Know the Etymology: 373
Place Name of the Day: Friday, 24 October 2014

Amba-ruppa, Bulu-ruppa

அம்ப₃ருப்ப, பு₃ளுருப்ப
Ambaruppa, Buḷuruppa

Amba+ruppa
Bulu+ruppa

The mango grove

The Bulu tree forest

Ruppa	from Ruppaa; from Ruk+paa (the split is justified by Sorata); grove, forest (Sinhala, in place names); Ruk: trees in general (Sinhala); Ruka, Ruku, Rika: tree in general (Sinhala); Ruksha: tree (Sanskrit, CDIAL 10757); Rukkha: tree (Pali, Prakrit, CDIAL 10757); Vrksha: tree (Sanskrit, CDIAL 12067); Paa: tree in general (Sinhala, Clough); forest (Sinhala, Sorata); Pea: grove (Sinhala); Pai: greenness (Tamil, DED 3821); Pasumai: verdure (Tamil, DED 3821). See column on Madampe.
Amba	mango, Mangifera indica (Sinhala); mango tree, its fruit (Pali, CDIAL 1268); Aamra: mango tree (Sanskrit, CDIAL 1268)
Bu'lu	spelt as Bulu in some place names: a tree of medicinal value, one of the three myrobalans, Terminalia belerica (Sinhala, Thaan'ri in Tamil); Pulavai, Pulavai-maruthu, Poolaththi: Terminalia paniculata (Tamil, DED 4306). Hulive, Huluve: Terminalia paniculata (Kannada, DED 4306); Cognates found in Malayalam and Telugu also

The suffix Ruppa coming in Sinhala place names means a forest or grove.

Ruppa is equivalent to the Sinhala word Ruppaa, which Sorata's Sinhala dictionary split as Ruk+paa and gives a meaning that it stands for tree root (Ruk: tree; Paa: root)

However examples of Sinhala place names invariably show that Ruppa invariably stands for a forest or grove (see related place names). Therefore, the split Ruk+paa in toponymic context has to be understood as Ruk: tree and Paa: forest or grove.

Sorata's dictionary itself notes that one of the meanings for Paa as a separate word in Sinhala is forest. Another related word Pea, which is also a Sinhala place name suffix, means a grove.

Both Paa and Pea are related to Tamil/ Dravidian verb root Paca, meaning to be green, Pai meaning greenness and the word Pasumai meaning verdure (DED 3821).

Ruk in Sinhala, meaning trees in general, and Ruka, Ruku and Rika meaning tree in general, are cognates of Ruksha in Sanskrit/ Indo Aryan and Rukkha in Pali, meaning tree (CDIAL 10757). Another related word in Sanskrit/ Indo-Aryan is Vrksha meaning tree (CDIAL 12067)

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Amba in Sinhala and Pali, meaning Mango is a cognate of Aamra in Sanskrit meaning the same (CDIAL 1268)

Bu'lu in Sinhala is a tree and one of the three myrobalans of medicinal value. The botanical name is Terminalia belerica or Terminalia bellirica. It is called Thaan'ri in Tamil. The other two myrobalans in Sinhala are Ara'lu (Kadukkaay in Tamil) and Nelli (the same in Tamil).

The word Bu'lu, sometimes written as Bulu in Sinhala place names, is probably related to the words Pulavai, Pulavai-maruthu and Poolaththi in Tamil (DED 4306) and Huluve, Hulive in Kannada, standing for another tree of the Terminalia family (Terminalia paniculata). CDIAL relates the etymology of Bu'lu to Vibheedaka (Terminalia belerica) in Sanskrit with a question mark, which seems to be far-fetched.

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Amba-ruppa as a place name is found in Pujapitiya division of Kandy district and in Mawanella division of Kegalle district.

Bulu-ruppa is in Kegalle division of Kegalle district

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Some related place names:

Mee-ruppa: The forest of Mee trees; Pathahewaheta division, Kandy district; Welipitiya division, Matara district

Dandu-bædi-ruppa: The timber tree forest; or Dandu-bædi-iruppa: the sawmill of the timber tree forest; Pasbage Korale division, Kandy district. Dandu: timber; Bædi: plural and combination form of Bædda: forest; Iruppu, Irippu: the loom or mill to cut trees (spoken Sinhala, Sorata); related to Ari: to cut, to saw as in the case of wood (Tamil, DED 212); Eer: to saw (Tamil, DED 542)

Makul-gaha-ruppa: The forest of Makul trees; Matale division, Matale district. Makul: a tree, Mimusops elengi (Sinhala); Makula: the tree Mimusops elengi as well as opening bud (Sinhala); Makizh: Mimusops elengi (Tamil, DED 4619); Mukizh: (verb) to bud (Tamil, DED 4893); Mukizham: opening bud (Tamil, DED 4893) Makula, Bakula, Vakula: Mimusops elengi (Sanskrit, CDIAL 9116 suggests Dravidian origin); Makula: bud (Sanskrit, CDIAL 10146 traces Dravidian origin). Mimusops elengi is known for its fragrant flowers, which are tiny and bud-like.

Maku-ruppa: probably the same as Makul-ruppa; Hanguranketha division, Nuwara Eliya district

Waandu-ruppa: probably Wandu-ruppa: Ambalantota division, Hambantota district

Bakmee-ruppa: The forest of Bakmee trees; Bingiriya division, Kurunegala district

Siyambala-gas-ruppa: The grove of tamarind trees; Udubaddawa division, Kurunegala district

Kahata-ruppa: The forest of Kahata trees; Passara division, Badulla district

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Bu'lu, Bulu:

Bu'lu-gaha-goda: Gampaha division, Gampaha district

Bu'lu-goho-thænna: Akurana division, Kandy district. Goho = Gaha

Bu'lu-mulla: Yatinuwara division, Kandy district

Bu'lu-gaha-pitiya: Hanguranketha division, Nuwara Eliya district; Eheliyagoda division, Ratnapura district

Bulu-æ'la: Nuwara Eliya division, Nuwara Eliya district

Wal-bulu-gaha-heana: Devinuwara division, Matara district Bu'lu-wala-kanda: Rideegama division, Kurunegala district

Bu'lu-wala: Rideegama division, Kurunegala district

Bu'lu-pitiya: Weerambugedera division, Kurunegala district; Bibile division, Moneragala district

Bu'lu-gaha-wæwa: Nattandiya division, Puththa'lam district

Ka'lu-bulu-landa: Welimada division, Badulla district

Dam-bu'lu-wana: Elapatha division, Ratnapura district

Bu'luwaana: Godakawela division, Ratnapura district

Bu'lu-thota: Kolonna division, Ratnapura district

Dam-bu'lu-waawa: Mawanella division, Kegalla district

Bu'lu-gaha-deniya: Kegalle division, Kegalle district

First published: Friday, 24 October 2014, 07:40