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| PaalamPoddaaru(SriGonakanda[Trincomalee]) BALANBODA ARA, BALANGODA ARA The 'p' in Tamil often replaces the 'B' in Sinhala. Thus 'Balanboda' is probably more likely than Balanagoda. Tamil 'Pottal→poddal', open space → 'boda'. The word "boda" also occurs in words like "Obodawatta", "Mebodawatta", in Sinhalese villages . Recent (2005s) construction of a Buddha statue here has lead to ethnic acrimony | බලන්බොඩ ආර |
| Pachchilaipalli, Periya Pachchilai Pallai (Giranikke, [kilinochchi], Yapanaya [Jaffna]) PATHTHIRAPAHALA, PATHTHIRAPALLIYA Hist. Baldeus, 1658, Patchiarapahlle Disc.- 'Pathhira' tree is also known as "rata-goraka" tree Skrit: Pichchalabija, Malaylam, K.: Paccila, T: Pachchila. Botany: Garcinia family. 'Palli' could refer to a non-hindu (e.g, jain, Buddhist) shrine or, a low-lying region, or 'back-yard, and may imply 'burial grounds'. Also, 'palli','halli, alli' mean village or place ('pala' in S.), a current usage in telugu and kannada (c.f., Thiruchirapalli, Jalahalli.) It also means a place of worship as villages usually involved a temple. In modern usage in SL, it refers to a christian church or mosque. This village is mentioned in Paul E. Pieris's Kingdom of Jaffnapatam" where we are told that “In the time of the native Kings the inhabitants of Pachchilapalai and Illidematual used to go to the Vanni to cultivate camas (Sinhalese gam -villages) there and would pay to the renters from ten to twenty lachas (Sinhalese Laaha, a measure of grain, and correspondingly, the area coverd by sowing the grain) of foodstuffs for each cama, in accordance with its size. | පත්තිරපහල |
| Padahuthurai(Mannarama[Mannar]) PAARUTHOTA Disc. 'Padahu' in Kannada for small 'Pada' boat The Tamil word is 'patavu', படவு, 'Paaruva' is a similar sinhala word This a small coastal hamlet near Mannarama and there is no Map Map of Mannar | පාරුතොට |
| Padappamodi, Pattapamoddei (Mannarama[Mannar]) VAETAPAMADÉ This is located on the Mannarama-Punranna (Poonaryn) road. The name means a muddy area designated by a fence or a parapet wall, bund etc. The etymology of "modei, moddei" etc., has been discussed previously (see, e.g.,Tuvarimoddei ). "Padappa" in Tamil may also mean a "vaththa (sinhala)", i.e., a garden or region demarcated by a fence or barrier. | වැටපමඩේ |
| Padavikulam, Pathavikkulam(ANURADHAPURA district) PADAVIVA`VA | පදවිවැව |
| Padaviya (ANURADHAPURA district) PADAVIYA This is an ancient name resurrected during the D. S. Senanayake's time when irrigation schemes were being constructed. Tamil nationalists claim the name "Parvathi Giramam", a name introduced in recent times. Padaviya, or Padavi-parakrama pura is situated in the North-Eastern part of the North Central province, bordering the Northern and Eastern provinces; ~96 kilometers from Anuradhpura. There are relatively few Brahmi cave inscriptions in and around Padaviya. Gradually the region developed to be the centre of the Eastern Division (Pacinadesa) of the 'Rajarata'. One of the earlier names of Padaviya was Padinnoru which is derived from the Pali form Pacina-nagara or the Eastern city. It also came to be known as Padirattha or Padavi country. The Padaviya tank was built by King Mogggllana in the 6th century CE., and known as Dhanavapi, and subsequently Padavapi. The Moragoda inscription of Kassapa IV (898-914) records the grant of immunities to a track of land belonging to a Buddhist monastery irrigated by the reservoir. The inscriptions and ruins in and around Padaviya indicate that the region had grown into a large town of