Know the Etymology: 383
Place Name of the Day: Sunday, 14 December 2014

Thalaha-gam-waaduwa

தலஹக₃ம் வாடு₃வ
Talaha-gam-vāḍuva

Thala+ha+gam+waaduwa
Thalaha+gama+waaduwa

The vicinity or neighbourhood of the village of the firm ground

The vicinity or neighbourhood of the village of Thalaa plants or trees

Waaduwa	adjacency, vicinity (Sinhala); Vaddai: surrounding places, neighbourhood places (Tamil, inscription, Aaava'nam 6 p. 36-40); Vaddakai: area, region (Tamil, MTL); Vaadakai: region, district (Tamil, MTL citing inscriptions); Vaddakai-nilam: enclosed field (Tamil, MTL); Vaddam: circuit, surrounding area or region (Tamil, MTL, Perung-kathai, 82: 21; Cheevaka-chinthaama'ni 4: 99); Vaa'lam: equivalent to Vaddam (Tamil, MTL); Vaadi-veali: the boundary line of a village (Tamil, MTL, Coimbatore usage); Vaata: enclosure, fence (Sanskrit, CDIAL 11480); enclosure, circle (Pali, CDIAL 11480); etymology related to Vatta, Va'lai: circle (Pali, Prakrit, Tamil, CDIAL 12069, DED 5313). Also see column on Thikili-vaddai, Oadaaviyaar-vaddai, Chamu'laiyadi Vaddai
Thalaha 1	Thala+ha: of Tala (Ha: genitive case suffix, Sinhala); Tala 1: plain, surface, shelf, layer, place, firm spot, the ground (Sinhala); Talawwa: meadow, plain (Sinhala); Talaawa: open glade, meadow, table land (Sinhala); Tala: surface, flat roof, (Sanskrit, CDIAL 5731); level, ground, surface (Pali, Prakrit, CDIAL 5371); Sthala: ground, place, flat surface, roof, heap of earth (Sanskrit, CDIAL 13744); Tha'lam: place, surface, roof, terrace (Tamil, usage after c. 5th century CE); Thalai: head, top, end, tip, hair (Tamil, DED 3103); place, surface, the ground, earth (Tamil, Ku'runthokai, 6: 3); top surface (Tamil, Natti'nai, 66: 2); crest (Tamil, Ku'runthokai, 160: 11; 144: 2); frontal place (Tamil, ku'runthokai, 222: 1-2); forehead (Tamil, Kaliththokai, 66: 15); locative case suffix (Tamil, Tholkaappiyam, Chol, 82); Talavai, Taravai: grassland plain (Eezham Tamil); Tala 2: top, summit, head (Sinhala, Sorata); Talaa: high ground, hill (Sinhala, Clough); table land, bank, seashore (Sinhala, Sorata); Talak-kattu: top (Sinhala); related to Thalai (Tamil, DED 3103); Tala 3: depth, bottom, inferiority of position (Sinhala, Clough); base, bottom (Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit (CDIAL 5371): Thaazh (verb), Thaazhvu: depth, foot as of a mountain, abode, resting place (Tamil, DED 3178); Thaazh: being low, sinking, the bottom; Taggu (from Thaazh): low ground, hole, a flat, valley (Kannada, DED 3178); Tala 4: hole, hollow (Sinhala, Clough); Thu'lai: hole, hollow, from the root Tho'l (Tamil, DED 3528); Tala 5: seashore (Sinhala); Thalai: projecting land, sandbar, frontal place, edge, tip (Tamil, related to DED 3103); Tala 6: palm, sole (Sinhala); palm, sole (Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit, CDIAL 5371); Kaith-thalam: palm (Tamil, from the meaning, place, DED 3103, or flatness from thadam, DED 3035); Thaa'l: foot, leg (Tamil, DED 3185); Thadam: footstep, sole impression (Tamil, DED 3024); Tala 7: quiver (Sinhala); Thaazhi: jar (Tamil, DED 3182); Tala 8: leathern fence worn by archers on the left arm (Sinhala); Thoal: skin, hide, leather (Tamil, DED 3559); leathern fence or shield of warriors (Tamil, Ku'runthokai, 392;: 6-8); Tala 9: sesame (Sinhala); Tila: sesame (Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit, CDIAL 5827, Munda origin suggested); Tala 10: scales (Sinhala, Sorata); Tulaa: balance, scales (Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit, CDIAL 5886); Tala 11: multitude (Sinhala, Sorata); Thalaik-kooduthal: coming together, multitude (Tamil, Thirukku'ral 40: 4); Tala 12: palmyra palm (Sinhala); Taala, Taada: palm tree (Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit, CDIAL 5750); Taazh: palmyra palm (Kannada, DED 3180); Taa'li: palmyra palm (Tulu, DED 3180); Thaazhai; screw pine (Tamil, DED 3183); Tala 13: also Talaya: the blade of any instrument (Sinhala); Thalai: face, surface, tip, edge (Tamil, related to DED 3103); Thada: broad (Tamil, DED 3020); Thaddu, Thaddai: flat, flatness (Tamil, DED 3035); Tattu: the blade of a sword (Kannada, DED 3035). See columns on Maa-tale and Ma'n'nith-thalai
Thalaha 2	Thalaa-gasa (Sinhala, Sorata); Thalaa 1: various species of basil plant (Sinhala, Sorata, Clough), Tulasee: the sacred basil plant (Sanskrit, CDIAL 5885); Thuzhaa-ay, Thuzhaay, Thu'laci, Thu'lavam, Thu'lavu: sacred basil (Tamil, DED 3357, Ku'rignchip-paaddu 90; Paripaadal 8: 1-2; 13: 29; 15-54); Thalaa 2: the tree, Cathartocarpus fistula or Cassia fistula known for its hanging bunches of yellow flowers (Sinhala, Clough); Thalai: hair (Tamil, DED 3103); probably the Sinhala name has come from the tresses like bunches of flowers of the tree; Tal: head, honey comb (Naikri, DED 3103); Tel: head, honey comb (Parji, DED 3103); Talla: head, honey comb (Gondi, DED 3103). The head/ honeycomb combination is comparable to Thalaa meaning the bunch of Cassia fistula flowers, which resembles tresses of hair as well as a honeycomb.
Gam	plural and combination form of Gama: village (Sinhala). See earlier columns on etymology.

