Know the Etymology: 301
Place Name of the Day: Thursday, 24 October 2013

Mura-pola, Waraka-mura

முர[ப்]பொல
வர[க்]கமுர
Murapola
Varakamura

Mura+pola
Waraka+mura

The sentry post
The Waraka (jack) fruit tree surroundings

Mura 1	Watching, guarding (Sinhala); Mura-pala: Watch post, Sentinel’s post (Sinhala); Mura-maduwa: Watch house, guard room (Sinhala); Mura-kara’nawaa: To watch, to keep guard (Sinhala); Mura-kaaraya: Sentry, guard, watchman (Sinhala); Mura: (plural), Mure, Muraya (singular): Season of plucking as of coconuts (Sinhala); Wæda-muraya: Turn of work (Sinhala): Mu’rai: Order, arrangement, system, regularity, turn by which work is done, time (as once, twice), custom (Tamil, DED 5015); Mu’ra: What is binding, law, custom, duty, turn (Malayalam, DED 5015); Mo’re: A turn, time (Kannada, DED 5015); Mu’rai-kaaran: One employed to attend to a job by turns (Tamil, MTL); Mu’rai-cheyvoar: Those who do the duty of the king (Tamil, Thiruvaalavaayudaiyaar Thiruvi’laiyaadat Puraa’nam 13:10); Mu’rai-cheythaar: Those who do stipulated duty with regularity (Tamil, inscription, 1099 CE, SII, v, 1000)
Mura 2	Surrounding, encircling (Sinhala); Mu’r’ru: (verb) To surround, besiege (Tamil, DED 5018); Mu’r’rukai: Blockade, siege, surrounding (Tamil. DED 5018); Mu’r’ral: Surrounding, encircling (Tamil, DED 5018); Cognates in Malayalam, Kota, Kannada, Tulu, Telugu and Kuwi (DED 5018); Mu’r’ram: Courtyard of a house, inner yard of a house, esplanade, open space, expanse (Tamil, DED 5016); Aala-mu’r’ram: The yard or precincts of the banyan tree, an ancient place name in the Chola country (Tamil, Akanaanoo’ru 181: 17); Vagnchi-mu’r’ram: The precincts of Vagnchi, the ancient capital of the Cheras (Tamil, Pu’ra:naano’ru 373:24; Chilappathikaaram, 25: 9 & 34)
Warakaa	A variety of jack in its ripe state (Sinhala); Varukkai, Varukkaip-palaa: A species of jack tree (Tamil, DED 5271); Varikkap-pilaavu: A superior variety of jack tree (Malayalam, DED 5271); Bakke-valasa: A sweet kind of jack-fruit; Bakke: The hard variety of jack-fruit (Kannada, DED 5271). See column on Varakkaappola for further etymological discussions on the term.
Pola	Open place, country market (Sinhala); Pala: Place, spot (Sinhala); Pulam: Open field, place (Tamil, DED 4303)

As place name components, the word Mura and its variation Mure are used in two different senses of meanings in Sinhala.

In the context of some place names Mura and Mure mean function of sentry or watch and in the context of others they mean surroundings.

Watching and guarding as well as surrounding and encircling are meanings given for the word Mura in Sinhala dictionaries.

Related to the meaning watching or guarding, there are also phrases in Sinhala such as Mura-maduwa (watch house) and Mura-kaaraya (the sentry, watchman etc). Mura-kara’nawaa is the verb form meaning to watch or keep guard.

The shade of meaning, watching or guarding for the word Mura, is connected to another set of words, Muraya or Mure and their plural form Mura found in Sinhala, which mean a routine or turn.

Muraya/ Mure (Mura in plural) mean the season or turn or plucking as of coconuts etc., and a phrase such as Wæda-muraya means a work schedule, routine or turn.

The connection between routine/ turn and sentry work is obvious.

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Mura in Sinhala in the above shades of meanings is a cognate of Mu’rai, a common word in Tamil and listed as Dravidian (DED 5015) meaning order, arrangement, system, regularity, turn by which work is done, time (as once, twice), custom, duty etc. Mu’ra in Malayalam and Mo’re in Kannada are other notable Dravidian cognates.

Comparable to Mura-kaaraya in Sinhala meaning a sentry, guard or watchman, Mu’rai-kaaran in Tamil means one who is employed to attend to a job by turns (Madras Tamil Lexicon).

Mu’rai-cheyvoar and Mu’rai-cheythal are other relevant phrases found in Tamil literature and inscriptions, respectively meaning those who carry out the king’s orders and the act of routinely carrying out a stipulated work.

Mu’rai meaning routine duty:

“Ik koayil thi'ranthu mu'rai cheythaar” (1099 CE, South Indian Inscriptions, v, 1000)

“இக் கோயில் திறந்து முறை செய்தார்” (1099 CE, South Indian Inscriptions, v, 1000)

Those who open this temple and perform the daily routine

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In another sense, Mura in Sinhala means surrounding or encircling.

