Know the Etymology: 406
Place Name of the Day: Thursday, 04 June 2015

Chaa'ndaam Poakkaddi, Ve'l'laam Poakkaddi

சாண்டாம் போக்கட்டி,
வெள்ளாம் போக்கட்டி
Cāṇṭām-pōkkaṭṭi, Veḷḷām-pōkkaṭṭi

Chaa'ndaar+poakkaddi
Ve'l'laa'lar+poakkaddi

The land-part of toddy-drawers or oil-millers

The land-part of cultivators

Chaa'ndaan	(singular), Chaa'ndaar: (plural): originally toddy-drawers or people depending on coconut palm for livelihood, but in the context of Jaffna found specialised in oil-milling (Eezham Tamil); Kayi'r'ruch-chaan'raar: the section of Chaa'ndaar engaged in making coir usually from coconut fibre (Eezham Tamil, Dutch records, 1790 CE, A.Mootootamby Pillai); Yaanakkaarach-chaan'raar: probably the section of Chaan'ndaar obliged to feed elephants brought by the Dutch for export by supplying coconut palm fronds (Eezham Tamil, Dutch records, 1790 CE, A. Mootootamby Pillai); Chaan'raar, Chaa'naar: toddy-drawers (Tamil, Madras Tamil Lexicon); Chaa'naaththi: a woman of the Chaa'naar community (Tamil, MTL); Chaa'naarak-kaththi: toddy-drawer's knife (Tamil, MTL); Chaan'raan: toddy-drawer (Tamil, MTL, Tamil inscription, 849 CE, Travancore Archaeological Series, II, p. 67-68); from Chaa'raar > Chaan'raar (nasalisation by the addition of N) > Chaa'ndaar (nasalisation by the addition of 'N); 1. Chaa'ru: juice, sap (Tamil, DED 2484); sap as of a palm tree (Malayalam, DED 2484); Saaru: sap (Kannada, Tulu, DED 2484); Chaa'ndu: menstrual discharge (Tamil, Malayalam, MTL); Sooraa: spirituous liquor (Sanskrit, Rig Vedic, CDIAL 13503); Suraa: spirituous liquor (Pali, Prakrit, CDIAL 13503); toddy, liquor extracted from the coconut tree (Sinhala); Choor: pungency (Tamil, DED 2726); Choor-na'raa: pungent or sharply intoxicating toddy (Tamil, Paripaadal, 7: 62); Choo'ru: intoxication (Tamil, colloquial); 2. Chaa'ru: (verb) to slip off, slip down as from a tree (Tamil, DED 2482); Charuku: to slip (Tamil, DED 2482); Jaa'ru: to slip (Kannada, Telugu, DED 2482); Jaaruni: to slip (Tulu, DED 2482); Duraawaa: a person of the toddy-drawer community (Sinhala, probable J > D change or S/ Ch > D change)
Ve'l'laan	from Ve'l'laa'lan, Vea'laa'lan: a person of the cultivator community (Tamil, DED 5507); 1. Vi'lai: to cause to grow, raise, produce (Tamil, DED 5437); Vidduvan: a man of the cultivator community (Paraiyar dialect of Jaffna); Vidduvichchi: a woman of the cultivator community (Paraiyar dialect of Jaffna); 2. Vea'l: petty ruler, chief, title given by ancient Tamil kings to Vea'laa'lar (Tamil, DED 5545); Vea'lir: a class of ancient chiefs in the Tamil country (Tamil, DED 5545)
Poakkaddi	a rare place name suffix found in Jaffna meaning a land-part (Eezham Tamil); Poakku+kaddi: literally meaning land-part; Poakku: place, region (Tamil, MTL); character of land as hilly, sandy etc. (Tamil, MTL); way, passage, throughfare, exit, outlet (Tamil, MTL, DED 4572); from the root Poa: to go, proceed, go by, extend, spread (Tamil, DED 4572); Kaddi: a defined part of land, from the root Kaddu: to bind (Tamil, DED 1147). See Thoalai Kaddi

Chaa'ndaam Poakkaddi and Ve'l'laam Poakkadi are two adjacent localities south of Kodikaamam in Jaffna, differentiating two land possessions owned respectively by the community of Chaa'ndaar and the community of Ve'l'laa'lar.

Poakkaddi is a rare place-name suffix found in Jaffna meaning a land-part. The phrase could be split into two components, Poakku and Kaddi.

In usage, the word Poakku in Tamil has the shades of meaning such as place, region, character of land (sandy, hilly etc.) and passage or throughfare (Madras Tamil Lexicon) that fit to the context of the cited place names. Poakku in the above shades of meaning derive from the Tamil/ Dravidian verb root, Poa, meaning to go, extend, spread etc. (DED 4572)

See column on Thoalai-kaddi for the component Kaddi in Eezham Tamil and Kæti in Sinhala, related to the Dravidian verb root Kaddu (to bind), meaning a defined or identified part of land.

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The Eezham Tamil form Chaa'ndaar corresponds to the Tamil Nadu usages Chaan'raar and Chaa'naar.

In Tamil Nadu the words mean a community of toddy-drawers who climb palm trees for the purpose. A Tamil proverb “Chaa'naarap pi'l'laikku maram ea'rak kattuththara vea'ndumaa” (whether a son of the Chaa'naar community needs to be taught of climbing trees) points to expertise in climbing trees attached to the community.

