Know the Etymology: 315
Place Name of the Day: Friday, 12 May 2017

Gańga-baḍa, Veraḷa-baḍa, Ōbaḍa, Āra-boḍa, Ira-baḍa-gama, Gal-baḍa, Gal-boḍa

கங்கப₃ட₃,
வெரளப₃ட₃,
ஓப₃ட₃,
ஆரபொ₃ட₃,
இரப₃ட₃க₃ம,
க₃ல்ப₃ட₃,
க₃ல்பொ₃ட₃
Gańga-baḍa, Veraḷa-baḍa, Ōbaḍa, Āra-boḍa, Ira-baḍa-gama, Gal-baḍa, Gal-boḍa

Gańga+baḍa
Veraḷa+baḍa
Ō+baḍa
Ara+boḍa
Ira+baḍa+gama
Gal+baḍa
Gal+boḍa

The riverbank or the tract adjacent to the river

The tract adjacent to the seashore

The river or canal bank; or the tract adjacent to the river or canal

The tax-bound village

The spur/ rock-edge/ hill-edge/ stone bank/ rock bank

The spur/ rock-edge/ hill-edge/ stone bank/ rock bank

Baḍa1	adjacency, neighbourhood, side; "Samīpaya" (Sinhala, Sorata); border, edge, bank as in, Gaň-baḍa: border or edge of a river (Sinhala, Clough); Vil-baḍa: edge of a pond, lake or marsh; "Vila samīpaya (Sinhala, Sorata); Ō-baḍa: edge or bank of a river; "Nadi samīpaya" (Sinhala, Sorata); shore, coast as in, Muhudu-baḍa: sea coast (Sinhala, Clough); bank or ridge as in, Vel-baḍa: mounds or earth raised in the paddy fields to dam in the water and serving as pathways and boundaries (Sinhala, Clough); boundary, border or edge as in, Baḍa-vẹṭiya: boundary fence or hedge, boundary consisting of impermeable bushes or thickets, "Iḍamaka māyimehi tibena panduru sahita bim paṭiya" (Sinhala, Clough, Sorata); edge as in Baḍa-ẹḷa: canal at the edge connecting with subsidiary channels of a paddy field grid; "Liyẹddaka pahaḷin tibena ẹḷa" (Sinhala, Sorata); Puḍe: border, edge, brink, margin, brim, side (Tulu, DED 4255); Puṭai: side, place (Tamil, DED 4255); side, upper side, inside, back, edge, adjacency, place (Tamil, Caṅkam diction, Kuṟuntokai, 330: 1-2; Naṟṟiṇai, 294: 7; Puṟanāṉūṟu, 135: 8; Patiṟṟuppattu, 74: 12; Ciṟupāṇāṟṟuppaṭai, 5; Perumpāṇāṟṟuppaṭai, 84); locative case affix meaning back, adjacency, neighbourhood (Tamil, Tolkāppiyam, 11: 21); see Baḍa 3
Baḍa2	attached, connected with, bound; "Baddha, Piḷibańda" (Sinhala, Sorata); etymology probably related to Baḍa 1 or to Bandha meaning bond (CDIAL 9136)
Baḍa3	probably meaning protuberance, spur, embankment etc., as seen in some Sinhala place names such as Gal-baḍa; probably coming from the meanings, belly, abdomen, womb, pot (Sinhala, Clough, Sorata); also note land terms such as, Baḍa-vẹḍili: land given for livelihood, "Jīvat vīma sańdahā dena iḍama" (Sinhala, Sorata); plants cultivated in a land; "Iḍamehi vẹvū gasvẹl (Sinhala, Sorata); Baḍa in this case seems to mean stomach and Vẹḍi is used in the meaning of sufficiency or prosperity; Baḍe, Bańḍu: belly, the term is also used to mean landscape in Maldivian island names, as in Boḍu-Bańḍos, Kuḍa-bańḍos, Bańḍi-dū etc. (Dhivehi/ Maldivian, EDMIN); Bhāṇḍa: pot (Sanskrit, CDIAL 9440); Phāṇḍa: belly (Sanskrit, only in lexicons, cited by DED 3898); Poṭṭa, Puṭṭa: belly (Prakrit, CDIAL 8376); Paṇṭi, Paṇṭam, Vaṇṭi: belly (Tamil, DED 3898); Baṇḍi: belly (Kuwi, DED 3898); Poṭṭe, Puṭṭi, Poḍe: belly (Kannada, DED 4494); Poṭṭa: belly (Telugu, Kolami, Naikri, Parji, Gondi, DED 4494); Poṭa: stomach (Konda, DED 4494); Paṭā: belly (Kuwi, DED 4494); Puṭai: (verb) to swell, dilate, puff up; (noun) protuberance (Tamil, DED 4253)
Boḍa	no dictionary entries, but comes as a variation of Baḍa in Sinhala place names, as in Gal-baḍa/ Gal-boḍa, Kańdu-baḍa/ Kańdu-boḍa etc.; used in the meaning of bank, border or edge, as in Gam-boḍa: = Gańga-baḍa (Sinhala, Sorata). See boxes on Baḍa.
Ōbaḍa	riverbank, tract of land adjacent to a river; "Nadi samīpaya" (Sinhala, Sorata); Ō+baḍa: from Oya+baḍa: as in the other examples, Ō-kaḍa: watercourse, "Diyapāra"; Ō-vilān: riverside marsh, "Gaňgā addara kuḍā gas vẹvunu vaguru bim" (Sinhala Sorata). See box on Baḍa 1 above. For meaning and etymology of Oya see column 25.
Veraḷa	seashore, shore, coast, beach, wharf, quay (Sinhala, Clough); "Jalāśayanhi tīraya, Ivura, Goḍabima" (Sinhala, Sorata); Varāya: harbour, port (Sinhala, Clough); Vara: shore, bank of a river; "Taṭaya, Goḍavana tẹna" (Sinhala, Sorata); Varai: (verb) to limit; (noun) bank, shore, ridge of a field, limit, extent, place (Tamil, DED 5261); slope of hill, mountain, peak (Tamil, DED 5274). See column 105
Ira	the part of produce or land revenue paid to the king or landlord, "Geviya yutu koṭasa hō badumudala (Sinhala, Sorata, Epigraphia Zelanica V, 136); Iṟai: tax on land, duty (Tamil, DED 521); Iṟu: (verb) to pay as a tax, debt etc. (Tamil, DED 521)
Āra	canal, river; "Ẹḷa, Gańga" (Sinhala, Sorata); Āṟu, Yāṟu: river, brook (Tamil, DED 5159). See column 365
Gańga	river (Sinhala, Clough); Gaṅgā: the river Ganges (Sanskrit, CDIAL 3952)
Gal	stone, rock, hill (Sinhala, Sorata); Kal: (Tamil, DED 1298). See column 46

