Know the Etymology: 407
Place Name of the Day: Saturday, 27 June 2015

Avurik-kaadu, Vearkkuththik-kadavai, Beru-wala

அவுரிக்காடு, வேர்க்குத்திக் கடவை, பே₃ருவல
Avurik-kāṭu, Vērkkuttik-kaṭavai, Bēru-wala

Avuri+kaadu
Vear+kuththi+kadavai
Bearu+wala

The place found with dense growth of indigo plants

The dye-root diggers' place to pass through

The place found with dense growth of indigo plants or the jungle of Agrotistachys indica shrubs

Avuri	also Aviri: indigo plant, Indigofera tinctoria (Tamil, DED 269); Amari, Avari: indigo plant, Indigofera tinctoria (Malayalam, DED 269); Aviri: indigo plant, Indigofera tinctoria (Telugu, DED 269); Awari, Awariya: indigo plant, Indigofera tinctoria, also a small tree the leaves of which produce blue dye, Nerium tinctorium (Sinhala, Clough); Nil-awari: indigo plant, Indigofera tinctoria (Sinhala); Avarai: field-bean, Dolichus lablab (Tamil, Ku'runthokai, 82: 4-5, DED 264); Aavaarai, Aavirai: Tanner's Senna, Cassia auriculata (Tamil, Ku'runthokai, 173: 1-2, DED 391); Amir-girv: Gaultheria fragrantissima, a plant of bright blue berries (Kota, DED 361); Emir: Gaultheria fragrantissima (Toda, DED 361); Avir: (verb) to glitter, shine, be bright (Tamil, Aka:naanoo'ru, 201: 1-3; Ku'runthokai, 154: 1-2)
Vearkkuththi	Vear+kuththi: An identity of the past for people or sections of certain communities that were engaged in digging Chaaya-root (Eezham Tamil); from Vear: root (Tamil, DED 5535); Vearch-chaayam: dye obtained from Chaaya-root (Tamil, MTL, DED 5535+DED 2457); Chaaya-vear: Chaaya-root, Oldenlandia umballata or Hedyotis umballata (Tamil, MTL, DED 2457 + DED 5535); Kuththu: (verb) to puncture, pierce, bore, stab, dig (Tamil, DED 1719); Kuththi: (noun): one who digs (Eezham Tamil); the place to hunt, kill, fish (Eezham Tamil, in the context of some other place names, see column on Marai-kuththi); Veark-kuththip-pa'l'lar: also Chaaya-vearp-pa'l'lar: the section of the community of Pa'l'lar or agricultural workers who became Chaya-root diggers (Eezham Tamil, Dutch records, 1790 CE, A. Mootootamby Pillai); Veark-kuththip-paraiyar: also Chaaya-vearp-paraiyar: the section of the community of Paraiyar or drummers who became Chaaya-root diggers (Eezham Tamil, Dutch records, 1790 CE, A. Mootootamby Pillai); Chaayam: colour, tinge, tint, dye, true colour (Tamil, DED 2457); from Chaay: brilliance, light, colour (Tamil, DED 2457); Chaayaa: shade, shadow, reflection (Sanskrit, Rig Vedic); complexion, beauty (Sanskrit, CDIAL 5027)
Bearu1	also Beru, Beheru: = Awariya, indigo plant, Indigofera tinctoria (Sinhala, Sorata; probably in this usage indigo and Chaaya-root were put together as one); cognate of Vear: root (Tamil, DED 5535); Bearu: root (Kannada, DED 5535); Beruga: a man who deals in or sells roots (Kannada, DED 5535); Bearoo: root (Tulu, DED 5535); Saya-mul: Chaaya-root, Indian madder, Oldenlandia umbellata (Sinhala)
Bearu2	a shrub, Agrotistachys indica (Sinhala)
Kaadu	forest, jungle, desert, paddy field (Tamil, DED 1438); cognates in 16 Dravidian languages; Kadam, Kada'ru: forest, jungle, hard or difficult path (Tamil, DED 1438); Kada, Kadu, Kaduwa: forest (Sinhala, Sorata); Also, Kaa, Kaal, Kaan, Kaanakam, Kaanal, Kaavam: Forest (Tamil, DED 1418)
Wala	also Wal: forest, jungle, wood, thicket (Sinhala); Vallai: extensive thicket, big forest (Tamil, DED 5289); Balle: thick bush, thick jungle (Kannada, DED 5289); a thicket, bush (Tulu, DED 5289); Val, Van: strong, hard (Tamil, DED 5276)
Kadavai	a spot or locality to pass through or cross through (Eezham Tamil place names); from Kada: (verb) to pass through, traverse, cross (Tamil, DED 1109)

