Know the Etymology: 360
Place Name of the Day: Thursday, 10 July 2014

Nilapalaa-gammana, Batu-gammana

நிலபலாக₃ம்மன, ப₃[ட்]டுக₃ம்மன
Nilapalā-gammana, Baṭu-gammana

Nila+palaa+gam+mana
Batu+gam+mana

The village neighbourhood that was devolved to government after the death of a person to whom it had been given on account of that person's position in government service.

The village neighbourhood of Batu eggplants

Nilapalaa	also Nila-paalu, Nila-paa'luwa: Any land, which has devolved to government from the death of persons who held it on the tenure of doing government service (Sinhala)
Nila	Government service position, official duty, appointment, contract, engagement, house, place, guard post, vital organs of the body, village, earth (Sinhala); Rajakaaryaya, Tanatura, Niyamaya, Grhaya, Staanaya, Rækavala, Marmastaanaya, Gama, Po'lowa (Sinhala, Sorota Thera); Nilaya: House, habitation, office, appointment (Sinhala); Nilame, Nilamaya: High office, office of state, office, nobleman (Sinhala); 1. Nilai: Standing, staying, condition, state, permanence, place, stopping place, residence (Tamil, DED 3675); Nilaimai: Condition, state of affairs (Tamil, DED 3675); Status, position (Tamil usages); Uyir-nilai: Vital organs of the body (Tamil); Padai-nilai: Military post (Tamil); from the verb root Nil: To stand (Tamil, DED 3675); Cognates in 19 Dravidian languages; 2. Nilam: Ground, earth, land, soil, field, the earth, world, place, region (Tamil, DED 3676)
Pala	Place, spot (Sinhala); Palaata: District, province, circuit (Sinhala); Paal: Part, portion, share (Tamil, DED 4097); See column on Kandu Palaatha; Pulam: Open field, place, region, quarter, arable land, rice field (Tamil, DED 4303); See column on Murapola; Paa'luwa: Waste, desolation, devastation (Sinhala); Paa'lu: Unoccupied, unemployed, unprepared, uncultivated, waste, devastated, destroyed, desolate (Sinhala); Paa'lu-idama: Vacant or waste spot; Paazh: (verb) To go to ruin, be laid waste, become useless, be accursed as a place or house; (noun) desolation, ruin, damage, loss, emptiness, barren or waste land (Tamil, DED 4110); See column on Naarang-goda-paa'luwa
Batu	wild brinjal, eggplant (Sinhala) used in making curry and about 24 species and varieties are noticed in the island; Vadduk-kaththari, Vaddak-kaay: wild brinjal, eggplant (Eezham Tamil). Etymology probably related to the round shape of the vegetable or to Vazhuthu'nai, Vazhuthalai, Va'lai: brinjal, eggplant (Tamil, DED 5301); Batango: brinjal (Maltese, DED 5301); Bha'ntaki, Vaatinga'na: brinjal, eggplant (Sanskrit, Pali, CDIAL 11503, etymology traced to Dravidian)
Gammana	from Gammaanea (singular), Gammaan (plural): Cultivated country, inhabited country in the neighbourhood of a village (Sinhala, Clough); Gam-maana: Gama tibena pramaa'naya, Graamasameepaya (Sinhala, Sorata Thera): Gam: Village (Sinhala); Graama: Village (Sanskrit, CDIAL 4638); Gaama: Village (Pali, Prakrit, CDIAL 4638); Maana: Measure in general (Sinhala, Clough); also area, part, Prade'saya, Pætta (Sinhala, Sorata Thera); Measure (Sanskrit, Pali, CDIAL10041); House, dwelling (Sanskrit, 10042). See column on Madumaana, Naramaana

Nila-palaa/ Nila-palaawa is a land given to a person for lifetime, on account of the person's position in the king's service or government service, but devolved back to the government after the death of that person.

Nila-paalu is an equivalent term noted by Sorata Thera, and Nila-paa'luwa is another equivalent term noted by Clough in their dictionaries respectively.

The word Nila in Sinhala has different meanings coming from different morphemes. What is relevant in the context of this column is Nila meaning status or position. Coming from the same shade of meaning, there are other Sinhala words Nilame and Nilamaya, meaning high office, office of state and a nobleman.

In such a meaning, the said Sinhala words correspond to Tamil/ Dravidian Nilai and Nilaimai, coming from the verb root Nil, meaning to stand or to take a position (DED 3675).