commercial and religious importance by the 11th century. During the Chola rule of the Rajarata (1017-1070 CE), Hindu temples etc., were constructed. A Tamil inscription from the 26th year of the Chola king Raja raja I records endowments of gold lamps, cows and other gifts to the saiva temple in Padaviya. A Tamil inscription referring to Chettis, Nanadesis and Ainnrruvar (south Indian trading communities) is found in Padaviya (c.f., R. L. Brohier). tamil inscriptions of the 11th century show that Padaviya was an important trading center with links to Gokanna. After the demise of the south Indian invasions, Parakramabahu I restored the padaviya tank. A stone inscription on the bund of the Padaviya tank claims that Parakramabahu I constructed it; but this should be understood to mean that he restored it. Ancient names and builders of the Padaviya and nachchaduva tanks For historical aspects of irrigation, colonization etc., see the entry under "Galoya". | පදවිය |
| Paddanichipuliyankulam (Vavnimava [Vavniya]) PADANTHA-KODTIVAEVA | පදන්තකොටිවැව |
| Paddippalai,Padippali(Ampare) GALOYA Now identified with the 'Galoya development project, spear-headed In 1936, D.S. Senanayake as Minister of Land and Agriculture proposed to dam the Galoya river at Inginiyagala and divert the waters to a build a large reservoir, and proposed the Gal-Oya multi-purpose project. The dam is 3,600 feet long and 154 feet tall at its highest point. J. S. Kennedy, the Director of Irrigation, proposed a deep-water reservoir to prevent loss of water by evaporation. The reservoir was appropriately named Senanayake Samudra (sea) the biggest man-made tank in the whole of Ceylon. Gal Oya Development Board spent a US $67.2 million on the Galoya colonization project. The dam was built by the American engineers, Morrison Knudsen of San Francisco, completing it in 1947. The Gal Oya Board was officially inaugurated by Senanayake, the first prime minister, on August 28, 1949. Tamil Nationalists led by G. G. Ponnambalam accused Senanayake of discriminatory colonization favoring the Sinhalese, during the years leading to these colonization schemes. These accusations were rejected by the Soulbury commission. Michael Roberts, reviewing the period 1920-1955, claims that there is no evidence for for a 'racial land grab' in the colonization policies of that period. However, tamil nationalists continue to claim this as "addippalai Aru", a part of "Tamil Homelands". In fact, much of the `"dry zone" have been claimed as "Traditional homelands" by the Ilankai Tamil Arasu kadchchi since 1949, and this claim has been reaffirmed at the vadukkoddai (batakotte) resolution of 1976, and the TNA claims of the 2010 manifesto. A recent review of Dry zone colonisation and myth of demographic displacement of Tamils" has been given by Prof. Shantha K. Hennayake Department of Geography University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. See Tamil Claims. | ගල්ඔය |
Paddikudiruppu, Pattikudiruppu(Vannimava[Vavniya]) PATHIKULISSA, PADIKULISSA Labeled #26 in Vanni Buddhist sites map Disc.-'Patti' in Dravidian languages and in Sinhala have meanings associated with cow hearding. However, given the ancient Buddhist history of this site, the name "Path", derived from "Pathra" means that this is a village designated by a royal decree or "Pathra" Thus "Patti" is a "designated village", a usage found in Kannada and also Tamil etc. 'Kuliya', Kulissa, in S. and 'Kudiyirupu' in T. both mean 'quaters' or area; The word `Kuli' was used in old sinhala for hamlet or village. 288 the verse (9th century), Sigiri Mirror-wall – "I am Gunakara (of) Ambagam-kuli (of the) Northern Province (Jaapanaya) See Paddiruppu below Also, alternatively 'Padda' or 'Paedi'is a caste group'. Map | පත්කුලිස්ස |
