Know the Etymology: 368
Place Name of the Day: Friday, 10 October 2014

Umang-kandura, Hoa-kandara

உமங்கந்து₃ர, ஹோகன்த₃ர
Umaṅkandura, Hōkandara

Umang+kandura
Hoa+kandara

The tunnelling hill-streamlet

The hill-streamlet in the locality of Hoa shrubs; or the gorge of the rivulet

Kandura	(half N written in tip-teeth form) mountain stream or gorge (Sinhala, cited by CDIAL 2724); Kanduru: also Kanduræliya (Kanduru+æliya): (half N written in the tip-teeth form) a small stream descending from the hills (Sinhala, Clough). See boxes below for etymology
Kandara 1	(half N written in base-teeth form) = Kanduru: (half N written in base-teeth form) stream, hill-streamlet, gorge formed by watercourse (Sinhala, Sorata); probably from Kanda+dhaara: hill-stream; Dhaara: (noun) stream; (adjective) streaming down (Sanskrit, CDIAL 6788); Dhaaraa: stream, flood (Sanskrit, CDIAL 6788); Thaari, Thaarai: way, path (Tamil, DED 3170); Daari: way, path (Kannada, Tulu, DED 3170)
Kandara 2	(half N written in base-teeth form) natural or artificial cave (Sinhala, Clough); probably from Kanda-dara: hill-cavern; Dara: hole in the ground, cavern, grotto (Sinhala, Clough); or Kandara: cave, glen (Sanskrit, Pali, CDIAL 2724)
Kanda	(full N written separately) hill, mountain, hillock (Sinhala, clough); Kandu: (half N written in tip-teeth form), plural of Kanda (Sinhala, Clough); hill (Sinhala, Sorata); Kanda: (half N written in base-teeth form) hill (Sinhala, Sorata); Kanda: (half N written in tip teeth form) stem or trunk of a tree (Sinhala, Clough); hill, stem or trunk of a tree (Sinhala, Sorata); Kanda-wæta: fence made of heavy logs (Sinhala); Khandha: mass, heap (Pali, Buddhadatta Thera); Kunda: pillar, post (Tulu, Telugu, DED 1723); a pillar of bricks (Kannada, DED 1723); block, log (Malto, DED 1723); Kantu: pillar, post (Tamil, cited by DED 1723, Changkam diction, Pu'ranaanoo'ru 52); Kantham: the Pothikai hill in the south of Tamil Nadu (Tamil, MTL);
Umang	tunnel, subterranean passage (Sinhala); Ummaga: underground watercourse, conduit, wrong way, side tract (Pali, CDIAL 2125); Unmaarga: deviation from the way (Sanskrit, CDIAL 2125); Umpnaa: to perforate, pierce through, cut a passage through some thing (Kurux, DED 640), cognate found in Malto too.
Hoa 1	H added to Oya to become Hoya and then shortened as Hoa. Shortened form of Hoya: small river, branch of a river, rivulet (Sinhala, Clough); Ganga, Oya, Diyapaara (Sinhala, Sorata); Oya: (singular), Oyaval: (plural) rivulet, stream, a popular component in the names of rivers (Sinhala); Uyavai: forest stream (Tamil, Thivaakaram 5:48, Choodaama'ni 11:160); a creeper in the forests that yield water (Tamil, Changkam Diction, Malaipadukadaam 136); from the root Oy: (verb) moving fast, flowing fast, dragging as in a flow of river (Tamil, Changkam Diction, Akanaanoo'ru 68:17); Oy: To drag along as a flood, launch as a boat, send forth (Tamil, Dravidian Etymological Dictionary 984); Uy: To carry, take away, discharge (Tamil, DED 984); Oy, Uy: To carry off (Kannada, DED 984); Oyil: Force or velocity of a river (Tulu, DED 984); Uy: To carry, to take away (Parji, Gadba, DED 984); Oye: To take away (Malto, DED 984); Oiyali: To take away (Kuwi, DED 984); Oi: Current in the sea, flow, flux, stream, tide (Dhivehi/ Maldivian, An Etymological Dictionary of Maldivian Island Names p135, 176). See column on Ho-pe
Hoa 2	the As'oka gasa (Sinhala, Sorata); Asoa, Asoaka: a tree, Jonesia asoca, a plant used in medicine (Sinhala, Clough); As'oaka: name of a plant or shrub, Jonesia asoca (Sinhala, Clough); Hoa-pa'lu: colloquial term for As'oka plant or shrub (Sinhala, Clough).

