Know the Etymology: 445
Place Name of the Day: Thursday, 28 January 2016

Madulla, Madul-boawa

மடு₃ல்ல, மடு₃ல்போ₃வ
Maḍulla, Maḍul-bōva

Madulla
Madul+boawa

The circle, division or district

The district part

Madulla

(singular), Madulu: (plural) circumference, province, district (Sinhala); Madulu: atoll, administrative district (Dhivehi/ Maldivian); Madala: ring round the moon, orb, disk (Sinhala); Ma'ndala: disc, ball, circle, district, circular, (Sanskrit, CDIAL 9742); CDIAL cites Dravidian origin; Mudalai: ball, globe (Tamil, DED 4919); from the root Muda: curve, bend (Tamil, DED 4919, Ku'runthokai, 209: 5); Muddai: egg, world as globe, universe as globe (Tamil, DED 4939, Ku'runthokai, 38: 1; Pu'ranaanoo'ru, 173: 6-7; Suntharar, 14: 33); Madangku: to become bent (Tamil, DED 4645); Ma'ndilam: circle, continent surrounded by sea (Tamil, Ku'runthokai, 300: 7); disc of the Sun (Tamil, Natti'nai, 67: 1); disc of the Moon (Tamil, Natti'nai, 375: 7); the Earth (Tamil, Akanaanoo'ru, 104: 5); Ma'ndai: head, skull, earthen vessel (Tamil, DED 4682); cognates in 10 Dravidian languages

Boawa

a variation of Bæwa, Baawa, Baagaya: a part, portion, half, share (Sinhala, context of place names). See column on Hom-baawa for etymology.

Madulla in Sinhala means circumference in general and in the context of place names it means a circle, district or province. Madulu is the plural and combination form. Madulu in Maldivian means an atoll or administrative district.

Madulla/ Madulu is traced to Ma'ndala in Sanskrit, but the Sanskrit word itself is traced to Dravidian etymology (CDIAL 9742).

A form Ma'ndilam is found in the Changkam Tamil diction, sharing the shades of meaning with Ma'ndala, but it may be either through nasalisation or through Indo-Aryan influence. The older form in Dravidian could be Madalai/ Mudalai, coming from the etyma Mada and Muda, related to curve or bend (DED 4919, 4645). See box for usage examples.

* * *

The component Boawa noticed as a suffix in Sinhala place names is a variation of Baawa and Bæwa, which are in turn toponymic cognates of Baaga, meaning a part, portion, half or share.

Boawa doesn't have dictionary entries in the said shades of meanings, but context and usage in place names show that it is a variation of Baaga. See related place names and also see column on Hom-baawa

* * *

Madulla is found as a place name in Madulla division, Moneragala district; Walapane division, Nuwara Eliya district; Panduwasnuwara West division, Kurunegala district

Madul-boawa is a place in Mawanella division of Kegalle district

* * *

Some related place names:

Madulla:

Pæl-madulla: The circle or district of new plantations; or the western division/ backside division; Pelmadulla division, Ratnapura district. Pæl: 1. “Dalupat-kaarayaa” (Sorata); 2. Pæla: plant in general; Pæla-kara'nawaa: (verb) to plant, to cultivate trees (Sinhala); Pæla, Pæ'la: west, backside (Sinhala, Sorata)

Maa-paa-madulla: The big forest circle; Harispattuwa division, Kandy district

Poara-madulla: The fertile circle or division; Hanguranketha division, Nuwara Eliya district

Sada-madulla: Probably, the construction circle; Dihiattakandiya division, Ampaa'rai district. Sada: = Sædumihi (Sorata), Sædeema: verbal noun of Saadanawaa

* * *

Madul:

Madul-kælea: The district forest; Panvila division, Kandy district

Madul-sima: The district boundary; Lunugala division, Badulla district

* * *

Boawa:

Bala-boawa: The part of Bala trees; Minuwangoda division, Gampaha district. Bala: Nothopegia colebrookiana (Sinhala)

Uda-boawala: The upper part; or the upper part of Bo-tree forest; Kandy Four Gravets division, Kandy district

Handa-boawa: The part of leased cultivation land; Hatharaliyadda division, Kandy district. Handa: = Anda: a place or land given on a lease agreement by the owner to someone for clearing and cultivation (Sorata)

Pub-boawa: Pubba-boawa: The old part; Kurunegala division, Kurunegala district. Pubba: = Poorva (Sinhala)

Pothu-boawa: The grassland part or the part of Pan grass; Mawathagama division, Kurunegala district. Pothu: “Thalaawa” (Sorata); Pothu-pan: Pan grass (Sinhala)

Ab-boawa: The part to cultivate mustard; Alawwa division, Kurunegala district

Thab-boawa: The fixed, preserved, reserved or set-aside part; Karuwalagaswewa division, Puththa'lam district; Nattandiya division, Puththa'lam district

Kota-boawa: The small part; Medagama division, Moneragala district

Kinnara-boawa: The mat-weavers' part; Medagama division, Moneragala dictrict. Kinnarayaa, Kinnaraa: mat weaver (Sinhala); a caste of people who weave mats from Niyanda plants, “Niyanda pæduru viyana manushyavargayak” (spoken Sinhala, Sorata)

Yaala-boawa: The part in the Yaala forest; Wellawaya division, Moneragala district

Heenaa-boawa: The abandoned part or the part of a small grid of cultivation field; Rambukkana division, Kegalle district. Heena: left, abandoned, quitted, wasted, decayed, (Sinhala); Heenna: a small grid of cultivation field, “Kudaa-liyadda” (upcountry spoken Sinhala, Sorata)

First published: Thursday, 28 January 2016, 18:06