| Padiennakulam, Padiannakulam, Patiannakulam (Madakalapuwa [Batticaloa]) PADIYANTHA VAEVA, the 'D' is soft, like 'the'. Ancient Buddhist site; in the list by Archaeo. Dept., Somasiri, 1982. | පදයන්ත වැව |
| Paddiruppu(Madakalapuwa[batticaloa]) PADIRISSA "Pati", in Tamil may mean 'hamlet, quarters', etc. In K. and M., it becomes 'padi'. The Sinhala 'Pada', 'Padaviya' etc., are related to 'Pradaanthya', or settlement. Map | පදරිස්ස |
Padivettikulam(Vannimava[Vavniya]) PARIVAASAVAEVA Ancient Buddhist ruins, Listed in 1982 by Archaeo. Dep. Somasiri. A large rock plateau; three excavated ponds; set of stone steps. Several caves and ruins of at least 10 temple buildings are scatterd here. Labeled #125 in Buddhist sites map | පරිවාස වැව |
| Paduvankara.(Madakalapuva[Batticaloa]) PADDANKARA Disc.- 'Puduvankara' in Tamil could mean "shores of the rising (sun)". However, the name is "PADU-" and not "Pudu-" or "Puthu-". This is an east coast village, and the Sinhala name relates to a caste-designated hamlet. The "Padu" or "Padda" caste, also known as the "bathgama" caste is an agricultural "low"-caste group. There was a significant presence of "Padu" people in the Kumana forest area, and in the Batticaloa jungles. Some of them may have been low-caste Kandyan peasants forcibly evicted by the British when creating coffee plantations. A similar caste name exists among the Sikhs, but no connection with the "Padu" caste of the Sinhalese has been established. The "padu" people were also used as palanquin bearers during colonial times. See D. Wickramanayake's article (p179-190) in: "Case studies on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, A world survey", Vol II, Edited by Willem Veenhoven et al., (Published by M. Nijhoff, The Hauge 1975). A newspaper article on the caste system in Sri Lanka Padda caste among the Sikhs 'Kara" here implies a costal location, and is not related to the "Karaava" caste. | පද්දන්කර |
| Pairikkodddal, Payirikkoodal பயிரிக்கூ டல் Yapanaya [Jaffna]) PAS-IRI-GODAELLA "Pas-iri" is a ground creeper [meaning "lines (iri) on sand (පස් pas)"] with small fleshy leaves, related to the Purslane family. Also, note that "Dheera" in Sanskrit. → Iri or the Tamil "Keera" for herbs. Hence see the discussion under Hirikaaenna (Thiraykkeani, Tiraaikeni). 'Godaella' is from 'ගොඩ' as in the sinhala 'egoda', 'megoda' etc., i.e., a stretch of high ground. The is a small location in Karainagar island. | පස් ඉරි ගොඩැල්ල |
| Palachenai (madakalapuwa [Batticaloa]) PALUHENA, PAHALAHENA Disc. 'Palaa' is green herb or 'Keerai' War: Sea Tiger base. | පලුහේන, පහලහේන |
| Palachcholai (Madakalapuwa [batticaloa)] PAHALAGOLLA, PALUGOLLA See Map | පහලගොල්ල පලුගොල්ල |
| Palai(Yapanaya[Jaffna]) PAALLA, PALUYAYA Palai is also a common Malayalam place name. The 'Palu' (timber) tree is Mimusops indica, and is known in Tamil as 'Paalai'. The tendency in Tamil to substitute 'p' for the sinhala 'v' may suggest an origin from the sinhala 'vala', i.e., depression or water-hole. However, 'vala' usually occurs with a prefix to it, as in 'Vattap-palai'. See areas 236,237 in Map for 'Chankanai, Sandilipai, Tellipallai' | පාල්ල, පලුයාල |
| Palaikkadu, Pallaikkaadu, Pallikaadu (Ampara) VIHARAKAELE Vihaara→Palli, Kaele → Kattu→Kaadu seems to be the evolution of the tamilized form for the old Sinhala name. This is close to Deeghavaapi and once part of the temple lands. Now it is being used for a Saudi sponsored Housing complex. | විහාරකැලේ |
