Know the Etymology: 423
Place Name of the Day: Wednesday, 28 October 2015

Hanguran-ketha, Hangaran-gala, Han-gamuwa

ஹங்கு₃ரன்கெத, ஹங்க₃ரங்க₃ல, ஹங்க₃முவ
Haṅguran-keta, Haṅgaraṅ-gala, Haṅgamuva

Hanguran+ketha
Hangaran+gala
Hang+gamuwa

The paddy fields of the Buddhist monastery; or the paddy fields the revenue of which go to the Buddhist monastery

The Buddhist monastery hill or the hill of yellow orpiment mineral

The village belonging to the Buddhist monastery

Keta	(singular), Ket (plural): cultivation field (Brahmi inscriptions, IC, Vol I, 1215); field, house, abode (Sinhala, Clough); Ket: 1. Place “Kshetra” (Sinhala, Sorata); 2. A cereal cultivation field, “Daanyaadiya vævena tæna” (Sinhala, Sorata); 3. A fit or proper land, “Sudusu bhumiya” (Sinhala. Sorata); 4. Field or paddy field belonging to the king, “Rajuta ayath kumbura” (spoken Sinhala, Sorata); Ketahi-bumi: cultivation land (Brahmi inscriptions, IC, Vol I, 1226); Ket-kam: paddy field work (Sinhala, Sorata); Ket-pal, Ket-palu: cultivator; Keta-pala: a field newly developed for cultivation (Sinhala, Sorata); Ketaka: land, place, “Kshetraya”, (Sinhala, Sorata); Kshetra: land (Sanskrit, Rig Vedic, CDIAL 3735); Khetta: field (Pali, CDIAL 3735); Keadaara: field, especially one under water (Sanskrit, CDIAL 3463); irrigated field (Pali, CDIAL 3463); Kaithai: paddy field (Tamil, DED 1958); related to Cey: field, especially a wet field (Tamil, DED 1958); Key, Kay: field (Kannada, DED 1958); Kayya: a rice field (Telugu, DED 1958); Kette: wet mud, mire (Kodagu, DED 1958); Keaththiram: paddy field (Tamil, Nari-viruththam,: 16, c. 10th century CE Jaina literature); Keathaaram: sacred place, cultivation field (Tamil, MTL); Keaththu: cultivation field (Tamil, provincial, MTL); Keaththu-vaari: the portion of produce in dry cultivation lands taken as temple revenue before the yield is shared between the cultivator and government (Tamil, Thirunelveli dialect of Tamil Nadu, MTL)
Hanguran	probably Hangaran as found in other place names that in turn could have come from, 1. Hangaram < Sangaram: = “Sanghaaraamaya,” Buddhist monastery (Sinhala, Sorata); 2. Hanggaram: = “Sanghaaraamika,” given to a Buddhist monastery, the revenue rights granted to the Buddhist monastery by a royal degree, “Sinhala rajun davasa sanghaaraamayanhi katayutu sandahaa patkara'na lada aya” (Sinhala, Sorata)
Hangaran	1. From Hangaram: < Sangaram: see box above on Hanguran; 2. Probably from Hangaaran: yellow orpiment, a mineral found in the central part of the island and is used as pigment in paintings, lacquer work etc., “Hiriyal” (Sinhala, Sorata)
Hang	1. Sanghayaa: of the Buddhist Sangha, (Sinhala, Sorata); 2. = Anga: (Sinhala, Sorata), part, bank part of paddy fields; Hangamu: from Sangamu: village belonging to a Buddhist monastery, “Sanghayaata ayat gam” (Sinhala, Sorata). See column on Changkaththaar-vayal.

Ketha in Sinhala commonly means a field to grow cereals (“Daanyaadiya vævena tæna”). The word also means a fit or proper land, crown paddy fields and a place or field in general (Sorata). An abode or house is a further meaning (Clough).

Ketha in the meaning of a cultivation field is a word found in the Brahmi inscriptions of the island (IC, Vol I, 1215, 1226).

The etymology of Ketha is traced to Khetta meaning a field in Pali and in turn traced to Kshetra meaning a land in Rig Vedic Sanskrit (CDIAL 3735).

In the sense of a cereal field, Ketha could also be related to Kaithai in old Tamil/ Dravidian, meaning a paddy field (DED 1958) and Kette in Kodagu meaning wet mud or mire (DED 1958).

The said Dravidian forms are traced to the root Cey (field, wet field, cereal field in Tamil), Key, Kay (field in Kannada) and Kayya (paddy field in Telugu). A related word Keadaara is found in Sanskrit and Pali too, meaning a wet field or irrigated field (CDIAL 3463).

Also note that Kaithai in Tamil (DED 2026) has another meaning, screw pine (which grows in marshlands, Keyiyaa in Sinhala). The cognate Keataka in Sanskrit meaning the same is traced to Dravidian (CDIAL 3462).

* * *

“Avulada keta” (Brahmi inscription, Inscriptions of Ceylon, Vol I, 1215)

“அவுலத₃ கெத” (Brahmi inscription, Inscriptions of Ceylon, Vol I, 1215)

The paddy fields in a low-lying wet land (Aval: low-lying land, cultivation land, Tamil, Ku'runthokai, 250: 1; Pu'ranaa:nooru, 6: 14); also Aval: rice flakes, Tamil, Akanaa:nooru, 141: 17-18, DED 2391; Habala-pethi: rice flakes, Sinhala)

* * *

The component Hanguran in the Sinhala place name Hanguran-ketha seems to be a variant of the prefix Hangaran, as found in Hangaran-gala and in other such place names in the island (see related place names).

