Know the Etymology: 434
Place Name of the Day: Monday, 14 December 2015

Paalu-kadawala

பாலு கடவல
Pālu-kaḍavala

Paalu+kadawala

The desolate passage or the desolate locality to pass through

Kadawala1	way, path, passage, a locality to pass through (toponymic Sinhala in dry zone North and Northwest); from Kada: road, passage, “Maargaya”, (Sinhala, Sorata); Kada: (verb) to pass through, traverse, cross, transgress, go, proceed (Tamil, DED 1109); Kadavu: way, path (Tamil, DED 1109); Kadavai: way, passing over (Tamil, DED 1109, Eezham Tamil place names);Kadawala: Kadavai > Kadawa > Kadawa+la affix; also Kadavarai: a way or passage through arid jungle tract (Tamil, Paa'ndikkoavai, 222); R/ L change is also possible. See column on Illuppaik-kadavai
Kadawala2	Kada+wala: roadside forest or passage forest; from Kada: see Kadawala 1; Wala: forest (Sinhala); Vallai: extensive thicket, big forest (Tamil, DED 5289).
Kadawala3	Kada+wala: a piece forest; from Kada: a piece, part, “Kæbælla”, (Sinhala, Sorata); Wala: forest (Sinhala); Wal-kada: forest part, forest piece, “Vana kæbælla”, (Sinhala, Sorata); Kha'nda: broken, crippled, fragment (Sanskrit, CDIAL 3792); broken (usually of teeth), piece (Pali, CDIAL 3792); Kada, Kati: a cut, portion cut off, chip, bit (Kannada, DED 1125); Kadisu: (verb) to cause to cut (Kannada, DED 1125); Kadi: small fragment, bit (Tulu, DED 1125); Kadupuni: to cut (Tulu, DED 1125); Kadi: (verb) to cut away, to cut into pieces (Tamil, DED 1125); Kadikai: a piece cut off (Tamil, DED 1125, Changkam diction, Ku'runthokai, 267: 2-4); Vallai: extensive thicket, big forest (Tamil, DED 5289). See columns on Habara-kada, Ibbaa-wala
Kadawala4	Kada+wa'la: a breach in a dam, “Wævbæmehi bindeegiya tæna”, (Sinhala, Sorata); literally meaning an opening hole; Kada: passage, “Maargaya”, “Doratuwa”, sluice, “Umaga” (Sinhala, Sorata); Wa'la: pit, hole (Sinhala); Kadulla: (singular), Kadulu: (plural) opening in a fence or enclosure (Sinhala); Kadolu: = Kadulla (Sinhala, Sorata); Kada: (verb) to pass through (Tamil, DED 1109); Kadappu: narrow passage in a wall or hedge (Tamil, DED 1109); Kadavaan: channel cut through ridge of paddy field to let surplus water run off (Tamil, DED 1109); Va'lai: hole as in trees and as rat-hole, rabbit-hole etc., (Tamil, Akanaa:noo'ru 122: 15, related to DED 5313). See column on Kalva'lai
Paalu	from Paa'lu: unoccupied, uncultivated, waste, devastated, destroyed, desolate (Sinhala); Paa'lu-idama: vacant or waste spot (Sinhala); Paazh: (verb) to go to ruin, be laid waste, become useless, be accursed (as a place or house); (noun) desolation, ruin, damage, loss, corruption, baseness, evil, emptiness, barrenness, barren or waste land (Tamil, DED 4110); an empty place, void, desolation, waste, vain, useless (Malayalam, DED 4110); ruin, desolation, a waste (Kannada, DED 4110); Paa'lu, Haa'lu: ruin, destruction, desolation, desolate, waste, ruined, destroyed (Tulu, DED 4110). Cognates are found in 12 Dravidian languages. See column on Naarang-goda-paa'luwa

Kadawala is a Sinhala place name component, confined to the dry zone north, which was forested for several centuries and was found with ruined tanks, after the collapse of the capitals, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa.

The place name component is mostly found in Anuradhapura, Kurunegala and Polonnaruwa districts. A few of them are found in the adjacent Trincomalee, Puththa'lam and Gampaha districts too. The Kadawala place names are usually found along the former highways passing through the forests in the said districts.

Kadawala could be explained through Sinhala and Tamil in different ways, but in all its possible meanings the etymology is traceable to Dravidian.

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Sorata Thera's Sinhala dictionary has an entry for Kada-wa'la, explaining it as a breach in a tank bund (“Wævbæmehi bindeegiya tæna”). In this case the Sinhala shades of meanings for Kada corresponds to passage, sluice, opening etc., and Va'la means a pit or hole. Literally the phrase means, “opening hole” (see Kadawala 4 for etymology, DED 1109+DED 5313).

A place name related to breach in a tank bund may look appropriate to a region of ruined tanks, but the meaning doesn't seem to tally well with all Kadawala place names.

