Know the Etymology: 279
Place Name of the Day: Wednesday, 28 August 2013

Chempi-kaladdi, Chempan-ku’ndu

செம்பி கலட்டி
செம்பன் குண்டு
Cempi Kalaṭṭi
Cempaṉ Kuṇṭu

Chempi+kaladdi
Chempan+ku’ndu

The stone outcrop terrain of Chempai plants
The natural pond found with Chempai plants

Kaladdi	Also Kaladu, Kaladdi-nilam: A terrain of rock or stone outcrops, usually of limestone or coral (Eezham Tamil, especially Jaffna dialect); Kal: Stone, rock (Tamil, DED 1298); Karadu: Roughness, unevenness (Tamil, DED 1265); Karaddu: Rugged, uneven (Tamil, DED 1265)
Ku'ndu	Depth, hollow, pond, manure-pit (Tamil, DED 1669); Ku'ndam: Deep cavity, pit, pool (Tamil, DED 1669); Ku'ntam, Ku'ntu: What is hollow and deep, hole, pit (Malayalam, DED 1669); Ku'nda, Ko'nda, Ku'nte: Pit, pool, pond (Kannda, DED 1669); Ku'nta, Gu'nta: Pond, pit (Telugu, DED 1669). Cognates are also found in Kodagu, Tulu, Kolami, Naikri, Parji, Gondi, Konda, Kui, Kuwi and Kurux. Cognates are also traced to Kuddam and Kuddai in Tamil (DED 1669). Ku'nda meaning a bowl, water-pot, pit, pot etc. in Sanskrit is traced to Dravidian (CDIAL 3264). The word Kuta for water-pot found in Sanskrit is also traced to Dravidian (CDIAL 3227); U'ndi: A cognate of Ku'ndu, found in the place names of Jaffna, as in Vil-u'ndi, Kal-u'ndaay (Kal-u'ndi-aay) etc.
Chempai	A plant, also called Chittakaththi (the small variety of Akaththi), Coronilla sesban Willd. Common Sesban (Tamil, MTL, Winslow); Neerch-chempai (the Chempai found in water sources), Karugn-chempai (the dark Chempai) and Vayat-chempai (the Chempai found in the paddy fields) are different varieties of the plant (Winslow); A kind of tree, Jerusalem Thorn, used for fuel is also called Chempai, but it is differentiated as Cheemai-chempai (MTL)

Kaladdi means a rough terrain of stone or rock outcrops.

Kaladu, Kaladdu-nilam and Kaladdi-nilam are related terms found in usage.

The terms stand for a physiographic feature of landscape, found especially in Jaffna Peninsula, where localities of limestone outcrops or of coral stones are very common.

In Batticaloa, Kaladdi or Kaladdi-vayal means an unproductive paddy field, records E. Balasundaram.

In Jaffna, most of the Kaladdi-related locality names come from the limestone outcrop region of the northern parts of Vadamaraadchi and Valikaamam divisions (see related place names below).

The Kaladdi lands in Jaffna are sometimes put into cultivation of crops (not paddy), after painstakingly removing the rock outcrops.

The etymology of Kaladdi could be traced to two roots: Kal, meaning stone or rock, and Karadu meaning a rough terrain (R >L change); both belonging to Tamil/ Dravidian (DED 1298 and 1265).

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Ku'ndu in Tamil, treated as a word of Dravidian etymology, generally means depth, hollow, pond and pit (DED 1669). Cognates of the word are found in 14 Dravidian languages.

The word Ku'ndu is found widely used in the Changkam literature. Ku'ndam and Ku'ndakam are related words in Tamil, but their literary usage is noticed only in the later literature.

Sanskrit has a cognate Ku'nda meaning a bowl, water pot, pit and pot, and there are related words in the other Indo-Aryan languages too. But, based on certain linguistic evidences, the Comparative Dictionary of Indo-Aryan Languages (CDIAL) traces the etymology of Ku'nda to Dravidian.

In general Eezham Tamil usage and in the context of place names, Ku'ndu specifically means a small but sharply deep source of water or pit.

Usually a small natural pond, caused by the collapse of the limestone surface is called a Ku'ndu.

In wells and in constructed ponds (Kea'ni), the small and deep pit part in them, which is the fountain or source of the spring, is also called a Ku'ndu.

Perhaps the component U'ndi found in the Eezham Tamil place names related to sinkhole water sources, is a cognate of Ku'ndu.

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Ku'ndu meaning a natural pond:

“Akal vaay ku'ndu chunai” (Ku'runthokai 59:2)

“அகல் வாய் குண்டு சுனை” (குறுந்தொகை 59:2)

The natural deep pond of gaping mouth


Ku'ndu meaning a pit:

“Thi'n thear kuzhiththa ku'ndu nedu:n theruvil” (Perumpaa'naattuppadai 297)

“திண் தேர் குழித்த குண்டு நெடுந் தெருவில்” (பெரும்பாணாற்றுப்படை 297)

In the long street that has pits dug by the (plying of) sturdy chariots


Ku'ndu meaning a source of deep water:

“Azhunthum ku'ndum kayamum aazha neer” (Pingkala Nika'ndu 1:85)

“அழுந்தும் குண்டும் கயமும் ஆழ நீர்” (பிங்கல நிகண்டு 1:85)

Azhunthu, Ku'ndu and Kayam are deep waters

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Chempi and Chempan come in the prefixes of the place names cited above most probably stand for a plant called Chempai that is found in wastelands, paddy fields and in localities of water resources.

