Know the Etymology: 356
Place Name of the Day: Sunday, 22 June 2014

Thampadda-muthali-ku’lam, Thammita-gama

தம்பட்டமுதலி குளம், தம்மி[ட்]டக₃ம
Tampaṭṭa-mutali-kuḷam, Tammiṭa-gama

Thampadda+muthali+ku’lam
Thammita+gama

The tank of the chief of tom-tom beaters

The village of tom-tom beaters

Thampaddam

Tom-tom, small drum (Tamil, DED 3082); Thappaddai: A kind of drum (Tamil, DED 3082); Tammittam: Large drum, tambourine (Malayalam, DED 3082); Tambata, Tappate: Large tambourine beaten with sticks (Kannada, DED 3082); Tambata, Tammate: Tambourine, war-drum (Tulu, DED 3082); Tammatamu: Large drum (Telugu, DED 3082); Tamuku: Drum, tambourine (Telugu, DED 3082); Thappu: A kind of drum (Tamil); Dapaar, Damaar: (onomatopoeia) Cracking sound; Dama-dama: The sound of a drum; Damaaram: A kind of drum (Tamil, DED 2949); Idamaanam: Double drum carried on the back of an animal; Damaayi: Kettle drum mounted on an ox (Tamil, DED 2949); Thamarukam: A small, hand-held, hour-glass shaped drum (Tamil, Kaaraikkaal Ammai, 1: 9); Dam: To sound as a drum; Damaru: A kind of drum (Sanskrit, onomatopoeia, traced probably to Munda, CDIAL 5531); Doam: Onomatopoeia; Doamba, Doambinee: Respectively man and woman of a caste living by singing and music (Sanskrit, CDIAL 5570, the words are traced to Munda words for drum); Doamba has become a caste considered very low in social hierarchy. The identity is related to drummers, wandering musicians, Gypsies, hill tribes, black-skinned people, fishermen, basket makers, barbers etc., in various North Indian languages; Thompan: A person of the community of acrobats, pole-dancers, tight-rope walkers. Drum is invariably played in their performances (Tamil); Thompam: The performances of Thompar (Tamil)

Thammita

A form of Thammæta, Thammætta, Thammattam: Same as Thampaddam in Tamil (Sinhala, Sorata Thera); Closest cognate is Thammittam: Large drum, tambourine (Malayalam, DED 3082)

Thampadda-muthali is a chief of the community of tom-tom beaters or heralds, who were announcers of public information or orders of the government, local administration etc.

Thampaddam means the tom-tom and Muthali means a chief.

Thamæta, Thammætta and Thammattam are cognates in Sinhala for Thampaddam. The Sinhala place name component Thammita is closer to Thammittam in Malayalam.

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Thampaddam, Thammittam, Thappaddai, Thamukku and Thappu are listed as words of Dravidian etymology (DED 3082). Damaaram, Idamaanan and Damaayi, which mean a large drum usually mounted on an ox, are also listed as words of Dravidian etymology (DED 2949). However, they are all words of onomatopoeia and such words have parallels in various language families.

Examples of comparison are, Dam > Damaru (a small, hour-glass shaped drum held in one hand), and Doam > Doamba (a wandering community that lives by music, acrobats etc., associated with the beating of drums), in Sanskrit and other related languages (CDIAL traces these words probably to Munda).

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Another phrase used in Jaffna in the colonial times for a chief of the heralds is Pirasiththa-mooppanaar (Pirasiththam: making public; Mooppan: chief of the drummer community).

The chief of the tom-tom beaters or heralds often had a rank and recognition in the society. In the past, they were also maintaining the genealogical records of the aristocrat families.

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See previous columns for etymological discussions on Muthali, meaning a chief (DED 4950), Ku’lam meaning a tank (DED 1828) and Gama meaning a village (CDIAL 4368).

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Thampadda-muthali-ku’lam is in Musali division of Mannaar district.

Thammita-gama is a village in Giribaawa division of Kurunegala district. There is another village of the same name in Maho division of Kurunegala district.

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Some related place names:

Thampaddai: The place of tom-tom beaters; or the place for tom-tom beating; Thirukkoayil division, Ampaa’rai district

Thammita: The place of tom-tom beaters; or the place for tom-tom beating; Weerambugedara division, Kurunegala district; Ibbagamuwa division, Kurunegala district; Divulapitiya division, Gampaha district; Minuwangoda division, Gampaha district. In these instances, the suffixes standing for village etc. are probably lost.

First published: Sunday, 22 June 2014, 00:06