Know the Etymology: 426
Place Name of the Day: Friday, 13 November 2015

Kæbællæwa, Kæbælla-lena, Kæbælla-kætiya

கெ[æ]பெ[æ]₃ல்லெ[æ]வ,
கெ[æ]பெ[æ]₃ல்ல-லென,
கெ[æ]பெ[æ]₃ல்ல-கெ[æ][ட்]டிய
Kæbælæva, Kæbælla-lena, Kæbælla-kæṭiya

Kæbællæwa
Kæbælla+lena
Kæbælla+kætiya

The part of land or settlement

The bit of a cave, or the burrow-dweller's cave, or the cave for concealed living

The part of Kæbælla trees

Kæbælla1	also Kæbella (singular), Kæbali (plural): piece, bit, slice (Sinhala, Clough); a part of a village, settlement etc., a settlement part identified separately, a piece of landed property; as in Dema'l-kæbælla: the Tamil part of the settlement (Inscriptions of Anuradhapura Kingdom, 9-10th century CE, Epigraphia Zeylanica, IV, 36; Indrapala.K., 2006, pp. 215-216); Kæbæli, Kæbili: = Kotasa, a part (Sinhala, Sorata); Kææli: = Kæbæli (spoken Sinhala, Sorata); Kæbi'li: “Kotas gath aya?” person holding a part (Sinhala Sorata); Kæælla: piece, bit, scrap, crump (Sinhala. Clough); Kæbili: (adjective) half (Sinhala, Clough); Kæbali-kara'nawaa: (verb) to reduce to pieces (Sinhala, Clough); Kæpeema: cutting (Sinhala); Kapanawaa: (verb) to cut (Sinhala); Kalpayati: trims, cuts (Sanskrit, late usage, CDIAL 2944); Kabala, Kaba'la: a small piece, ball of food, mouthful (Pali, CDIAL 2960 traces probable etymology to Dravidian); Kavalam: a bit, morsel, mouthful of food, ball of rice (Tamil, DED 1222, root traced to Kappu, Kavvu: to bite); Kabala: mouthful, pill (Kannada, DED 1222); Kawala: mouthful (Sinhala)
Kæbælla2	A burrow or hole in the ground seems to be a shade of meaning as could be deduced from the word Kæbællææ: an animal that resides by making a burrow in the ground, “Bim len haaraa ge'naa vasana satek” (Sinhala, Sorata); Kæbællaawa: the name of the animal that makes and lives in burrows; also a colloquial usage to refer to a person's hiding or concealed living (spoken Sinhala); Kappu, Kappa, Kappal: hole in the ground, pit (Kannada, DED 1223); Kappu: (verb) to dig (Kannada, DED 1223); Gabbarisu: to dig, undermine (Kannada, DED 1223); Gampu: a hole in a tree (Kannada, DED 1223); Ga'lp: to dig (Tulu, DED 1223); Garpelu: scooping, burrowing (Tulu, DED 1223); Kappu: the pit dug to trap elephants (Tulu, DED 1223); Kaavu: pit, well (Koraga, DED 1223); Khappa: hole (Sanskrit, CDIAL 3817cites Dravidian parallel);
Kæbælla3	= Kæbella-gaha: a tree, Aporosa lindleyana (Sinhala, Clough); terms such as Koadaali (axe) and Veddi (one that cuts) are said to be the Tamil and Malayalam names for the tree (not confirmed by any authentic source)
Lena	(singular), Len: (plural) cave, den, subterraneous dwelling (Sinhala); = Le'na: 1. Cave, “Guhaawa”; 2. “Benaya” (Va'nar: vault, Tamil, DED 5236), hole, hollow in a tree etc., (Sinhala, Sorata); Lea'na: 1. = Le'na; 2. Hiding place, protection (Sinhala. Sorata); Le'na, Le'ne, Li'ne: cave, a term that was predominantly used to mean a cave in Buddhist donor inscriptions (Early Brahmi Inscriptions, Inscriptions of Ceylon, Vol I, p. 120); Layana: place of rest, house, cell (Sanskrit, CDIAL 10963); Lea'na: rock cell used by ascetics (Pali, CDIAL 10963); cave, hole, den of animal (Prakrit, CDIAL 10963)
Kætiya	from Katti: part, “Kotasa,” (spoken Sinhala, Sorata); Kaddi, Kaddu, Kaddai: a part, enclosure, a plot of set boundaries (Eezham Tamil place names); Kaddu: (verb) to tie, fasten, build (Tamil, DED 1147); Kettu: tie, bundle, dam, bank (Malayalam, DED 1147); Kæt, Kætti: to tie, build (Kodagu, DED 1147); Gatu: boundary, end of a field (Kuwi, DED 1147). See column on Thoalai-kaddi, Boralu-ketiya

The word Kæbælla has three different meanings in Sinhala, and all them could be found in the toponymic usages.

The common meaning of Kæbælla in Sinhala is a piece, bit or slice of anything, including land. Sorata's Sinhala dictionary equates Kæbæli and Kæbili to Kotasa, meaning a part.

In a related shade of meaning the word has been found used in Sinhala inscriptions to mean a piece of land or a settlement part of defined identity. For instance, the phrase Dema'l-kæbælla was used to mean a Tamil settlement part in the inscriptions of the Anuradhapura Kingdom (9-10th century CE, Epigraphia Zeylanica, IV, 36; Indrapala.K., 2006, pp. 215-216).

