced to the root Koa'n, meaning crookedness or angle. Koa'nu is the verb form. They are listed as words of Dravidian etymology (DED 2209). However, Sanskrit also has a cognate Ko'na, meaning a corner or angle (CDIAL 3504)

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The prefix Maru in the context of the place name Maru-kona, has to be taken as a shortened form of Maruwaa which means death personified.

The Indo-Aryan cognate, Maara in Sanskrit means death and it means death personified in Pali (CDIAL 10063).

However, the Tamil cognates, Ma'ral meaning death and Ma'rali and Ma'ram meaning death personified (Yama) are taken as words of Dravidian etymology (DED 4763). These are words found used in the Changkam literature.

In Sinhala, Maru alone means a region or soil destitute of water, or a sandy desert. These shades of meanings may or may not be related to the meaning death. But note the Tamil cognates Ma'ravai meaning anything cruel by nature, and the Ma'ravar meaning people of the desert tract (DED 4763).

See related place names where Maru is used to mean a waterless place or an arid tract.

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Va'lai is a common suffix found in Eezham Tamil place names. It is largely found in locality names.

Va'lai means a circle or surrounding area. It is listed as a word of Dravidian etymology (DED 5313).

Va'laichchal, Va'laippu, Va'laakam, Vi'laakam, Va'laivu, Va'lavu etc., are related words, meaning enclosure, courtyard, campus, premises, compound etc. While Va'lavu is found in Eezham Tamil and Walawuwa in Sinhala, the other forms are mostly found in the place names of Tamil Nadu.

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Maru-kona is located at the edge of a steep escarpment in Ukuwela division of Matale district

Koa'naa-va'lai is a locality in Thirunelveali in Jaffna

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Some related place names:


Kona:

Ella-kona: The waterfall corner or the waterfall end; Madulla division, Moneragala district; Medagama division, Moneragala district

Kona-pathirawa: The corner zone or end zone; Ipalogama division, Anuradhapura district. Patara: Circle, zone (Sinhala); Paa: Expanse (Tamil, DED 4088)

Kona-kumpuk-wewa: The tank of Kumbuk trees at the corner or end; Rambewa division, Anuradhapura district

Kona-kalagala: The black rock or rocky hill at the corner or end; Akurana division, Kandy district


Koa'nam:

Koa'nan-ku'lam: The tank at the corner or end; or the tank of a crooked shape; Ka'ndaava'lai division, Ki'linochchi district

Koa'naa-vil: The pond at the corner or end; Karaichchi division, Ki'linochchi district

Koa'naa-moaddai: The tank at the corner or end; Musali division, Mannaar district

Koa'naa-vaththai: The garden or grove at the corner or end; Addaa'laichcheanai division, Ampaa'rai district

Thanuk-koa'nam, Thanuk-koa'nan: An alternative way of calling Thanuk-koadi of Rameswaram in Jaffna Tamil


Maru:

Marud-dana: The place of death; Poojapitiya division, Kandy district. It is located at the edge of a deep cliff

Pita-maruwa: The barren outside; Meegahakivula division, Badulla district. Bordering the green belt of a steep hillside, the place has a barren landscape

Maruk-wathura: Probably the place that is not getting water; Rambukkana division, Kegalle district

First published: Monday, 23 September 2013, 20:30