Know the Etymology: 82
Place Name of the Day: Sunday, 09 October 2016

Valañciyaṉ-veḷi, Ainūṟṟuvaṉ-vaḷavu, Veḷańda-goḍa, Ūrvaṇikaṉ-paṟṟu

வலஞ்சியன்-வெளி, ஐநூற்றுவன்-வளவு, வெளந்த-கொ₃ட₃, ஊர்வணிகன்-பற்று
Valañciyaṉ-veḷi, Ainūṟṟuvaṉ-vaḷavu, Veḷańda-goḍa, Ūrvaṇikaṉ-paṟṟu

Valañciyaṉ+veḷi
Ainūṟṟuvaṉ+vaḷavu
Veḷańda+goḍa
Ūr+vaṇikaṉ+paṟṟu

The open place of a member of the Vaḷañciyar merchant community

The premises of a member of the Ainūṟṟuvar merchant community

The mercantile village or the bank that has a mart/market place

The part under the control of a merchant of Ūrvaṇikaṉ identity

Valañciyar	also Vaḷañciyar, Vaḷaiñceyar, Vīra-vaḷañceyar: a medieval South Indian merchant guild that was operating along with Ainūṟṟuvar, or as part of Aiṉūṟṟuvar, which was a South Indian umbrella merchant guild (Tamil, inscriptions, 985 CE, SII, xix, 459; 1020 CE, SII, v, 449; 1150 CE, AVNM, 9, pp. 33-34); Teṉṉilaṅkai-valañciyar: a section of the said merchant guild that was operating in Ilaṅkai or was originating from the Ilaṅkai; literally meaning the Valañciyar of Ilaṅkai in the south. The identity figured in an inscription in Tamil Nadu along with Añcuvaṇṇam and Maṇikirāmam that were other merchant guilds (Tamil, Tītāṇḍatānapuram inscription, 1269 CE, ARE, 1926-27, p. 93); Balañja: a merchant community that was operating in medieval Andhra, between c. 1300 and 1600 CE; considered as part of Aiyavōlai/ Ainūṟṟuvar (Sundaram, K., Journal of Oriental Research, Madras, XXX, i-iv, 1963); Vīra-balañja-dharma: code of conduct of Balañja (ibid.); Baṇajiga: merchant community (Kannada); Vaṇij: trader (Sanskrit, Rig Vedic, CDIAL 11230); Vaṇija: trader (Sanskrit, lexicons, CDIAL 11231). Note the Ṇ/ Ḷ change
Veḷańda	trader, "Vāṇijayā" (Sinhala, Sorata); Veḷańdam-pala: market, place for trading, mart (Sinhala, Clough); Vaṇij, Vaṇija: trader (Sanskrit, CDIAL 11230, 11231); 1. see box on Vaḷañciyar for the Veḷańda word-form and note Ṇ/ Ḷ and J/ D changes; 2. Vilaiñar: those who sell, traders (Tamil, Caṅkam diction, Kuṟuntokai, 117: 69; from Vil: (verb) to sell, put on sale (Tami, DED 5421); Bele: price (Kannada, Tulu, DED 5421); Vela: price (Telugu, DED 5421); Viṟka, Vikka: to sell (Tamil, DED 5421); Vikuṇanavā: (verb) to sell (Sinhala, Clough)
Aiṉūṟṟvar	also Aiṉṉūṟṟuvar, Aiññūṟṟuvar: literally meaning the 500; a medieval South Indian merchant guild (Tamil, c. 900 CE, AVNM 10, p. 16; 1050 CE, AVNM 2, pp. 6-8); Aiyapoḻil: another term of identity for Aiṉūṟṟuvar; from the place Aiyapoḻil (Aihoḷe) in Karnataka (Tamil, 1142 CE, SII, xiv, 251); Nānā-tēciyt-ticaiyāyirat-taiñ-nūṟṟuvar: literally meaning the 500 of the different directions and various countries; an umbrella organisation of various merchant guilds (Tamil, 985 CE, SII, xix, 459); Nāṉku-ticaip-patiṉeṇ-pūmi-nāṉā-tēcit-ticai-āyirat-tainnūṟṟuvar: literally meaning the 500 of the thousand directions, various countries and 18 lands of the four cardinal points; an umbrella organisation of various merchant guilds (Tamil, 1050 CE, AVNM, 2, pp 6-8); Ain-nūru, Aiñ-ñūṟu: 500 (Tamil, DED 2826). See columns on Nāṉāṭṭāṉ, Tāvaḷam, Añcaṇat-tāḻvu, Cittira-mēḻi, Āvaṇam, Vīrakoḍiyāna and Niyaňgama
Ūrvaṇikaṉ	probably a section of merchant community, local merchant community or non-urban merchant community; Ūr: village, town, city (Tamil, DED 752); local (Tamil usage); Vaṇikaṉ, Vāṇikaṉ: merchant (Tamil, Puṟanāṉūṟu, 134: 1-2; Cilappatikāram, 2: 76; Tamil Brahmi inscriptions, Mahadevan, p. 676); Vaṇij: trader (Sanskrit, Rig Vedic, CDIAL 11230). See box on Vaḷañciyar.