Avuri and Aviri in Tamil mean the indigo plant, indigofera tinctoria. A valuable textile dye, producing bright indigo blue shades, was prepared in the past from the leaves and twigs of this plant.

Amari and Avari are names for the plant in Malayalam and the former is found in Eezham Tamil place names too, as in the case of Amari-vayal in Trincomalee district. Aviri is found used in Telugu.

All the said terms are listed as Dravidian (DED 269). The Sinhala cognates are Awari, Awariya and Nil-awari.

There is a probability that the words for indigo are related to another set of Tamil/ Dravidian terms, Avarai for field bean (DED 264) and Aavirai for Tanner's Senna, i.e., Cassia auriculata (DED 391), as all of them belong to the nitrogen-fixing leguminous family (Avaraik-kudumpam). Even the Latin term Fabaceae for the family comes from Faba in old Latin meaning broad beans.

Another probability is the etymon coming from the Tamil verb Avir, meaning to glitter, shine and be bright (Changkam usage), as the plant was producing a bright dye.

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Usage examples for Avuri/ Aviri:

“Neeli avuri” (Thivaakaram, 4: 223)

“நீலி அவுரி” (திவாகரம், 4: 223)

Neeli (indigo) means Avuri


“Avuri paththiyam neeli aakum” (Pingkalam, 9: 227)

“அவுரி பத்தியம் நீலி ஆகும்” (பிங்கலம், 9: 227)

Avuri and Paththiyam are words for Neeli (indigo)


“Kuva'lai va'ndea aakulakka'n chezhumeakam avirich chaa'rea” (Thiruvaalavaayudaiyaar Thiruvi'laiyaadat puraa'nam, 25: 19)

“குவளை வண்டே ஆகுலக்கண் செழுமேகம் அவிரிச் சாறே” (திருவாலவாயுடையார் திருவிளையாடற் புராணம், 25: 19)

Blue lotus, beetle, cow's eye, cumulus cloud and the extract of Aviri [they are listed here in the context of describing different shades of blue gems]


Avir meaning glow or hue of light:

“Veyil avir puriyum vee thathai maraa-aththu” (Akanaa:noo'ru 317: 15)

“வெயில் அவிர் புரியும் வீ ததை மரா-அத்து” (அகநானூறு 317: 15)

The tree of densely set flowers on which the sunlight was making a bright glow of colour

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The phrase Veark-kuththi, found used in Eezham Tamil, literally means 'the root diggers'.

The 'root' meant in this context was the Chaaya-root, Oldenlandia umbellate or Hedyotis umbellata that was producing an admirably rich scarlet-red dye for textiles.

The plant was particularly found in abundance in the Coromandal Coast of South India and in the northern parts of Ceylon. Madras was the centre for the export of its dye in colonial times, while there was considerable export carried out from Jaffna too, especially by the Portuguese and the Dutch. The plant was also known as Rameshwaram Root (Hobson Jobson).

The names for this plant as well as for the dye it produced, such as Chayroot, Choya, Chaya, Chey, Chae, Shaii, Saya, Saia, Zaye etc found in European colonial records, come from the Tamil/ Malayalam usage Chaaya-vear (Hobson Jobson).

