Know the Etymology: 49
Place Name of the Day: Friday, 02 June 2017

Ōṭāviyār-vaṭṭai, Kākkācci-vaṭṭai, Kēḻ-vaṭṭai

ஓடாவியார் வட்டை, காக்காச்சி வட்டை, கேழ் வட்டை
Ōṭāviyār-vaṭṭai, Kākkācci-vaṭṭai, Kēḻ-vaṭṭai

Ōṭāviyār+vaṭṭai
Kākkācci+vaṭṭai
Kēḻ+vaṭṭai

The shipwright's/ boat-builder's paddy field or land

The paddy field in shelly ground

The finger-millet field

Vaṭṭai	a paddy field, usually away from a village and an enclosure in the jungle (Eezham Tamil, especially Batticaloa usage); paddy field, "Vayal" (MTL App., citing Jaffna Notes); large tract of forest, "Peruṅ-kāṭu" (Tamil, MTL, APP.); a plot of land in general, usually owned by someone, demarcated or enclosed (Eezham Tamil, Batticaloa usage); a settlement of demarcated identity, circuit (Tamil, inscription, 1300 CE, AVNM, 6, p. 36-40); 1. Vaṭavai: land in general, owned by someone and demarcated (Tamil, inscription, 924 CE, SII, viii, 695); Paṭappai: paddy field (Tamil, Naṟṟiṇai, 73: 9); grove: (Tamil, Aiṅkuṟunūṟu, 251); garden (Tamil, Kuṟuntokai, 98: 3-5); Pāṭam: rice-land, range especially of rice fields (Malayalam, DED 4062); Pāṭṭam: garden (Tamil, DED 4062, Kalittokai, 111: 4); Vāṭṭam, Vāṭṭiyam, Vāṭakai, Vāṭi: garden (Tamil, MTL, Winslow is cited for the first one and Jaffna Dictionary is cited for the other three); 2. Vaṭṭai-vaḷaittal: bringing a land under cultivation (Eezham Tamil, Batticaloa usage); Vaṭṭakai-nilam: enclosed field (Tamil, MTL); Vaṭṭakai: area, region (Tamil, MTL); surrounded area (Tamil, inscription, 1228 CE, IPS, 285); Vaṭṭu: inclosure, fence surrounding anything, circle (Sinhala, Clough); round (Tamil, Caṅkam diction, Naṟṟiṇai, 193: 1); Vẹṭa: an enclosure of any kind, hedge, fence (Sinhala, Clough); "Gaspeḷa hō Iṇipeḷa" (Sinhala, Sorata); Vẹṭiya: a circuit, enclosure or locality (Sinhala place names as in Puvak-vẹṭiya); Vaṭa: to surround, encompass (Sinhala, Clough); Vāṭa: enclosure, fence, enclosed land, garden (Sanskrit, CDIAL 11480); Vaṭṭa: round, circle (Pali, Prakrit, CDIAL 12069, CDIAL traces etymology to Vṛt/ Vṛtta: meaning 'turned' in Rig Vedic Sanskrit); Vaṭṭi: (verb) as in Vaṭṭittu: to turn around (Tamil, Caṅkam diction, Akanāṉūṟu, 218: 5; Puṟanāṉūṟu, 42: 22); Vaḷai: (verb) to surround; (noun) circle, surrounding region (Tamil, DED 5313); cognates in 8 Dravidian languages (note the Ḷ/ Ṭ interchange). See columns 260 and 475
