Know the Etymology: 475
Place Name of the Day: Saturday, 16 July 2016

Perukku-vaṭṭaṉ, Nika-vaṭavana, Muḷḷi-vaṭṭavāṉ, Mā-vaṭṭuvāṉ, Makiḻa-veṭṭuvāṉ

பெருக்கு-வட்டன்,
நிக்க-வ[ட்]டவன,
முள்ளி-வட்டவான்,
மா-வட்டுவான்,
மகிழ-வெட்டுவான்
Perukku-vaṭṭaṉ, Nika-vaṭavana, Muḷḷi-vaṭṭavāṉ, Mā-vaṭṭuvāṉ

Perukku+vaṭṭaṉ
Nika+vaṭavana
Muḷḷi+vaṭṭavāṉ
Mā+vaṭṭuvāṉ

The circuit of Perukku trees

The circuit of Nika shrubs

The circuit of Muḷḷi plants

The big circuit

The circuit of Makiḻ trees

Vaṭṭaṉ	surroundings (Eezham Tamil, place names); Vaṭṭaṇai: circle (Tamil, Peruṅkatai, 117: 179); Vaṭṭai: surrounding places (Tamil, inscription, c. 1300 CE, AVNM, 6, p. 36-40); Vaṭṭakai: encircling limits of an area or region (Tamil, inscription, 1228 CE, IPS 285); Vaṭṭāram: circle, circuit, ward of a settlement (Eezham Tamil); Vaṭṭāramu, Vaṭāra, Vaṭṭāra: cognates respectively in Telugu, Kannada and Tulu (MTL); Vaṭṭam: round, circle (Tamil, Caṅkam diction); Vaṭṭa: round, circle (Pali, CDIAL 12069); 1. Vṛtta: turned (Sanskrit, Rig Vedic, CDIAL 12069); 2. Vaḷai: (verb) to surround; (noun) circle, surrounding region (Tamil, DED 5313); Vaṇar, Vaṇai: (verb) to bend (Tamil, DED 5236); see columns on Vaṭṭai
Vaṭan	“Maṇḍalākāra sthānaya” (Sinhala, Sorata); Vaṭāna: “Vaṭa koṭa” (Sinhala, Sorata); see Vaṭṭaṉ
Vaṭun	= Vaṭan: “Maṇḍalākāra sthānaya (Sinhala, Sorata). See Vaṭan
Vaṭṭavāṉ	also Vaṭṭuvān: a surrounded place, circuit (Eezham Tamil place names, especially Batticaloa and Mannar); 1. Probably, Vaṭṭa+ān suffix; Vaṭṭa+ān: =Vaṭṭavān; could mean ‘the surrounded one’ or circuit; 2. Probably from Vaṭa-vana; may be meaning ‘circuit of forest’; see Vaṭavana
Vaṭavana	probably meaning a circuit of forest (Sinhala place names, usage found in Moneragala, Matale, Kurunegala and Puttalam districts); 1. Vaṭa-vana (Vana in the meaning of forest. Note Vaṭṭu-viṉi in Jaffna); 2. Probably related to Vaṭṭa-vāṉ; see Vaṭṭavāṉ;
Veṭṭuvāṉ	seems to be a variation of Vaṭṭavāṉ. See boxes on Vaṭṭavāṉ, Vaṭṭavana and Vaṭaṉ. Also see related place names on Veṭṭuvāṉ and compare them with those of Vaṭṭavāṉ and Vaṭṭavana
Makiḻ	a tree, Mimusops elengi (Tamil, DED 4619). See column 156

Vaṭṭan, Vaṭāna, Vaṭuna, Vaṭṭuvāṉ, Vaṭṭavāṉ, Vaṭavana and Vaṭṭuviṉi, are components noticed in both Eezham Tamil and Sinhala place names, all in the dry zone.

Vaṭṭaṉ and Vaṭāna are found in Puttalam district. Vaṭuna is noticed in Moneragala and Galle districts. Vaṭṭuvān comes from Mannar and Batticaloa districts. Vaṭṭavāṉ is found in Batticaloa district. Vaṭavana comes in Puttalam, Matale and Moneragala districts. Vaṭṭuviṉi is noticed in Jaffna district.

The distribution shows that the terms essentially belong to Eezham Tamil usage. Obvious Sinhalicisation could be seen in place names like Karukku-vaṭavana, Murukku-vaṭāna etc.

Contextual deduction shows that the terms mean a circuit, a surrounded place or surroundings, just like another toponymic term Vaṭṭāram in Tamil. Terms like Vaṭṭaṇai, Vaṭṭakai and Vaṭṭai were used in similar meanings in Tamil literature and inscriptions (see box on Vaṭṭaṉ). Sorata’s Sinhala dictionary gives the same meaning, “Maṇḍalākāra sthānaya,” for the term Vaṭan in Sinhala. He also equates Vaṭun to Vaṭan.

The terms correspond to Vaṭṭam/ Vaṭṭa/ Vaṭa meaning a circle in Tamil, Pali and Sinhala respectively. Etymology could be explained through Vṛtta in Sanskrit (CDIAL 12069) as well as Vaḷai, Vaṇai and Vaṇar in Dravidian (DED 5313, 5236, Ḷ/ Ṭ, Ḷ/ Ṇ changes).

