Know the Etymology: 385
Place Name of the Day: Saturday, 27 December 2014

Mazhavaraiyar/ Mazhuvaraayar/ Mazhavaraayar Kaddai Adampan

மழவரையர் / மழுவராயர் / மழவராயர் கட்டை அடம்பன்
Maḻavaraiyar / Maḻuvarāyar / Maḻavarāyar Kaṭṭai Aṭampaṉ

Mazha+araiyar+kaddai+adampan
Mazhuva+raayar+kaddai+adampan
Mazhava+raayar+kaddai+adampan

The defined or enclosed land in the Adampan division belonging to Mazhavaraayar

Mazhavaraiyar	also Mazhuvaraayar, Mazhavaraayar, Mazhavar-koan: a kinglet of a dynasty that ruled the Mazha-naadu part of the ancient Tamil country (Tamil, inscriptions, 991 CE, SII, xiii, 144); a chief of the clan of Mazhavar, a warrior community known from the Changkam times (Tamil, see boxes below); a chief, the family name of which still survives in Jaffna (Eezham Tamil); Mazhavar+raayar or Mazhavar+araiyar: literally meaning the king of Mazhavar; or Mazha+raayar, Mazha+araiyar: the junior king, prince; Raayar and Araiyar are Tamilised forms of Raja
Mazhavan 1	young man (Tamil, DED 4747, Pu'ranaanoo'ru, 88: 3); Mazha: youth, youthful (Tamil, Changkam diction, DED 4747); Mazhalai: childhood, child talk (Tamil, DED 4747); Ma'l'lar: youthful or able people (Tamil, Changkam diction, Pu'ranaanoo'ru, 251: 3): Ma'lu, Ma'luwa: younger brother (Sinhala, Clough); younger brother, prince (Sinhala, Brahmi inscriptions); Malli: younger brother (Sinhala); Maazhh: son (Brahui of Pakistan, DED 4747); Ma'ri: young of certain animals (Tamil, DED 4764); offspring, young of animals (Malayalam, DED 4764); a young child, young of any animal (Kannada, DED 4764); Maar: son, boy, lad (Brahui of Pakistan, DED 4764); Zh/ R interchange
Mazhavan 2	warrior (Tamil, DED 4747); Mazhavar: warriors (Tamil, Natti'nai 52: 9); people of a country (Tamil, Akanaanoo'ru, 1: 2); conquerors, cattle lifters (Tamil, Changkam diction, Akanaanoo'ru. 269: 4); Mazha-pulam: the country of Mazhavar (Tamil, Akanaanoo'ru, 61: 12); Mazhuvar: a warrior clan of its own country (Tamil, inscription, c.700 CE, Aava'nam, 10, p. 07); Mazhavar-koan: the ruler of Mazhavar (Tamil, inscription, 991 CE, xiii, 144); Ma'l'lar: warriors (Tamil, Kurunthokai, 31: 1); cultivators (Tamil, Pu'ranaanoo'ru, 399: 20); commanders, chiefs (Tamil, Thivaakaram, 2: 108); Ma'ravar: often used as equivalent of Mazhavar (Tamil, DED 4763, Zh/ 'R interchange). See column on Ma'rava-ku'richchi
Kaddai	also Kaddu, Kaddi: enclosure, defined part of land (Eezham Tamil place names); from Kaddu: fence, boundary (Tamil, DED 1147, 1148, 1149); Katta: part, division (Sinhala, Sorata). See columns on Kaddaik-kaadu, Thoalai-kaddi, Naaval-kaddai
Adampan	a place name coming from the Adampan creeper. The place has given name to a large division. See column on Adampan

Mazhuvaraiyar, Mazhavaraiyar, Mazhuvaraayar or Mazhavaraayar is a chieftain's title that still survives as a family name in Jaffna. Mazhavaraayar Kanthaiya of Puththoor, who founded the Puththoor Somaskanda College in 1931, is an example.

References to Mazhava chiefs, such as Paa'ndi-mazhavan, Champaka-mazhavan, Kanaka-mazhavan etc., are found in the historiographical literatures of Jaffna, as residents of Thirunelveali and Puloali in Jaffna.

The Mazhavar clan and their country (Mazha-pulam) were known from the times of the Changkam literature, dating from pre Common Era centuries.

In Tamil inscriptions dating from c. 700 CE, Mazhavar or Mazhuvar are found mentioned as a people having their country and military. Mazha-paadi is a place name coming in Theavaarams of 7th century CE.

