Know the Etymology: 102
Place Name of the Day: Wednesday, 30 August 2017

Valaip-pāṭu, Āḻvāṉ-pāṭu, Kuḍā-pāḍuva, Cem-pāṭu

வலைப்பாடு, ஆழ்வான்பாடு, குடா₃[ப்]பாடு₃வ, செம்பாடு
Valaip-pāṭu, Āḻvāṉ-pāṭu, Kuḍā-pāḍuva, Cem-pāṭu

Valai+pāṭu
Āḻvu+āṉ+pāṭu
Kuḍā+pāḍuva
Cem+pāṭu

The beach for dragnet fishing; or the area of sea to lay and draw dragnet from the beach

The area of sea deeper than usual to lay and draw dragnet from the beach

The beach or area of sea where dragnet fishing is of small-scale; or the smaller beach for dragnet fishing

The red-soil area

Pāṭu1	also Karaivalaip-pāṭu: seashore from where a dragnet (Karai-valai) is laid in the sea and is drawn from the shore to catch fish by a method called Beach Seine Fishing (Eezham Tamil place names, as in Valaip-pāṭu and Tamil Nadu place names as in Maṇap-pāṭu in Tūttukkuṭi); Etymology 1. Pāṭu: place, location (Tamil, MTL; inscription, 885 CE, SII, xii, 105; Piṅkalam, 719); locational case affix (Tamil, Naṉṉūl, 302); laying prostrate (Tamil, DED 3852); Paṭai: bed, layer, stratum (Tamil, DED, 3852); Patu: (verb) to lay horizontally (Tamil, DED 3852) Etymology 2. Pāṭu: division, part (Tamil, MTL, Caṅkam diction, Akanāṉūṟu, 30: 10; 219: 6); Etymology 3. Pāṭu: industry, labour, as in "Pāṭu-paṭṭu" (Tamil, DED 3853, Auvaiyār, Nalvaḻi, 22); Paṭu: (verb) to do (Tamil, DED 3853); Etymology 4. Pāṭu: capture of fish, "Mīṉ-pāṭu"; take of fish at one drawing; draught (Tamil, MTL, Winslow); Paṭu: (verb) be caught as fishes, birds or other game (Tamil, DED 3853, Kuṟuntokai, 342: 3)
Paṭu2	an area of sea or seabed/ shoal close-by the shore that is recognized as a suitable fishing ground to lay a dragnet, which is usually around 2 km in circumference (Tamil, Jaffna fishermen usage, as in Āḻvāṉ-pāṭu, Murukanantham, S., 1990, p. 212, citing Puṭparācaṉ, M., Ampā, 1976). See Pāṭu 1 for etymology
Pāṭu3	a ground or terrain of a particular type of earth, as in Cempāṭu: red-soil ground, Cem-maṇ nilam, (Tamil, MTL); Paṭai: bed, layer, stratum (Tamil, DED). See etymology 1 in box on Pātu 1
Pāḍuva	Sinhala form of Pāṭu 1 and 2, as seen in some coastal place names in North Western and Western Provinces (Sinhala, no dictionary entries, Pāḍuva in official records and Pāḍu in maps). See boxes on Pāṭu 1 and Pāṭu 2 in Tamil and see related place names.
Valai	net (Tamil, DED 5288, Kuṟuntokai, 171: 2-3); Valaiyaṉ: fisherman (Tamil, DED 5288); Vala: (verb) to encircle, surround, spin as spider its thread, plait, weave, string in a series, tie, bind (Tamil, DED 5288); cognates in 12 Dravidian languages
Āḻvu	depth (Tamil, DED 396); Āḻ: (verb) to sink, be deep, be immersed (Tamil, DED 396); cognates in 8 Dravidian languages
Āṉ	attributive suffix, as in Āḻvu+āṉ > Aḻvāṉ, variation of Aṉ (Tamil, see column 66)
Cem	(adjective) red (Tamil, DED 1931, Kuṟuntokai, 40: 4); Cē: (verb) to redden; (noun) redness (Tami, DED 1931); cognates in 12 Dravidian languages
Kuḍā	small (Sinhala, Clough); Kuṭṭi: small, smallness (Tamil, DED 1670)

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As a toponymic term of Tamil fisher folk, Pāṭu in coastal areas means a beach for dragnet fishing or means an area of coastal sea/ seabed/ shoal to lay a dragnet that is called Karai-valai in Tamil. Such a net is called Karai-maṭi in Tamil Nadu and Mā-dẹl in Sinhala.

