Know the Etymology: 494
Place Name of the Day: Sunday, 21 August 2016

Hēvā-vissa, Ōvissa, Vẹli-bissa, Avissā-vella

ஹேவா-விஸ்ஸ, ஓவிஸ்ஸ, வெ[æ]லி-பி₃ஸ்ஸ, அவிஸ்ஸா-வெல்ல
Hēvā-vissa, Ōvissa, Vẹli-bissa, Avissā-vella

Hēvā+vissa
Ō+vissa
Vẹli+vissa
Ā+vissā+vella

The service district

The sub-district/ additional district or the area of the stream

The sandy region

The riverbank at the border region

Vissa	from Visa, Visā, Visaya: = "Viṣaya" (Sinhala, Sorata); Viṣaya: sphere, province, country (Sinhala, Clough); "Dēṣaya" (Sinhala, Sorata); sphere, region (Sanskrit, CDIAL 11973, from the root Viṣ); Visaya: sphere, locality (Pali, Prakrit, CDIAL 11973); Visā: district (Sinhala, CDIAL 11973)
Ōvissa	probably, 1. Uva-vissa: sub-district, additional district, as in Uva Province; Uva: = Upa (Sinhala, Sorata); Upa: near, by the side of, together with, secondary, lower, (additional), excess, over, above (Sinhala, Clough); up to, upon, near (Sanskrit, Rig Vedic, CDIAL 2136); 2. Oya-vissa: the region of the stream or river; see Vissa
Bissa	= Vissa (V/ B change); see Vissa
Avissa	probably Ā+vissa: border district or frontier region; Ā: border, new, original, profit; "Sīmāva, Pudumaya, Ādiya, Ādāyam" (Sinhala, Sorata); see Vissa
Vella	from Vel 1: riverbank, "Gaňtera" (Sinhala, Sorata); from Vẹla, Velā: riverbank, "Ivura" (Sinhala, Sorata); Vēli: fence, hedge, wall (Tamil, DED 5538); seashore as boundary set by sea (Tamil, Caṅkam diction, Kuṟuntokai, 345: 7); Vēlai: sea, seashore (Tamil, Paripāṭal, 19: 18; Cilappatikāram, 6: 131); Vēlā-taṭa: seashore (Sanskrit, CDIAL 12116, late usage in Sanskrit, cognates not found in IA); Vel 2: paddy field (Sinhala, Sorata); plural and combination form of Vela: paddy field (Sinhala, Sorata); Vēli: measure of paddy field, paddy field (Tamil, Caṅkam diction, Naṟṟiṇai, 339: 10; Porunarāṟṟuppaṭai 246-247); related to the word meaning fence or boundary (Tamil, DED 5538); Vel 3: sandy place, sand, sandbank, seashore; "Vẹlla" (Sinhala, Sorata); from Vẹli: sand (Sinhala); Vāl-maṇal: white sand (Tamil, Caṅkam diction, DED 5364+DED 4666); Vāl: whiteness (Tamil, DED 5364); Vāliya: (verb) being white (Tamil, Akanāṉūṟu 211: 1-2); Vālitu: that which is white (Tamil, DED 5364); Vel 4: improvised bridge made of a single log or plank put across a brook, stream etc., "Ēdaṇda" (Sinhala, Sorata); probably from Vẹl: creeper (Sinhala), as such bridges also have a rope to hold on; Vaḷḷi: creeper (Tamil, DED 5316)
Hēvā	= Sēvā: service, servitude (Sinhala, Clough); service (Pali, Prakrit, CDIAL 13595); attendance on, homage (Sanskrit, CDIAL 13595)

The toponymic form Vissa in Sinhala place names corresponds to Visa, Visā, Visaya and Viṣaya in Sinhala, meaning a sphere, province or country. The terms are cognates of Visaya in Pali/ Prakrit meaning a sphere or locality, and Viṣaya in Sanskrit meaning a sphere or region (CDIAL 11973).

Bissa, as in Vẹli-bissa seems to be a V/ B variation of Vissa.

Ōvissa in Sinhala has no dictionary entries, but it is probably a shortened phrase, Uva-vissa, meaning a sub-district or Oya-vissa, meaning the locality of a stream. Note similar phrase forms in Sinhala such as Ōviṭa (Ava-viṭa: slope), Ōkada (Oya-kaḍa: river passage), Ōvilān (Oya-vilāna: riverside marsh) and Ōmatta (Oya-matta: high riverbank).

Avissa as in Avissā-vela is probably Ā-vissa, in which Ā could have many shades of meanings (see box). But the meaning boundary (Sīmāva) seems to be the most appropriate one, as this place was a frontier and an entry point between Kandyan and Kotte kingdoms.

The component Vella, coming from Vel in Sinhala, could have four different meanings appropriate to toponymy (see box). But in the case of Avissā-vella, which is located on the banks of the river Sītavaka Gańga, riverbank may be the assignable meaning.

See earlier columns for Hēvā meaning service, especially the obligatory service to the king in the past (Rājakārya), and for Vẹli meaning sand.

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Hēvā-vissa is a place in Pathahewaheta division of Kandy district.

Ōvissa is in Pujapitiya division of Kandy district.

Vẹli-bissa is noticed as a place name in Badulla division of Badulla district as well as in Haldummulla division of Badulla district.

Avissā-vella is in Seethawaka division of Colombo district.

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Some related place names:

Kim-bissa: Dambulla, Matale

Koḷam-bissa: Deltota, Kandy

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Vel:

Vellata: Vel+ata: Dodangoda, Kalutara

Beli-gas-vella: Karandeniya, Galle

Vellamaň-karaya: Wennapuwa, Puttalam

Vellāra-gama: Mihinthale, Anuradhapura

Vella-vāya: Wellawaya, Moneragala

First published: Sunday, 21 August 2016, 17:07