Know the Etymology: 427
Place Name of the Day: Sunday, 15 November 2015

Madigea

மடிகே₃
Maḍigē

Madi+gea

The customs (of the times of Kandyan Kingdom)

Madigea

carriage department of the Kandyan kings (Sinhala, Clough); Madiga: the place to pay toll by traders entering the city, “Reanda pa'la”; trading place, “Ve'lenda pa'la”, (Sinhala, Sorata); Madiga: = Madugeya, Madu-gea: an open hall adjacent to the main house (Sinhala, Sorata); Madu: shed, temporary building (Sinhala); Ma'ndapa: open temporary shed, pavilion (Sanskrit, CDIAL 9740); Maadam: hall, hut, mansion, house, storied house (Tamil, DED 4796a); Madam: an open hall or roadside resting place (Eezham Tamil); Gea: also Geaha: house, dwelling (Sinhala); Grha: house (Sanskrit, CDIAL 4240); Madi-hunggang: taxes levied at the boundary (Sinhala); Sunka: toll, tax (Pali, CDIAL 12543); Sulka: tax, toll (Sanskrit, CDIAL 12543 cites Dravidian, Tamil: Cunkam, Kannada: Sungam

Madigea as a Sinhala toponym or a toponym component, comes from the times of the Kandyan Kingdom, and is noticed exclusively in the territories of the former kingdom.

As an administrative term it meant a tollbooth or a place to collect taxes from traders entering into the kingdom.

There were caravans as well as groups of wandering traders coming with oxen-laden goods. Often the toll-collecting place itself was a market place and Madigea also meant such an open trading place.

Besides the toponymic meanings, Madigea also meant the carriage department of the Kandyan kings in which the officials take care of the caravans and oxen-laden goods coming to warehouses.

Madigea and Madiga are changed forms of the phrase Madu-gea, which in ordinary Sinhala usage means an open hall or shed adjacent to the main house. Madu could be a cognate of both Mandapa in Sanskrit and Maadam in Tamil/ Dravidian (CDIAL 9740, DED 4796a), and Gea is related to Grha in Sanskrit (CDIAL 4240).

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Madigea as a place name could be found in Giribawa division of Kurunegala district

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Some related place names:

Galagedara Madigea: The customs at Galagedara; Thumpane division, Kandy district. Gala-gedara: the stone house or the structure on the rocky hill; a place located at a mountain pass.

Udathalavinna Madigea: The customs at Udathalavinna; Pathdumbara division, Kandy district. Uda-thala-vinna: the forest of the upper plain

Madawala Madigea: The customs at Madawala; Pathadumbara division, Kandy district. Mada-wala: muddy forest; Mada-wa'la: muddy pit

Gunnæpaana Madigea: The customs at Gunnæpaana; Pathadumbara division, Kandy district. Gunnæ-paana: probably from Gonna: a tree

Hurikaduwa Madigea: The customs at Hurikaduwa; Kundasale division, Kandy district. Huri-kaduwa: probably, blood (demon's) forest

Dehide'niya Madigea: The customs at Dehide'niya; Hatharaliyadda division, Kandy district. Dehi-de'niya: The valley of lime gardens

Ududeniya Madigea: The customs at Ududeniya; Pathahewaheta division, Kandy district. Udu-de'niya: The upper part of the valley

Madigea-deathili-anga: Probably, a part divided from the Madigea (the former customs) village; Ibbagamuwa division, Kurunegala district

Madigea Midiyaala: The twin villages of Madigea (the customs) and Midiyaala; or the Madigea (customs) part of Midiyaala village; Panduwasnuwara West division, Kurunegala district. (Midiyaala is the adjacent village)

Madigea-pola: The open place or market place of Madigea (the former customs place); Pannala division, Kurunegala district

First published: Sunday, 15 November 2015, 15:35