Know the Etymology: 463
Place Name of the Day: Wednesday, 16 March 2016

De-gal-doruwa, Doruwaa-de'niya

தெ₃க₃ல்-தொ₃ருவ, தொ₃ருவா-தெ₃ணிய
Degal-doruva, Doruvā-deṇiya

De+gal+doruwa
Doruwaa+de'niya

The two-rock gap or the hollow between two rocks

The gorge valley

Doru

a gap in the middle, a hollow place between two high grounds, “Us bima atara voo de'niya” (spoken Sinhala, Sorata); 1. Turu: middle, interval, “Atara” (Sinhala, Sorata); Tora: interval, cessation (Sinhala); little apart from another, “Ida, Ahak” (Sinhala, Sorata); Thu'ru: (verb) be closed; (noun) closeness (Tamil, DED 3367); 2. Dara: hole in the ground, cavern, grotto (Sinhala); cleaving, hole in the ground, cave (Sanskrit, CDIAL 6188); Tura: (verb) to tunnel, bore (Tamil, DED 3339); (noun) hole, burrow (Malayalam, DED 3339); Thoo'ru: cave (Tamil, Auvaiyaar, Vaakku'ndaam, 21); hole (spoken Tamil); Thoor: (verb) to enter (Tamil, DED 3399); Doo'ru: (verb) to enter, penetrate (Tulu, DED 3399); Thoo'ru: (verb) to enter, enter a hole as a mouse, go through a hole, penetrate (Kannada, DED 3399); 3. Tho'l: to perforate (Tamil, DED 3528); Tho'lku: pit (Tamil, DED 3528); Tho'lai, Thu'lai: (verb) to make a hole; (noun) hole, orifice, hollow as of a tube, gateway, passage (Tamil, DED 3528)

Doru in Sinhala means a narrow gap or a hollow place between two high grounds. “Us bima atara voo de'niya” is the explanation given by Sorata. The word may be related to Turu and Tora in Sinhala, meaning a gap or interval. It may also be related to Dara in Sinhala, meaning a hole in the ground.

In the toponymic usage example De-gal-doruwa, it is a place where a famous Buddhist temple is located in a cave-like hollow, formed by two close-by high rocks. The other example, Doruwaa-de'niya is a gorge river-valley.

See box for possible Dravidian and Indo-Aryan cognates. See earlier columns for the etymology of Gal and De'niya, respectively meaning rock and valley.

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De-gal-doruwa is in Kundasale division of Kandy district.

Doruwaa-de'niya is a place in Kothmale division of Nuwara Eliya district.

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First published: Wednesday, 16 March 2016, 15:57