See box on Nila to find how the other shades of Sinhala meanings also, coming from the same morpheme, correspond to the Tamil shades of meanings. The meanings earth and place for Nila in Sinhala are related to another Tamil/ Dravidian term Nilam, meaning the same (DED 3676). But both the DED entries 3675 and 3676 are probably related to each other

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The suffix Palaa in the phrase Nila-palaa seems to be most probably a changed form of Paa'luwa, as Nila-paa'luwa is an equivalent phrase noted by Clough in his dictionary.

Even though Pala itself means a place or spot in Sinhala, corresponding to Paal in Tamil/ Dravidian (DED 4097), Paa'luwa seems to be more appropriate in meaning an endowment reverted to State from a deceased person.

The Sinhala words, Paa'luwa, Paa'lu and Paa'lu-idama, meaning devastated, unemployed, unoccupied or vacant land are cognates of Tamil/ Dravidian Paazh and Paazh-idam, meaning the same (DED 4110).

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Batu is a general term in Sinhala for brinjal or eggplant, of which there are around 24 species and varieties noticed in the island. Most of them grow wild and are found commonly as natural vegetation, hence the many place names in the island related to the eggplant.

In Eezham Tamil, the wild varieties are called Vaddak-kaay or Vadduk-kaththari.

The cognates Batu and Vaddu may be related to the round shape of the wild verities of the vegetable. Vatta is both Indo-Aryan (CDIAL 12069) and Dravidian (DED 5313, Va'lai).

However, there is another etymological derivation suggested by both the CDIAL and DED, probably related to the same morpheme noted above.

A Comparative Dictionary of Indo-Aryan Languages (CDIAL 11503) notes that Bha'ntaki and Vaatinga'na for eggplant in Sanskrit and Pali are of Dravidian origin, related to Vazhuthu'nai, Vazhuthalai and Va'lai for eggplant in old Tamil (DED 5301).

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The Sinhala place name component Gammana means the cultivated country or inhabited country in the neighbourhood of a village.

The proper Sinhala forms are Gammaanea in singular and Gammaan in plural.

The term has two components in it: Gam and Maana.

Gam/ Gama means village and Maana in this context means the extent. Gammaana in fact means the identity or authority extent of a village. Thus it means the neighbourhood or outskirts of a village.

Both the components Gam and Maana are of Indo-Aryan etymology (CDIAL 4638 + 10041/ 10042). See column on Madumaana for discussion on Maana.

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Nilapalaa-gammana is a place in Kegalle division of Kegalle district.

Batu-gammana is in Moneragala division of Moneragala district. There is another Batu-gammana in Balangoda division of Ratnapura district.

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Some related place names:

Gammana:

Gammana: The village neighbourhood or cultivated outskirts of the village; Walallavita division, Kalutara district; Polgahawela division, Kurunegala district.

Gammaanaya: The village neighbourhood or cultivated outskirts of the village; Anamaduwa division, Puththa'lam district.

Maa-gammana: The big village outskirts; or the outskirts of the big village; Homagama division, Colombo district

'Lihi'niyaa-gammana: The village outskirts found with Lihi'niyaa birds; Divulapitiya division, Gampaha district. Lihi'niyaa: Indian swift, Cypselus affinis, also different kinds of terns (Sinhala)

Kuda-gammana: The small outskirts of the village or the outskirts of the small village; Divulapitiya division, Gampaha district

Bomu-gammana: Boamu-gammana: The village outskirts of Boamu trees; Divulapitiya division, Gampaha district. Boamu: a tree (Sinhala, Sorata); probably either Boambu: Symplocas spicata or Boamee: Tetranthera roxburghii (Sinhala)

Meeviti-gammana: The outskirts of Meeviti (Mee tree mound or honey mound) village; or the outskirts of the village found with Mee tree mound or honey mound; Attanagalla division, Gampaha district

Pas-gammana: The backside outskirts of the village; Mahara division, Gampaha district

Ahu-gammana: The village outskirts of Ahu trees; Mahara division, Gampaha district. Ahu: a tree, Morinda citrifolia (Sinhala)

Domba-gammana: The village outskirts of Domba tree; Pujapitiya division, Kandy district; Nivithigala division, Ratnapura district. Domba: a timber tree, Alexandrian laurel, Calophyllum inophyllum. The seeds provide lamp oil. Tel-domba and Bata-domba are two species. The tree is also called Puna in Sinhala and Punnai in Tamil (DED 4343). Domba-keena is calophyllum spectabile (Sinhala)

Mee-gammana: The village outskirts of Mee trees; Pathadumbara division, Kandy district

An-gammana: probably, Anga-gammana: The village outskirts paddy field having a forested bank; Panvila division, Kandy district; Udapalatha division, Kandy district; Ratnapura division, Ratnapura district

Hiriyala-gammana: Probably, the village outskirts of yellow soil; Harispattuwa division, Kandy district. Hiriyala: yellow orpiment (Sinhala)

Maala-gammana: The high ground outskirts of the village; Harispattuwa division, Kandy district

Ka'lu-gammana: The dark (soil) outskirts of the village; Harispattuwa division, Kandy district

Muda-gammana: Probably, the barber's village outskirts; Hatharaliyadda division, Kandy district.

