Know the Etymology: 354
Place Name of the Day: Wednesday, 18 June 2014

Marai-kuththi, Marai-e'rignchaan-ku'lam

மரைகுத்தி, மரை எறிஞ்சான் குளம்
Marai-kutti, Marai-eṟiñcāṉ-kuḷam

Marai+kuththi
Marai+e'rignchaan+ku'lam

The place to hunt elk or where elks were hunted

The tank where elks are/ were hunted

Marai	Sambur, Indian elk, bison, wild cow (Tamil, DED 4724); Marai-aa: Wild cow (Tamil, Ku'runthokai, 115: 5); Marai-aan: Female of Marai (Tamil, Ku'runthokai, 317: 1); Aa, Aan: Female of ox, sambur/ elk, buffalo (Tamil, DED 334); Maa: Animal, beast (Tamil, DED 4780); Maan: Deer, beast (Tamil, DED 4780); Maav: Sambur/ elk (Kodagu, Konda, DED 4780); Maayu: Sambur/ elk (Kuwi, DED 4780); Kadamai: Sambur/ elk (Tamil, DED 1114); Kadamaa, Kadamaan: Bison (Tamil, DED 1114); Kadaay: Also, Kidaay, Kadaa, Kidaa, Kadavu: Male of sheep or goat, he-buffalo (Tamil, DED 1123); Kidaa: Buffaloa, bull, ram (Tamil, DED 1123); Kidaay: Male of goat or sheep (Tamil, DED 1123); Kadaari, Kidaari: Heifer, young cow that has not calved (Tamil, DED 1123)
Kuththi	The place where the act of killing by piercing takes place or took place (Eezham Tamil usage in place names); from Kuththu: (verb) To puncture, pierce, bore, stab, gore (Tamil, DED 1719)
E'rignchaan	Where the act of hunting takes place or took place (Eezham Tamil usage); from, E'ri: (verb) To throw, hack, beat, pounce, destroy (Tamil, DED 859); to fell, kill, attack, attack by weapon, conquer, shoot an arrow, throw a lance, throw a harpoon in fishing (Tamil, Changkam diction, inscriptions)

Kuththi, as a place name component in Eezham Tamil, means a place where animals are hunted or killed.

The component is related to the Tamil/ Dravidian verb Kuththu (DED 1719), meaning to stab, pierce, gore etc., and to the noun, meaning the act of the same.

Kuththi is the word form meaning the place of the act, as in the place name Karappuk-kuththi-madu. The other related place names also might have had the place indicating suffixes and they might have been lost now.

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The component E'rignchaan in Eezham Tamil place names, once again mean a place where animals are hunted or were hunted.

The component comes from the Tamil/ Dravidian verb root E'ri (DED 859), meaning to throw, hack, pounce, destroy, fell, kill, conquer, make something to fall down, shoot an arrow, throw a lance, throw a harpoon etc., in Tamil literary and inscriptional usages.

E'ri related verb forms in Tamil usage, meaning hunting, killing, conquering etc.:

“Meen e'ri thoo'ndil” (Ku'runthokai, 54: 3-4)

“மீன் எறி தூண்டில்” (குறுந்தொகை, 54: 3-4)

The hook-line to catch fish


“Meen e'ri parathavar” (Natti'nai, 45: 2-3)

“மீன் எறி பரதவர்” (நற்றிணை, 45: 2-3)

The coastal folk who hunt fish


“Adumin choa'rea e'rika thitti” (Pathittuppaththu, 18: 1-2)

“அடுமின் சோறே எறிக திற்றி” (பதிற்றுப்பத்து, 18: 1-2)

Cook rice and kill (animals) for meat to eat


“Koor e:hhu e'rignar” (Aka:naanoo'ru 71:12)

“கூர் எஃகு எறிஞர்” (அகநானூறு 71:12)

Those who throw or shoot sharp iron (arrow, lance etc.)


“Cheay-i'raa e'rintha chi'ri ve'n kaakkai” (Natti'nai, 31: 2)

“சேய் இறா எறிந்த சிறி வெண் காக்கை” (நற்றிணை, 31: 2)

The small white crow that pecked and caught the baby shrimp


“Ka'li'ru e'rinthan'rea” (Natti'nai, 114: 12)

“களிறு எறிந்தன்றே” (நற்றிணை, 114: 12)

The elephant was killed


“Nerunal ellai nee e'rinthoan thampi” (Pu'ra:naanoo'ru, 300: 3)

“நெருநல் எல்லை நீ எறிந்தோன் தம்பி” (புறநானூறு, 300: 3)

(He is) the brother of the one whom you killed yesterday


“Cheramaanaiyum Paa'ndyarka'laiyum e'rignchu” (1014 CE, South Indian Inscriptions, II, 3)

“சேரமானையும் பாண்ட்₃யர்களையும் எறிஞ்சு” (1014 CE, South Indian Inscriptions, II, 3)

Conquering the Cheras and the Paa'ndiyaas

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Marai is a common Tamil/ Dravidian (DED 4724) name, meaning a sambur deer or Indian elk.