In toponymical context, Baḍa in Sinhala mostly means a side, bank, adjacent place or neighbourhood (Samīpaya as explained by Sorata and as seen in phrases like Gaň-baḍa). Puḍe in Tulu meaning border, edge, side etc., and Puṭai in Tamil meaning a side are the closest cognates in Dravidian (DED 4255).

The attachment meaning for Baḍa may be related to Baḍa meaning a side.

Baḍa may also mean a spur or a landscape of protuberance, related to the word commonly meaning belly in Sinhala. Baṇḍi in Kuwi, Poḍe in Kannada and Paṇṭi/ Vaṇṭi in Tamil meaning belly are the cognates in Dravidian (DED 3898, 4494). Note the verb form Puṭai in Tamil connected to both the meanings: side as well as belly.

Boḍa coming as a component in Sinhala place names is a variation of Baḍa.

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Veraḷa meaning shore or seashore in Sinhala may be related to Vāraya and Vara in Sinhala (Vara+la affix) and Varai in Tamil, meaning the same. Varai as verb meaning to limit, and as noun meaning a bank, shore, slope of hill etc., in Tamil, is listed as Dravidian (DED 5261, 5274).

See other columns for etymology and discussion on Ira, Āra, Gańga and Gal.

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Gańga-baḍa comes as a place name in Pẹliya-goḍa in Kelaniya division of Gampaha district and in Mallavacci-goḍa in Walallavita division of Kalutara district. They are respectively known as Pẹliyagoḍa Gańgabaḍa and Mallavaccigoḍa Gańgabaḍa.

Veraḷa-baḍa is a place in Chilaw division of Puttalam district.

Ō-bada is in Walasmulla division of Hambantota district.

Āra-boḍa is in Katuwana division of Hambantota district.

Ira-baḍa-gama is a place in Pannala division of Kurunegala district

Gal-baḍa is found in Bentota division of Galle district and in Thihagoda division of Matara district.

Gal-boḍa comes in Attanagala division of Gampaha district and in Naula division of Matale district

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Some related place names:

Baḍa as adjacent place, neighbourhood, bank, edge, border, etc:

Vẹ-baḍa: Mahara, Gampaha. Vẹ: tank, "Vẹva" (Sinhala, Sorata)

Vẹ-baḍa-mulla: Mirigama, Gampaha. See Vẹ-baḍa; Mulla: corner

Uggal-baḍa: Kalutara, Kalutara. Uggal: high rock?