| Palaikkallu (Vannimava[Vavniya]) PALUGALLA Map | පලුගල්ල |
| Palaikkuli, Paalaikkuli (Mannaram[Mannar]) PALUKKULIYA The word `Kuli' was used in old sinhala for hamlet or village. 288 the verse (9th century), Sigiri Mirror-wall – "I am Gunakara (of) Ambagam-kuli (of the) Northern Province (Jaapanaya) MAP | පලුකුලිය |
| Palaimoddai (Vannimav[Vavniya]) PALUMOTTE 'Motte ← Modde ← Made' signifies a muddy, swampy place. The latin word for 'marsh' is 'madeo', while Skrt. 'manda' means slime. 'Palu' is a timber tree. Map | පලුමොටේ |
Palaimoddai,Palaikoddai(Mooladoova[Mulaitivu]) PALUMOTTE, PALUKOTTE 'Motte ← Modde ← Made' signifies a muddy, swampy place. The latin word for 'marsh' is 'madeo', while Skrt. 'manda' means slime. 'Kotte ← kotuva' usually means a fortified or secured square. Ancient Buddhist site, listed by Archaeo. Dep. Somasiri, 1982 Labeled #48 in Vanni Buddhist sites map | පලුමොටේ |
| Palaitalvu (Mannarama[Mannar]) PALUTALAAVA MAP | පලු තලාව |
| Palaitivu Giranikke [Killinochci]) PALUDOOVA is an island near Poonakary (Pinkaraya). The same name occurs for an island near Pungadoova in the Jaffna district. පලු දූව | |
| Palaiyadikkulam (Jaffna ) PALUYAAVAEVA This signifies a tank near ('ya' ← yaabada) Palu trees. Map | පලුයාවැව |
| Palaiyatisirukkulam, Palaiyadisirukkulam (Mannarama[Mannar]) PALURAAJAVAEVA The name probably means 'Tank near dominating Palu trees'. Map | පලුරාජවැව |
| Palaly, Palali (Yapanaya [Jaffna]) PALUYALA (ALYALA?) War Airforce base, runaway etc Map, Eealm war iv Mahindapala on Austin Fernado's visit to Palaly | පලුයාල |
| Palamattalan (M ooladoova [Mullaitivu]) PALAMASSALA This was part of the No Fire Zone in 2009 LTTE last stand. civilian hostages of the LTTE, and area map | පලාමස්සල |
| Palamoddai,Palmottai (Vavnimava [Vavniya]) PALAMOTTE 'Palaa' is 'green herbs' in Sinhala 'Motte ←- Modde ←- Made' signifies a muddy, swampy place. The latin word for 'marsh' is 'madeo', while Skrt. 'manda' means slime. Ancient Buddhist site. Slab inscription in Sinhala by King Vijayabahu (10 CE.) | පලාමොටේ |
| Palampiddy (Mannarama [Mannar]) PAELUMPITIYA Ancient Buddhist ruins, see p.78 E Medhanada(2003). | පැලුම්පිටිය |
| Palampoddaru(Sri Gonakanda [Trincomalee]) PALUPOTHOYA | පලුපොත්ඔය |
| Palamunai (Ampare) PAHALAMUNNE | පහලමුන්න |
| Palavi, (Giranikke[Killinochchi]) PALAAVA See Palavi in Puttalam for a discussion. Regional map | පලාව |
| Palavi, Pallawi,Paalaavi(Puttalama[Puttlam]) PALAAVA Meaning "Pallavi" in Tamil stands for the lead stanza which defines the tune of a Karnatic poem/song or dance ritual. It is also a personal name in North India, but it hardly found as a place name. A form of Brahmi script, and an Odessi classical dance are also called "Pallavi". However, 'Paal' in T. is milk; and the word 'aavi' is a tamilzed form of the sinhala 'vaapi or 'vaeva' for an irrigation tank. Thus 'aavi' does not occur in tamil nadu with this meaning. But one may stretch the Tamil etymology a little bit and 'Paalaavi'may perhaps be a 'reservoir' with milky water. On the other hand, if we assume that this is a sinhala place name, then the meaning is more direct. It is also a common place name found in the south. The sinhala "palaava" implies a place where 'greens' (palaa), i.e., herbs, are found or grown. The same old sinhala place name occurs in Mannar and Jaffna. | පලාව |
| Palayadithona, Palaiyadittona, Paalaiyadiththoa'naa (Madakalapuva[Batticaloa]) PALUDONA 'Palu' is a timber tree, Mimusops indica, and 'dohona' is an inlet (c.f. 'donaava') in Sinhala. Map | පලුදොන |