Chempai is also called Chittakaththi (Chi'ru-akaththi: the small variety of Akaththi). The botanical term of the plant is Coronilla sesban Willd. In Tamil, it is differentiated into three types: Neerch-chempai (the Chempai found in water sources), Karugn-chempai (the dark Chempai) and Vayat-chempai (the Chempai found in the paddy fields).

* * *

Chempi-kaladdi is a locality in Idaikkaadu village in the Valikaamam East division of Jaffna district

Chempan-ku'ndu is a village in the Poonakari division of Ki'linochchi district

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Some related place names:


Chempi/ Chempan:

Chempi-moaddai: The tank or pond found with Chempai plants; Ki'n'nyaa division, Trincomalee district

Chempan-ku'lam: The tank found with Chempai plants; Poonakari division, Ki'linochchi district

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Ku'ndu:

A'rukuk-ku'ndu: The natural pond found with A'ruku grass; Naanaaddaan division, Mannaar district

Kundu-madu: The deep tank, or the tank that has a deep spot, or the tank that gets water from a fountain pit in it; Poththuvil division, Ampaa'rai district

Karadik-ku'ndu: The pond frequented by bears; Poonakari division, Ki'linochchi district

Narik-ku'ndu: The natural pond frequented by jackals; Va'n'naar-pa'n'nai, Jaffna district

Ku'ndadi: The locality of the natural pond; Chuthumalai, Jaffna district (Balasundaram p.165

Ku'ndu-ma'nik-ku'lam: The tank locality found with Ku'ndu-ma'ni/ Kun'ri-mani climbers; Madu division, Mannaar district. Kun'ri-ma'ni: Crab's Eye, Abrus precatorius, of which there are three types, Cheng-kun'ri (the red Kun'ri), Ve'n-kun'ri (the white Kun'ri) and Karung-kun'ri (The dark kun'ri). Kun'ri: (Tamil, DED 1865); Ma'ni: (Sanskrit, CDIAL 9731)

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Kaladdi:
Being an unproductive land, Kaladdi comes very rarely as a village name. It is usually a locality name. Most of the Kaladdi-related place names given below were culled out from the publication of Prof E. Balasundaram, who took care in recording many of the locality names in the Jaffna district.

Kaladdi: The stone outcrop locality; Kaladdi alone comes as a locality name in Achchuveali, Alvaay, Karaveddi, Nelliyadi, Maaviddapuram, Chu'n'naakam, Vasaavi'laan, Panippulam, Kokkuvil and Va'n'naar-pa'n'nai,

Kollan-kaladdi: The stone outcrop locality of a blacksmith; Valikaamam North division, Jaffna district

Kaladdi-ozhungkai: The gulley in the stone outcrop locality; Va'n'naarpa'n'nai

Kaladdi-amman-koayil: The Amman temple in the locality of stone outcrops; Va'n'naarpa'n'nai

Chaaththaa-kaladdi: The stone outcrop locality of the deity Chaaththaa (Aiyanaar); A'laveddi North, Jaffna district

Cheenan-kaladdi: The stone outcrop locality of a Chinese; A'laveddi, Jaffna district

Cheenan-kaladu: The stone outcrop locality of a Chinese; Veala'nai

Payilik-kaladdi: The stone outcrop locality of Payiri vegetation; Vassavi'laan

Thachchan-kaladdi: The stone outcrop locality of a carpenter; Thumpa'lai

Kaaraik-kaladdi: The stone outcrop locality of Kaarai vegetation; Thumpa'lai

Kommaa-kaladdi: Probably, the stone outcrop locality where there was a military detachment in the Dutch times; Thumpa'lai

Va'n'naar-kaladdi: The stone outcrop locality of washermen; Thumpa'lai

The'niyak-kaladdi: The stone outcrop locality of the rising ground; Thumpa'lai

Thaadaan-kaladdi: The stone outcrop locality of the chief; Koappaay. Thaaddaan: Chief, master (Tamil, Winslow, literarily the big person); Thadaa: largeness, greatness (Tamil, DED 3020); Thadiyan: Stout or fat person (Tamil, DED 3020)

Paa'raan-kaladdi: The locality of rock outcrops; Koappaay

Chearan-kaladdi: The stone outcrop locality belonging to a person called Chearan or a person from the Chera country; Vara'ni

Vaarik-kaladdi: The stone outcrop locality having a pond or situated on a flood plain; Chu'n'naakam

Paruththik-kaladdi: The stone outcrop locality under cotton cultivation; Chu'n'naakam

Puththar-kaladdi: The stone outcrop locality of Buddhist connections; Puththoor

Koththan-kaladdi: The stone outcrop locality found with Koththan or Koththaan creepers; Valveddithth-thu'rai

Athikaari-kaladdi: The stone outcrop locality of an official; Chillaalai

Mannan-kaladdi: The stone outcrop locality of the king or a person called Mannan; Chillaalai

Aariyan-kaladdi: The stone outcrop locality belonging to a person called Aariyan; Idaikkaadu. Even the Christian priests were called as Aariyar (Kayts tombstone inscription)

Chaadik-kaladdi: The stone outcrop locality abandoned of cultivation (Chaaddi) or the stone outcrop locality found with potsherds; Idaikkaadu

Ulakkan-kaladdi: The locality of stone outcrops in ruin or decay; Idaikkaadu. Ulakkai: Ruin, end, death (Tamil, DED 671)

Kaladdith-thoaddam: The garden in the stone outcrop locality; Idaikkaadu

First published: Wednesday, 28 August 2013, 01:32