Know the Etymology: 92
Place Name of the Day: Monday, 15 May 2017

Tiru-maṅkalāy/ Tiru-maṅkala, Maňgala-gama, Vaṭuva-maṅkaik-kuḻam, Vaḍiga-maňgāva

திருமங்கலாய்/ திருமங்கல, மங்க₃லக₃ம, வடுவமங்கைக்-குளம், வடி₃க₃மங்கா₃வ
Tiru-maṅkalāy/ Tiru-maṅkala, Maňgala-gama, Vaṭuva-maṅkaik-kuḻam, Vaḍiga-maňgāva

Tiru+maṅkalam+āy/ Tiru+maṅkala
Maňgala+gama
Vaṭuva+maṅkai+kuḷam
Vaḍiga+maňgāva

The expanse of the sacred and auspicious village or town (of Brahmins)/ The sacred and auspicious village or town (of Brahmins)

The auspicious village

The tank of the auspicious village or town of Telugus

The auspicious village or town of Telugus

Maṅkalāy	Maṅkalam+āy or Maṅgala+āy; Maṅkalam: auspicious suffix in the names of certain towns or villages (Tamil, MTL, example: Āṉai-maṅkalam); suffix in the names of towns or villages endowed to Brahmins, appears since Pallava times (Tamil, inscriptions, 850 CE, SII, iii, 43; 964 CE, PLCP, p. 104); auspiciousness, blessing, splendour, beauty, good deed, goodness, virtue, excellence, auspicious signs, marriage (Tamil, MTL, Tolkāppiyam, 23: 48; Tirukkuṟaḷ, 6:10; Cilappatikāram, 5: 151; 6: 22; 15: 40; Maṇimēkalai, 30: 261); Maṅkaḷam: variation of Maṅkalam (Tamil, MTL); Maňgala, Mańgala, Maṅgala: good fortune, happiness, excellence, virtue, feast, marriage (Sinhala, Clough, Sorata); Magul: = Maṅgalaya (Sinhala, Sorata); Maṅgala: auspicious sign, anything auspicious, happiness, felicity, welfare, bliss, festival, solemn ceremony (Sanskrit, CDIAL 9706, Monier Williams); auspicious, good omen, festivity, marriage, auspicious ceremony (Pali, CDIAL 9706)
Maňgala	also, Mańgala, Maṅgala: good fortune, happiness, excellence, virtue, feast, marriage (Sinhala, Clough, Sorata). See box on Maṅkalāy
Maṅkai	auspicious suffix in the names of certain towns, shortened form of Maṅkalam (Tamil, MTL, Examples: Uttara-kōca-maṅkai, Varakuṇa-maṅkai)
Maňgāva	probably, Sinhala form of Maṅkai. See box on Maṅkai
Āy	expanse (Eezham Tamil place names). See column 80
Vaṭuva	also Vaṭuka (adjective); from Vaṭuku: (noun) the region north of the Tamil country, the Telugu country, the Telugu language (Tamil, DED 5218); Vaṭukar: people of the Telugu country (Tamil, DED 5218); people of the territory north of the Vēṅkaṭam (Tiruppati) hills (Tamil, Caṅkam diction, Kuṟuntokai, 11: 5); from Vaṭa: northern (Tamil, DED 5218); Vaṭakku: north (Tamil, DED 5218); Vaṭavar: northerners (Tamil, DED 5218); Vaṭuvaṉ: = Vaṭukaṉ (Tamil, MTL)
Vaḍiga	the Telugu country or name of the nation speaking the Telugu language (Sinhala, Clough); a country, "Deśayak" (Sinhala, Sorata); Vaṭuku: (noun) the region north of the Tamil country, the Telugu country, the Telugu language (Tamil, DED 5218); Vaṭukar: people of the Telugu country (Tamil, DED 5218); people of the territory north of the Vēṅkaṭam (Tiruppati) hills (Tamil, Caṅkam diction, Kuṟuntokai, 11: 5); from Vaṭa: northern (Tamil, DED 5218); Vaṭakku: north (Tamil, DED 5218); Vaṭavar: northerners (Tamil, DED 5218)
Tiru	auspicious (Tamil). See column 80
Kuḷam	tank, reservoir, lake, (Tamil, DED 1828). See column 18
Gama	village (Sinhala). See column 36

The term Maṅgala in Sanskrit/ Indo-Aryan basically means auspicious. The Tamil form Maṅkalam is found used in the same shades of meanings in the literature of post-Caṅkam times such as Tolkāppiyam, Tirukkuṟal and Cilappatikāram.