Another possibility is explaining Kada-wala as a piece of forest. Kada in Sinhala also means a piece and Wala means forest (see Kadawala 3 for etymology). Many of the Kadawala place names are connected to trees, yet the forest meaning can't be universally applied. Besides, Wal-kada is the appropriate Sinhala phrase form in such a context (Sorata)

Kadawala could also be explained in Sinhala as a road forest or passage forest (Kada: passage; Wala: forest, see Kadawala 2 for etymology). But as said earlier the forest meaning is not universal to the examples of the place names.

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It seems, Kadawala could be best explained through the Tamil place name component Kadavai, found in Jaffna and Vanni, meaning a passage or a locality to pass through on the way (see column on Illuppaik-kadavai)

Kadavai > Kadawa > Kadawa+ la affix, seems to be the word formation of Kadawala.

Note that Kada itself means a passage in Sinhala too, and there are other Kada-prefixed phrases of related meanings in Sinhala, but the Kadawala word formation seems to be directly related to Kadavu/ Kadavai. (See Kadawala 1 for etymology).

Older generation of today's Eezham Tamils using the word Kadavai for the Kadawala place names could still be heard. Example: Maruthang-kadavai = Maruthan-kadawala.

Also note that the old highways of the dry zone north was largely used by Tamil merchant guilds in the medieval times and in the later times by Tamil caravan traders coming from the ports of the north, until the opening up of the railway from Colombo.

Some of the Kadawala place names have strong indications that they were connected to caravans, carts and oxen. There were many Tamil villages along with Sinhala villages in the said districts until late 19th century. The Ku'lama (tank) place names in the said districts are another example like Kadawala.

The Kadawala place names, prefixed with the names or trees, mark the kind of trees that was found on the sides of the way. Planting shady trees on the highways was an old practice, and localities gaining name from wayside trees shows that the origins of those place names were travel related.

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Paa'lu in Sinhala, meaning unoccupied, uncultivated, waste, devastated, destroyed, desolate etc., corresponds to Paazh in Tamil/ Dravidian meaning the same (DED 4110). However, in word formation, Paa'lu in Tulu is identical to Sinhala. See column on Naarang-goda-paa'luwa for discussions on etymology and Paa'lu-related place names.

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Paalu-kadawala is a place in Galgamuwa division of Kurunegala district.

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Some related place names:

Kadawala: The passage or the place to pass through; Divulapitiya division, Gampaha district

Goa-maran-kadawala: The passage where oxen die; or the way found with Goamara birds; Goamarankadawala division, Trincomalee district. 1. Goa+maran: oxen death (Sinhala); 2. Goamara: literally meaning body mark, spot, freckles etc. The term comes as a prefix to some bird names (Sinhala)

Gal-kadawala: The rocky passage; or the rocky place to pass through; or the locality where the road is stone-paved; Gomarankadawala division, Trincomalee district; Kotavehera division, Kurunegala district; Nuwaragam Palatha division, Anuradhapura district

Maradan-kadawala: The passage through Terminalia arjuna trees; Giribawa division, Kurunegala district; Horowpothana division, Anuradhapura district; Kekirawa division, Anuradhapura district. Maradan: from Maruthu: Terminalia arjuna (Tamil)

Maha-gal-kadawala: The bigger place of rocky passage; or the bigger place where the passage is stone-paved; Galgamuwa division, Kurunegala district. The Maha prefix differentiates the place from another place having the name Gal-kadawala. See Gal-kadawala above

Porottu-kadawala: Poroththu-kadawala: The place to tarry or wait before passing through; Galgamuwa division, Kurunegala district. Poroththu: dwelling, residing, staying, awaiting, tarrying (Sinhala, Clough); Poroththu-kara'nawaa: (verb) to detain (Sinhala, Clough); Po'ruththal: waiting patiently (Tamil); Po'ru: (verb) to sustain, endure, be patient, wait (Tamil, DED 4565); Po'rukka: (verb) to stay, recover, heal (Malayalam, DED 4565)

Maguran-kadawala: Probably a passage through a river that was found with Maguraa fish; or probably, Maduran-kadawala; The passage through Terminalia arjuna trees; Rasnayakapura division, Kurunegala district. 1. Maguraa: a river fish (Sinhala, Clough); Mangura: = Maguru: a fish (Sinhala, Sorata); 2. Maduran: variation of Marutham: Terminalia arjuna (Tamil, the variation in found in the Eastern and Northwest parts of the island)

Kohomba-kadawala: The passage through Kohomba (margosa) trees; Maho division, Kurunegala district

Hithoa-kadawala: The passage through Hithul palms; Maho division, Kurunegala district. Probably, Hithul: = Hintaala: Kitul palm or marshy date palm (Sinhala, Clough, Sorata)

