Know the Etymology: 261
Place Name of the Day: Saturday, 01 June 2013

Pahuru-mulla

பஹுரு முல்ல
Pahuru-mulla

Pahuru+mulla

The corner or point for (operating) cargo float
The corner for (making) rope or raft

Pahuru

(plural), Pahura: (singular) Raft, large number of bamboos put together to float as a boat to carry timber etc., in canals or river, rope made of the creeping plant Sanseviera zeylanica, (Sinhala); 1. Pragraha: Bridle (Sanskrit, CDIAL 8478); Paggaha: Thether (Prakrit, CDIAL 8478); Cognates in Indo-Aryan mean, rope to tie boat, tow-rope, act of towing a boat etc., (CDIAL 8478); 2. Pahur: A creeper, Bauhinia vahilii; Paahur: A creeper having large leaves used for plates (Gondi, DED 3801); Pa’eri-doari: Rope made from bush vine (Kuwi, DED 3801); Pa:h’ri: Coracle, boat, ship, vessel (Tamil, 4120); Paa’ru: Ship, sailing ship (Tamil, DED 4120); Small boat, catamaran (Malayalam, DED 4120); A kind of boat or ship, Kannada, DED 4120); Paa’ral: Float, raft (Malayalam, DED 4120)

Mulla

Corner, angle (Sinhala); Mullu: Corner (Koraga, DED 5044); Moolai: Corner, intermediate point of compass (Tamil, DED 5044); Moola: Corner (Malayalam, Telugu, Kolami, Parji, Gondi, Konda, Kuwi, DED 5044); Mul: Corner, direction (Kota, DED 5044); Mule: Corner (Kodagu, DED 5044); Moole: Corner, point of compass (Kannada, Tulu, DED 5044); Muly: Corner, direction (Toda, DED 5044); Muju, Mudgu: Corner (Kui, DED 5044); Muli: Also Mula, Mulla in island names: The corner point, promontory, headland, projection (Dhivehi/ Maldivian)

A raft or a float, made of a large number of bamboos to carry timber etc., in a canal or river, is called Pahuru in Sinhala. The word also means a kind of rope made from the plant Sanseviera zeylanica.

A Comparative Dictionary of the Indo-Aryan Languages (CDIAL) traces the word with the rope meaning to Pragraha in Sanskrit, meaning a bridle, and to its cognates in other Indo-Aryan languages meaning a rope to tie boat, act of towing a boat etc. (CDIAL 8478)

However, A Dravidian Etymological Dictionary (DED), comes out with another relevant cognate Pa’eri-doari in Kuwi, meaning a rope made from a bush vine (DED 3801)

For the raft or cargo float meaning of the Sinhala word Pahuru, the closest and most relevant cognates are the Malayalam words Paa’ral, meaning the same as in Sinhala, Paa’ru meaning a catamaran or small boat, and the old Tamil words Pa:h’ri and Paa’ru, meaning a water-going vessel, coracle, cargo boat, sailing ship etc. The Tamil/ Malayalam cognates are listed as words belonging to Dravidian etymology (DED 4120).

Mulla in Sinhala, being a Dravidian cognate of Moolai in Tamil (DED 5044) has been discussed in the earlier columns.

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Pa:h'ri as cargo boat or ship:

“Nellodu vantha val vaayp pa:h'ri” (Paddinappaalai, 30)

“நெல்லொடு வந்த வல் வாய்ப் பஃறி” (பட்டினப்பாலை, 30)

The Pa:h’ri (cargo boat or ship) having a robust mouth (brow or hold) that has come with a cargo of paddy


Paa’ru as water-going vessel:

“Vangkam…paa'ru…naavaay en'ru ivai meathaku neer meal oadum marakkalam” (Thivaakara Nika'ndu 6:216)

“வங்கம்…பாறு…நாவாய் என்று இவை மேதகு நீர் மேல் ஓடும் மரக்கலம்” (திவாகர நிகண்டு 6:216)

Vangkam…Paa’ru …Naavaay – all of them are Marakkalam (vessel) that ply on high waters

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Pahuru-mulla is a place in Bentota division of Galle district

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Some related place names:

Pahuru-golla: The forest or grove, from where timber is transported through floats; or the forest or grove having the Pahuru plant to make rope; Medadumbara division, Kandy district

First published: Saturday, 01 June 2013, 22:29