Know the Etymology: 472
Place Name of the Day: Monday, 27 June 2016

Aya-gama, Āyath-thu'rai

அயக₃ம, ஆயத்துறை
Aya-gama, Āyat-tuṟai

Aya+gama
Āyath+thu’rai

The village obliged to give stipulated revenue to an endowment

The port having customs or the revenue-producing port

Ayagama	= “Nindagama” (Sinhala, Sorata); “Ādāyam upadanā gama” (Sinhala, Sorata); a village that is obliged to produce stipulated revenue to an endowment; Aya: “Ādāyama” (Sinhala, Sorata); revenue, taxes, produce, gain (Sinhala); Āya: arrival, income (Sanskrit, CDIAL 1283)
Āyam	income (Tamil, Tirukkuṟaḷ 94: 3); revenue (Tamil, inscription, c 800 CE, EI, xiii, 10); tax (Tamil, inscription, 962 CE, SII, vi, 324); Āya: arrival (Sanskrit, Rig Vedic, CDIAL 1283); income (Sanskrit, Pali, CDIAL 1283)

Ayagama in Sinhala means a type of village of the feudal times that was obliged to produce revenue for an endowment. Sorata equates Ayagama to Nindagama. See column on Nivandama.

The terms Aya in Sinhala and Āyam in Tamil, mean income, revenue or tax. Usages both in Tamil and Sinhala are noticed since early times. The terms correspond to Āya in Sanskrit originally (Rig Vedic) meaning arrival, and later (Manu) meaning income (CDIAL 1283).

In Caṅkam Tamil diction and in early Brahmi inscriptions of the island the words Āyam and Ayaka have been used in some other meaning.

See earlier columns for discussions on Gama meaning village and Tuṟai meaning port.

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Ayagama village is a divisional headquarters today in Ratnapura district.

Āyat-tuṟai is located in Musali division of Mannar district.

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First published: Monday, 27 June 2016, 18:59