Know the Etymology: 121
Place Name of the Day: Monday, 16 October 2017

Vaṭamarāṭci, Teṉmarāṭci, Pirāmaṇāṭci, Mẹdavacciya

வடமராட்சி, தென்மராட்சி, பிராமணாட்சி, மெᴭத₃வச்சிய
Vaṭamarāṭci, Teṉmarāṭci, Pirāmaṇāṭci, Mẹdavacciya

Vaṭamar+āṭci
Teṉmar+āṭci
Pirāmaṇa+āṭci
Mẹda+acciya

The northern lordship territory (a traditionally recognized division in Jaffna Peninsula)

The southern lordship territory (a traditionally recognized division in Jaffna Peninsula)

The Brahmin land possession

The middle lordship territory (a territorial recognition coming from its location between Kandyan and Jaffna Patnam territories)

Āṭci1	lordship, proprietorship, ownership, "Urimai" (Tamil, MTL, Tivākaram, 8: 210; Piṅkalam, 2214); lordship, ownership, government, rule, reign, use, possession (Tamil, DED 5157); ownership coming by long possession (Tamil, Eezham Tamil usage, Winslow, Periyapurāṇam, 202); Āḷ: (verb) to rule, reign over, control or manage, cherish, maintain, keep or maintain in use (Tamil, DED 5157; Puṟanāṉūṟu, 47: 10-11)
Āṭci2	feudal administrative division, land possession (Eezham Tamil place names, Jaffna); place name suffix coming by possession, as in the place name, Tumpicci Nāyakkar Āṭci (place name, Tūttukkuṭi, Tamil Nadu, "Koṟkai" novel, p. 19). See Āṭci 1
Acci1	seems to be equivalent to Āṭci in some North Central Province Sinhala place names, as in the Sinhala terms, Melācci, Melāṭsi, Melāksi: feudal lordship of land; "Pera pẹvẹti baddak" (Sinhala, Sorata, inscriptions, EZ, i, 90, 203; EZ iv, 249); a person or official who holds such a lordship of land; "Ē badda aya kaḷa niladhāriyā" (Sinhala, Sorata, inscriptions, EZ, i, 44; EZ, iii, 110); seems to be related to Mēlāṭci: Mēl+āṭci: literally meaning overlord-ship (Tamil, Mēl means that which is over and above, DED 5086+2214); Mīyāṭci, Mīykāṭci, Mīcāycci: Mī+āṭci: overlord-ship in land possession (Tamil, inscription, 771 CE, EI, xvii, 16; 1014 CE, SII, ii, 92; 950 CE, TASSI, 1962-65, p. 32-52);
Acci2	father, "Piyā" (Sinhala, Sorata); affix to personal names coming in Sinhala place names, as in Kaḷuvacci-mulla, Mallavacci-goḍa etc.; Accaṉ: father (Tamil, Malayalam, DED 50). See another column on related place names in Ezham Tamil and Sinhala.
Vaṭamar	seems to be a shortened form of Vaṭamār: Vaṭa+mār; 1. northern (Mār coming as expletive particle); 2. northerners (Mār coming as plural suffix); Vaṭa: northern (Tamil, DED 5218); cognates in Malayalam, Kannada, Kodagu, Tulu and Telugu; Mār: 1. expletive particle called Acai (Tamil, Naṟṟiṇai, 31: 5); 2. plural suffix (Tamil, Naṟṟiṇai, 64: 13)
Teṉmar	seems to be a shortened form of Teṉmār: Teṉ+mār; 1. southern (Mār coming as expletive particle); 2. southerners (Mār coming as plural suffix); Teṉ: southern, south, southern region (Tamil, DED 3449); cognates in Malayalam, Kannada, Kodgu, Tulu and Gondi; Mār: 1. expletive particle called Acai (Tamil, Naṟṟiṇai, 31: 5); 2. plural suffix (Tamil, Naṟṟiṇai, 64: 13)
Pirāmaṇa	of Brahmin; from Pirāmaṇaṉ: Brahmin (Tamil, MTL, Tirumūlar, 261); Brahmaṇa: one who has sacred knowledge, Brahman (sanskrit, Rig Vedic, CDIAL 9327)
Mẹda	middle, centre (Sinhala, Clough); "Madhyaya" (Sinhala, Sorata); Madhya: middle (Sanskrit, Rig Vedic, CDIAL 9804)

In the context of place names, the term Āṭci means an administratively recognized territorial unit. It also means a landed possession. The usages of feudal origins correspond to the verb Āḷ, meaning to rule.