Yati-gammana: The village outskirts at the bottom (foot of a hill or low ground); Yatinuwara division, Kandy district

Mal-gammana: The village outskirts of flowers; or the neighbourhood of the hill-village; Yatinuwara division, Kandy district; Wilgamuwa division, Matale district

Kavudaa-gammana: The village outskirts of crows; Ambanganga Korale division, Matale district

Panan-gammana: The village outskirts to do customary work; Kothmale division, Nuwara Eliya district. Panan: Duty, engagement, custom, traditionary practice or observance, Niyama, Sirita (Sinhala, Sorata)

Waraa-gammana: The village outskirts having Waraa shrubs; Ambanpola division, Kurunegala district. Waraa: a common shrub Calotropis gigantea; also a twining plant, Cissampelos hexandra (Sinhala)

Amba-gammana: The village outskirts of mango trees; Rasnayakapura division, Kurunegala district; Narammala division, Kurunegala district

Haathi-gammana: The area around the village outskirts; or the neighbourhood of the elephant-village; Nikaweratiya division, Kurunegala district. Haathi: around, round about (Sinhala)

Mæssa-gammana: The village outskirts having a platform to watch paddy fields: Mallawapitiya division, Kurunegala district

Thelambu-gammana: The village outskirts of Thelambu trees; Pannala division, Kurunegala district. Thelambu: A large timber tree with edible seeds, yielding oil, Sterculia fætida (Sinhala)

Para-gammana: The village outskirts of Para trees; or the rocky village outskirts; Pannala division, Kurunegala district; Kegalle division, Kegalle district

Pangara-gammana: Probably, the village outskirts having a creeping plant the nuts of which are taken with betel; or the village outskirts meant for preparation (of something); Mahiyanganaya division, Badulla district

Badulla-gammana: The village outskirts of Badulla trees; Bibile division, Moneragala district. Badulla: The marking nut tree, Semicarpus gardneri or Semecarpus anacardium (Sinhala); Bhallaata: Semecarpus anacardium (Sanskrit, 9414, Austro-Asiatic origins suggested); Cher, Cheng-koddai, Che-paalam: Semecarpus anacardium (Tamil)

Koora-gammana: The village outskirts of rice fields; Siyambalanduwa division, Moneragala district

Beli-gammana: The village outskirts of Beli trees; Mawanella division, Kegalle district. Beli: Ægle marmelos (Sinhala); Billa: fruit of Aegle marmelos (Pali, CDIAL 9248); Bilva: Aegle marmelos (Sanskrit, CDIAL 9248, traced to Dravidian origin); Ve'l'lil, Vi'laa: Feronia elephantum closely related to Aegle marmelos (Tamil, DED 5509); Koo-vi'lam, Koo-vi'laa, Koo-vi'lai: Aegle marmelos (Tamil, DED 1910)

Naaran-gammana: The village outskirts of mandarin orange trees; Aranayake division, Kegalle district. Naarang: Mandarin orange (Sinhala); Naaranga: Orange tree (Sanskrit, Pali, CDIAL 7073); Naaram, Naaraththai: Orange (Tamil, DED 3653); Naaram: Lemon plant (Malayalam, DED 3653); Naarangaayi, Naarengi: A kind or orange (Tulu, DED 3653)

Moaraa-gammana: The village outskirts of peacocks; Aranayake division, Kegalle district. Moaraa: peacock (Sinhala); Moara: Peacock (Pali, CDIAL 9865); Mayoora: Peacock, Sanskrit, CDIAL 9865, etymology traced to Dravidian/ Austro-Asiatic); Mayil, Magngnai: Peacock (Tamil, DED 4642); Meeril, Mreelu: Peacock (Konda, DED 4642); Mo'naraa, Monaraa: Peacock (Sinhala)

Arug-gammana: The cultivated village outskirts having a threshing floor and place to keep harvested paddy stacks; or the outskirts detached from the village; Galigamuwa division, Kegalle district

Maa-gammana: The big outskirts of the village; Dehiovita division, Kegalle district

Mada-gammana: The paddy field or muddy field outskirts of the village; Dehiovita division, Kegalle district