Ōṭāvi	shipwright, boat-builder, carpenter (Tamil, DED 1039, MTL, Winslow, Kathiraiverpillai); boat-building carpenter of the Paravar community (Eezham Tamil, Mannar usage); Sinhala-Ōṭāvi: noted as a tax-paying community in Jaffna in the Dutch census, 1790 CE (Moothootamby Pillai, 1915, p. 157); Ōṭāyi: shipbuilders (Malayalam, DED 1039); Ōṭam: boat, raft, float, vessel (Tamil, Malayalam, DED 1039, Akanāṉūṟu, 101: 12-13); Ōṭi: large sea boat, long and narrow, chiefly from the Laccdives (Malayalam, DED 1039); Oḍi: boat, large sailing boat with two masts and a square sail (now obsolete, Dhivehi/ Maldivian, Fuah Mulaku and Addu dialects, DBF); Ōḍa: boat (Kannada, Parji, DED 1039); ship, vessel (Telugu, DED 1039); Hōḍa: raft, boat (Sanskrit, lexicons, etymology traced to Dravidian, CDIAL, 14174); Ōṭu (verb) to run, sail (Tamil, DED 1041); Ōṭṭu: (verb) to run, steer, sailing of a vessel (Tamil, DED 1041); cognates in 10 Dravidian languages; Ōṭāviyār: Oṭam+āḷvi+ār; Āḷvi: professional person; Āl: (verb) to put a professional effort, "Muyaṟci"; to do a business for livelihood, "Āḻ-viṉai" (Tamil, Akanāṉūṟu, 255: 7-8; Naṟṟiṇai, 52: 6-7, DED 5157); Ār: third person plural affix, used here as an honorific affix for an individual. See column 42 on Ōṭakkāraṉ-tīvu
Kākkācci	a kind of large and elongated cockle that is found in lagoons and estuaries (Eezham Tamil, especially Eastern Province usage); cockle (Tamil, MTL); Kakkā: = Kākkācci (Eezham Tamil, especially Eastern Province, note the Icci affix added to Kākkā/ Kākkā); Kakka: shell, cockle (Malayalam, DED 1423); Kāki-cippa: a bivalve shell (Telugu, DED 1423); Kāke: shellfish (Kolami, Naikri, DED 1423); probably from the bivalve attribute; 1. Kavar: (verb) to branch off, fork, bifurcate (Tamil, DED 1325); Kavai: (verb) to fork as a branch (Tamil, DED 1325); Kamuk-kaṭṭu: armpit (Tamil, DED 1234); Kākrī: armpit (Gondi, DED 1234); 2. Kakṣa: armpit, groin (Sanskrit, CDIAL, 2588); Ghōggha: shell, bivalve shell (Sanskrit, CDIAL 4514); Ghōgha: cockleshell, snail (Hindi, CDIAL 4514). Note Kavāṭṭi meaning oyster in Tamil coming in the same way from a root meaning bifurcation
Kēḻ	shortened from Kēḻ-varaku: a millet dark brown in colour, finger millet, Rāgi, Kurakkaṉ, Eleusine coracana (Tamil, MTL, DED 1583 + 5260); Kēppai: Kēḻ+pai: Eleusine coracana (Tamil, MTL, DED 1583 + 3821; see column 249 on Kēppā-pulavu); from Kēḻ: (special verb, Uriccol) bright colour, hue (Tamil, MTL, Kuṟuntokai, 49: 1); Kēḻtta: (adjective) bright hued (Tamil, MTL); from Kiḷar: (verb) to shine; (noun) light (Tamil, DED 1583)