The word Chaayam meaning dye, tint, tinge, colour etc. in Tamil is taken as Dravidian, coming from the root Chaay meaning brilliance, light and colour in old Tamil (DED 2457). Other possibilities are the Tamil/ Dravidian etyma Chaa, Chaa-ay (verbs), meaning to lay or lie down (DED 2456), Chaa-ay meaning inner substance (Tholkaappiyam, 17: 32) and Che, Chey, meaning red (DED 1931). However, Rig Vedic usage of the word Chaaya, in the meaning of shade, shadow and reflection could be found in Sanskrit too (CDIAL 5027). Evidence for madder-dyed cotton textile in South Asia comes from the times of Indus Civilization.

Vear is a common Tamil word of Dravidian etymology meaning root (DED 5535). The suffix noun Kuththi meaning 'one who digs' in Eezham Tamil comes from the Tamil/ Dravidian verb Kuththu, meaning to dig, among its other meanings such as stab, pierce, bore etc. (DED 1719). In another context of Eezham Tamil word formation found in place names, Kuththi means a place of hunt or kill, as in the example of Marai-kuththi.

The phrase formation Veark-kuththi comes from the job that needs to pierce the sandy earth with a sharp tool in order to uproot the Chaaya plant without breaking its long, single-stem root.

The popularity and recognition that came to the Chaaya-root (Oldenlandia umbellata) in the island probably made the other category of plants producing dye from the leaves also to get identified under the name Vear or Chaaya-vear. This could be seen from the Sinhala usages Beru, Bearu and Beheru meaning Awariya or indigo (Sorata's dictionary). In Eezham Tamil usages also there is a tendency to confuse Chaaya-vear with Avuri. The Veark-kuththi workers were probably engaged in collecting both the types of plants for the dye-makers.

* * *

Producing dyed textile was a major economic activity in the kingdom of Jaffna. The Portuguese reference to the king of Jaffna as Xaya Raja is considered as coming from Chaaya Raja (Peiris, P.E., The Kingdom of Jaffnapatam, 1920, p. 16).

One of the communities of the times of the kingdom of Jaffna that comes to our knowledge as specialists in the dye industry and was settled in the Aava'nam Street (textile merchant's street) in Nalloor was called Kava'rai (K. Veluppillai, 1918, p. 189-190).

This community was found associated with The-500 merchant guild in Tamil inscriptions dating from 1050 CE (AVNM 2, p. 6-8). The presence of Kava'rai in the island, in association with The-500, could also be found in a Tamil inscription at Padaviya, dated to c. 1150 CE (Veluppillai.A, Ceylon Tamil Inscriptions).

The dye technology as well as the industry was a domain of many such communities integral to merchant guilds that carried out textile trade. The communities were bound by the code of the guild.

The advent of European trading empires saw the disintegration of the merchant guilds. Following capture of territory and trade through military conquests the component communities of the guilds were individually controlled by the European rulers.

The Portuguese earned revenue through taxation and export. But seeing the availability of the dye-producing plants, the native expertise in making dyes and the potentiality of the textile trade, the Dutch were directly involved in it. They brought fresh groups of the old guild communities from South India to supplement local production. The Dutch missionary in Jaffna, Baldaeus, notes in 1672 that “here growth very good Zaye.”

The Chaaya plants found in Kaarai-theevu and Nedun-theevu off Jaffna were considered the best in quality, followed by the ones found in Mannaar as second, the ones from Vanni as third and the rest as fourth (Veluppillai.K, p. 124). Loose sandy soil having the calcium of disintegrated shells and coral is considered ideal for the Chaaya plant to take root and for the root to get the rich colour content called alizarin.

During the Dutch period the dyers were generally called Chaayak-kaarar, while Paraiyar, Kaikkoa'lar and Chea'niyar were engaged in weaving. The work of digging and supplying Chaaya-root for making dye was done by Veark-kuththika'l, among whom sections of Paraiyar, Pa'l'lar and Kadaiyar (in Mannaar) were also inducted.

With the coming of chemical dye and the textile products of the Industrial Revolution in British times, the local dye industry became completely forgotten in the island. A downward social mobility absorbed Chaayak-kaarar into Va'n'naar.

