Know the Etymology: 361
Place Name of the Day: Friday, 11 July 2014

Parawaa-hæra

பரவாஹெ[æ]ர
Paravāhæra

Parawa+hæra

The defined land belonging to a bard

The defined land belonging to Paravar community

Hæra 1	Taking, seizing; from Hara: (verb) to take; (adjective) who or what takes or seizes (Sinhala); Hara'na: Taking, seizing, accepting, receiving (Sinhala); Removing (Sanskrit, CDIAL 13979); Harati: Takes away (Sanskrit, CDIAL 13980); Takes away, plunders (Pali, CDIAL 13980);
Hæra 2	Probably from Heri: Part, portion, boundary of a part, Kotasa, Kotas-him (Sinhala, Sorata Thera); Eri: Belonging to, boundary, limit, Ayithi, Him (Sinhala, Sorata Thera); Earvai: The lands that belong to the irrigation scheme of a tank (Tamil, inscriptions, c. 1400 CE, SII, I, 65); The right of precedence in buying a bordering land (Eezham Tamil, Jaffna, Theasa Vazhamai law); Earvai-nilam: One's bordering land (Eezham Tamil, Jaffna, Theasa Vazhamai law); Hira, Sira: Confinement, imprisonment (Sinhala); Che'ri: Keep within bounds (Tamil, DED 1980); Chi'rai: Boundary, confinement, prison, dam, tank (Tamil, DED 1980); Che'ru: Field, garden, plot, tank (Tamil, DED 1980); Che'ruvu: Field (Tamil, DED 1980); Chi'ra: Enclosure (Malayalam, DED 1980); Kir: To make a fence, confine, block (Kannada, DED 1980); Cera-gonu: To seize, capture, carry off by force (Telugu, DED 1980); Ker: To fence (Kuwi, DED 1980)
Parawa 1	Bard, panegyrist, poet who sings the praises of a prince in his presence (Sinhala); Paravu: (verb) To praise, extol, worship, reverence, adore, sing (Tamil, DED 3951); Paraval: Praising, worshipping (Tamil, DED 3951); Cognates in Tamil, Malayalam, Kota, Toda, Kannada, Kodagu and Tulu (DED 3951); Parave: A man belonging to a low class of devil-dancers (Tulu, DED 3957)
Parawa 2	from Parawarayaa: Member of the Paravar (a Tamil coastal) community, an immigrant from Tuticoreen, a shoemaker (Sinhala); Paravar: An ancient coastal community of Tamils that was engaged in pearl and conch shell diving (DED 3957); from Para: To spread and Paravai: Sea, expanse (Tamil, DED 3949); Paaraavaara: Sea (Sinhala). See column on Paravan-vaadi
Parawa 3	from Parawarayaa: A shoemaker (Sinhala); Pa'rampar: Leather workers (Tamil, Thivaakaram 2: 48); Baar: To cut leather lengthwise or in strips (Kannada, DED 5363); Baar, Baara: (noun) Strap of leather (Kannada, Tulu, DED 5363); Upper leatherwork of sandals (Tulu, DED 5363); Vaar: Strap of leather (Tamil, DED 5363).

Hæra is a component found as a suffix in some Sinhala place names.

The direct meaning for the word Hæra in Sinhala, coming from the verb Hara, is taking or seizing. Another related word Hara'na in Sinhala has the additional meanings, accepting and receiving. While Hara'na in Sanskrit means removing, Harati in Sanskrit and Pali means ‘takes away' (CDIAL 13979, 13980).

However, looking at the context of the Sinhala place names having the suffix Hæra (see related place names), it seems that the component is more related to a defined part of land or ownership of a defined part of land.

Hæra therefore seems to be related to another Sinhala word Heri, meaning a part, portion or boundary of a part (Kotasa, Kotas-him, Sinhala, Sorata's dictionary). The word Eri in Sinhala (H is either added or lost in words) means ‘belonging to' or boundary/ limit (Ayithi, Him, Sinhala, Sorata's dictionary).

In such meanings, Heri in Sinhala is a cognate of Che'ri in Tamil/ Dravidian meaning to keep within bounds (DED 1980). While in Tamil the derivative Chi'rai means, boundary, confinement, prison etc., and Che'ru means a field, garden or plot of land (as they are within bounds), in Sinhala, Hira and Sira means confinement or imprisonment.

In toponymic sense of meaning, the closest cognate of Hæra in Sinhala is perhaps Chira in Malayalam, which often comes as a place name component and means an enclosure (DED 1980).

Another word of comparison related to the boundary meaning or ownership meaning of the Sinhala word Eri is Earvai in the Jaffna dialect of Eezham Tamil, which as a traditional legal term means the right of precedence in buying a bordering land.

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The component Parawa in Sinhala may mean a bard, panegyrist or a poet, who sings the praises of a prince in his presence (Clough), or related to the Sinhala word Parawarayaa (meaning a person from Tuticoreen/ Thoothukudi) may mean a member of a coastal community called Paravar in Tamil, or related to the same Sinhala word Parawarayaa, may mean a shoemaker (Clough).

Meaning a bard, the synonyms for Parawa in Sinhala are, Vandi or Vandi.bhattayaa (Sorata). They mean a person whose duty is to proclaim the titles of a great man as he passes along, or a poet who sings the praises of a prince in his presence or accompanies an army to chant martial songs.