Eramini-gammana: Erami'ni-gammana: The village outskirts of Eraminiyaa shrubs; Mawanella division, Kegalle district. Eraminiyaa: Ziziphus napeca (Sinhala); Era+mi'ni: Literally, the Era gem (like fruits); Era: Zizyphus jujuba (Kannada, DED 475); Iraththi: Zizyphus jujuba (Tamil, DED 475); Ma'ni: Jewel (Sanskrit, Pali, CDIAL 9731)

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Nila as Rajakaariya service position, place, land, village etc:

Pan-nila: The land of King's service or government service status to do duty work; or the work-place/ duty station; Attanagala division, Gampaha district; Horana division, Kalutara district; Beruwala division, Kalutara district; Walallavita division, Kalutara district: Kahawatta division, Ratnapura district; Dehiovita division, Kegalle district. Pana: stipulated work (Sinhala); Panan: duty, engagement, custom, observance of traditional practice, Niyama, Sirita, (Sinhala)

Ponnila: Probably a changed form of Pan-nila; Thumpane division, Kandy district

Ponnilawa: Probably a changed form of Pan-nila; Polpithigama division, Kurunegala district

Lechchimime-nilaa: The house, place, village or endowment property of Lechchimi (Laksmi) Amma; Hatharaliyadda division, Kandy district

Nila-gama: The king's service or government service village; Galewela division, Matale district

Nilan-noruwa: The king's service or government service town; Pallepola division, Matale district

Nila-de'niya: The rising ground of the valley under government service; or the green verdured rising ground of the valley; Bope-poddala division, Galle district

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Nil, Nila as blue or green:

Koboa-nilla: The (place of) mountain ebony; Udadumbara division, Kandy district. Kobaneela: mountain ebony, Bauhinia purpurea (Sinhala)

Nillamba: The (place of) green mangoes; Doluwa division, Kandy district. Nil, Nila: blue as well as green (Sinhala); Nilla: verdure (Sinhala); Nil-pol: green coconut (Sinhala)

Nil-panaa-goda: The green bank or hill of jack trees; Minuwangoda division, Gampaha district

Nil-gala: The blue or green rocky hill; Medadumbara division, Kandy district; Bibile division, Moneragala district

Nil-danda-heenna: The long range of green forest; Walapane division, Nuwara Eliya district

Kos-nil-goda: The green bank or hill of jack trees; Pitabeddara division, Matara district

Nili-athu-goda: The green wing of the bank or hill; Hali Ela division, Badulla district

Nil-mal-goda: The bank or hill of blue flowers; or the village of the green/blue hill; Kegalle division, Kegalle district

Nil-wala: The green forest; Deraniyagala division, Kegalle district

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Batu:

Batu-wan-dara: The jungle land of Batu plants; Kesbewa division, Colombo district

Batu-watta: The garden of Batu eggplants; Ja-Ela division, Gampaha district; Galigamuwa division, Kegalle district

Batu-vita: The hill or mound of Batu eggplants; Horana division, Kalutara district; Ruwanwella division, Kegalle district; Thihagoda division, Matara district

Batu-gampala: The Butu eggplants part of the Gampala village; or the open ground of the village having Batu plants; Ingiriya division, Kalutara district

Batu-goda: The bank, hill or village of Batu eggplants; Pujapitiya division, Kandy district

Batu-mulla: The corner of Batu eggplants; Minipe division, Kandy district

Batu-ambe: Probably, the (locality of) tree of round mangoes; Harispattuwa division, Kandy district

Batu-pitiya: The high plains of Batu eggplants; Udunuwara division, Kandy district

Wambatu-yaaya: The expanse of a kind of Batu eggplant (Solanum melongena); Naula division, Matale district

Wambatu-wewa: The tank in the locality of Wambatu eggplants; Palagala division, Anuradhapura district

Thibbatu-kanatha: The thin jungle of Thibatu eggplants; Ambanganga Korale division, Kandy district

Thibbatu-wawa: The tank in the locality of Thibatu eggplants; Ukuwela division, Matale district

Thibbatu-goda: The bank/ hill/ village of Thibbatu eggplants; Walapane division, Nuwara Eliya district

Batu-wan-hena: The shifting cultivation field in the Butu jungle; Elpitiya division, Galle district

Batu-wan-gala: The rocky hill of Batu jungle; Neluwa division, Galle district

Batu-kachchiya: The forest of Batu eggplants; Kantale division, Trincomalee district. In this context the place name could also be a changed form of Vaddak-kachchi

Batu-gedara; The house premises of Batu eggplants; Ratnapura division, Ratnapura district

First published: Thursday, 10 July 2014, 07:41