Hangaran is the combination form of Hangaram, a variant of Sangaram (H < S change), which in turn is a shortened form of the phrase, Sangha-aaraamaya, meaning a Buddhist monastery (Sorata).

According to Sorata's dictionary citing Codrington's Glossary, Hangaram itself, deriving from Sanghaarraamika and literally meaning anything that is endowed to the Buddhist monastery, was used as a land tenure term. It meant the revenue rights granted to a Buddhist monastery by a royal decree (“Sinhala rajun davasa sanghaaraamayanhi katayutu sandahaa patkara'na lada aya”).

Most probably, the place name Hanguran-ketha seems to have come from the paddy fields that were obliged to pay revenue to a Buddhist monastery.

* * *

While the component Hangaran found in the other Sinhala place names too may denote Buddhist monastic connections, there is also a probability that some of them could be related to another Sinhala word Hangaaran, meaning yellow orpiment. This is a mineral that is found in the central part of the island, used in making pigments for paintings and lacquer work. Hangaa-ran probably means 'similar to gold'.

* * *

Han-gamuwa is obviously the variant form of Sangamu (Sang-gamu), meaning a village belonging to the Buddhist Sangha.

As Hang in Sinhala is used in the possessive case sense of Sangha, many of the place names having the prefix Hang, could be related to the Buddhist monastery. However, the word Hang is also used as H added to Ang, and place names in these instances may have different meanings. (See related place names)

See earlier columns on the etymology of Gala meaning rock or hill, and Gamu meaning a village.

* * *

Hanguran-ketha is a place that has rendered its name to an entire division in Nuwara Eliya district.

Hangaran-gala is in Kalawana division of Ratnapura district.

Han-gamuwa as a village name is found in more than one place: Polpithigama division, Kurunegala district; Ibbagamuwa division, Kurunegala district; Elpatha division, Ratnapura district.

* * *

Some related place names:

Ketha:

Yati-hanguran-ketha: The lower part of Hanguran-ketha; Hanguranketha divisin, Nuwara Eliya district

Nawa-Hanguran-ketha: The new Hanguran-ketha village; Thalawa division, Anuradhapura district

Sri-ketha: The auspicious place or paddy fields; Hingurakgoda division, Polonnaruwa district

Ruhu'nu-ketha: probably, Rooha'na-ketha: The firm paddy fields or the prosperity increasing paddy fields; Welikanda division, Poonnaruwa district. Rooha'na: Nægeema, sthira or diyu'nuveema (Sinhala, Sorata)

Ran-keth-gama: The village of golden paddy fields; Nochchiyagama division, Anuradhapura district; Vavuniyaa South division, Vavuniyaa district; Dimbulagala division, Polonnaruwa district

Thiruk-keatheesvaram: Keatheechcharam, as it was known in the Tamil-Saiva hymns of 7th century CE and was located at the emporium at Maa-thoaddam, probably it was Keatha-eechcharam: The Siva temple of the auspicious place or paddy field tract; Maathai West division, Mannaar district. Keaththiram: paddy field (Tamil literary usage, “Keaththiram nan'rathu aakil…nan'raal vi'laithalaik kaaddumaapoal”: As a good produce could be seen in a good cultivation land; c. 10th century CE, Nari-viruththam: 16).

* * *

Hangaran:

Hangaran-wala: The forest providing revenue to the Buddhist monastery; or the forest found with yellow orpiment; Nagoda division, Galle district

Hangaraa-pitiya: probably, the tableland plain found with yellow orpiment; or the tableland plain of dark earth; Ambagamuwa division, Nuwara Eliya district. Hanguru, Anguru: coal (Sinhala, Sorata)

Hangaran-kanda: The hill of the Buddhist monastery; or the hill found with yellow orpiment; Rattota division, Matale district

Hiriyala, another name for Hangaaran as a place name component:

Hiriyala: The (place to get) yellow orpiment; Kurunegala district

Hiriyala-gammana: The village outskirts found with yellow orpiment; or the outskirts of the village Hiriyala; Harispattuwa division, Kandy district

* * *

Hang:

Han-gunnaawa: The part belonging to the Buddhist monastery: Uva Paranagama division, Badulla district. Gunnaawa: probably from the root Gu'na: part, portion; “Kotasa, Bhagaya”, (Sinhala, Sorata)

Hanhamunawa: Han-hamu'nawa (Han-amu'nawa) or Hanha-munawa; Bamunukotuwa division, Kurunegala district

Ang-gamuwa: probably, Hang-hamuwa: The village belonging to the Buddhist monastery; Panduwasnuwara division, Kurunegala district

An-kumbura: probably, Hang-kumbura: The paddy fields of the Buddhist monastery; or the paddy fields of the Anga (bank) part; Pujapitiya division, Kandy district

Ang-gammana: probably the village outskirts belonging to the Buddhist monastery; Panvila division, Kandy district; Ratnapura division, Ratnapura district

Hanga:

Hanga-watta: The grove of the Buddhist Sangha; or Anga-watta; Divulapitiya division, Gampaha district

Hanga-wela: The paddy fields of the Buddhist Sangha; Rambukkana division, Kegalle district

Sanghaaraama:

Sanghaaraama: The Buddhist monastery; Homagama division, Colombo district

First published: Wednesday, 28 October 2015, 19:54