In this sense of meaning, the Sinhala word Parawa is related to the Tamil/ Dravidian verb Paravu, meaning to praise, extol, worship, adore and sing (DED 3951).

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The Tamil coastal community called Paravar was also known as Parathar and Parathavar in Tamil, and Barata in the Brahmi inscriptions of the island since ancient times. The community was mainly involved in pearl and conch shell diving. As the Thoothukudi region of Tamil Nadu is the centre of the community and as there were also recent immigrants, Parawarayaa in Sinhala perhaps stood for people from Thoothukudi. But traditional distribution of the Paravar community and place names related to it could also be seen in the Mannaar region of the island, where pearl diving took place. See column on Paravan-vaadi.

The term Paravar meaning the coastal community comes from Tamil/ Dravidian Paravai, meaning sea or expanse, which in turn has come from the verb root Para, meaning to spread, to expand, be diffused etc. (DED 3957, 3949). In Sinhala diction, Paaraawaara meaning sea and Parawenawaa meaning to fade are also related to this root.

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Parawarayaa meaning a shoemaker in Sinhala is related to Pa'rampar in Tamil, meaning a leather worker (c. 8th century CE, Thivaakara Nika'ndu, 2: 48). Pa'rampar are differentiated from Pa'raiyar (drummers) in Tamil inscriptions.

The term Pa'rampar as leather workers is perhaps related to Baar and Baara, meaning strap of leather in Kannada and Tulu, and Vaar meaning the same in Tamil (DED 5363).

Pa'rampar as differentiated from Paraiyar in a Tamil inscription:

“Kollanum va'n'naanum eezhavanum pa'rampanum pa'raiyanum oaroakudi iruppathu” (c. 1000 CE, Epigraphia Indica, XXXIII, 33)

“கொல்லனும் வண்ணானும் ஈழவனும் பறம்பனும் பறையனும் ஓரோகுடி இருப்பது” (c. 1000 CE, Epigraphia Indica, XXXIII, 33)

Let the Kollar (ironsmiths), Va'n'naar (washermen), Eezhavar (toddy tappers), Pa'rampar (leather workers) and Paraiyar (drummers) live in separate settlements of their own

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Parawa-hera (Parawaa-hæra in Sinhala spelling) is a place in Matara Four Gravets division (a coastal division) of Matara district

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Some related place names:

Parawa:

Parawaha-gama: The village of a bard/ poet or the village of shoemakers; Palagala division, Anuradhapura district

Paravan-vaadi: The (fishing) camp settlement of Paravar (coastal) community; Mannaar Town division, Mannaar district

Hæra:

Wera-hera: Wera-hæra: The defined land belonging to the Buddhist monastery; Godakawela division, Ratnapura district; Pannala division, Kurunegala district; Dompe division, Gampaha district

De-hera-goda: The bank or hill having two defined plots of land; Kiriella division, Ratnapura district

Ela-hera: Æla-hæra: The land coming under the purview (irrigation) of the canal; Elahera division, Polonnaruwa district

Pothu-hera: Pothu-hæra: The flat part of land or the flat plot of land; Polgahawela division, Kurunegala district; Kuliyapitiya division, Kurunegala district

Thalamme-hera: Thalamme-hæra: The part or plot of land for the cultivation of oil seeds; Pannala division, Kurunegala district

Dik-hera: Dik-hæra: The long plot of land; Kuliyapitiya division, Kurunegala district

Thela-hera: Thela-hæra: The part or plot of land for the cultivation of sesame; Kuliyapitiya division, Kurunegala distruict

Galle-hera: Gallæ-hæra: The rocky plot of land; Weerambugedera division, Kurunegala district

Amba-hera: Amba-hæra: The plot of land having mango trees; Weerambugedara division, Kurunegala district

Kana-pothu-hera: Kana-pothu-hæra: The flat plot of land (for cultivation) in the jungle; Katupotha division, Kurunegala district

Deba-hera: Deba-hæra: The double or forked plot of land; Mirigama division, Gampaha district

Kota-hera: Kota-hæra: The plot of land where trees were cut (cleared of forest for cultivation); or the fenced (Kotu) plot of land; Hanwella division, Colombo district

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Some place names sounding similar but unrelated to Hæra as defined land:

Heraliya-wala: The jackfruit jungle; Homagama division, Colombo district. Hera'liya, Hera'li-gediya: jackfruit (Sinhala, colloquial); Herali: ripe jackfruit or jackfruit to cook (Sinhala, Mearææ Kos)

Agrahera: Agrahæra:The village of Brahmins; Weeraketiya division, Hambantota district. Agrahaara: Endowment of lands or villages conferred on Brahmins; village inhabited by Brahmins (Sinhala); 1. Agra: the foremost (Sanskrit, Monier Wiilliams, CDIAL 68)); Ghara: house (Sanskrit, from grha, CDIAL 4439); 2. Agaara, Aagaara: House (Sanskrit, Pali, CDIAL 52, etymology traced probably to Dravidian); Akam: Inside, house (Tamil, DED 7)

Hera-kola: Hæra-kola: The (locality of) Hæra plants; GI Korale division, Kandy district. Hæra probably an alternative form of Sera (Seara), a vegetable plant used especially with beef (Sinhala)

First published: Friday, 11 July 2014, 06:14