Later, Maṅkalam coming as a toponymic term to mean a town or village endowed to Brahmins, is a Tamil usage noticed since Pallava times.

Maṅkai, which is also a toponymic term in Tamil, is a shortened form of Maṅkalam (MTL).

In Sinhala place names, Maňgala is simply used in the meaning auspicious. This need not mean a Brahmin village or town. Maňgāva seem to be the Sinhala form of Maňkai.

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Usage of Maṅkalam in early Tamil:

"மங்கலம் என்ப மனை மாட்சி" (திருக்குறள், 6: 10)

"Maṅkalam eṉpa maṉai māṭci" (Tirukkuṟaḷ, 6: 10)

Married life is virtuous or auspicious


Maṅkalam meaning a village or town endowed to Brahmins:

"விடேல்விடுகு விக்கிரமாதித்தச் சதுர்வ்வேதி மங்கலமென்னும் பேரால்" (Tamil inscription, 850 CE, SII, iii, 43)

"Viṭēlviṭuku vikkiramātittac caturvvēti maṅkalameṉṉum pērāl" (Tamil inscription, 850 CE, SII, iii, 43)

(The village or town) in the name Viṭēlviṭuku Vikkiramātittac Caturvēti Maṅkalam. [Viṭēl-viṭuku: title of the Pallava kings, also title of Pallava officials; Catur-vēti-maṅkalam: the auspicious village or town of the Brahmins of the four Vedas]


"நயதீர மங்கலம் என்னும் பேராந்…ப்₃ரஹ்மதே₃யம் ஆயித்து" (Tamil inscription, 964 CE, PLCP, p. 104)

"Nayatīra maṅkalam eṉṉum pērān…Brahmadēyam āyittu" (Tamil inscription, 964 CE, PLCP, p. 104)

It became a Brahmin village/ town, having the name, Nayatīra Maṅkalam

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Vaṭuva (colloquial adjective of Vaṭuku) in Tamil and Vaḍiga in Sinhala mean the Telugu country. The terms are of Tamil origin, as the Telugu country lies immediately north of the Tamil country and as the root Vaṭa in Tamil/ Dravidian means north. Vaṭukar meaning people north of the Tamil country is a term found used since Caṅkam times.

Vaṭukar meaning people of the territory north of the Vēṅkaṭam hills:

"குல்லைக் கண்ணி வடுகர் முனையது" (குறுந்தொகை, 11: 5)

"Kullaik kaṇṇi vaṭukar muṉaiyatu" (Kuṟuntokai, 11: 5)

[The north of Vēṅkaṭam hills] is a frontier of the basil-garlanded tribe of Vaṭukar

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Tiru-maṅkalāy is a place found with Tamil inscriptions and temple ruins in the forest west of Kallāṟu and southwest of Kiḷiveṭṭi in Trincomalee district (Pushparatnam 2017). Tirumaṅkalāy is the local way of calling the place. It is marked as Tirumaṅkala in the Kathiraveli OIS.

Maňgala-gama is noticed as a place name in Rambukkana division of Kegalle district and in Yatinuwara division of Kandy district.

Vaṭuva-maṅkaik-kuḷam is located north of Ilakkantai in Trincomalee district (Trincomalee OIS).

Vaḍiga-maňgāva is in Āṉaimaṭu division of Puttalam district.

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Some related place names:

Maňgalatiriya: Attanagalla, Gampaha

Siri-maňgala-pura: Seruvila, Trincomalee (a new place name)

Maňgala-pura: Vaṇṇāttivillu, Puttalam

Maňgala-eḷiya: Munthal, Puttalam




Revised: Monday, 15 May 2017, 18:30

First published: Monday, 21 April 2008, 22:43