* * *

The plants, generally coming under the names, Avuri, Kozhignchi and Chaaya-vear, respectively belong to Indigofera, Tephrosia and Oldenlandia genera, and they in turn produce blue, yellow and red shades of dyes. By combining them, by applying mordants and by combining them with other vegetable dyes, almost all shades of textile dyes were produced in the past.

While Indigofera (Avuri) and Tephrosia (Kozhignchi/ Kaay-vea'lai) belong to Fabaceae or Leguminosae family, Oldenlandia (Chaaya-vear) belongs to the Rubiaceae family.

The dye production techniques therefore basically differed between the two families. Leaves and twigs were used in Fabaceae, but the root was used in Rubiaceae.

Production of dye from Indigofera and Tephrosia genera of Fabaceae could be fairly reconstructed today, as there are some descriptions in colonial records and as the dye is still produced in some pockets of India. There were regional variations in the past. Madras indigo was prepared from dried leaves, while in the north freshly harvested plants were fermented (Cyclopaedia of India, Madras, 1873).

But coming to Chaaya-root (Oldenlandia genus), the exact technique of extracting the dye and fixing it on textile has virtually been forgotten.

There are references on the prefered use of the bark of mature roots, and there are inferences on some boiling process coming from the phrase Chaayam-kaaychchuthal in Tamil, but very little is known to come out with any authentic description.

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Indigofera (Avuri), Tephrosia (Kozhignchi) and Oldenlandia (Chaaya-vear) plant names:

Indigofera tinctoria: True Indigo, produces indigo blue dye:

Avuri: also Aviri: Tamil (DED 269); see box for etymology; Awari, Awariya, Nil-awari: Sinhala; Paththiyam: Tamil, Pingkalam Lexicon, 9: 227; probably from Pa'r'ru, Paththu: adhesion, DED 4034, dye in this context; Neeli: Tamil, Thivaakaram; Sanskrit, CDIAL 7568; Neelam: blue, Ku'runthokai, 110: 2-3);


Indigofera argentea: Silvery Leaved Indigo:

Kaaddu-avuri: Tamil, MTL, literally meaning Wild Avuri; Kaadu: forest, wild, Tamil (DED 1438+DED 269)


Indigofera aspalathoides: Wiry Indigo; mostly known for its medicinal value but could also produce deep blue to black dye:

Chivanaar-veampu: Tamil, Pathaartha Chinthaama'ni, MTL, literally meaning the neem of God Siva (DED 5531); I'raivan-nimpam: Tamil, Malaiyakaraathi, MTL; literally meaning the God's neem (DED 527)



Tephrosia purpurea: Purple Wild Indigo; produces yellow to orange dye, but today widely known as excellent green manure:

Kozhignchi: also Ko'lugnchi: Tamil, MTL (DED 2145); probably related to the manure value, from Kozhu: be fat, grow fat, be fertile as soil (DED 2146); Kaadduk-kozhignchi: Tamil, literally meaning the Wild Kozhignchi (DED 1438+DED 2145); Ko'l'luk-kaay-vea'lai: also Ko'l'luk-kaa-vi'lai: Tamil, literally meaning the Kaay-Vea'lai (pod-plant) of the horse gram type; or the Kaay-vea'lai (pod-plant) that nourishes; Kaay: pod (DED 1459); Vea'lai: a term for herb types of plants (DED 5546); Kaay-vea'lai: also Kaay-vi'lai, Kaa-vi'lai, Kaa-vi'laa: Eezham Tamil for Tephrosia purpurea, found used in its green manure context, but there is also another plant known by this name; Vea'lai, Kaay-vea'lai, Thai-vea'lai, Thai: Black vailay, Gynandropis pentaphylla, Tamil, MTL (DED 5546)



Oldenlandia umbelatta or Hedyotis umbelatta: produces scarlet red dye

Chaaya-vear: Tamil (DED 2457+5535), see box for etymology; Impoo'ral: Tamil, MTL; Inpoo'ral: Tamil, MTL, Pathaartha Chinthaama'ni; Inpu'raa: Tamil, MTL,Thaila-varukkach-churukkam); Impuraa-vear: Tamil, MTL; probably from Chimpu+oo'ral, by the loss of initial consonant; Chimpu: small splinter or fibre, twig, young stalk (Tamil, DED 2546, from Chinpu meaning smallness); Oo'ral: juice extracted by squeezing, percolation, precipitation fermentation etc. (Tamil, DED 761). Note the colonial usage Chintz, especially meaning the Chaaya-root dyed textiles coming from Madras.