Another Eezham Tamil place name component, Vaṭṭai, meaning a circuit/ patch/ enclosure of paddy field, brought under cultivation especially in the middle of a jungle tract, also seems to be etymologically related to the terms discussed above.

A circuit of forest is also a possible meaning for Vaṭṭavān/ Vaṭṭavana, if the suffix Vana is taken as meaning a forest. A locality name Vaṭṭuvini in Jaffna district should be noted in this context (Viṉi is an Eezham Tamil toponymic form of Vana, meaning forest, as in Neḷu-viṉi in Delft).

The place name component Veṭṭuvāṉ, noticed in the Eastern Province, may be a variation of Vaṭṭavān, meaning a circuit, as it mostly comes associated with names of trees, or it may possibly be related to Veṭṭai meaning parkland.

See earlier columns for Perukku, Nika and Muḷḷi, respectively meaning the Baobab tree, Vitex shrub and a thorny plant.

* * *

Perukku-vaṭṭaṉ is in Munthal division of Puttalam district.

Nika-vaṭavaṉa is a place in Dambulla division of Matale district.

Muḷḷi-vaṭṭavāṉ is noticed as a place name in Koralaippattu and Eravurpattu divisions of Batticaloa district.

Mā-vaṭṭuvāṉ is in Koralaippattu division of Batticaloa district.

Makiḻa-veṭṭuvāṉ is a place in Manmunai West division of Batticaloa district

* * *

Some related place names:

Vaṭavaṉa:

Vaṭavana-gama: Madulla division, Moneragala district

Daṁba-vaṭavana: Galewela division, Matale district

Nika-vaṭavana: Dambulla division, Matale district

Kambu-vaṭavana: Polpithigama division, Kurunegala district. Kampu: a millet, pole, stick etc., (Tamil, DED 1242, DED 1454; also related to Kāmpu: bamboo, DED 1455)

Muguṇu-vatavana: Chilaapam division, Puttalam district; Madampe division, Putttalam district. Muguṇu: Muguna-gasa: a flowering tree, Mimusops elengi

Karukku-vaṭavana: Madampe division, Puttalam district (Sinhalicised of Karukku-vaṭṭavāṉ, meaning the circuit of scorch land)

Potu-vaṭavana: Dankotuwa division, Puttalam district

* * *

Vaṭṭuviṉi:

Vaṭṭuviṉi: a locality name in Valikamam South, Jaffna district (Balasundaram, p. 339); seems to be corresponding to Vaṭavana, as Vana/ Vini means forest.

* * *

Vaṭṭaṉ:

Perukku-vaṭṭaṉ: Munthal, Puttalam

* * *

Vaṭāṉa:

Murukku-vaṭāna: Karuwalagawewa division, Puttalam district (Sinhalicised of Murukku-vaṭṭaṉ)

* * *

Vaṭuna:

Uṇa-vaṭuna: Habaraduwa, Galle. Uṇa: bamboo (Sinhala); Puṇai: bamboo (Tamil, DED 4271)

Uṇā-vaṭuna: Buttala, Moneragala

* * *

Vaṭṭuvāṉ:

Vaṭṭuvāṉ: Musali, Mannar

Mā-vaṭṭuvāṉ: Koralaippattu, Batticaloa

* * *

Vaṭṭavāṉ:

Vaṭṭavāṉ: Koralaippattu (Vakarai), Batticaloa; Koralaippattu (Valaichenai), Batticaloa

Muḷḷi-vaṭṭavāṉ: Koralaippattu, Batticaloa; Eravurpattu, Batticaloa

Karanta-vaṭṭavāṉ: Karantai-vaṭṭavāṉ: Koralaippattu, Batticaloa;

Periya-vaṭṭavāṉ: Koralaippattu, Batticaloa; Eravurpattu, Batticaloa

Ciṉṉa-vaṭṭavāṉ: Koralaippattu, Batticaloa

Mayila-vaṭṭavāṉ: Mayilai-vaṭṭavāṉ: Eravurpattu, Batticaloa

* * *

Veṭṭuvāṉ:

Cōlai-veṭṭuvāṉ: Kinniya, Trincomalee

Kāra-veṭṭuvāṉ: Kārai-veṭṭuvāṉ: Kinniya, Trincomalee

Kallaṭi-veṭṭuvāṉ: Kinniya, Trincomalee

Viḷā-veṭṭuvāṉ: Manmunai West, Batticaloa

Vēppa-veṭṭuvāṉ: Eravur, Batticaloa

Tiyā-veṭṭuvāṉ: Koaralippattu West, Batticaloa

Alla-veṭṭuvāṉ-kuḷam ?: Oddusuddan, Mullaiththeevu

Viḷātti-veṭṭuvāṉ: Puthukkudiyiruppu, Mullaiththeevu

Murukku-veṭṭuvāṉ: Puthukkudiyiruppu, Mullaiththeevu

Marukku-veṭṭuvāṉ: Puthukkudiyiruppu, Mullaiththeevu

Putu-veṭṭuvāṉ: Thunukkai, Mullaiththeevu

Paṉṉai-veṭṭuvāṉ: Madu, Mannar

First published: Saturday, 16 July 2016, 23:02