In this sense of meaning, Mura and its variation Mure are mostly found used with the names of trees or plants in Sinhala place names (see related place names below).

As a place name component, Mura/ Mure seems to mean the surroundings of a tree/ vegetation/ natural feature, or perhaps, a place (precincts) surrounded by such trees/ vegetation/ natural feature.

In the sense of surrounding or encircling, the word Mura in Sinhala is related to the word Mu’r’ru in Tamil, which as a verb means to siege, surround or encircle, and as a noun means a siege.

Mu’r’ral meaning surrounding or encircling and Mu’r’rukai meaning siege, surrounding etc., are also related words found in the Tamil diction. Muttalu, a related Kannada cognate has a relevant additional meaning, i.e., environing. The Mu’r’ru-related words are listed as Dravidian (DED 5018).

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Mu’r’ram, meaning a yard (open place enclosed) or open space defined, is also another Tamil/ Dravidian term (DED 5018) that could be compared to Mura in Sinhala.

Aala-mu’r’ram, literally meaning the yard or precincts of a banyan tree, comes in Changkam literature as the name of a place in the ancient Chola country. Compare the place name with Nuga-mura and the other related place names listed below. Also note the old Tamil usage of referring to the precincts of a city as Mu’r’ram as in Vagnchi-mu’r’ram, Kaagnchi-mu’r’ram etc.

Example for Mu’r’ram coming as a place name component:

“Kaavirip pear yaa'r'ru… vaippin yaa'nar va'lam kezhu…mukkad chelvan aala mu'r'ram”

“காவிரிப் பேர் யாற்று… வைப்பின் யாணர் வளம் கெழு…முக்கட் செல்வன் ஆல முற்றம்”

The (town) Aala-mu'r'ram, sacred for the three-eyed God Siva and of newly acquired prosperity located in the banks of the great Kaaviri River

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Waraka in Sinhala and its corresponding word Varukkai in Tamil (DED 5271) mean a variety of jackfruit. Pola and its related word Pala in Sinhala correspond to Pulam in Tamil, listed as Dravidian (DED 4303). See earlier columns on Varakkaappola and Kotikaa-pola for further etymological discussions on the two terms.

Varukkai meaning a sweet variety of jack:

“Vaazhaiyin kanithaanum mathu vimmu varukkaiyin chu'laiyum” (Suntharar theavaaram, 7:76:9)

“வாழையின் கனிதானும் மது விம்மு வருக்கையின் சுளையும்” (சுந்தரர் தேவாரம், 7:76:9)

The fruit of plantain and the pulp of the honey-swelling Varukkai jack fruit

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Mura-pola is in Delthota division of Kandy district.

Waraka-mura is a place in Ukuwela division of Matale district.

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Some related place names:

Mura/ Mure as watching or guarding post:

Mura-wesi-hena: The slash and burn cultivation field with watcher’s house; Ambalanthota division, Hambanthota district

Rana-mure-gama: Probably, the village vested with war duties; Laggala-Pallegama division, Matale district

Maga-mure: The roadside sentry; Kamburupitiya division, Matara district

Paala-mure: Warakapola division, Kegalle district

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Mura/ Mure as surroundings:

Mee-mure: The Mee tree surroundings; Uda-dumbara division, Kandy district. Mee: Bassia latifolia (Sinhala)

Bo-mure: The Bo tree surroundings; Meda-dumbara division, Kandy district. Bo, Bodhi: Ficus religiosa (Sinhala)

Nuga-mura: The Nuga tree surroundings; Medagama division, Moneragala district. Nuga: Banyan tree, Ficus indica (Sinhala); Nyagroadha: Banyan tree (Sanskrit, CDIAL 7610)

Dool-mure: The Dool plant surroundings; Pathahewaheta division, Kandy district. Dool: A fibrous plant, also called As-wæl, Anodendron paniculatum (Sinhala)

Dimbula-mure: The Dimbula tree surroundings; Wellawaya division, Moneragala district. Dimbul: Wood apple, Feronia elephantum; also a species of the Ficus tree, Ficus glomerata, Attikkaa (Sinhala)

Mola-mure: The Mola tree surroundings; Balangoda division, Ratnapura district. Mola-gaha: A tree (Sinhala)

Mala-mura: The hill surroundings; Nagoda division, Galle district

Siyampalam-muraya: The tamarind tree surroundings; Katuwana division, Hambanthota district

Murutha-muraya: The Murutha tree surroundings; Hakmana division, Hambanthota district. Murutha: Laggerstæmia flos-reginæ (Sinhala)

Imbula-mura: The Imbul tree surroundings; Balangoda division Ratnapura district. Imbul: Silk cotton tree (Sinhala)

Panaa-mura: The jack tree surroundings; Embilipitiya division, Ratnapura district

First published: Thursday, 24 October 2013, 20:31