Know the Etymology: 220
Place Name of the Day: Wednesday, 28 September 2016

Hīnaṭi-pana, Kīra-panē, Nāraň-panāva

ஹீன[ட்]டி-பன, கீர-பனே, நாரங்-பனாவ
Hīnaṭi-pana, Kīra-panē, Nāraň-panāva

Hīnaṭi+pana
Kīra+panē
Nāraň+panāva

The place or field of Hīnaṭi paddy

The place or field of leaf vegetables

The place or field of orange trees

Pana	also Panē, Panāva: a Sinhala place name suffix, seems to be a toponymic variation of Pala: place, site, spot (Sinhala, L/ N interchange); also seems to be meaning a field; 1. See column on Govi-pala; 2. Variation of Pola: see column on Varakā-pola; 3. Paṇ: field (Tamil, DED 3891); level grassy ground (Kota, DED 3891); Paṇai: agricultural tract, paddy field, garden (Tamil, DED 3891); Paṇa: ground that is worked (Malayalam, DED 3891); Paṇe: ground that is worked (Kannada, DED 3891); 4. Pāṉal: agricultural tract, rice-field (Tamil, DED 4071)
Panē	toponymic suffix variation of Pana; see Pana
Panāva	see Pana; either Pana > Panava > Panāva; or Pana+āva; see Āva
Hīnaṭi	also Sihinẹṭi: a kind of paddy, " E nam vī jātiya" (Sinhala, Sorata); Cīnaṭṭi: the same paddy (Eezham Tamil); from the small size of the grain of the variety; Hīn: also Sīn, Sihin, Siyun, Siyum: thin, fine, sharp (Sinhala, Sorata traces etymology to Saṇha; CDIAL traces to Sūkṣma, CDIAL 13546); Ciṉṉa: small, little, inferior (Tamil, DED 2594); cognates in 10 Dravidian languages including Brahui; Ẹṭa: kernel, seed, grain of anything (Sinhala, Clough); Aṇṭi: kernel, stone of mango etc., nut, scrotum (Malayalam, DED 126); Aṭi: stone or seed of a fruit (Maltese, DED 126); Aṣṭi: kernel of fruit (Sanskrit, CDIAL 955)
Kīra	leaf vegetable, greens, "Palā, Tampalā" (spoken Sinhala, Sorata); Kīrai: greens, potherbs, spinach, vegetables, (Tamil, DED 1717); Kīra: greens, spinach (Malayalam, DED 1617); Kīre: various species of greens (Kannada, Telugu, DED 1617)
Nāraň	mandarin orange (Sinhala, Clough); Nārańga: = Nāraň (Sinhala, Sorata); Nāram, Nārattai: orange (Tamil, DED 3653); Narantam: flower of bitter orange (Tamil, DED 3653, Caṅkam diction, Kuṟuntokai, 52: 3; Akanāṉūṟu, 141: 26); = Nāram (Tamil, Piṅkalam 9: 35); Nāram: lemon plant (Malayalam, DED 3653); Nāraṅga: orange tree (Sanskrit, Pali, CDIAL 7073)

There is no toponymically convincing dictionary meaning for the terms, Pana, Panē and Panāva, when they come as suffixes in Sinhala place names.

However, from their repeated usage examples in the place names one could deduce that they stand for a place, site or field.

In such a meaning the terms seem to be variations of another Sinhala toponymic term, Pala, meaning a place, site, spot or field. L/ N interchange is a commonly noticed linguistic feature.

Pana, Panē, and Panāva mean like Pala, only when they come as suffixes. In other toponymic instances they have different meanings.

See other columns on the Dravidian etymology of Pala and Pola, meaning place in Sinhala. See box on another possibility of Pana having direct cognates in Dravidian.

Kīra in spoken Sinhala (Sorata) and Kīrai in Tamil/ Dravidian (DED 1717) mean leaf vegetable like spinach.

The etymology of Hīnaṭi meaning a fine variety of paddy and Nāraň meaning orange in Sinhala could be traced to both Dravidian and Indo-Aryan (see boxes above)

* * *

Hīnaṭi-pana: is a place in Mawanella division of Kegalle district.

Kīra-panē is a place in Udapalatha division of Kandy district. Also note the place name Kīra-pana in Aranayake division of Kegalle district

Nāraň-panāva is in Kundasale division of Kandy district

* * *

Some related place names:

Pana:

Kīra-pana: The place or field for leaf vegetables; Aranayake, Kegalle

Piṭi-pana: The plain place/ grassland place/ backside place/ outside place; or the high-ground place/ bank place; Homagama Colombo; Negombo, Gampaha; Chilaw, Puttalam. Piṭi: 1. "Piṭṭaniya"; 2. "Taṇabima"; 3. "Passā-pẹtta"; 4. "Piṭata, Bẹhẹra" (Sinhala, Sorata); Piṭa, Piṭu: "Matta" (Sinhala, Sorata);

Boru-pana: The muddy place; Moratuwa, Colombo. Bora: mud. "Mada, Kẹlẹt" (Sinhala, Sorata)

Kuḷu-pana: The top place; Horana, Kalutara. Kuḷu: "Kūṭaya, Muduna" (Sinhala, Sorata)

Kavuḍu-pana: The place of crows; Yatinuwara, Kandy

Kirilla-pana: The Kirilla-tree place; Pasgoda, Matara. Kirilla: a tree, Sonneratia acida (Sinhala, Clough); Kirila: = Kirilla (Sinhala, Sorata); the tree is called Kiṇṇai in Tamil

Kirula-pana: Thimbirigasyaya, Colombo. See Kirilla-pana

Māra-pana: Pelmadulla, Ratnapura. Probably, Māru-pana: the exchange place or Mahāra-pana

