Know the Etymology: 450
Place Name of the Day: Tuesday, 09 February 2016

Pannawa, Heen-pannaawa, Kehel-pannala

பன்னவ, ஹீன்பன்னாவ, கெஹெல்-பன்னல
Pannava, Hīn-pannāva, Kehel-pannala

Pannawa
Heen+pannaawa
Kehel+panna+la

The workplace or duty place

The small or abandoned workplace/ farm

The banana farm

Panna	work, duty, obligatory service, as in the phrase, Dæwa-panna: the obligatory work of sawing timber (Dæwa) for the king or government, “Lee dandu pi'libanda raajakaaryaya” (Sinhala, Sorata); business, service, as in the phrase Pa'nivida-panna: the work of conveying orders (Sinhala, Clough); Pannea: workshop, worker, as in the phrase Dæwa-pannea: saw pit, any place where wood or timber (Dæwa) is cut and prepared for the carpenters, a sawyer or woodcutter (Sinhala, Clough); Pannala: La suffix added to Panna: place of garden work, farm, as in Kehel-pannala (Sinhala, place name); Pana: stipulated work, duty, preparation, as in the word form Pana-wana: doing stipulated work, “Niyama kara'na”, preparing, readying, “Pi'liyela karavana” (Sinhala, Sorata); Panat: duty, engagement, custom, traditionary practice or observance, “Niyama, Sirita” (Sinhala, Sorata); Pa'ni-vida, Pa'ni-vuda: order, command, message etc., as instruction to do a work (Sinhala); Panikkila: tom-tom beater who announces orders, messages etc. (Sinhala); Pannaya: tools, apparatus (probably because of their use in work), handicraft (Sinhala); Pana, Pana-waru: carpenter (Sinhala); Panikkiyaa: elephant keeper, elephant catcher, headman of service communities, barber (Sinhala, Clough, Sorata); Pa'nya: a produce or commodity for sale (Sinhala); Pa'nita, Pa'nadaka, Pa'nata: terms denoting officials carrying out the king's work (Early Brahmi inscriptions, Inscriptions of Ceylon, Vol I, 1035, 1128, 1215); Pa'na-an: person in the service of the king, official (Tamil Brahmi inscription, Mankulam, Mahadevan); 1. Pa'n: service, work, business, employment, decoration (Tamil, DED 3884); Pa'n'nu: (verb) to do (Tamil, DED 3884); Pa'ni: act, action, performance, work, service, decoration (Tamil, DED 3884); cognates in 14 Dravidian languages; Pa'niti: work (Tamil, DED 3884); Pa'nikkan: carpenter (Tamil, DED 3884); Pa'ninar: servants (Tamil, DED 3884); 2. Pa'nai, Pa'n'nai: agricultural tract paddy field, garden (Tamil, DED 3891); Pa'na: ground which is worked, including stone quarry (Malayalam, DED 3891); Pa'ne: ground that is worked, tillage, quarry (Kannada, DED 3891); quarry (Tulu, DED 3891); 3. Pa'ni: (verb) to bow, be humble, became inferior (Tamil, DED 3888); Pa'nivu: submission, low place (Tamil, DED 3888); 4. Pa'ni: (verb) to order, command, say, speak; (noun) order, command (Tamil, DED 3887); Pa'nippu: command order (Tamil, DED 3887); cognates in 11 Dravidian languages including Brahui. See column on Panan-wala
Pannam	weaving, plaiting, weaving mats, preparing cotton for thread (Sinhala); Pannayaa: grass cutter (Sinhala, Clough); Panayara: weaver of mats (Sinhala); 1. Pan: a kind of grass or reed used in mat making, bulrush (Sinhala); Par'na: foliage (Sanskrit, CDIAL 7918); Pa'n'na: leaf (Pali, CDIAL 7918); 2. Pannu: (verb) to weave (Tamil, DED 4207); preparing cotton for thread (Tamil, MTL); Pinnu: (verb) to plait, braid, knit, weave, bind (Tamil, DED 4207); Pannal: cotton (Tamil, Changkam diction, Pu'ranaanoo'ru, 345: 20); Panai: palmyra palm (Tamil, DED 4037); Pannai: palm variety of plants and trees (Tamil usage); hand-loom (Tamil, MTL); Pannaadai: Pan+aadai: the fibrous cloth-like web about the bottom of the leaf-stalk of a palmyra or coconut tree (Tamil, DED 4207+ from DED 347); Panna-vealai: braiding palmyra leaves in making mats, baskets etc. (Tamil, Jaffna dictionary, MTL, DED 4207+DED 5540); Pannaakam, Pannaangku: braided coconut leaf, canopy of a carriage etc. (Tamil, Jaffna dictionary, MTL, with cognates in Malayalam, Kannada and Tulu, DED 4040)
Kehel	also Kesel, Keal: banana, plantain, 53 species and varieties have been identified in the island (Sinhala, Clough, Sorata); Keheliya, Keali: banner (Sinhala, Clough, Sorata); Kadala: banana plant, Musa sapientum (Sanskrit, CDIAL 2712, citing the form Kadalee Austro-Asiatic origin traced); Kadalee: banana, flag (Pali, CDIAL, 2712); Kayala: banana (Prakrit, CDIAL 2712); Kathali: Banana (Tamil, usage starts around 7th century CE, Theavaaram, 1: 9: 5); Kathalikai: cloth banner (Tamil, Ma'nimeakalai, 1: 52)
Heen	also Seen: thin, small, fine (Sinhala, Clough); Chinna: small, little, inferior, mean, low, young (Tamil, DED 2594); cognates in 9 Dravidian languages, including Brahui; Chil: small (Tamil, DED 1571); Chil >< Chin as in Val >< Van; Heena: deficient, defective, left, abandoned, quitted, wasted, worn, decayed (Sinhala, Clough); Heena: abandoned (Rig Vedic), base, mean, inferior (Sanskrit, CDIAL 14124); inferior, poor (Pali, CDIAL 14124); Hee'na: deserted, less (Prakrit, CDIAL 14124)