This net or beach seine is usually laid in an area of around 2 km circumference in a rock-less, sandy shoal part of the sea and is pulled from the shore. The shore is usually a flat sandy beach, facilitating the draw involving a number of people.

The etymology of Pāṭu in the coastal fisheries context could be explained through different relevant meanings of the term in Tamil, such as place/seabed, part, labour and fish catch. A shoal under coastal sea seems to be the most appropriate meaning for Pāṭu, even though it means a beach or place in land in common toponymic understanding.

Pāḍuva is the Sinhala form of Pāṭu in North Western and Western provinces that has come into usage with language change.

Pāṭu in inland toponymic usage, as in Cem-pāṭu, means the layer of soil on a ground or terrain. In usage, it mostly comes with red loamy earth.

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Pāṭu as place:

"வட வரம்பு கரைபாடாக" (Tamil inscription, 885 CE, SII, xii, 105)

"Vaṭa varampu karaipāṭāka" (Tamil inscription, 885 CE, SII, xii, 105)

The northern limits being a coastal place


"…பாடு…இடமெனப்படுமே" (பிங்கலம், 719)

"…Pāṭu…iṭameṉappaṭumē" (Piṅkalam, 719)

Pāṭu means place


"…பாடு…இடப் பொருள் உருபே" (நன்னூல், 302)

"…Pāṭu…iṭap poruḷ urupē" (Naṉṉūl, 302)

Pāṭu is locative case suffix


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Pāṭu meaning labour or industry:

"பாடு பட்டுத் தேடி" (ஔவையார், நல்வழி, 22)

"Pāṭu paṭṭut tēṭi" (Auvaiyār, Nalvaḻi, 22)

Earning (money) by exerting labour


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Mīṉ-pāṭu as fish catch being related to the verb Paṭu:

"வேட்டுவன் படு வலை" (நற்றிணை, 212: 1)

"Vēṭṭuvaṉ paṭu valai" (Naṟṟiṇai, 212: 1)

The net to catch, laid by the hunter


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Description of Beach Seine Fishing, usages of the terms Pāṭu, Vala and Valai:

The following poem from the Caṅkam text Akanāṉūṟu gives a description of Beach Seine Fishing. Note the verb and noun Vala and Valai in the first line and the usage of the term Pāṭu in the second line.

"நெடுங் கயிறு வலந்த குறுங் கண் அவ் வலை
கடல் பாடு அழிய இன மீன் முகந்து
துணை புணர் உவகையர் பரத மாக்கள்
இளையரும் முதியரும் கிளையுடன் துவன்றி
உப்பு ஒய் உமணர் அருந் துறை போக்கும்
ஒழுகை நோன் பகடு ஒப்பக் குழீஇ
அயிர் திணி அடைகரை ஒலிப்ப வாங்கி
பெருங் களம் தொகுத்த உழவர் போல
இரந்தோர் வறுங் கலம் மல்க வீசி
பாடு பல அமைத்து கொள்ளை சாற்றி
கோடு உயர் திணி மணல் துஞ்சும் …" (அகநானூறு, 30: 1-11)

"Neṭuṅ kayiṟu valanta kuṟuṅ kaṇ av valai
Kaṭal pāṭu aḻiya iṉa mīṉ mukantu
Tuṇai puṇar uvakaiyar parata mākkaḷ
Iḷaiyarum mutiyarum kiḷaiyuṭaṉ tuvaṉṟi
Uppu oy umaṇar arun tuṟai pōkkum
Oḻukai nōṉ pakaṭu oppak kuḻīi
Ayir tiṇi aṭaikarai olippa vāṅki
Peruṅ kaḷam tokutta uḻavar pōla
Irantōr vaṟuṅ kalam malka vīci
Pāṭu pala amaittu koḷḷai cāṟṟi
Kōṭu uyar tiṇi maṇal tuñcum …" (Akanāṉūṟu, 30: 1-11)


The beautiful net of tiny eyes, bound with the long rope, hauled a variety of fishes, making the sea-shoal empty or making the sea to lose its pride

The young and old, the entire clan of the Parata people (fisher folk), happy about their association, gathered (at the beach).