Kivul-pana: The jungle place; Rambukkana, Kegalle. See column on Mī-gaha-kivula

Varakā-pana: The jack tree place; Mawanella, Kegalle

Karaḍu-pana: Kegalle, Kegalle. Karaḍu: probably, 1. Karaḷu: hard (Sinhala, Clough); Karaḍu: hard or waste, rough (Kannada, DED 1265); Karaṭu: roughness (Tamil, DED 1265); 2. Karaṇḍu: = Kaṭu-karaṇḍu: a herb (Sinhala, Sorata); Barleria prionitis (Sinhala, Clough)

Lāhu-pana: The small field or place; Galigamuwa, Kegalle: Lahu: = Laghu: small, Suḷu, Kuḍā (Sinhala, Sorata)

* * *

Pane:

Ula-panē: The spring site; GI Korale, Kandy

Vala-panē: The jungle place; Walapane, Nuwara Eliya

Dā-panē: The place endowed; or the place of beehives; Kolonna, Ratnapura. Dā: 1. "Dena"; 2. "Mīmẹssā" (Sinhala, Sorata)

Kẹm-panē: The place of Bryonia grandis creepers; or the place having a waterhole; Kolonna, Ratnapura. Kẹm: 1. Kẹm-vẹla, Keň-vẹla: a creeping plant that bears a fruit of the gourd species, Bryonia grandis (Sinhala, Clough); 2. Probably, Kem (note the place name Kem-panā-vatta in the same district); Kem: waterhole, "Galpokuṇa, Galvaḷa"; a creeper bearing fruit of the gourd species, "Kavuḍu-kẹkiri, Kōvakkā" (Sinhala, Sorata)

Kara-panē: The place of the thorny shrub, Canthium parviflorum; or the adjacent place/ place at the edge; Mawanella, Kegalle. Kara: 1. Canthium parviflorum, (Sinhala, Clough); 2. "Samīpaya" (Sinhala, Sorata)

Kukul-panē: The place of Kukuḷā fowls; or the place of Kukulla yam; Warakapola, Kegalle. Kukul: "Kukuḷā"; Kukulla: "E nam ala" (Sinhala, Sorata)

Pus-panē: The vacant place; Bulathkohupitiya, Kegalle

Tirappanē: Thirappane, Anuradhapura. Probably related to diversion; Tiripu: "Selavīma" (Sinhala, Sorata); Tiruppu: (verb) to cause to turn, return, deflect; (noun) a turn (Tamil, DED 3246)

Muppanē: Moneragala, Moneragala. Probably related to Mu: front, face (Sinhala, Sorata)

Tum-panē: Thumpane, Kandy

Tis-panē: Kothmale, Nuwara Eliya

Tis-panē-pura: Thabuttegama, Anuradhapura

* * *

Panāva:

Vē-vẹl-panāva: Padukka, Colombo. Vē-vẹl: rattan cane; Vē: rattan cane (Sinhala, Sorata); 1. Vēy: bamboo (Tamil, DED 5541); Vēyal: short-sized bamboo (Tamil, DED 5541); Vēḻam: bamboo, kaus reed, sugarcane (Tamil, DED 5541); a reed (Malayalam, DED 5541); 2. Vētasa: rattan, reed (Sanskrit, Rig Vedic, CDIAL 12097); Vētra: large reed (Sanskrit, CDIAL 12101); Vẹl: creeper (Sinhala, Sorata); Vallī: creeper (Sanskrit, possible Dravidian origin cited, CDIAL 11429); Vaḷḷi: climber, creeper (Tamil, DED 5316)

Nil-panā-goḍa: The village coming under obligatory service or government service requirement; or the bank/ hill/ village of the indigo plant place; Minuwangoda, Gampaha. Nila: Rājakāryaya, Niyamaya"; Nīli: indigo plant, "Avurigasa" (Sinhala, Sorata)

Mī-panāva: The place of beehives; or the Mī-tree place; Walapane, Nuwara Eliya. Mī: "Madhuva, Madhu-paṭalaya, Mī-mẹssa, Mī-gasa" (Sinhala, Sorata)

Kuru-panā-vela: The paddy field of the small place; Walapane, Nuwara Eliya

Kuru-panāva: The small place; Nagoda, Galle

Buda-panā-gama: Nagoda, Galle

Raṇa-panā-deṇiya: The valley of the forest place; or the valley of the bamboo place; Hikkaduwa, Galle. Raṇa: "Vanaya, Uṇagasa" (Sinhala, Sorata)

Berala-panā-tara: The ferry point or port at the Beraliya tree place; Pasgoda, Matara. Tara: "Toṭupala" (Sinhala, Sorata)

Raḷa-panāva-gama: The village of the thicket place; Nochchiyagama, Anuradhapura

Raḷa-panāva: The thicket place; Medirigiriya, Polonnaruwa

Kẹli-panā-vela: The paddy field of the jungle place; Haldummulla, Badulla

Tep-panāva: Probably, the place enclosed by stakes; Kuruvita, Ratnapura: Tep: any large wooden spear, stake (Sinhala, Clough)

Kem-panā-vatta: The garden or grove at the place having a waterhole; Ratnapura, Ratnapura. See Kẹm-panē

* * *

Hīnaṭi:

Hīnaṭiyana: Katana, Gampaha

Hīnaṭiyan-gala: Kalutara, Kalutara

Hīnaṭiya: Balapitiya, Galle

Hīnaṭi-gala: Habaraduwa, Galle

Hīnaṭi-hatamuna: Okewela, Hambantota. Hatamuna: Atamuna




Revised: Wednesday, 28 September 2016, 16:13

First published: Tuesday, 31 July 2012, 01:21