Know the Etymology: 399
Place Name of the Day: Wednesday, 29 April 2015

Eba-wala-pitiya

எப₃வல பி[ட்]டிய
Ebavala-piṭiya

Eba+wala+pitiya

The high-ground plain of the deep waterhole

Eba

= Heba: deep waterhole, “Gæmburu diyava'la” (Sinhala, Sorata); Heba: natural pond (Sinhala, Clough); waterhole, natural pond (Sinhala, Sorata); Diya-heba: waterhole, Diya-va'la (Sinhala, Sorata); Diya-heba, Heba, Eba: small pond (Sinhala, Madduma Bandara, 2009); Hep: = Heba (Sinhala, Sorata); Amba, Ambu: water (Sinhala): Ambu: water (Sanskrit, CDIAL 576); Ap, Aapah: waters (Sanskrit, CDIAL 407); Am, Aam: water (Tamil, DED 187). See column on Ampanai.

Wa'la

pit, hole (Sinhala, Clough); Wa'lu: = Wa'la: (Sinhala, Sorata); Va'lu: well (Dhivehi/ Maldivian); Va'lai: hole (Tamil, Changkam diction, Akanaanoo'ru, 122: 15); circle (Tamil, DED 5313); (verb) to surround (Tamil, DED 5313); (verb) to become bend (Tamil, DED 5314); Va'l: curvature (Tamil); Va'l'lam: cup, boat, canoe (Tamil, DED 5315)

Eba and Heba in Sinhala mean a deep waterhole, natural pond or a small pond. They are also called Diya-heba in Sinhala.

Eba seems to be related to Amba, meaning water in Sinhala (A > E change and loss of M). Heba has come by the addition of H.

The etymology of Amba could be traced to both Indo-Aryan and Dravidian, as Ambu in Sanskrit is water (CDIAL 576) and the root, Am, meaning water in old Tamil is taken as Dravidian (DED 187).

Wa'la in Sinhala meaning a pit or hole corresponds to Va'lai in Tamil meaning a deep hole in the ground as in the case of rat-hole, rabbit-hole etc. Va'lu in Dhivehi/ Maldivian means a well. The etymology could be traced to DED 5313, 5314 and 5315. See box.

See earlier columns on the etymology of Pitiya meaning a high-ground plain in Sinhala and Piddi meaning a high ground in Tamil.

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Eba-wala-pitiya is a place in Wariyapola division of Kurunegala district. Possibly it is Eba-wa'la-pitiya (Wa'la > Wala). If the component is Wala it means jungle and the place name could mean the high-ground plain of the jungle having a waterhole

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Some related place names:

Æbala-gedara: probably, Ebala-gedara: the house premises of the waterhole; Neluwa division, Galle district

Hebarawa: probably, Heba-araawa: the new cultivation field of the natural pond; Mahiyanganaya division, Badulla district

Hebbæ-kanda: probably, Heba-kanda; the hill of the waterhole or natural pond; Ambagamuwa division, Nuwara Eliya district

Heppu-mulla: probably, Hepa-mulla; The corner of the waterhole or natural pond; Ambalangoda division, Galle district. Heppu also means a small metal box in Sinhala (Cheppu in Tamil, DED 2772)

Hæ-paana: probably Hepa-paana: The natural pond water; Udunuwara division, Kandy district. (Sorata's Sinhala dictionary equates Hepa with Heba)

First published: Wednesday, 29 April 2015, 12:31