Know the Etymology: 464
Place Name of the Day: Friday, 18 March 2016

Niyangama

நியங்க₃ம
Niyaṅgama

Niyangama
Niyam+gama

The mercantile settlement

Niyamgama

also Niyang-gama: large village, town, market town (Sinhala, Clough); Niyam-gama: walled village (Sinhala, Sorata); = Nigama: large mercantile settlement (Sinhala, Sorata); Niyam: = Nigama-graamaya (Sinhala, Sorata); Niyama: = Nigama: marketplace (Sinhala, Sorata, citing Sinhala inscriptions); Ning-graama: Niyamgama (Sinhala, Sorata); Nigama: market, fair, town, city, holy writ, road, way, trade, traffic (Sinhala, Clough); marketplace (Sanskrit, CDIAL 7158); market town (Pali, CDIAL 7158); Nikamatoar: Nikamattoar: members of a merchant guild (Tamil Brahmi inscription, c. 2nd century BCE, ETE 6, Mahadevan); Nikamatu: Nikamattu: of the Nikamam (Tamil Brahmi inscription, c. 2nd century BCE, ETE 3, Mahadevan); Niyamam: mercantile town or village (Tamil Changkam Diction, Natti'nai, 45: 4-5); name of a city (Tamil, Changkam Diction, Aka:naanoo'ru, 90: 12-13); temple (Tamil, Chilappathikaaram, !0: 21); town or village of the cultivation tract, marketplace, highway, town, city, place (Tamil, Thivaakaram Lexicon, 5: 108; 5: 131-132; 5: 135; Pingkalam, 4: 179; 4: 272) Nikamam: bazaar, trade, a caravan of merchants (Tamil, MTL citing Jaffna Dictionary); town or large village of the hydraulic cultivation tract, highway (Tamil, Choodaama'ni Lexicon, 5: 40; 5: 47)

The Sinhala toponymic terms, Niyamgama, Niyangama, Niyaagama, Ning-gama and Ningama, correspond to Niyamam of Changkam Tamil diction, Nikamam found in Tamil Brahmi inscriptions and Nigama of Sanskrit/ Pali/ Prakrit diction, meaning a mercantile settlement or market town.

Sorata's Sinhala dictionary gives an additional explanation that Niyamgama is a walled settlement. Note the explanation tallying with the meaning of another Sinhala term Gedige (Kadikai in Tamil) related to walled marketplace of medieval merchant guilds. See column on Gal-gediyaawa.

The term Niyama/ Nigama for a merchant guild might have come from such guilds of the past obligatorily following a code of conduct or law of their own, as Niyama also means restrain, fixed law, rule, vow, ties etc. (Sanskrit, Pali, Prakrit, CDIAL 7250). In Sinhala too, one of the meanings for Nigama is, 'holy writ' (Clough).

Corresponding to Niyamam in its meaning, medieval Tamil inscriptions of the merchant guilds used a term A'ram (Dharma), which in the context of the guilds meant their code of law that had the binding on them. Another Tamil/ Dravidian term Kai-koa'l, which had given the identity to the weaver-soldier guild Kaikkoa'lar, is also of a similar meaning, i.e., code of conduct to follow (Kai: hand/ work/ conduct + Koa'l: holding/ vow; DED 2023+2151; Ko'lkai: doctrine, DED 2151).

The law or code of conduct (Niyama/ Nigama) that was so significant to merchant guild formations thus rendered general identity to such guilds, their members, their marketplaces and their wealthy settlements that were usually enclosed and protected.

Even though Indo-Aryan in etymology, the guild/ marketplace meaning of Nigama is not noticed in many Indo-Aryan languages (CDIAL 7158), while dated to at least c. 2nd century BCE, early usage examples in the said meanings could be found in Tamil Brahmi inscriptions. More or less coming from the same period, usage evidences for the word-form Niyamam also could be seen in Tamil of Changkam literature. More shades of meanings are found in later Tamil lexicons and in Sinhala (see box).

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Usage of Niyamam in Changkam literature:

“Nedung kodi nudangkum niyama moothoor” (Natti'nai, 45: 4-5)

“நெடுங் கொடி நுடங்கும் நியம மூதூர்” (நற்றிணை, 45: 4-5)

The grand village (or grand town) of the merchant guild, where the flag flutters on a tall mast


Usage of Nikamam in Tamil Brahmi inscription

“Ve'l a'rai nikamathoar kodi oar” [Ve'l'la'rai nikamaththoar koddiyoar] (c. 2nd century BCE, Mahadevan, ETE No. 6)

“வெள் அறை நிகமதோர் கொடி ஓர்” [வெள்ளறை நிகமத்தோர் கொட்டியோர்] (c. 2nd century BCE, Mahadevan, ETE No. 6)

Those who have gifted (the stone beds) were the members of the merchant guild of Ve'l'la'rai (a place name meaning White Rock)

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Niyangama is a place in Rideegama division of Kurunegala district. There is another place by the same name in Godakawela division of Ratnapura district

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Some related place names:

Niyangama:

Maa-niyangama: The grand mercantile settlement; or the bigger Niyangama compared to other places by that name: Dehiovita division, Kegalle district

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Niyamgama:

Niyamgam-dora: The locality/ side/ front/ centre of the mercantile settlement; Kothmale division, Nuwara Eliya district. Dora has many shades of meanings related to location; Gam-dora: “Gamata ætul vana tæna” (Sinhala, Sorata)

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Niyaagama:

Niyaagama: The mercantile settlement; Niyagama division, Galle district; Akmeemana division, Galle district

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Ningamuwa:

Maa-ningamuwa: The grand mercantile settlement; Pallepola division, Matale district; Maho division, Kurunegala district. Ning-graama: = Niyamgama (Sorata)

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Ning-gamuwa:

Maa-ning-gamuwa: The grand mercantile settlement;Polgahawela division, Kurunegala district; Nuwaragampalatha division, Anuradhapura district. Ning-graama: = Niyamgama (Sorata)

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Nigama:

Wedi-nigama: Probably, Wædi-nigama: The marketplace of the hunting tribe; Ehetuwewa division, Kurunegala district; Ipalogama division, Anuradhapura district

Seanaa-nigama: Probably, the soldier-guild settlement; Mahiyanganaya division, Badulla district

First published: Friday, 18 March 2016, 23:04