Know the Etymology: 414
Place Name of the Day: Monday, 03 August 2015

Nawa-gatte-gama, Gathaara, Dehiya-gaatha

நவக₃த்தேக₃ம, க₃[த்]தார, தெ₃ஹியகா₃[த்]த
Navagattē-gama, Gatāra, Dehiyagāta

Nawa+gattea+gama
Gathaara
Dehiya+gaatha


The newly acquired village

The village of the people whose ancestors were captives or were degraded and confiscated of land by the king

The part having a lime garden

Gata	(from the root Gama) gone, obtained, gained (Sinhala); Gat: plural of Gata, also means taken (Sinhala); Gata: gone (Sanskrit CDIAL 4008); belonging, as in Para-gata: belonging or relating to another (Sanskrit, CDIAL 7796)
Gattarayaa	(singular), Gattaru (plural): descendant of captives, condemned thieves (Sinhala); Dema’la-gattaru: Tamil captives, a caste so-called, supposed to be descendants of Tamil captives taken by Sinhalese kings. These people are found chiefly in the villages of Indigas-tuduwa, Bondu-pitiya, in the Pasdun Korale in the Western Province; Wallamba-gala, Gal-kanda in the Bentota Walallaviti Korale and Galahen-kanda and some other villages in the Gangaboda Pattu of Galle (Sinhala, Clough); Gattaru: the Sinhala cultivation caste degraded or confiscated of lands by the king (Sinhala, Codrington)
Gaata	leg (Sinhala, Clough); hand or armpit (Sinhala, Sorata); Gaatha: backside, sole of the feet, bottom of anything (Sinhala. Sorata); Gaatra: limb, member of body (Sanskrit, Rig Vedic, CDIAL 4124); Gatta: limb, body (Pali, Prakrit, CDIAL 4124)
Dehi	also Desi, Dessa: lime, Citrus limetta (Sinhala); probably from Des: land, country (Sinhala); Deas’eeya: indigenous (Sanskrit, CDIAL 6555); Theasik-kaay: lime (Eezham Tamil)
Nawa	new, novel (Sinhala, formal usage; common word is A’luth); Nava: new, young (Sanskrit, CDIAL 6983)

Gat/ Gata in Sinhala means, obtained, gained, taken or gone. The word corresponds to Gata in Sanskrit meaning gone, and the word meaning belonging, as in the phrase Para-gata in Sanskrit (CDIAL 4008, 7796).

The toponymic term Gathaara seems to be related to Gattaru in Sinhala, meaning people taken captives or land confiscated by the king. The term comes from the root Gat explained above.

Codrington’s glossary says Gattaru is a Sinhala cultivation caste degraded and confiscated of land by the king. Clough’s dictionary, in explaining a phrase Dema’la-gattaru, says that it means descendants of Tamil captives taken by Sinhala kings, who have become a caste. Clough lists some southern parts of the island where the villages settled by them existed (see box).

The word Gaatha means body parts like leg, hand, sole or backside in Sinhala. It corresponds to Gaatra in Sanskrit and Gatta in Pali/ Prakrit, meaning limp. Coming as a toponymic suffix in Sinhala the term means a part of land.

Dehi as well as Desi and Dessa in Sinhala mean lime (Citrus limetta). The names mark the fruit as an indigenous variety. Etymology is related to Deas’eeya in Sanskrit and Desia in Prakrit (CDIAL 6555)

Nawa, in Sinhala and Indo-Aryan, means new (CDIAL 6983). Its usage is formal in Sinhala. A’luth is the common word. See earlier columns for the etymology of Gama meaning village in Sinhala.

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Nawa-gattea-gama is a village in a division by its name in the Puththa’lam district.

Gathaara is in Kamburupitiya division of Matara district

Dehiya-gaatha is in Ja-Ela division of Gampaha district

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Some related place names:


Gath:

Gi’ni-gath-pitiya: The high-ground plain taken by fire; Narammala division, Kurunegala district

Gini-gath-heana: The shifting cultivation field taken by fire; Ambagamuwa division, Nuwara Eliya district

Nawa-gatta: The newly acquired (land or village); Bamunukotuwa division, Kurunegala district

Mæti-gath-wala: The jungle or field to get clay; Ankunakolapelessa division, Hambantota district


Gaatha:

Wæli-gatta: probably, Wæli-gaatha: The sandy part; Lunugamvehera division, Hambantota district

First published: Monday, 03 August 2015, 21:11