Kumbuk-kadawala: The passage through Kumbuk (Terminalia arjuna trees); Polpithigama division, Kurunegala district. Kumbuk: Terminalia arjuna (Sinhala); Kakubha: lofty, Terminalia arjuna (Sanskrit, CDIAL 2584); Kommai: loftiness (Tamil, Changkam diction, Ku'runthokai 281: 2; related to Kumi: DED 1741); Gumpu: thick growth, forest (Kannada, DED 1733)

Kæralan-kadawala: Probably, the passage through the locality of woodpecker birds; or the passage through the locality of soldiers/ riotous people; Polpithigama division, Kurunegala district. 1. Kææral/ Kærala: woodpecker bird (Sinhala); 2. Kærælla: riotous company, army, company of soldiers or men ready to fight (Sinhala)

Puwak-gaha-kadawala: The passage through areca nut palms; Bingiriya division, Kurunegala district

Koan-kadawala: The passage through Koan trees; Bingiriya division, Kurunegala district; Nawagattegama division, Puththa'lam district. Koan: Ceylon Oak, Schleichera trijuga (Sinhala)

Kadawala-gedara: The highway rest house; Panduwasnuwara West division, Kurunegala district

Maha-kumbuk-kadawala: The bigger place where the passage is through Kumbuk trees; Mahakumbukkadawala division, Puththa'lam district. See Kumbuk-kadawala

Bellan-kadawala: The neck (narrow) passage; or the passage through Ægle marmelos trees; Kebithigollewa division, Anuradhapura district. Bella: neck, throat (Sinhala); Vea'la: throat (Malayalam, DED 5547); Bo'le: neck (Kodagu, DED 5547); Va'lai: as in Kural-va'lai: throat (Tamil); Be'l'la-vaara: noose (Kannada, DED 5505) Bel: Beli-gasa (Sinhala, Sorata); Bela, Beli: Ægle marmelos (Sinhala, Sorala, Clough); Vi'laa: Feronia elephantum, closely related to Ægle marmelos (Tamil, DED 5509); Koo-vi'lam: Ægle marmelos (Tamil, DED 1910)

Paaniyan-kadawala: Probably, the passage through the locality of beehives; Nuwaragam Palatha division, Anuradhapura district. Probably, Pæ'niyan: Pæ'nirasa aæti, treacle etc.; Pæ'ni vægire'na: treacle etc., dropping, shedding or falling off (Sinhala, Sorata)

Maan-kadawala: The passage through the locality of deer; or the passage through the big grassland; or probably, Maang-kadawala: the passge through mango trees; Nuwaragam Palatha division, Anuradhapura district; Kekirawa division, Anuradhapura district. 1. Maan: deer (Tamil); there is a comparable place name Maan-kaadu in Ma'nmunai, Batticaloa; 2. Maanaan: Bahat ta'nabima, big grassland (spoken Sinhala, Sorata); note the place name, Maanan-kattiya: Galenbindunuwara division, Anuradhapura district; 3. Maa: mango tree (Tamil, DED 4782)

Maha-maan-kadawala: The big part of Maan-kadawala; Nuwaragam Palatha division, Anuradhapura district. See Maan-kadawala

Thirappan-kadawala: The passage to traverse very slowly; or the passage through open place; Horowpothana division, Anuradhapura district. 1. Thirappu: walking or moving very slowly, “Ibaagaatea ævidinnaa” (spoken Sinhala, Sorata); Thiruppu: to cause to return, send back, turn, deflect (Tamil, DED 3246); 2. Thi'rappu: open unfortified place (Tamil, DED 3259). Also note the place name Thi'rappane in Thirappane division, Anuradhapura district

Puliyan-kadawala: The passage through tamarind trees; Horowpothana division, Anuradhapura district. Pu'li: tamarind (Tamil, DED 4322)

Muriyaa-kadawala: Probably, the breached passage; Galenbindunuwewa division, Anuradhapura district; Thirappane division, Anuradhapura district. Mu'riyal: breaking; Mu'rivu/ Mu'richchal: breach (Tamil, DED 5008)

Maha-bellan-kadawala: The bigger part of Bellan-kadawala; Thambuttegama division, Anuradhapura district. See Bellan-kadawala

Kudaa-bellan-kadawala: The smaller part of Bellan-kadawala; Thambuttegama division, Anuradhapura district. See Bellan-kadawala

Diwulan-kadawala: The passage through wood apple trees; Medirigiriya division, Polonnaruwa district

Kadawala-wæwa: The tank on the way; or the breached-bund tank; Thamankaduwa division, Polonnaruwa district

Attana-kadawala: The passage through Attana trees; Elahera division, Polonnaruwa district

Kadulla:

Hu'nu-gal- kadulla: The opening at the limestone rocks/ hill; Rideegama division, Kurunegala district

First published: Monday, 14 December 2015, 21:45