Know the Etymology: 308
Place Name of the Day: Thursday, 19 December 2013

A'lawwa, A'lavakkai-chi'ru-ku'lam

அளவ்வ
அளவக்கை சிறுகுளம்
Aḷavva
Aḷavakkai Ciṟukuḷam

A'lawwa
A'lavakkai+chi'ru+ku'lam

The canal

The small tank of the canal (fed by the canal)

A'lawa

Canal, irrigation canal (Sinhala, northern place names); A'lavakkai: Irrigation canal, a small tank fed by an irrigation canal (Eezham Tamil, especially Mannaar place names); 1. Azhuvam: Pit, depth (Tamil, from the root Aazh meaning to sink, be deep, DED 396); Aazham: Depth, deep place (Tamil, Malayalam, DED 396); Aazhi: The deep, sea, seashore (Tamil, DED 396); 2. Azhivi: Inlet to a backwater, mouth of a river (Tamil, DED 278, from the root Azhi); Azhivu: Mouth of a river (Tamil, DED 278); A'luve: Mouth of a river (Tulu, DED 278); Aruvi: Rivulet, river's mouth (Tamil, DED 225); 3. Aali: Main channel, spill, dam, bund, bund of a tank (Sinhala); Æla: Brook, rivulet, channel, canal (Sinhala); Æliya: Ditch, drain, river (Sinhala); Aal: Water, flood (Tamil, DED 348); Aalam: Water, ocean, rain (Tamil, DED 384); 4. Agala: Ditch, trench (Sinhala); Akazhi: Moat (Tamil, DED 11); from Akazh: (verb) To excavate (verb), (noun) moat, tank, reservoir (Tamil, DED 11); Aga'lu: Ditch, trench, moat (Tulu, DED 11); 5. Adi: Canal (early inscriptions in the island); Aadi: Row, line, ridge (Sanskrit, CDIAL 1102); Aa'li, Aali: Line, dam (Pali, CDIAL 1102); Aali: Line, row (Prakrit, CDIAL 1102)

Chi'ru

Small (Tamil, DED 1594)

The term A'lawwa/ A'lawa noticed in the Sinhala place names of North Central and North Western Provinces, mean a canal, especially an irrigation canal. The common term used in Sinhala for a canal as well as a brook, rivulet etc., is Æla.

A'lawa corresponds to a term A'lavakkai found used in the Eezham Tamil place names of Mannaar district.

A'lavakkai means the same as A'lawa in Sinhala, i.e., an irrigation canal. In certain contexts, A'lavakkai also seems to mean a small tank fed by an irrigation canal. The Kai suffix is probably added here either to mean a branch as in Kai-aa'ru for a branching watercourse, or to mean a canal-fed pond, as a shortened form of Kayam.

The usage of the component A'lavakkai is noticed mostly in the Maanthai West, Naanaaddaan and Musali divisions of Mannaar district, in the context of water bodies connected by canals of the Giant's Tank and Aruvi-aa'ru River. See related place names.

See box on the various etymological possibilities for the terms A'lawa and A'lavakkai.

* * *

A'lawwa is a place adjacent to an ancient canal that has rendered its name for an entire division called A'lawwa in Kurunegala district.

A'lavakkai-chi'ru-ku'lam is in Musali division of Mannaar district.

* * *

Some related place names:

A'lawa-kumbura: The paddy fields of the canal; Dimbulagala division, Polonnaruwa district

Eechchai-A'lavakkai: The canal or tank lined by Eechchai (a species of date palm) shrubs; Maanthai West division, Mannaar district

A'lavakkai-veddukkaadu: The field for deforestation or the deforested field for cultivation along the canal; Naanaaddaan division, Mannaar district

A'lavakkai-puthukkaadu: The new fields brought under cultivation along the canal; Naanaaddaan division, Mannaar district

Aariyan-a'lavakkai: The canal or canal-fed tank named after a person called Aariyan; Naanaaddaan division, Mannaar district

Ayiniyan-kangkaa'ni-a'lavakkai: The canal or canal-fed tank of a supervisor called Ayiniyan Kangkaa'ni; Musali division, Mannaar district

First published: Thursday, 19 December 2013, 19:42