Mazhavar, ruling Mazha-naadu in the central part of today's Tamil Nadu, became feudatories under the Cholas later. The usages Mazhavar-koan and Mazhavaraiyar are found in Tamil inscriptions dating from 991 CE. While the suffix Koan is a Tamil/ Dravidian term meaning a ruler, Araiyar and Raayar are Tamlised forms of Raja, meaning the same.

Mazhavan, listed as a word of Dravidian etymology (DED 4747), has two shades of meanings: one related to youthfulness and the other related to a valorous warrior. Ma'l'lar, Ma'ravar and Ma'ri are related Dravidian words with Zh/ 'L/ 'R phonetic changes in Tamil and in other Dravidian languages (see boxes above).

The root Mazha meaning young seems to be the basic meaning from which the other shades such as warrior, warrior clan, the country of the warrior clan, junior king or kinglet etc. have come.

The root Mazha was widely used in old Tamil to mean young and a surviving usage in modern Tamil is the word Mazhalai, meaning a child, and related to that meaning, child's language.

A cognate of Mazha, in the form of Ma'lu, is found used in the Brahmi inscriptions of the island to mean a younger brother or prince. In modern Sinhala Malli means younger brother.

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Mazha meaning young:

“Mazha-ka'li'ru” (Natti'nai, 192: 2)

“மழ-களிறு” (நற்றிணை, 192: 2)

The young elephant


“Maiyaadal aadal mazha pulavar” (Paripaadal, 11: 88)

“மையாடல் ஆடல் மழ புலவர்” (பரிபாடல், 11: 88)

The young students who handle ink-smeared manuscripts (ink or black powder is applied to palm-leaf manuscripts to read the letters clearly)


“Mazhavan kumaran mainthan cheadan I'laval murukan kaa'lai I'laignan” (Pingkala Nika'ndu, 5: 200)

“மழவன் குமரன் மைந்தன் சேடன் இளவல் முருகன் காளை இளைஞன்” (பிங்கல நிகண்டு, 5: 200)

Mazhavan, Kumaran, Mainthan, Cheadan, I'laval, Murukan, Kaa'lai are terms for a young person (I'laignan)

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Mazhavar generally meaning warriors:

“Mazhavar perumakan maa va'l oari” (Natti'nai, 52: 9)

“மழவர் பெருமகன் மா வள் ஓரி” (நற்றிணை, 52: 9)

The great Oari, chief of the warriors


Mazhavar meaning a particular warrior clan:

“Uruvak kuthirai mazhavar oaddiya murukan natpoar nedu vea'l aavi” (Akanaanoo'ru 1: 2)

“உருவக் குதிரை மழவர் ஓட்டிய முருகன் நற்போர் நெடு வேள் ஆவி” (அகநானூறு 1: 2)

The great chief Aavi who waged an effective war like God Murukan and chased away the Mazhavar coming on shapely horses


The country of Mazhavar:

“Mazha pulam va'nakkiya maa va'n pulli” (Akanaanoo'ru, 61: 12)

“மழ புலம் வணக்கிய மா வண் புல்லி” (அகநானூறு, 61: 12)

The great Pulli who made the country of Mazhavar to bow down




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Usages of Mazhavar-koan and Mazhavaraiyar:

“Mazhavar koan petta nagn chempiyan maa theaviyea” (Tamil inscription, 991 CE, SII, xiii, 144)

“மழவர் கோன் பெற்ற நஞ் செம்பியன் மா தேவியே” (Tamil inscription, 991 CE, SII, xiii, 144)

Our Chempiyan Maatheavi (literally meaning the Chola queen), who was born as a daughter of the king of the Mazhavar


“Sree uththama choa'la theavar thangka'laachchiyaar mazhavaraiyar maka'laar” (Tamil inscription, 991 CE, SII, xiii, 144)

“ஸ்ரீ உத்தம சோள தேவர் தங்களாச்சியார் மழவரையர் மகளார்” (Tamil inscription, 991 CE, SII, xiii, 144)

The daughter of the king of Mazhavar and the mother of Uththama Choazhar (i.e., Chempiyam Maatheavi)

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Mazhavaraiyar Kaddai Adampan, or Mazhuvaraayar Kaddai Adampan or Mazhavaraayar Kaddai Adampan is a place in the Madu division of Mannaar district.

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Some related place names:

See columns on Kaddaik-kaadu, Naaval-kaddai

First published: Saturday, 27 December 2014, 22:48