The etymology of Kæbælla in such a meaning could be related to the Sinhala verb Kapanawaa, meaning to cut, and to Kæpeema meaning cutting. CDIAL 2944 compares the Sinhala word Kapanawaa to Kalpayati in Sanskrit meaning trims or cuts.

Another possible etymological comparison is Kaba'la/ Kabala meaning a small piece as well as a mouthful or a ball of food in Pali (CDIAL 2960). Kaba'la and its Sanskrit form Kavala are traced to Tamil/ Dravidian Kava'lam, (of Kappu/ Kavvu verb root), meaning the same (CDIAL 2960, DED 1222). Kawala in Sinhala also means identically the same.

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A burrow or cave made for concealed living seems to be another shade of meaning for Kæbælla, as could probably be deduced from certain usages related to the word in Sinhala.

The word form Kæbællææ in Sinhala means a certain animal that makes burrow on earth and lives there (“Bim len haaraa ge'naa vasana satek”: Sorata's Sinhala dictionary). Kæbællaawa is another form of word naming that animal and the term is also used in spoken Sinhala to refer to a person's concealed living. According to local legends, the cave called Kæbælla-le'na in Wariyapola, Kurunegala, was one of the hiding places of king Valagamba.

Kæbælla, in this sense of meaning, finds cognates in some Dravidian languages and dialects of the Western Ghats.

Kappu as a verb meaning to dig and Kappal as a noun meaning a hole in the ground in Kannada, and Garpelu meaning scooping and burrowing in Tulu, are perhaps the closest parallels (see box Kæbælla2 for other cognates). The cognates, found both in their verb and noun forms, are listed as Dravidian (DED 1223), while CDIAL 3817 cites Dravidian parallel for Khappa meaning a hole in Sanskrit.

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The third meaning for Kæbælla in Sinhala, i.e., a tree, Kæbælla-gas, identified with Aporosa lindleyana (Clough), is difficult to explain. Perhaps it may be related to a use of the tree, as the Tamil/ Malayalam names of the tree, Koadaali, Veddi and Veddiyaan (not confirmed) come from the act of axing or cutting.

Lena (also Le'na, Lea'na) is a common word in Sinhala, meaning a cave. Its usage in the island dates from early Brahmi inscriptions recording facilitation of caves to Buddhist monks. The word, meaning rock cell used by ascetics in Pali and cave, hole or den of animal in Prakrit, is related to Layana in Sanskrit, meaning place of rest, house, cell etc. (CDIAL 10963).

See box above and column on Thoalai-kaddi for Kætiya meaning a defined part of land in Sinhala place names.

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Kæbællæwa is a place in Nikaweratiya division of Kurunegala district

Kæbælla-lena is a cave found with Buddhist and folk temples in Wariyapola division of Kurunegala district. According to local legends the cave was one of the hiding places of a Sinhala king.

Kæbælla-kætiya is in Walasmulla division of Hambantota district. It is a forest area. The Kætiya suffix, meaning a part, is usually associated with trees.

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Some related place names:


Kæbælla:

Kæbælla-kumbura: The small part that is a paddy field, or the separate part of a larger paddy field tract; near Udanvita in Rambukkana division, Kegalle district

Kæbiliya-pola: The part of the open field; or the partitioned open field: Hakmana division, Matara district

Kæbilittaa-wala: The forest made into parts; Kæbiliththaa-wala: Polgahawela division, Kurunegala district

Kæbillea-wela: The part of the paddy field; or the partitioned paddy field; Bandarawela division, Badulla district

Kæbælla-vita: The hillock of Kæbælla trees or the hillock having a hiding place (the place is a rocky hillock); Alawwa division, Kurunegala district


Lena:

Lena-wara: The cave surroundings; Millaniya division, Kalutara district

Gal-lena-watta: Thumpane division, Kandy district

Kadiyan-lena: Probably, the cave of black ants: Pasbage Korale division, Kandy district. Kadiyaa: black ant (Sinhala); Kadiyan: one that bites (Tamil, related to DED 1124)

Leanaa-wala: The forest of the cave; Galewala division, Matale district

Lena-dora: The cave entrance; Dambulla division, Matale district

Kottel-lena: Koththæl-lena: The cave with a spire; Ambagamuwa division, Nuwara Eliya district

Leana-gal-pa'laatha: The division of the rocky hill with the cave; Karandeniya division, Galle district

Pooja-gal-lena: The cave of the rocky hill to perform worship; or the rock-cave for worship; Elpitiya division, Galle district

Lenama: The cave; Akuressa division, Matara district

Leana-batuwa: Probably, in this context it may mean a place cultivated with a kind of a paddy; Kamburupitiya division, Matara district

Leanawa: The cave; Ibbagamuwa division, Kurunegala district

Gal-lena-mulla: The rock-cave corner; Polgahawela division, Kurunegala district

Gal-lena-kanda: The hill of the rock-cave; Imbulpe division, Ratnapura district

Lena-gala: The rocky hill of the cave; or the rocky hill having a cave; Warakapola division, Kegalle district; Ruwanwella division, Kegalle district

First published: Friday, 13 November 2015, 13:39