Know the Etymology: 358
Place Name of the Day: Tuesday, 01 July 2014

Oli-goda, Bera-gama, Bera-gala

ஒலிகொ₃ட₃,
பெ₃ரக₃ம,
பெ₃ரக₃ல
Oligoḍa, Beragama, Beragala

Oli+goda
Bera+gama
Bera+gama

The coastal village of tom-tom beaters

The village of tom-tom beaters

The heavy or cumbersome rocky hill

Olee	Caste of tom-tom beaters and dancers (Sinhala); 1. Oli: (verb) To sound, roar; (noun) Sound, noise, roar, speech (Tamil, DED 996); A sound (Malayalam, DED 996); Noise of a metal bell (Kodagu, DED 996); Uli: Sound (Kannada, DED 996); Ulivu: Sound, voice (Telugu, DED 996); 2. Oli: (verb) to shoot forth as leaves, probably related to Oalai (Tamil, Changkam diction, DED 997); Oliyal: hide, leather, cloth (Tamil, Changkam diction, DED 1000); Oli: (verb) to wash clothes, probably related to the thrashing noise, or related to Oliyal as clothe (Tamil, Changkam diction, DED 998); Oli-va'n'naar: Washermen (Tamil, inscriptions)
Bera 1	(plural), Beraya (singular): Tom-tom, drum (Sinhala, Clough); also the caste of tom-tom beaters (Sinhala, Sorata); a measure of capacity usually for grains (Sinhala); Bheri; Drum, tom-tom, kettle drum (Sinhala); Kettle drum (Sanskrit, Pali, CDIAL 9615); Peari: Anything that is big, as in Peari-yaazh, a large-sized lyre (Tamil, DED 4411); Peari, Pearikai: Tom-tom, kettle drum (Tamil, usage noticed from the times of Theavaaram); Pa'rai: Drum, a measure of capacity usually for grains, the caste of drummers (Tamil, DED 4032); (verb) To speak, say, (noun) word, saying, statement (Tamil, DED 4031, cognates for the latter shade of meaning found in 8 Dravidian languages)
Bera 2	From Bæra, Bara: (adjective) Heavy, weighty, cumbersome (Sinhala); Bhaara: Burden, weight (Sanskrit, CDIAL 9459); Biru: impossible; Bura: Difficult (Dhivehi/ Maldvian); Paru: (verb) To become large, bulky; (adjective) Large, bulky (Tamil, DED 3972); Parumai: Thickness, bulkiness, corpulence, greatness, seriousness, importance, gravity (Tamil, DED 3972); Paar: Bulk, size (Tamil, DED 3972); Paari: That which is heavy or big, that which is important, weight or importance (Tamil, DED 3972)
Bera 3, 4, 5	In some instances of place names, the word seems to have been used in the following meanings; 3. Bera = Beræ: A fish (Sinhala); 4. Bera = Beræ : Awariya or indigo plant (Sinhala); Ver: Any root (Tamil, DED 5535); Ver, Chaaya-ver: Indigo root (Eezham Tamil); Veru: Root (DED 5535); Beru: Root (Kannada, Tulu, DED 5535); Aviri, Avuri: Indigo plant (Tamil, DED 269); 5. Bera = Berawaa = Bora: Mud, clay, mire, sediment, refuse (Sinhala); Burude, Buruda, Burda: Mud, mire (Kannada, Tulu, Telugu, Gadba, Gondi, Konda, DED 4291)

The word Olee in Sinhala stands for the caste of tom-tom beaters and dancers.

Coming from the sound of drumbeat, the word seems to be corresponding to the Tamil/ Malayalam word Oli, basically meaning sound. Uli and Ulivu are cognates in other Dravidian languages (DED 996).

Another possibility is the connection of Olee with Oliyal in old Tamil, meaning hide and leather. See box on the old Tamil word meaning foliage, hide and clothe – all related to attire (DED 997, 1000). The leather workers were also drummers.

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In Sinhala place names, the word Bera is used in various shades of meanings.

The straight meaning for Bera (Beraya in singular) is a tom-tom or drum. The caste that plays the instrument is also called by that name.

The Sinhala word is a cognate of Bheri in Sanskrit and Pali, meaning the same instrument (CDIAL 9615). A related word, Pearikai is found in Tamil, but its usage in Tamil is found only from the times of Theavaaram (7th century CE).