| Pali Aru (Giranikke [Killinochchi]) PAEHAELI OYA This empties into the western seaboard near Bellanvaeva (Vellankulam). "Paehaeli" here probably means "free-flowing" or "clear". | පැහැලිඔය |
| Palk Strait, Palk straits, Palkkai sandhi, Palkkai-sandhi (Mannarama [Mannar]) SETH-SAMUDRA YAAVA The Tamil name 'Palkai-sandhi (பாக் சலசந்தி), or Palkai jalasandhi is sometimes mentioned, and is clearly an adaptation of the English name (after Robert Park, the Governor of the Madras British Protectorate during the middle of the 18th century). The Sinhala usages 'saagara-yaava' for strait, moodhu yaav', or samudra yaaya සමුද්ර යාය are consistent with the word 'sandhiya', derived from Sanskrit. The Sanskrit epic, Ramayana. is mythical history enshrined in the Ramayana epic, where an army led by Hanuman the monkey king, comes to help Rama to get back Sita, i.e., his wife who had been abducted by Ravana, the king of Lanka. The name Rama Sethu රාමසේතුවhas been being associated with the natural ridge that connects Dhanushkodi (India) with Talaimannar (Lanka) Sinhala and the 'Palk strait' connects the ocean across the 'Raamaseth'. Palk strait is appropriately called the seth samudrayaaya, or the `sethu mooduyaaya' සේතු මූදු යාය The Indian continent and Lanka were connected by relatively dry land during the most-recent glaciation and humans and animals passed across from Lanka to India and vice versa (see Who were the Nagas, Jains, and Buddhists in Pre-Christian Lanka ? . In addition, Lanka was an important sea route bringing in Sumerian and other early sailors. The Ramaayana alludes to hoards of monkeys and other 'forces' of Rama crossing to Sri Lanka to fight Ravana, the legendary Raksha king of Lanka. Thus the legend harks back to social memories of the most recent cold spell of the earth. The Seth Samuduram shipping canal project has run into religio-political, as well as conservationist opposition. There are also oil and gas explorations undertaken in this area by Sri Lanka and India. These and especially the digging of the rama-sethu ridge for deepening the strait for shipping have very serious ecological implications, as such diggins bring out heavy-metal toxins in to the biosphere and total contamination of the sea in the area, killing plankton, fish sperm, oysters and pearls, crustaceans, and affecting coral reefs, and ultimately the bigger fish in the food chain. The alternative Sinhala name 'Seth samudra-yaaya' uses the word 'seth', සෙත්. It is clearly derived from the 'Raama sethu' name, and basically means the 'bridging sea-passage' in Sinhala. This is also an appropriate name as the strait links the Mannar Bay (Mannaram Bokka) to the 'Bay of Bengal' (Bengaala Bokka). Finally, it should be noted that some Sinhala geography school texts use the name 'Palk samudra sandiya' (Palk sea-junction). | රාම් සාගර යාය රාම් සමුද්ර යාය සේතු මූදු යාය |
| Pallai (Giranikke, [kilinochchi]) PAEHAELLA Regional map | පැහැල්ල |
| Pallama (Puttalam) PALLAMA Disc. No tamilization here | පල්ලම |
| Pallamadu (Mannarama [Mannar]) VIHARAMADUVA This is located on the Mannarama-Punranna (Poonaryn) road Palla (i.e., Palli) is a Tamil rendering of "Viharé". | විහාරමඩුව |
| Pallavarayandaddu, Pallavarayankaddu (Mannarama [Mannar]) PALLAVARAKADU This is located on the Mannarama-Punranna (Poonaryn) road. The Pallava and Lankan kings collaborated against the Cholas during the Vijayabahu-Parakramabahu era. This may be a town designated to a "Pallavarayan", i.e., probably a Pallava General. Regional map | පල්ලවරකඩු |