The term Panna, especially when it comes as a suffix in Sinhala place names, seems to be meaning a worksite or duty place, as could be seen from many examples. See related place names.

The components Panna and Pannea in Sinhala phrases like Dæwa-panna and Dæwa-pannea respectively mean the work of preparing timber and the place where the work is done, such as a saw pit. As Dæwa means timber, obviously Panna stands for work or worksite.

Panna in the context of certain place names is therefore related to the Sinhala word Panat, meaning duty, engagement, customary work etc. (Sorata), and to the word Pana as in the phrase, Pana-wana, meaning stipulated work, preparation etc. (Sorata).

The said words correspond to Pa'ni in Tamil/ Dravidian, meaning work, service, act and performance (DED 3884).

The root word Pa'n (DED 3884) is noticed in Tamil Brahmi inscriptions (as Pa'na-an, ETE, Mahadevan) and in the forms Pa'nata, Pa'nita and Pa'nadaka, noticed in the Brahmi inscriptions of the island (IC, I, 1035, 1128, 1215, Paranavitana). All of them mean officials in the service of kings.

See the column on Pan-nila for the root term Pan coming in the Sinhala place names, meaning work.

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The component Pannala coming in the Sinhala place names seems to be Panna added with La affix (see related place names).

The example Kehel-pannala shows that Pannala means a garden, i.e., an agricultural/ horticultural workplace or farm. This usage corresponds to Pa'nai/ Pa'n'nai meaning the same in Tamil/ Dravidian (DED 3891), probably related to the same root Pa'n (DED 3884), either in the shade of the meaning work or in the shade meaning preparation of land.

In the example of the place name Mas-panna (see related place names), Panna means a mining worksite, as Mas means gemstone. Note the cognates in Malayalam, Kannada and Tulu, meaning the same (DED 3891).

There are other Pa'ni-related words and phrases in Sinhala, meaning order, command and services related to them. They correspond to Pa'ni, probably from a different etymon (DED 3887), meaning the same in Tamil/ Dravidian. See box.

Pana meaning a carpenter in Sinhala is related to Pa'n meaning the work of shaping and decoration, and Pa'nikkan meaning a carpenter (Tamil, DED 3884).

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In some of the instances, when the component Panna comes as prefix in Sinhala place names, the meaning may be related to the work of plaiting.

Pannam in Sinhala means weaving, plaiting, weaving mats and preparing cotton for thread.

In this case there could be two etymological probabilities: Pannam coming from Pan meaning leaf and bulrush reed, corresponding to Par'na in Sanskrit (CDIAL 7918), or Pannam corresponding to the Tamil/ Dravidian verbs, Pannu and Pinnu, meaning to plait, braid, knit, weave, bind and prepare cotton for thread (DED 4207). See box on Pannam for the other usage examples.

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Pannawa is noticed as a place name in Ganewatta division, Kurunegala district and in Kobeigane division of Kurunegala district

Heen-pannaawa is a place in bingiriya division of Kurunegala district.

Kehel-pannala is in Mawanella division of Kegalla district.

