Know the Etymology: 296
Place Name of the Day: Saturday, 05 October 2013

Inguru-watta

இங்குரு வத்த
Iṅkuru vatta

Inguru+watta

The ginger garden

Inguru

Also Ingura: Ginger, Zingiber officinalis (Sinhala); Singuru: Ginger (Sinhala); Hinguru: Ginger, also a climbing prickly plant, Acacia concinna (Sinhala); Hinguru-piyali, Singuru-piyali: A small aromatic plant, Kæmpferia galanga (Sinhala); Hingu: Asafoetida, Perungkaayam (Sinhala); Ingku: Asafoetida, Perungkaayam (Tamil, Thivaakaram, 6:53; Pingkalam, 6:627; Choodaama’ni, 6:17); S’ringa-veara: Dried or fresh ginger (Sanskrit, CDIAL 12588); Singi-veara: Ginger (Pali, CDIAL 12588); CDIAL traces the etymology to Dravidian; Ignchi: Ginger (Tamil, Malayalam, Kodagu, DED 429); Vear: Root (Tamil, Malayalam, DED 5535, cognates in 14 Dravidian languages).

Watta

Garden, grove (Sinhala); Vaththai: Plot of land usually named after vegetation found on it (Eezham Tamil); Paththai. Pattai: Scrub forest (Tamil, from Pattu, DED 4034). See column on Koththiyaa-vaththai for further etymological discussions.

Inguru or Ingura in Sinhala is ginger. Singuru and Hinguru are also words for ginger.

The cognates in Sanskrit and Pali are ‘Sringa-veara and Singi-veara respectively. However, a Comparative Dictionary of Indo-Aryan Languages traces the etymology to Dravidian (CDIAL 12588).

Ignchi is the word for ginger in Tamil, Malayalam and Kodagu, and the word is listed as Dravidian (DED 429). Dravidian words getting added with S/ H before them in Indo-Aryan is as common as IA words beginning with S/ H losing them in Dravidian.

The Veara part in the Sanskrit/ Pali cognates corresponds to Vear in Tamil/ Dravidian meaning any root (DED 5535).

Certain ginger-like plants and a yam is also called by the term Hinguru, Singuru and Hinguru-a’la (Hingura’la) in Sinhala. There are some place names associated with such plants also.

Asafoetida is known in literary Sinhala as Hingu, while the common name is Perung-kaayam corresponding to Perung-kaayam in Tamil/ Dravidian (DED 1462). However old Tamil lexicons also give the name Ingku to asafoetida.

Usage example for Ignchi in Changkam literature:

“Ignchi magncha'l paing ka'ri pi'ravum” (Mathuraikkaagnchi 289)

“இஞ்சி மஞ்சள் பைங் கறி பிறவும்” (மதுரைக்காஞ்சி 289)

Ginger, turmeric and other green spices

* * *

Inguru-watta is a place in Doluwa division of Kandy district. There is another village by that name in Kuliyapitiya West division of Kurunegala district.

* * *




Some related place names:

Inguru:

Inguru-oya: The rivulet the sides of which is cultivated with ginger; Pasbage Korale division, Kandy district

Wal-inguru-ketiya: The part of wild ginger plants; Karandeniya division, Galle district

Hinguru as ginger or as a plant by that name:

Hinguru-kaduwa: The pass of ginger crop, or the plant by the name Hunguru; Hanguranketha division, Nuwara Eliya district; Badalkumbura division, Moneragala district

Hinguru-wewa: The tank for ginger crop or the tank locality found with Hinguru plant; Thalawa division, Anuradhapura district; Palagala division, Anuradhapura district

Hinguru-wæl-pitiya: The high ground plane found with the climbing Hinguru plant Acacia concinna; Palagala division, Anuradhapura district

Hinguru-gamuwa: The village of ginger crop; Badulla division, Badulla district; Welimada division, Badulla district


Hingura as ginger or as Acacia concinna plant:

Hingura-kanda: The hill of ginger crop or Hinguru plants; Katuwana division, Hambantota district

Hingura-landa: The jungle high ground of Higuru plants; Mahaoya division, Ampaa’rai district

Hinguraana: The place of ginger crop or Hinguru plant; Damana division, Ampaa’rai district

Palle-hinguraana: The lower part of the place of ginger crop or Hinguru plant; Kekirawa division, Anuradhapura district

Hingurak-goda: The bank/ hill/ village of ginger crop or Hinguru plants; Hingurakgoda division, Polonnaruwa district

Hinguraka: The place of ginger crop or Hinguru plants; Hingurakgoda division, Polonnaruwa district

Hingurak-damana: The grassland found with Hinguru plant or where ginger is cultivated; Lankapura division, Polonnaruwa district

Hingurraa: The place of ginger crop or the Hinguru plants; Embilipitiya division, Ratnapura district

Hingura-aara: The river, the side of which is has ginger crop or the Hinguru plants; Embilipitiya division, Ratnapura district


Siringa:

Siringa-paatha-watha: The garden of the low land or descending land found with ginger crop or Sringa/ Singuru plant; Divulapitiya division, Gampaha district

Hingura’la (Hinguru+a’la) as a kind of yam:

Hingura’la: The (place of) Hingura’la yam; Hanwella division, Colombo district

Hingura’la-kanda: The hill of Hingura’la yam; Dehiovita division, Kegalle district

First published: Saturday, 05 October 2013, 18:26