Know the Etymology: 345
Place Name of the Day: Friday, 09 May 2014

Yak-maditta

யக்மடி₃த்த
Yakmaḍitta

Yak+maditta

The devil's muddy ground or bog

Maditta

Muddy ground, slough, bog (Sinhala); Mada: Mud, slime, scum, froth, (Sinhala); Mada-bima: Muddy place, sink, bog, swamp, place prepared for the sawing of paddy by trampling it with oxen (Sinhala); Ma'nda: Dregs, dross, lees, scum, skimmings, froth, form (Sinhala); Ma'ndi: Sediment, dregs, settlings (Tamil, DED 4676); Mattu: Dregs, lees (Malayalam, DED 4676); Maddi: Sediment, lees (Kannada, Tulu, Telugu, DED 4676). Va'ndal: Dregs, lees, sediment, silt, mud, mire, slush, earth washed ashore by a river, lake etc., alluvial soil (Tamil, DED 5237); Ma'n: Earth, soil, mud (Malayalam, Kannada, DED 4666); See columns on Maddak-ka'lappu and Ma'ndu-kuminthaan.

Yak

Demigod, demon, devil (Sinhala); Yaka, Yakaa: Devil (Sinhala); Yakun: Plural of Yakaa (Sinhala); Yakinna, Yaki'ni: Female devil, she-demon (Sinhala); Yaksha: A supernatural being (Sanskrit, CDIAL 10395); Yakshee, Yakshi'nee: Feminine forms of Yaksha (Sanskrit, 10395); Yakkha: A supernatural being (Pali, CDIAL, 10395); Yakkhee. Yakkhi'nee: Feminine forms of Yakkha (Pali, CDIAL 10395); Iyakkan, Iyakki: Equivalent masculine and feminine forms in Tamil (Post-Changkam diction, Perungkathai, 108: 94; Chilappathikaaram, 15. 116-7)

Maditta means a muddy ground, slough or bog in Sinhala. The word is related to another Sinhala word and place name component, Mada that means mud, slime, scum or froth. Both the words have the cognates Ma'ndi in Tamil/ Dravidian and Mattu, Maddi etc., in other Dravidian languages (DED 4676), meaning silt or sediment. See earlier columns, Maddak-ka'lappu and Ma'ndu-kuminthaan for further etymological discussions.

Yak, meaning a demigod, demon or devil in Sinhala, corresponds to Yaksha in Sanskrit/ Indo-Aryan, meaning a supernatural being (CDIAL 10395)

Yaka/ Yakaa (singular), Yakun (plural) and Yakinna/ Yaki'ni (feminine) are related words in Sinhala.

Certain plants, trees and flowers have also gained the prefix Yak or Yaka in Sinhala, either when they are wild varieties, grotesque-looking etc., or if they are considered as associated with supernatural beings.

Also it is not uncommon to see the name of a hill, rock, tank, jungle or thicket getting the prefix Yak/ Yaka, when it is perceived as haunted.

Not only the Yakun, but also the exorcists and the locations where such rituals take place too figured in coining some place names. See related place names given below and the columns on Kattaadi-kanda and Thanthiri-malai.

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Yak-maditta is a place in Kolonna division of Ratnapura district

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Some related place names:

Maditta:

Mee-gaha-maditta: The muddy ground by the Mee tree; Medadumbara division, Kandy district

Lunu-ketiyaa-maditta: The muddy ground of the saline soil part; or the muddy ground of the Lu'nu-kættiya-wæl creepers; Kundasale division, Kandy district

Ala-kola-maditta: The muddy ground of yam plants; Hatharaliyadda division, Kandy district

Udawela-Palle-maditta: The lower muddy ground in the Udawela village; Yatinuwara division, Kandy district

Goda-maditta: The muddy ground by the bank or hill; Kothmale division, Nuwara Eliya district

Kaariya-maditta: Probably, the place of artisan's clay; Angunukolapelessa division, Hambantota district

Kanda-maditta: The muddy ground by the hill; Weeraketiya division, Hambantota district

Bo-gaha-maditta: The muddy ground by the Bo tree; Hali-Ela division, Badulla district

Para-gaha-maditta: The muddy ground by the Para tree; Weligepola division, Ratnapura district

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Yak/ Yaka:

Yak-kaduwa: The devil's pass; Ja-Ela division, Gampaha district

Yakkala: Yak+gala: The devil's rock or rocky hill; Gampaha division, Gampaha district

Yak-ambe: The (place of) wild mango trees; Dombe division, Gampaha district

Yaku-pitiya: The devil's high ground plain; Palindunuwara division, Kalutara district

Yak-kuraa-gala: The devil's short rock or rocky hill; Dambulla division, Matale district

Yakkala-mulla: The corner of the devil's rock or rocky hill; Yakkalamulla division, Galle district

Yaka-gala: The devil's rock or rocky hill; Angunakola pelessa, Hambantota district

Yak-gas-mulla: The corner of the wild tree or haunted tree; Weraketiya division, Hambantota district

Yaka-bedda: The devil's jungle or thicket; Akuressa division, Matara district

Yakka-vita: The devil's hill; Narammala division, Kurunegala district

Yak-dessaawa: The place of the exorcist; Nattandiya division, Puththa'lam district. Yak-dessaa: The one who calls the devil to witness, exorcist, devil priest (Sinhala)

Yaka-wewa: The devil's tank; Medawachchiya division, Anuradhapura district

Yakalla: Yak+galla: The devil's rock or rocky hill; Galenbindunuwewa division, Anuradhapura district

Yakkure: Yak+kurea: The devil's hoof; Dimbulagala division, Polonnaruwa district. Kurea: hoof of animals (Sinhala); Kuracu: horse's hoof (Tamil, DED 1770); Ku'lampu: hoof (Tamil, DED 1829, note the R/ ‘L change); Gorasu: hoof (Kannada, DED 1770); Korije: hoof (Telugu, DED 1770); Khura: hoof (Sanskrit, Pali, CDIAL 3906, CDIAL traces Dravidian etymology)

Yakunnaawa: Probably, the place of the she-demon; Medagama division, Moneragala district

Yakka-durawa: The place of the exorcist; Siyambalanduwa division, Moneragala district. Yakaduraa: Yaka+eduraa: Literally demon teacher, person skilled in the invocation and worship of demons, exorcist, expeller of demons (Sinhala); Yakadurukama: Devil ceremony (Sinhala)

Yakuraawa: Yaku-araawa: The haunted cultivation field that is newly developed and lying detached; Badalkumbura division, Moneragala district

Yakuda-goda: Yak-kuda-goda: The devil's hunch-backed hill; Eheliyagoda division, Ratnapura district. Kuda: hunchback (Sinhala); Kubja: humpbacked (Sanskrit, CDIAL 3300); Kujja: humpbacked (Pali, Prakrit, CDIAL 3300); Koon: hunchback (Tamil, DED 1927)

Yak-dehi-wela: The field of wild lime shrubs; Imbulpe division, Ratnapura district

Yak-dehi-watta: The garden of wild lime shrubs; Nivithigala division, Ratnapura district

First published: Friday, 09 May 2014, 19:35