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Some related place names:

Panna: (as suffix)

Pahamu'nu-panna: The worksite at the dam or drain; Kahawatta division, Ratnapura district. Pahamu'na: 1. the side of a temporary dam or side of a paddy field bank (Sinhala, Sorata); 2. Gutter, sewage, drain etc. (Sinhala, colloquial, Sorata)

Atakalan-panna: The work place at Atakalan; Kahawatta division, Ratnapura district. Atakalan: a place that was previously a Korale. The name probably means, “Eight Parts”; Ata: eight; Kala: part; or it could be Yata-kalan, similar to another place name Yata-kalaana, meaning either the lower part or the lower forest (note Moo-kalaana)

Mas-panna: The worksite to get gemstones; or the gem mines; Uva Paranagama division, Badulla district. Mas: gem (Sinhala); note the quarry meaning for Pa'na/ Pa'ne in Malayalam, Kannada and Tulu (DED 3891)

Panna-maga: The road to the worksite; Bope-Poddala division, Galle district

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Panna: (as prefix)

Panna-gamuwa: The worksite village/ farm village/ handicraft village/ grass-cutters village/ mat-makers village/ elephant feeders' village; Thissamaharama division, Hambantota district. Panna: worksite; Pannayaa: grass-cutter, caste of elephant feeders; Pannaya: handicraft; Pannam: weaving, mat making

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Pannala:

Pannala: The farm or worksite: Pannala division, Kurunegala district; Alawwa division, Kurunegala district; Ibbagamuwa division, Kurunegala district; Aranayaka division, Kegalle district; Walapane division, Nuwara Eliya district;

Pannala-wela: The paddy fields of the farm; Uva Paranagama division, Badulla district

Pannala-gama: The farm village; or the village of the farm; Uva Paranagama division, Badulla district

Pannal-gama: The farm village; Damana division, Ampaa'rai district

Panaliya: Probably, the farm; Polgahawela division, Kurunegala district (Panaliya: Wælpenela; Sorata)

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Pannam:

Pannam-pitiya: Dambulla division, Matale district

Pannam-goda: Hikkaduwa division, Galle district

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Panan: (Panan also means inside, inner, “ætul” and Panam means ascending or ascension in Uva dialect of Sinhala: Sorata). Also see column on Panan-wala

Maawela-panan-gammana: The worksite outskirts of Maawela village; Kotmale division, Nuwara Eliya district. This is an adjacent place of Maawela village, Maawela-kanda and Maawela Estate.

Panan-wela: Hakmana division, Matara district

Panan-wala: Dompe division, Gampaha district

Panan-gala: Thawalama division, Galle district

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Panaa: (as suffix)

Wæwel-panaawa: The place for rattan-cane work; Padukka division, Colombo district

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Panaa: (as prefix, probably not meaning jack tree)

Buda-panaa-gama: The village to do duties to Buddhist temple?; Nagoda division, Galle district

Ra'na-panaa-deniya: Hikkaduwa division, Galle district

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Pan/ Pon: (as prefix, meaning service). See column on Pan-nila

Pan-nila: The place of work, duty or customary work; Attanagala division, Gampaha district; Horana division, Kalutara district; Beruwala division, Kalutara district; Walallavita division, Kalutara district: Kahawatta division, Ratnapura district; Dehiovita division, Kegalle district. Pana: stipulated work (Sinhala); Panan: duty, engagement, custom, observance of traditional practice, Niyama, Sirita, (Sinhala)

Ponnila: Probably a changed form of Pan-nila; Thumpane division, Kandy district

Ponnilawa: Probably a changed form of Pan-nila; Polpithigama division, Kurunegala district

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Kehel:

Kehel-ælla: The stream or rapid in the locality of banana trees; Divulapitiya division, Gampaha district

Kehel-baddara: The rented land or tax-paying land under banana cultivation; Minuwangoda division, Gampaha district. Baddara: tax-paying land or rented land; Badda: tax, revenue, tribute, rent, hire (Sinhala)

Æti-kehel-galla: The hill found with the Æti-kehel variety of Banana; Mahara division, Gampaha district

Kehel-waraawa: The banana surroundings; Ambagamuwa division, Nuwara Eliya district (related to Wara: surroundings)

Kehel-wala: The banana forest; Athuraliya division, Matara district

Kehel-watta: The banana garden; Katuwana division, Hambantota district; Aranayaka division, Kegalle district

Kehel-ulla: The spring in the locality of banana trees; Padiyathalawa division, Ampaa'rai district

Kehel-aththaa-wala: The jungle bordering banana field; Bibile division, Moneragala district

Kehel-oviti-gama: The village of the banana-growing slope; Elpatha division, Ratnapura district. Ovita: Ava-vita

Kehel-wathu-goda: The bank/ hill/ village of the banana garden; Rambukkana division, Kegalle district

Maa-kehel-wala: The big banana forest; Mawanella division, Kegalle district

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Kesel:

Kesel-watta: The banana garden; Colombo division, Colombo district; Panadura division, Kalutara district

Kesel-wathu-goda: The bank/ hill/ village of the banana garden; Gampaha division, Gampaha district

Kesel-heanaawa: The slash and burn field of banana cultivation; Madurawala division, Kalutara district

Kesel-potha: The banana range; Rideemaliyadda division, Badulla district

First published: Tuesday, 09 February 2016, 10:20