Know the Etymology: 363
Place Name of the Day: Friday, 18 July 2014

Maha-gala-heenna, Gal-hinna

மஹாக₃லஹீன்ன, க₃ல்ஹின்ன
Mahāgalahīnna, Galhinna

Maha+gala+heenna
Gal+hinna

The big rocky spur range

The rocky spur range

Heenna

Long range or spur (Sinhala, Madduma Bandara 2009); The term is equated to Kudaa-liyadda, i.e., small division or bed of a paddy field (Udarata colloquial Sinhala, Sorata); The term is equated with Wætiya (Madduma Bandara 2009); Wætiya: Bank of a river, pond, lake etc., artificial bank, dam, bank in the rice fields, which dam in the water and serve as pathways (Sinhala); Saanu: Mountain top, ridge (Sanskrit, CDIAL 13340); Mountain ridge (Pali, 13340); Chea'n: Height, width, length, distance (Tamil, DED 2807); Height, breadth, strength (Malayalam, DED 2807); Ea'n, Ea'ni: Boundary, limit (Tamil, DED 886); Ea'n, Ea'nu: Edge, border, point (Kannada, DED 886); Ea'nu: Edge, the three edges or ridges of the coconut (Malayalam, DED 886); E'n, Ea'nam, Ea'nai, Eatchi: Firmness, stability, strength (Tamil, DED 887); Chenni: Head, summit, elephant's temple (Tamil, DED 1989); Kannam: Cheek (Tamil, DED 1413); Upper cheek (Kannada, DED 1413); Kannai: Side (Tamil, Kathiraiver Pillai)

From the geographical context of the Sinhala place names having the components Heenna and Hinna, it could be deduced that the terms stand for a spur range that often serves a steep natural bank for a river, reservoir etc.

Place names having the components Heenna and Hinna are mostly found in the Nuwara Eliya, Kandy, Badulla, Matale and Kegalle districts.

Hinna is a variation of Heenna and both predominantly appear as suffixes.

Geography professor Madduma Bandara explains the term Heenna as a long range or spur, and equates the term with Wætiya in Sinhala, which means a bank as such of a river, lake, paddy field etc. Sorata Thera's dictionary notes Heenna as an Udarata (up-country) colloquial Sinhala usage, meaning Kudaa-liyadda, a small division or bed of a paddy field. Sorata's entry perhaps comes from a different morpheme and seems to be not related to the toponyms. See landscape images related to Heenna/ Hinna.

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Possible cognates for Heenna/ Hinna could be cited from both Indo-Aryan and Dravidian.

Saanu is one possible cognate meaning a ridge or mountain top in Sanskrit and a mountain ridge in Pali (CDIAL 13340). In Tamil/ Dravidian, Chea'n is a term that stands for height, length and width, and was often used in Changkam literature in the context of rising mountains, ridges etc. (DED 2807). Chenni is another Tamil/ Dravidian word (DED 1989), meaning a summit and features like the temple of an elephant, and Kannam means cheek as well as side (DED 1413).

See earlier columns on the etymology of Gal meaning rock or rocky hill, and Mahaa meaning big or great

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Mahaa-gala-heenna is a place in Minipe division of Kandy district.

Gal-hinna is in Poojapitiya division of Kandy district

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Some related place names:

Hinna:

Malwana-hinna: Malwaana-hinna: The spur-bank of Malwaana; Akurana division, Kandy district. Malwaana: probably the hill forest or the flowering forest. Malwaana-hinna is a spur bank covered with forest

Waragas-hinna: Waraa-gas-hinna; The spur range of Waraa trees; Akurana division, Kandy district

Dun-hinna: The spur range of Dun trees; Medadumbara division, Kandy district

Menik-hinna: Me'nik-hinna: The spur range of gemstones; Kundasale division, Kandy district

Kalugal-hinna: Ka'lugal-hinna: The spur range of the black rocks; Udapalatha division, Kandy district. This place is a spur at the bottom of which the Mahaweli River flows through a bed of dark rocks

Wewa-hinna: Wæwa-hinna: The spur-bank range of the reservoir; Kothmale division, Nuwara Eliya district. The place is a spur range that serves as a bank for the Kotmale reservoir

Hora-hinna-gama: The village of the spur range of Hora trees; Kotmale division, Nuwara Eliya district. The place is a high spur range banking the Kotmale reservoir

Deegala-hinna: The long rocky spur; Hanguranketha division, Nuwara Eliya district

Kosgaha-hinna: The spur range of jack trees; Galewela division, Matale district

Karagaha-hinna: The spur range of Kara shrubs; Ukuwela division, Matale district

Hinnaran-golla: The forest of the spur range; Badulla division, Badulla district; Welmada division, Badulla district

Dematawel-hinna: Demata-wæl-hinna: The spur range of Demata shrubs; Hali-Ela division, Badulla district

Wewel-hinna: Wewæl-hinna: The spur range of rattan vines; Haputale division, Badulla district

Idalgas-hinna: The spur range of Idalgas trees or shrubs; Badulla district. Probably the trees or shrubs yielding broom-making foliage; Idal, Hidal: broom, brush, cut foliage, fine hair (Sinhala); Ithazh: petal, palmyra leaf (Tamil, DED 459); Itha'l: flower leaf (Malayalam DED 459); Esa'l: petal, small twig with leaves (Kannada, DED 459); Esa'lu: petal, leaf (Tulu, DED 459)

Welan-hinna: The spur of the paddy field stretch; Haputale division, Badulla district; Imbulpe division, Ratnapura district

Hinnara-pola: The bank place, or the spur-place; Alawwa division, Kurunegala district

Kossinna: Kos-hinna: The spur range having jack trees; Gampaha division, Gampaha district; Rambukkana division, Kegalle district; Pathahewaheta division, Kandy district

Ne-hinna: Næ-hinna: probably, the ascending spur range; Dodangoda division, Kalutara district. Næ: from Næga

Gurugal-hinna: The spur bank or range of red chalk; Kahatagasdigilliya division, Anuradhapura district

Buduge-hinna: The spur range of the Buddhist temple; Palagala division, Anuradhapura district

Kumbuk-hinna: The spur range of Kumbuk trees; Damana division, Ampaa'rai district

Heenna:

Nil-danda-heenna: The spur range of green forest; Walapane division, Nuwara Eliya district. Nil: blue as well as green (Sinhala); Da'nda: trees as well as forest (Sinhala, DED 3056, 3030, CDIAL 6128, probably non-Aryan origins)

Weralu-gas-heenna: The spur bank of Weralu trees; Kotmale division, Nuwara Eliya district. The place is on the bank of Mahaweli River, south of Ulapane.

First published: Friday, 18 July 2014, 00:18