Like the oxen of the caravan carts of salt traders exerting in line through a difficult way, the Parata people joined and drew the dragnet to the shore, with clamour sounding the sand-packed beach.

Like cultivators who have heaped paddy in a great threshing floor, (giving away some as alms), the Paratar also would throw away (a part of the fish haul) to fill the empty vessels of alms-seekers.

The Paratar would then divide the haul into several portions and would sell it to a good price.

They would then sleep in the sand-packed high dunes.

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Valaip-pāṭu is a major fisheries place in Poonakari division of Kilinochchi district. This is the coastal part of an old village called Vīrapāṇṭiyaṉ Muṉai and is located south of Pēy-muṉai or Devil's Point.

Āḻvāṉ-pāṭu is noted as a Beach Seine Fishing bank in Jaffna (Ampā, Puṭparācan, M., 1976, cited by Murukāṉantam. S., 1990, p. 212). Note the place name Tāḷvu-pāṭu, meaning the same as Āḻvāṉ-pāṭu.

Kuḍā-pāḍuva is in Negombo division of Gampaha district. Note the place names Ciṉṉap-pāṭu and Periya-pāṭu.

Cem-pāṭu is the term used to refer to the red-soil region of Jaffna Peninsula. It also comes as place name as Cempāṭu in Trincomalee Town and Gravets division of Trincomalee district, and as locality name in many places as Cempāṭu in Valveṭṭi, Vadamaradchi Southwest division of Jaffna district and in Mirucuvil in Thenmaradchi division of Jaffna district (Balasundaram, p. 191, 113).

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Some related place names:

Tāḻvu-pāṭu: Mannar Town, Mannar

Vaṅkālaip-pāṭu: Mannar Town, Mannar. This place in Mannar Town got the name as people from Vaṅkālai come and camp here for Beach Seine Fishing (A. S. Sosai)

Kurucup-pāṭu: Mannar Town, Mannar; Chilaw, Puttalam. The latter is noted as Kurusap-pāḍuva in official records. Kurucu: Holy Cross

Pantalaṭip-pāṭu: Karaithuraippattu, Mullaiththeevu. Pantal+aṭi+pāṭu; Pantal: shed

Kaḷḷap-pāṭu: Karaithuraippattu, Mullaiththeevu. Kaḷḷam: meaning elusive, may be a maritime term; note the coastal place names, Kaḷḷac-cilāpam and Kaṭaṟ-cilāpam mentioned in Vaiyāpāṭal, 32

Ciṉṉap-pāṭu: Munthal, Puttalam (Puttalam OIS). Noted as Sinna-pāḍuva in official records. Ciṉṉa: minor, small

Periya-pāṭu: Munthal, Puttalam (Puttalam OIS). Periya: major, big

Paḷḷivācal-pāṭu: Mukkuva-toḍuvā, Kaṟpiṭṭi, Puttalam, (Puttalam OIS). Noted as Pallivāsal-pāḍuva in official records. Paḷḷivācal: mosque

Putup-pāṭu: Mukkuva-toḍuvā, Kaṟpiṭṭi, Puttalam, (Puttalam OIS). Putu: new

Cēttup-pāṭu: Negombo, Gampaha. Noted as Settap-pāḍuva in maps and official records. Cēttu, Cēṟṟu: adjective of Cēṟu: mud (Tamil)

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Pāḍuva:

Settap-pāḍuva: Negombo, Gampaha. See Cēttup-pāṭu

Paḷḷivāsal-pāḍuva: Munthal, Puttalam. See Paḷḷivācal-pāṭu

Sinnap-pāṭuva: Munthal, Puttalam. See Ciṉṉap-pāḍu

Kurusa-pāṭuva: Chilaw, Puttalam. See Kurucup-pāṭu

Maṭṭa-koṭṭuva-pāḍuva: Madampe, Puttalam. Maṭṭa-koṭṭuva: name of the village, on the beach of which the Pāḍuva is located

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Valai:

Valaiñar-maṭam: Karaithuraippattu, Mullaiththeevu

Valai-vāṭi: Koralaippattu, Batticaloa

Valaiyiṟavu: Manmunai North, Batticaloa

Keravala-piṭiya: Wattala, Gampaha. Probably, Karai-valaip-piṭṭi

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Revised: Wednesday, 30 August 2017, 18:30

First published: Saturday, 12 July 2008, 11:43