Waaduwa is a seldom-found place name suffix in Sinhala. It means adjacency or vicinity.

Vaddam, Vaddai, Vaddakai and Vaadakai are cognates found in Tamil. See box.

Both the Tamil and Sinhala terms are etymologically related to Vatta/ Vattam in Prakrit/ Tamil and Va'lai in Tamil/ Dravidian ('L > < T/ D interchange), meaning a circle.

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The prefix Thalaha could be explained by splitting it as Thala+ha (of Thala, if 'Ha' is taken as genitive case suffix) or by taking Thalaha as one word.

The word Thala in Sinhala has several shades of meanings. What is appropriate to the context seems to be the meaning, firm spot, terrace or bank, as the place is a high ground located amidst watery paddy field stretches. There is another place having the name Thalaha-gama, which is also flat firm ground on the bank of a river.

The plain, surface, bank, shelf, layer, firm spot/ ground meanings of Thala could etymologically be explained through both Tala in Sanskrit/ Indo-Aryan (CDIAL 5731) and Thalai in Tamil/ Dravidian (DED 3103). See box. Also note how out of 13 meanings of Thala in Sinhala, 8 are exclusive to Dravidian, 1 to Indo-Aryan, 1 to Indo-Aryan or Munda and 3 are explainable through both Dravidian and Indo-Aryan.

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If Thalaha is taken as one word, Sorata's Sinhala dictionary equates the word with Thalaa-gasa, i.e., the Thalaa plant or tree.

Thalaa in Sinhala is a general term for the various species of the basil plant. It is a cognate of Tulasee in Sanskrit (CDIAL 5885) and Thuzhaa-ay, Thuzhaay, Thu'laci, Thu'lavam and Thu'lavu in Tamil (DED 3357), meaning the same plant. While the early Sanskrit usage is found in the Puraanas the Tamil usages are found in the Changkam diction.