However, in the context of Eezham Tamils especially in Jaffna, Chaa'ndaar are largely found engaged in oil milling. They are also owners of traditional oil mills. Probably, the originally toddy-drawing community might have took to oil milling either through its handling of copra and upward social mobility or due to competition and monopoly in toddy drawing coming from Na'lavar, the dominant toddy-drawing community in Jaffna. Another probability is that extracting oil was original to Chaa'ndaar as the root word Chaa'ru means toddy, slipping from trees as well as any extract.

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Chaan'raar is the early written form of the identity, which comes from a 9th century CE Tamil inscription found in today's Kerala. It comes in the context of levying taxes from the community. Another 10th century CE Tamil inscription coming out with the phrase Eezha Chaan'raan clearly identifies the community with the profession of toddy drawing.

Inscriptional evidence for Chaan'raan meaning a toddy-drawer:

“Chaan'raan maaddu meanip ponnum” (849 CE, Travancore Archaeological Series, II, p. 67-68)

“சான்றான் மாட்டு மேனிப் பொன்னும்” (849 CE, Travancore Archaeological Series, II, p. 67-68)

A percentage of gold (as tax) levied on toddy-drawers


“Eezha chaan'raan theava:n kalima'ri” (929 CE, South Indian Inscriptions, IV, 533)

“ஈழ சான்றான் தேவந் கலிமறி” (929 CE, South Indian Inscriptions, IV, 533)

The toddy drawing Chaan'raan (named) Theavan Kalima'ri

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The etyma for Chaan'raan, Chaa'ndaan and Chaa'naan is the Tamil/ Dravidian word Chaa'ru, which by nasalisation took N in Tamil Nadu and 'N in Eezham Tamil. Chaa'naan is a derived form.

The word Chaa'ru has many meanings in Tamil and old Tamil, but two are relevant to the context. They probably come from two different Dravidian morphemes, but both are meaningful in explaining the etymology of Chaan'raar/ Chaa'ndaar.

Sap, juice, toddy, extract, essence, gravy curry, watery preparations made of dhal, pepper etc., make one set of meanings for Chaa'ru (Tamil, DED 2484). Another meaning for Chaa'ru as a verb is to slip down as from a tree (Tamil, DED 2482). Both are relevant to Chaan'raar/ Chaa'ndaar.

The term Na'lavar for the dominant toddy-drawing community among Eezham Tamils is also comparable in word formation in the toddy/ slip origins: Na'ravu (‘R/ ‘L change): toddy (Tamil, DED 2918); Nazhuvu: to slip (Tamil, DED 3620)

Duraawa is the identity of a corresponding community of toddy drawers among the Sinhalese. There could be a shared etymology: either Chaa'ru (to slip) = Jaaru (Kannada, Tulu, Telugu) = Duraa (Sinhala, the usual J > D change with exchange of long vowel); or Chaa'ru (toddy) > Jaaru = Duraa; or Choor (pungency as of toddy, DED 2726) = Choo'ru/ Joo'ru = Sooraa/ Suraa (CDIAL 13503, probably a loan word in IA) > Juraa > Duraa. See box.

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Ve'l'laan is the shortened form of Ve'l'laa'lan or Vea'lan, meaning a member of the cultivation community. Ve'l'laam is the collective form meaning the community. The words come from the Tamil/ Dravidian verb root Vi'lai, meaning to cause to grow crops or produce (DED 5437).

Another related root Vea'l (DED 5545), meaning a chief or title of a cultivation community chief might have come from the landlord-ship of the cultivation class.

Note the terms Vidduvan and Vidduvichchi respectively meaning a man and woman of the cultivation caste in the Paraiyar dialect of Jaffna (heard from the speakers of the dialect by the writer). The terms are related to the root Vi'lai by 'L > D change.

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Chaa'ndaam-poakkaddi, also Chaa'ndaan-poakkaddi or Chaa'ndaa-poakkaddi is a locality south of Kodikaamam in the Thenmaraadchi division of Jaffna district. The locality name is noted in the One Inch Sheet.

Ve'l'laam-poakkaddi is an adjacent locality listed as a village name in Thenmaraadchi division of Jaffna district

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Some related place names:


Poakku:

Karadip-poakku: The trail of bears or the region of bears; Paranthan, Ka'ndaava'lai division, Ki'linochchi district

Poakka'ruppu: Probably, the breach in a water course (Poakku+a'ruppu); or the land with obligations of payment (Poakka'ruppu means payments in inscriptional usages, IPS, 190; EI, xxii, 32); Vadamaraadchi East division, Jaffna district


Chaa'ndaar:

Chaa'ndaa-kadavai: The settlement of the toddy-drawing/ oil-milling community to pass through; Anaikkoaddai, Valikaamam Southwest division, Jaffna district

Chaa'ndaa-theru: The street of the toddy-drawing/ oil-milling caste; Valanthalai, Kaarainakar division, Jaffna district


Ve'l'laan:

Ve'l'laang-ku'lam: The tank of the cultivation caste; Maanthai West division, Mannaar district; Ki'n'niyaa division, Trincomalee district

Ve'l'laa'lak-kaddu: The part/ dam/ residential quarters of the cultivation caste; Naanaaddaan division, Mannaar district

Ve'l'laan-theru: The street of the cultivation caste; Va'n'naarpa'n'nai, Jaffna City, Jaffna district

Ve'l'laamaich-cheanai: The slash and burn field for paddy cultivation; Koara'laippattu division, Batticaloa district

First published: Thursday, 04 June 2015, 18:47