The suffix Acci coming in some Sinhala place names such as Mẹdavacci also seems to be related to Āṭci, meaning a feudal unit of territory. Note this suffix coming in the Sinhala terms Melācci, Melāṭsi and Melāksi, all meaning hereditary land possession or lordship of land, as in Mēlāṭci/ Mīyāṭci in Tamil.

* * *

Āṭci meaning proprietorship, ownership or lordship:

"பாங்கு பால் கிழமை தாயம் ஆட்சி ஈங்கு இவை ஐந்தும் உரிமை ஆகும்" (திவாகரம், 8: 210)

"Pāṅku pāl kiḻamai tāyam āṭci īṅku ivai aintum urimai ākum" (Tivākaram, 8: 210)

Pāṅku, Pāl, Kiḻamai, Tāyam and Āṭci - all five of them mean Urimai


Āḷ as verb meaning to rule:

"மண் ஆள் செல்வம் எய்திய நும் ஓர் அன்ன செம்மலும் உடைத்தே" (புறநானூறு, 47: 10-11)

"Maṇ āḷ celvam eytiya num ōr aṉṉa cemmalum uṭaittē" (Puṟanāṉūṟu, 47: 10-11)

There are great persons like you who have been bestowed with the fortune to rule the earth


Usage of Mīyāṭci:

"பூ₄மி காராண்மை மீயாட்சி உள்ளடங்க" (Tamil inscription, 771 CE, EI, xvii, 16)

"Bhūmi kārāṇmai mīyāṭci uḷḷaṭaṅka" (Tamil inscription, 771 CE, EI, xvii, 16)

Land, including the right of cultivation and overlord-ship

* * *

Vaṭamarāṭci is one of the traditional divisions of Jaffna Peninsula, administratively recognized even today.

Teṉmarāṭci is one of the traditional divisions of Jaffna Peninsula, administratively recognized even today.

Pirāmaṇāṭci, sometimes written as Piramaṉāṭci, is a locality in Vaṭṭukkōṭṭai East in Valikamam West division of Jaffna district (V. Almanac, 2013-14, p. 98)

Mẹdavacciya is now headquarters of a division in the Anuradhapura district of North Central Province, bordering the Vavuniya district of Northern Province. Earlier, Mẹdavacciya was the name of a large region, including Anuradhapura. The name Mẹdavacciya could be found in different places within this region, as they were all identified with the region. See related place names

* * *

Some related place names:

Mẹdavacciya-related place names:

Mẹdavacciya: Medawachchiya, Anuradhapura; Galgamuwa, Kurunegala; Gomarankadawala, Trincomalee

Paraṇa-mẹdavacciya: Padavi Sri Pura, Trincomalee. Paraṇa: old, former

Kuḍā-mẹdavacciya: Karuwalagaswewa, Puttalam

Kalā-mẹdavacciya: Galnewa, Anuradhapura

Mẹdavacciya Handiya: Horowpothana, Anuradhapura. Handiya: junction

* * *

Acci:

Maha-vilacciya: Mahawilachchiya, Anuradhapura

Kuḍā-vilacciya: Mahawilachchiya, Anuradhapura

Nallacciya: Galgamuwa, Kurunegala; Thambuttegama, Anuradhapura

Kaḷuvacci-mulla: Dankotuwa, Puttalam. Acci: father

Mallavacci-goḍa: Walallavita, Kalutara. Acci: father

Ańgunācciya: Horowpothana, Anuradhapura. Ācci: Tamil or Muslim woman (Sinhala, Sorata); Āycci, Ācci: mother, grandmother (Tamil, DED 364)

* * *


Revised: Monday, 16 October 2017, 18:30

First published: Thursday, 22 January 2009, 00:55