Oldenlandia corymbosa: Wild Chaya-root, recognized for its medicinal uses:

Kaadduch-chaaya-vear: literally meaning the Wild Chaaya-root,Tamil, MTL (DED 1438+DED 2457+DED 5535); Paappaan-poo'ndu: Tamil, MTL; probably from Parappaan+poo'ndu, meaning the plant that spreads. Its growth pattern is such; Parappu: to spread (DED 3949; Poo'ndu: small plant, herb (DED 4360)


Oldenlandia dichotoma: counterfeit Chaaya-root:

Impoo'ral-chakka'laththi: literally meaning the co-wife of Impoo'ral, i.e., Chaaya-root, Tamil, MTL; Chaayavear-chakka'laththi: literally meaning the co-wife of Chaaya-root, Tamil, MTL; Chakka'laththi: Saha+Kalatra: CDIAL 13297+ CDIAL 2915



Beru, Bearu and Beheru in Sinhala mean the indigo plant, according to Sorata's Sinhala Dictionary.

Bearu also means a shrub, Agrotistachys indica, in Sinhala.

In meaning indigo, obviously the Sinhala words correspond to Vear in Tamil, as Chaaya-root and indigo are often considered together. But closer cognates could be seen in Kannada and Tulu, where Bearu and Bearoo respectively mean root (DED 5535).

Note the linguistic feature of H getting added in the case of the Sinhala word formation Beheru.

A word Pukkusee in Sinhala is also listed as meaning the indigo plant, Indigofera tinctoria (Clough)

See boxes above and earlier columns for etymological discussions on Kaadu, Wala and Kadavai.

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Avurik-kaadu is a place near Mukamaalai in Pachchilaippa'l'li division of Ki'linochchi district (One Inch Sheet).

Veark-kuththik-kadavai is a locality in I'lavaalai in Valikaamam Southwest division of Jaffna district.

Bearu-wala is headquarters of a division by its name in the Kalutara district.

* * *

Some related place names:

Avuri/ Amari:

Amari-vayal: The paddy fields found with indigo plants; Kuchchave'li division, Trincomalee district

* * *

Vear: (In some instances, especially in Sinhala place names, Veara could mean Vehera, a Buddhist monastery or stupa)

Veara-vil: The pond in the locality of Chaaya-vear plants; Poonakari division, Ki'linochchi district

Vearak-kaadu: also Vearath-thidal: The place found with dense growth of Chaaya-vear; the high ground plain found with Chaaya-vear; near Manthuvil, Thenmaraadchi division, Jaffna district

Vearap-piddi: The high ground found with Chaaya-vear; Kaarainakar Island, Jaffna district.

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Beru/ Bearu/ Beheru:

Beru-kætiya: The part found with indigo plants; Padukka division, Colombo district

Beru-wela: The paddy fields found with indigo plants; Hakmana division, Matara

* * *

Chaayak-kaarar:

Saayakkaara-mulla: The dyers' corner; Divulapitiya division, Gampaha district

* * *

Impu'ru, Inpu'ru:

Impariddi: also Inpariddi, Inparuddi: probably, the high ground or mound of Chaaya-root; Vadamaraadchi Northeast division, Jaffna district

* * *

Paappaan:

Paappaa-moaddai: The natural pond in the locality of Paappaan (wild chaaya-root) plants; Maanthai West division, Mannaar district

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Kozhignchi:

Kolinjaadiya: Kozhignchi-adi: The locality of Kozhignchi (Tephrosia purpurea) plants; Wennappuwa division, Puththa'lam district

First published: Saturday, 27 June 2015, 21:40