Vaṭṭai commonly means a paddy field in the Eezham Tamil usage of Batticaloa. Such paddy fields are usually located away from a village or are cultivation enclosures found in the jungles. Occasionally the usage is found in the place names of Jaffna and Trincomalee too. Vaṭṭai also means a plot of land, usually owned by some one. In some usages of Tamil Nadu it means a forest tract.

Etymology could either be traced to Vāṭṭam/ Pāṭṭam meaning a rice field or garden or to Vaṭṭam meaning an enclosure. The latter seems to be more appropriate, considering the usage Vaṭṭai-vaḷaittal in Batticaloa for bringing a land under cultivation by clearing jungle and fencing it. Note Vēli in Tamil/ Dravidian meaning fence as well as paddy field being a comparison. Also see columns 260 and 475 for other Vaṭṭam (enclosure)-related place names in Eezham Tamil and Sinhala.

Vaṭṭam in the meaning of an enclosure could be traced to the roots Vṛt/ Vṛtta in Sanskrit/ Indo-Aryan (CDIAL 12069), as well as to Vaḷai in Tamil/ Dravidian (DED 5313). See box on Vaṭṭai.

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Usage of Vaṭṭai in the meaning of a locality, probably a paddy-field locality:

"இப்படிக்கு வைராகிகளும் சமையக் கணக்கனும் பல வட்டைகளிலும் தண்டிப் புகுந்த" (c. 1300 CE, Āvaṇam, 6, pp. 36-40)

"Ippaṭikku vairākikaḷum camaiyak kaṇakkaṉum pala vaṭṭaikaḷilum taṇṭip pukunta" (c. 1300 CE, Āvaṇam, 6, pp. 36-40)

Thus the collections (probably of paddy) made in the many localities by the temple ascetics and by the accountant of the body of temple servants [Vairāki: ascetics, usually associated with Saiva temples in the time of this inscription; Camaiyak-kaṇakkaṉ: accountant of a temple-service body; Camaiyam: a category or body of temple servants]

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Vaṭavai meaning a land or field owned by someone:

பரசுராமன் வடவைக்கும் சிறியான் குணமந்தரன் வடவைக்கும் மற்றும் ஒழிந்த நிலத்துக்கு வடக்கு (924 CE, South Indian Inscriptions, viii, 695)

Paracurāmaṉ vaṭavaikkum ciṟiyāṉ kuṇamantaraṉ vaṭavaikkum maṟṟum oḻinta nilattukku vaṭakku (924 CE, South Indian Inscriptions, viii, 695)

North of the land/ field of Paracurāmaṉ, and [north of the] land/ field of Ciṟiyāṉ Kuṇamantaraṉ, and [north of] all the other lands

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Vaṭṭakai meaning circumference or encompassed/ defined area:

"இக் கோநாடு இருபத்துநாற் காத வட்டகையும்" (1228 CE, Inscriptions of Pudukkottai State, 285)

"Ik kōnāṭu irupattunāṟ kāta vaṭṭakaiyum" (1228 CE, Inscriptions of Pudukkottai State, 285)

The 24 Kāta (60 or 96 miles) circumference area of this Kō-nāṭu (a district)

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Vaṭṭai as paddy field away from settlement in Batticaloa usage:

“இந்த மழைக்கும்
இனி வாற கூதலுக்கும் – என்ட
சொந்தப் புருஷன் எண்டால்
வட்டையில சுணங்குவாரோ” (மட்டக்களப்பு நாட்டார் பாடல்)

“Inta maḻaikkum
Iṉi vāṟa kūtalukkum – eṉṭa
Contap puruṣaṉ eṇṭāl
Vaṭṭaiyila cuṇaṅkuvārō” (Maṭṭakkaḷappu Nāṭṭār Pāṭal)

"In this rainy season, and in the forthcoming winter, will he be delayed in the Vaṭṭai (without coming home), if he is my own husband (if he is really my husband)." [The man stays in Vaṭṭai for some months to watch the crop.]

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Kākkācci or Kakkā is kind of big, elongated, edible oyster usually found in shallow lagoons and in estuaries of streams. The terms are especially of Eastern Province usage. The exact zoological term couldn't be ascertained from dictionary entries, but from its appearance the mussel could be related to Perna Perna.

The word Kākkācci, similar to another name Kavāṭṭi for another kind of bivalve, seems to be related to a root word meaning bifurcation. See box for the etymological possibilities.

Layers of oyster shells are commonly seen in alkaline paddy field stretches, as they were once lagoon beds in geological times.