The word Kandura, found mostly as a suffix in Sinhala place names, means a small stream descending from the hills. Kanduru is another form of the word. In both the instances the N in the word has half sound and is pronounced from the tip of the front teeth.

Kandura also means a gorge, and this meaning could have come by the typically deep gorges cut by the action of fast-running mountain streams.

Kandara, written with a half N pronounced at the base of the front teeth, is yet another form of word, meaning a hill-streamlet. Sorata's dictionary equates Kandara with Kanduru. Clough's dictionary gives the meaning natural or artificial cave, for Kandara.

In Sinhala place names Kandara is written with a full N.

The words in their two shades of meaning are probably phrases coming from Kanda-dhaara and Kanda-dara, as Kanda means hill and Dhaara and Dara respectively mean stream and cavern.

Both Dravidian and Indo-Aryan cognates could be found for the words. See boxes above.

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Umang is a tunnel or subterranean passage in Sinhala and the direct cognate is Ummaga in Pali, meaning an underground watercourse. The words are traced to Unmaarga in Sanskrit, meaning deviation from the way (CDIAL 2125). However cognates listed as Dravidian are found in Kurux and Malto too. See box.

The word Hoa in Sinhala has two meanings of toponymic relevance: a rivulet and the shrub, Asoka-gasa (Jonesia asoca).

In meaning a rivulet, Hoa comes from Hoya, which in turn is H added to Oya, meaning a stream or rivulet.

Oya in Sinhala is of Dravidian etymology, related to the Tamil/ Dravidian verb root Oy, meaning, to flow fast or to drag along as a flood (DED 984). Uyavai in old Tamil meaning a forest stream and Oyil in Tulu meaning the velocity of a river (DED 984) are some of the related nouns. See column on Ho-pe for further discussion and usage examples.

In meaning Jonesia asoca, Hoa is related to the colloquial Sinhala name of the medicinal shrub or plant, Hoa-pa'lu.

Both the meanings could be applied in place names such as Hoa-kandara and Ho-pe.

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Umang-kandura (found written with a half, teeth-tip N) is a place in Haputale division of Badulla district.

Hoa-kandara (found written with a full N) is in Kaduwela division of Colombo district

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Some related place names:

Kandura (found written with a half, tip-teeth N):

Bulath-wæl-kandura: The hill-streamlet in the locality of betel vines; Minipe division, Kandy district

Kumbuk-kandura: The hill-streamlet in the locality of Kumbuk trees; Kundasale division, Kandy district

Hilpæn-kandura: The cavity-water streamlet from the hills; Hanguranketha division, Nuwara Eliya district. Hil: cavity, hole, perforation (Sinhala, Sorata); Sil: hole, perforation (Sinhala, Clough); Pæn: water (Sinhala)

Rammala-kandura: The charming hill-streamlet; Hanguranketha division, Nuwara Eliya district. Ram = Rama: charming; Mala: hill (Sinhala)

Kæta-kandura: The hill-streamlet of pebbles; Walapane division, Nuwara Eliya district

Mæda-kandura: The hill-streamlet in the middle; Walapane division, Nuwara Eliya district

Æth-kandura: The hill streamlet frequented by elephants; Welivitiya-Divithura division, Galle district

Maa-kandura: The big hill-streamlet; Mulatiyana division, Matara district; Pannala division, Kurunegala district; Godakawela division, Ratnapura district

Ka'lu-gaha-kandura: The hill-streamlet in the locality of Ka'lu-gaha trees; Meegahakivula division, Badulla district

Amu'nea-kandura: The dammed hill-streamlet; Medagama division, Moneragala district

Wea-wæl-kandura: The hill-streamlet in the locality of rattan canes; Kalawana division, Ratnapura district

Kandara (found written with a full N):

Uddha-kandara: (found written with a full N) The mountain stream or gorge found at a height; Thissamaharama division, Hambantota district

First published: Friday, 10 October 2014, 00:18