Vaḷañciyar, as found in Tamil inscriptions dating from c. 10th century CE, is the identity of a medieval South Indian merchant guild. The identity was either associated with or was part of the Ainūṟṟuvar/ Aiyapoḻil guild. The term Vaḷañciyar is sometimes found used as a synonym of Ainūṟṟuvar/ Aiyapoḻil.

It is also noticed that the Vaḷañciyar were sometimes putting on regional identities like Tirunelvēli Vaḷaiñceyar (1020 CE), Teṉṉilaṅkai-vaḷañciyar (1269 CE) etc. The latter must be a guild that was either operating in Ilaṅkai or was one that originated in the island and was operating in South India.

A cognate Balañja is found used between 1300 and 1600 CE for a Telugu merchant guild. The members of this guild also called themselves as Ayyāvaḷi Svāmi, indicating Aiyapoḻil (Aihoḷe in Karnataka) connections.

The epithet, Vīra-vaḷañceyar, noticed in Tamil inscriptions (1150 CE) and the code of conduct of the guild getting the term Vīra-balañja-dharma in Telugu, show that military was a constituent part of the merchant guild. Telugu sources note that the regular army of the Balañja merchants was called Mummari-daṇḍa (Mūṉṟu-kai, probably meaning three-pronged regiments, was a term used in Tamil for medieval militaries, including mercantile militaries. An inscription of the 'Mūṉṟu-kai' was recently found in Vaṉṉi also).

While Ainūṟṟuvar and Aiyapoḻil are specific identities, the terms Vaḷañciyar and Balañja in their etymological origin seem to be general identity of merchants that later gained guild identity when associated with the said guilds. Baṇajiga in Kannada generally means merchant community.

Phonetic change patterns in South Asian languages would show that Vaḷañciyar in Tamil, Veḷańda in Sinhala, Balañja in Telugu and Baṇajiga in Kannada are cognates of Vaṇij in Rig Vedic Sanskrit meaning trader (Note the Ṇ/ Ḷ; V/ B; J/ C; J/ D changes and Ñ addition).

Significantly, the usage Vaḷañciyar in Tamil is noticed only in the medieval merchant guild inscriptions. It doesn't come in Tamil literary usage, while the terms Vaṇikaṉ and Vāṇikaṉ were in use in Tamil literature and inscriptions since very early times. There is a strong probability that the Vaḷañciyar word-form with the Ṇ > Ḷ change is of Kannada origins, coming with the Aiyapoḻil merchant guild.

Veḷańda in Sinhala, meaning trader, corresponds to Vaṇija in Sanskrit, but in word form it is closer to Vaḷañciyar of the trade guild usage.

On Ainnūṟṟuvar, inscriptions specifically using that term of identity are found in various parts of the island. One inscription is found in Sinhala language too (Indrapala, p. 285). Presence of merchants in the island with the Ainnūṟṟuvar identity continued to 15th century, as could be seen from the Ainnūṟṟuvar Kāḷi inscription found in Kalutara. The term Ainnūṟṟuvar, meaning 'The 500', is of Tamil/ Dravidian etymology (DED 2826).

See other columns for the etymology of Veḷi, Vaḷavu, Goḍa and Paṟṟu.

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Vaḷañciyar:

"Vaḷañciyarum nana tēciyt ticaiyāyirataiññūṟṟuvarum" (985 CE, South Indian Inscriptions, xix, 459)

"வளஞ்சியரும் நானா தேசிய்த் திசையாயிரத்தைஞ்ஞூற்றுவரும்" (985 CE, SII, xix, 459)

Vaḷañciyar and (Nānā-tēci-ticai-āyirattu-aiññūṟṟvar) The 500 of the 1000 directions of various countries

Vīra-vaḷañceyar:

"Veyya cuṭar neṭu vēl vīra vaḷañceyar patineṭṭup paṭṭinamum" (1150 CE, AVNM 9, p. 33-34)

"வெய்ய சுடர் நெடு வேல் வீர வளஞ்செயர் பதினெட்டுப் பட்டினமும்" (1150 CE, AVNM 9, p. 33-34)

The eighteen port cities (a reference meaning numerous cities) of the valorous Vaḷañceyar of long and fiercely shiny spears

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Valañciyaṉ-veḷi is a place in Puthukkudiyiruppu division of Mullaiththeevu district.

Ainūṟṟuvaṉ-vaḷavu is a locality name in Jaffna City, Jaffna district (Balasundaram, p. 52).

Veḷańda-goda is a place in Malimbada division of Matara district. There is another place by the same name in Walasmulla division of Hambantota district.

Ūr-vaṇikaṉ-paṟṟu is in Pachchilaippalli division of Kilinochchi district.

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Some related place names:

Valanciyaṉ: Karaithuraippattu, Mullaiththeevu

Veḷeńdava: Yakkalamulla, Galle




Revised: Sunday, 09 October 2016, 21:34

First published: Saturday, 01 March 2008, 11:22