Nệbaḍa: Dodangoda, Kalutara. Nệ: 1. boat, vessel in general; "Nẹva"; 2. bathing; "Snānaya kaḷa" (Sinhala, Sorata)

Gala-baḍa: Walapane, Nuwara Eliya; Pitabeddara, Matara. Gala: rock, hill

Gala-baḍa-vatta: Medadumbara, Kandy. See Gala-baḍa

Gala-baḍa-gama: Weerambugedera, Kurunegala; Polgahawela, Kurunegala. See Gala-baḍa

Gala-baḍa-hēna: Akuressa, Matara; ratnapura, Ratnapura. See Gala-baḍa

Vẹlla-baḍa: Balapitiya, Galle; Hikkaduwa, Galle. Vẹlla: shore, seashore

Nāri-gama Vẹlla-baḍa: Hikkaduwa, Galle. See Vẹlla-baḍa

Vẹlla-baḍa-Tiraṇa-gama: Hikkaduwa, Galle. See Vẹlla-baḍa

Mālim-baḍa: Malimbada, Matara. Mālim: Mā-liň: big well

Agala-baḍa: Walasmulla, Hambantota. Agala: ditch, moat

Ẹlla-baḍa-gama: Ambanpola, Kurunegala. See column 38

Kańdu-baḍa-gama: Maho, Kurunegala. Kańdu: hill

Ẹḷa-baḍa-gama: Pannala, Kurunegala. Ẹḷa: canal

Deta-baḍa-kanda: Ayagama, Ratnapura. Deta: probably, Detā: double

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Baḍa probably in the other meanings:

Rambaḍa-galla: Rideegama, Kurunegala

Della-baḍa: Elapatha, Ratnapura. Del: wild breadfruit

Iḷuk-baḍayā-gama: Galenbindunuwewa, Anuradhapura

Puvak-baḍōviṭa: Puvak-baḍa-ōviṭa: Pitabeddara, Matara. Puvak: areca nut palm; Ōviṭa: bordering ground between a hill and plain that is used for cultivation and gardening

Baḍa-badda: Hakmana, Matara

Baḍa-bẹdda: Pannala, Kurunegala

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Boḍa as variation of Baḍa 1:

Uggal-boḍa: Minuwangoda, Gampaha. See Uggal-baḍa

Kańdu-boḍa: Biyagama, Gampaha; Panduwasnuwara East, Kurunegala; Mawathagama, Kurunegala. Kańdu: hill; see Kańdu-baḍa-gama

Velam-boḍa: Udunuwara, Kandy. Vela: paddy field; Vel-baḍa: paddy field bank

Akuram-boḍa: Pallepola, Matale. Akuram: pebble, gravel

Hel-boḍa: Kothmale, Nuwara Eliya. Hel: hill (Sinhala, Sorata)

Valē-boḍa: Imbulpe, Ratnapura. Vala: forest

Egoḍa-valē-boḍa: Balangoda, Ratnapura. See Valē-boḍa. Egoḍa: opposite side

Māli-boḍa: Deraniyagala, Kegalle. See Malim-baḍa

Vẹlla-boḍa-dagoba: located in a coastal bed near Tangalle, Hambantota (OIS)

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Boḍa probably in the other meanings of Baḍa:

Mānā-boḍa: Ukuwela, Matale. Mānā: cultivated variety of citronella grass

Penela-boḍa: Naula, Matale. Penela: soap-nut shrub, Sapindus emarginatus (Sinhala, Clough); Pena: lather, froth, foam, surf, bubble (Clough); Panalai: soap-nut (Tamil, MTL); Phēna: foam, froth (Sanskrit, CDIAL 9108)

Ramboḍa: Kothmale, Nuwara Eliya. See Rambaḍa-galla

Ramboḍa-gama: Kothmale, Nuwara Eliya. See Ramboḍa

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Ōbaḍa:

Kẹkiri-ōbaḍa: Walasmulla, Hambantota. Kẹkiri: generic name for cucumber (Sinhala, Clough); Kakkaḍa: cucumber (Prakrit, CDIAL 2817); Kākuri: cucumber (Oriya, CDIAL 2817); Kekkari: cucumber (Eezham Tamil); Hīrrkā, Hiṛka, Iṛka: cucumber (Gondi, DED 2583); Ṛīka: cucumber (Konda, DED 2583); Pīr, Pīrai: sponge gourd (Tamil, DED 4224); Hīre, Hīri, Īre: Cucumis acutangulus (Kannada, DED 4224); Ir-vāru: generic name for cucumber (Sinhala, Clough, appendix; Vāru: = Variga: species)

Ō-baḍayā-gama: Galnewa, Anuradhapura.

Ōbaḍa-gaha-deniya: Katuwana, Hambantota. Ōbaḍa-gaha: probably a tree growing in riverbanks.

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Revised: Friday, 12 May 2017, 18:30

First published: Saturday, 25 January 2014, 13:32