In its second shade of toponymic meaning, Bera in Sinhala seems to be a variation of Beræ, which in turn is equated to Bara (Sorata Thera), meaning heavy, weighty, cumbersome, difficult etc.

In some instances, places having Bera prefix in their names, have strikingly massive and difficult landscapes.

While the Sinhala word Bara corresponds Bhaara in Sanskrit (CDIAL 9459), meaning weight, the relationship of the words with Paru, Parumai, Paar, Paari, Paariya etc. in Dravidian (DED 3972) meaning large, bulky, weighty, heavy, serious, great, important etc., also need perusal.

Also note the connections between bulkiness and tom-tom in relating Bera 1 and Bera2, as well as Bera in Sinhala and Pa'rai in Tamil, meaning the tom-tom, the caste and the measure of capacity. See boxes 1 and 2.

* * *

In some other instances of Sinhala place names, the prefix Bera seems to be a variation of Beræ, either meaning a kind of fish or the indigo plant. In yet another variation of Bora into Bera, the word means muddy or clayey (landscape).

The Sinhala word Beræ for the indigo plant (the root of which is dye-producing) is a cognate of Ver in Tamil, Veru in Telugu and Beru in Kannada and Tulu, meaning root (DED 5535).

In Eezham Tamil, Ver and Chaaya-ver stood for the indigo plant. Another Sinhala word, Awariya, for the plant, corresponds to Aviri, Avuri in Tamil, Amari, Avari in Malayalam and Aviri in Telugu, meaning the same plant and listed as words of Dravidian etymology (DED 269, probably from Avarai for leguminous plants, DED 264).

See earlier columns for the etymology of Goda (DED, 1682, 2049, 2200), Gama (CDIAL 4368) and Gala (DED 1298).

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Oli-goda is a coastal village near Devinuwara (Dondra) in the Matara Four Gravets division of Matara district.

Bera-gama is a village in Agalawatta division of Kalutara district. There is another village with the same name in Mulatiyana division of Matara district.

Bera-gala is in Haldummulla division of Badulla district. The place overlooks a huge, steep, rock-cliff range.

* * *

Some related place names:

Oli:

Oli-da'luwa: Probably, Oli-thaazhvu: The low-lying ground settled by tom-tom beaters; Chilaapam division, Puththa'lam district. Da'luwa is the Sinhalicised form of Thaazhvu in other place names of this district.

* * *

Bera:

Tom-tom beater:

Bera-gam-mulla: The drummer-village corner: Kampurupitiya division, Matara district

Cumbersome, difficult, heavy, big:

Bera-maana: The cumbersome road or side; Kothmale division, Nuwara Eliya district. Bæra, Bara: heavy, difficult, cumbersome, (Sinhala)

Bera-mada: Probaby, Bæra-mada or Bara-mada: The big or difficult paddy fields; Kandaketiya division, Badulla district. The place has extensive terraced paddy fields laid out on a steep cliff. Bæra, Bara: heavy, weighty, cumbersome, (Sinhala)

A fish, indigo plant, mud:

Bera-thuduwa: Probably, Beræ-thuduwa: The promontory of Beræ fish; Balapitiya division, Galle district. The landscape of the place is a little projection of rocks into the sea. Beræ: A kind of fish (Sinhala, Sorata Thera)

Bera-thuduwa: Probably, Bora-thuduwa: The secluded piece of muddy or clayey land; or probably Beræ-thuduwa: The secluded piece of land found with Awariya (indigo) plants; Goanaapeenuwala division, Galle district. The landscape of the place is muddy and alkaline. Berawaa = Bora (Sorata Thera); Bora: Mud, clay, mire, sediment, (Sinhala); Beræ: Awariya, indigo plant (Sinhala)

Some other names:

Bera'naa-goda: Probably, Vara'na-goda: The surrounded hillock; Yakkalamulla division, Galle district. The place is a small hillock surrounded by paddy fields. Vara'na: An inclosure, surrounding, covering, interception, a wall of masonry (Sinhala)

Berannaawa: Probably from Vara'naawa: The surrounded place; Yatiyanthota division, Kegalle district. This is a place surrounded by high wall-like forested cliffs

First published: Tuesday, 01 July 2014, 14:57