Another meaning for the word Thalaa in Sinhala is the tree Cathartocarpus fistula or Cassia fistula. The etymology is uncertain, but it may be related to the tresses-like bunches of flowers of the tree. Thalai in Tamil also mean hair of the head, with specific cognates for the same meaning found in Kodagu, Tulu, Telugu, Kui, Kuwi and Maltese. Another related meaning found in the Dravidian cognates Tal (Naikri), Tel (Parji) and Talla (Gondi), is head as well as honeycomp, which is comparable to the bunch of Cassia fistula flowers.

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Thalaha-gam-waaduwa is a place in Okewela division of Hambantota district.



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Some related place names: Also see columns on Maa-tale and Ma'n'nith-thalai

Thalaha-gama: The village of the firm ground or the village of basil plants/ Cassia fistula trees; Athuraliya division, Matara district


Place names in which Thala is probably related to landscape:

Thalang-gama: Kaduwela division, Colombo district; Balangoda division, Ratnapura district

Thalang-galla: Thawalama division, Galle district

Thalang-gamuwa: Mahiyangana division, Badulla district

Thala-doowa: Negombo division, Gampaha district

Thala-gama: Mirigama division, Gampaha district

Thala-gama-wæwa: near Aana-maduwa (the place is a high ground surrounded by many tanks

Maa-thalaana: Attanagalla division, Gampaha district

Thala-gala: Horana division, Kalutara district

Thala-hitiya: Millaniya division, Kalutara district (This is a coastal place)

Uda-thala-vinna: Pathadumbara division, Kandy district

Thala-gunea: Udadumbara division, Kandy district

Thala-wathura: Udanuwara division, Kandy district

Thala-kiriyaa-gama: Galewela division, Matale district. Kiriya: a land of 4 Amu'na sawing capacity (Sinhala); Kiri: a kind of millet (Sinhala); a newly developed cultivation land

Thala-kiriyaawa: Pallepola division, Matale district

Thala-hitiyaawa: Akmeemana division, Galle district

Thala-pala-kanda: Pasgoda division, Matara district

Thalalla: Devinuwara division, Matara district

Thalam-poaruwa: Angunakolapelessa division, Hambantota district

Thala-pitiya-gama: Tangalle division, Hambantota district

Thalambuwa: Maho division, Kurunegala district

Thala-galla: Maho division, Kurunegala district

Thala-mal-gama: Polpithigama division, Kurunegala district

Thalam-pola: Bingiriya division, Kurunegala district

Thalatuwa: Kurunegala division, Kurunegala district

Thalam-pitiya: Kurunegala division, Kurunegala district

Thalamme-hæra: Pannala division, Kurunegala district

Thala-vila, Thalai-villu: Katpiddi division, Puththa'lam district

Thala-vitiya: Eheliyagoda division, Ratnapura district


Thala related to palmyra/ talipot palms:

Thala-wathu-goda: Maharagama division, Colombo district

Thala-wathu-hean-pita: Kelaniya division, Gampaha district

Thala-gas-pe: Elpitiya division, Galle district

Thala-pe-kumbura: Pitabeddara division, Matara district

Thala-path-kanda: Walasmulla division, Hambantota district

Thala-wattea-gama: Polgahawela division, Kurunegala district

Thala-gaha-gedara: Passara division, Badulla district

Thala-gas-kanda: Weligegoda division, Ratnapura district

Thalawaa-kælea: Nuwara Eliya division, Nuwara Eliya district


Thalaa: (some of them could be meaning a tank)

Boa-thalaa-pitiya: Udapalatha division, Kandy district

Thalaa-goda: Naula division, Matale district

Maa-thalaa-pitiya: Yatawatta division, Matale district

Rayi-thalaa-wela: Ukuwela division, Matale district (Thalaawa in this context as there is a village Rayi-thalaawa)

De'lun-thalaa-mada: Kothmale division, Nuwara Eliya district

Thalaa-pitiya: Galle Four Gravets division, Galle district

E'lamba-thalaa-goda: Thihagoda division, Matara district

Thalaa-ko'la-wæwa: Rasnayakapura division, Kurunegala district; Polpithigama division, Kurunegala district; Aanamaduwa division, Puththa'lam district; Medirigiriya division, Polonnaruwa district

Thalaada-pitiya: Polpithigama division, Kurunegala district

Giraa-thalaana: Panduwasnuwara division, Kurunegala district

Thalaa-kumbura: Kandaketiya division, Badulla district

First published: Sunday, 14 December 2014, 10:41