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Ōṭāvi in Tamil means a special category of traditional carpenters building ships and boats. The word comes from Ōṭam meaning ship or boat in Tamil/ Dravidian, which in turn comes from the verb Ōṭu, meaning to run or sail. See column 42 on Ōṭakkaraṉ-tīvu for etymological discussion on Ōṭam.

Kēḻ, meaning bright colour in old Tamil and found in the phrases Kēḻ-varaku and Kēḻ-pai (Kēppai) meaning finger millet or Kurakkaṉ, differentiates the millet from the others by referring to its shiny brown colour. Kiḷar, meaning to shine, is the related verb in Tamil/ Dravidian. See box above and also see column 249.

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Ōṭāviyār-vaṭṭai is a place in Poratheevuppattu division of Batticaloa district.

Kākkācci-vaṭṭai is also in Poratheevuppattu division of Batticaloa district.

Kēḻ-vaṭṭai is a locality in Valikamam North division of Jaffna district (Balasundaram, p. 422)

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Some related place names:

Vaṭṭai:

Cemmaṇ-vaṭṭai: Cammanthurai, Amparai. Cem-maṇ: red earth

Kuḷattu-vaṭṭai: Koralaippattu, Batticaloa

Iluppaṭi-vaṭṭai: Iluppai+aṭi+vaṭṭai: Eravurpattu, Batticaloa

Kuṭā-vaṭṭai: Eravurpattu, Batticaloa; Vadamaradchi Southwest, Jaffna (Balasundaram, p. 184)

Tuṟaiyaṭi-vaṭṭai: Tuṟai+aṭi-vaṭṭai: Eravurpattu, Batticaloa

Aliyār-vaṭṭai: Poratheevuppattu, Batticaloa. Aliyār: Ali+ār: a Muslim personal name

Iṟakkattu-vaṭṭai: Poratheevuppattu, Batticaloa. Iṟakkam: descending land

Kaḷa-vaṭṭai: Poratheevuppattu, Batticaloa. Kaḷam: threshing floor

Nāyāṟṟu-vaṭṭai: Poratheevuppattu, Batticaloa. Nāy-āṟu: name of a stream; probably a stream found with otters (Nīr-nāy)

Neṭiya-vaṭṭai: Poratheevuppattu, Batticaloa

Pālaiyaṭi-vaṭṭai: Poratheevuppattu, Batticaloa

Paḷḷa-vaṭṭai: Poratheevuppattu, Batticaloa

Putu-vaṭṭai: Poratheevuppattu, Batticaloa

Camuḷaiyaṭi-vaṭṭai: Poratheevuppattu, Batticaloa. Camuḷai: a tree

Vakkiyellai-vaṭṭai: Poratheevuppattu, Batticaloa

Muṉṉam-pōṭi-vaṭṭai: Moothoor, Trincomalee. Muṉṉam-pōṭi: a personal name: Pōṭi: landlord in Batticaloa usage

Nakkanā-vaṭṭai: Valikamam North, Jaffna (Balasundaram, p. 425)

Ciṟiya-vaṭṭai: Valikamam North, Jaffna (Balasundaram, p. 423)

Tampu-vaṭṭai: Valikamam South, Jaffna (Balasundaram, p. 424). Tampu: 1. From Tampaṉam: burning a forest for cultivation; 2. Tampal: mud in paddy fields

Cōrā-vaṭṭai: Valikamam South, Jaffna (Balasundaram, p. 184)

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Ōṭāvi:

Ōṭāviyār-cēṉai: Nāvaṟkāṭu, Batticaloa

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Kākkācci:

Kākkāc-cippit-tiṭal: a locality in Kiṇṇiyā, Trincomalee (OIS). Tiṭal: rising ground, open raised ground, bank, island, (Tamil, DED 3221); Cippi: shell, seashell, oyster shell (Tamil, DED 2535)

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Revised: Friday, 02 June 2017, 18:30

First published: Monday, 06 August 2007, 01:00