This is a widely found game in the island and there are many place names in Sinhala and Eezham Tamil related to the animal.

Apart from Marai, another word Kadaa (from Kadamai in old Tamil, DED 1114) also means an elk.

Marai, as well as Kadaa are found in old Tamil usages to mean Indian elk as well as wild cow, buffalo, or male goat.

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Marai-kuththi is a place in Oddusuddaan division of Mullaiththeevu district.

Marai-e'rignchaan-ku'lam is in Trincomalee Town and Gravets division of Trincomalee district.

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Some related place names:

Kuththi:

Kompan-kuththi: The place where a tusker elephant was killed; Puthukkudiyiruppu division, Mullaiththeevu district. Kompan: Tusked or horned animal (Tamil, DED 2115); Kompan-yaanai: tusked elephant, male elephant (Tamil); Kompu: tusk, horn (Tamil, DED 2115)

Kuthirai-kuththi: The place where a horse or horses were killed; Naanaaddaan division, Mannaar district

Muthalai-kuththi: The place where a crocodile or crocodiles were hunted and killed; Mannaar Town division, Mannaar district

Karappuk-kuththi-madu: The tank or pond to pounce (to catch fish) by Karappu (a kind of fish-catching cage); Karaithu'raippattu division, Mullaiththeevu district. Karappu: a conical cage made of sticks. It has pointed ends at the bottom and traps fish when pounced at the bed of a water body. The trapped fish is taken out through the opening at the top. Such cages are also used at homes to keep chickens, especially baby chicks to protect them from vultures; From Karappu: concealing (Tamil, DED 1258); covering, hiding, concealing (Malayalam, DED 1258); Kara: to conceal, hide (Tamil, DED 1258); Karapa, Karak-gediya: A conical shaped wicker basket, used principally for catching fish in rivers etc., of no great depth. It is of a portable size and open at top and bottom (Sinhala, Clough). See Karapa-gala, a riverbank to catch fish by Karappu, Walallawita division, Kalutara district

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Marai:

Marai-adiththa-ku'lam: (near Maruthoadai, Omanthai, Aruna Selladurai, p105); Naay-adiththa-mu'rippu; Karaithu'raippattu division, Mullaiththeevu district; Adi: (verb) to flap, twitch, blow (Tamil, DED 74); Ma'n-adiththa-ku'lam: Ka'ndaava'lai division, Ki'linochchi district; Adiththa: from Adai: (verb) to shut, obstruct, block (as a passage), stop up (Tamil, DED 83)

Also note place names related to Kidaay:

Kidaaych-churi: The place where Kidaay (probably elk) is hunted and roasted; a place near Kugnchukku'lam, Aruna Selladurai ,p107. Churi: (verb) to roast or smoke a hunted animal, usually with skin in the case of a boar (Eezham Tamil); Chu'ru, chur, chureer: rapid burning (Tamil, DED 2714); Cur-cur: meat making noise when roasting (Kota, DED 2714); Cu'ru-cu'ru: the spitting and sputtering of heated oil or a frying item (Kannada, DED 2714); Curcu: burning (Kannada, DED 2714); Curu-curu: noise caused by frying, burning etc. (Tulu, DED 2714); Cu'racu'ra: crackling noise of fire (Telugu, DED 2714). Also note the place name Pa'ndi-churichchaan

Kidaay-veddith-thoappu: The grove to slaughter (probably) goat; Mannaar Town division, Mannaar district

Kidaay-pidiththa–ku'lam: The locality of the tank where elks or wild buffalos were caught; Maanthai East division, Mullaiththeevu district

Kidaayadi: The locality of elks or wild buffalos; Puthukkudiyiruppu division, Mullaiththeevu district

Kidawaran-ku'lama: The tank of elks or wild buffalos; Medawachchiya division, Anuradhapura district

Kidaa-gale-gama: The village of the rocky area of elks or wild buffalos; Medawachchiya division, Anuradhapura district

First published: Wednesday, 18 June 2014, 01:46