| Pallikkuda, Pallikuda (Giranikke [Killinochchi]) PALLI-THUDAAVA, Pahalathudaava The name suggests a religious shrine near the bay. Ancient Buddhist temple ruins are found near by at Palavikkulam (Paluvaeva). The usage 'palli' could imply a mahayana Buddhist shrine, a Jain shrine, or a low-lying region('pahala' ion S.), or 'back-yard', and may imply 'burial grounds'. Also, 'palli','halli, alli' mean village or place ('pala' in S.), a current usage in telugu and kannada (c.f., Thiruchirapalli, Jalahalli). In modern SL usage, it refers to a christian church or mosque. | විහාරකැලේ |
| Pallikudiyiruppu, Pallikkudiyiruppu Gokanna ([Trincomalee], Ampare) PAHALA-KULISSA, Pallikulissa. The word `Kuli' was used in old sinhala for hamlet or village. 288 the verse (9th century), Sigiri Mirror-wall – “I am Gunakara (of) Ambagam-kuli (of the) Northern Province (Jaapanaya) For a discussion, see entry under 'Pallivasalthurai' Map | පහලකුලිස්ස |
| Pallimunei, Pallimunai, Pallimunnai (Mannarama [Mannar]) PAHALAMUNNA For a discussion, see entry under 'Pallivasalthurai'. The word "Munna" is a frontal projection ("muhuna") or abutment of land into the sea or lake. A Baobab tree (Adansonia digitata L. family Bombacaceae) in this town is said to be some 800 years old. The circumference of the tree is 19.5 meters and 7.5 meters tall in 2011. It is a protected archeological site. An attempt to place a statue of Mary next to by Fr. Peter Manoharan of St Lucius Church, Pallimunei, and erect crosses at the Baobab, and in the mannar area were faced with litigation. Public outcry against Crosses and Statute illegally planted across Mannar | පහලමුන්න |
| Palliwasalturai, Pallivasalthurai (Puttalam) PARIVAASALATHOTA, PALLIVAASALTHOTA, Pahala-vaasalthota Disc.- 'Palli' can apply to a non-hindu religious building. 'Palli' may have come from Brahmi-Maghada usage for Jain monasteries. The sinhala 'Palliya" is today mostly used for Muslim and Christian places of worship, and hardly ever for Hindu Kovils. 'Palli',pari, may also be related to 'low-lying', or 'pahala'. 'Vaasala' in sinhala (and indic sources) is a distinguished building. Also, 'palli','halli, alli' mean village or place ('pala' in S.), a current usage in telugu and kannada (c.f., Thiruchirapalli, Jalahalli). | පරිවාසලතොට |
| Pallivasalveli (Mannarama [Mannar]) PAHALA-VAASAL-VAELLA, PALLI-VAASAL-VAELLA see the entry under Palliwasalturai. | පහලවාසලවැල්ල |
| Pallugaturai, Palugaturai (Puttalama) PALUGASTHOTA This is in the Vanathavilluva area near Wilpattu | පලුගස්තොට |
| Palukamam, Palugamam (Madakalapuva[Batticaloa]) PALUGAMA Hist.- This was an eastern residence of the Kandyan kings. Map | පලුගම |
| Pammivedduvan (Madakalapuwa [Batticaloa]) PANIVAEDDUVA This is located near Vihare' ( see Vakarai) Veddu, vedduvan do not occur in the Tamil lexicon, buti may refer to open land; vettuvan may refer to hunter. In S. 'vedduva' where the d is a soft 'dth',is e recognized place name, and exists in the S. province, and may have arisen from 'vaeduma,vaevuma', plantation. | පැනිවෙද්දුව |
| Pampaimadu (Vavnimava [Vavniya]) BAMBAMADUVA Disc.-In T., "pampai" could mean a Tammatan drum The name "bambamaduva" suggests a place used for religious services. 'Bamba' is sinhala for 'Braahma', also a type of Drum. There is also a tank by the same name. Map | බඹමඩුව |
| Panama (Ampara) PANAMA, Panama (anchor name), Paanama. Disc.-"Panaya, Panama, Pané, Pé " are words synonymous with village, that we find occurring in place-names like Ja-panaya, Uda-panama, Thum-pane, Dompe, etc. The name has been phonetically modified to "Paanama". This village is close to the Kumbukkan oya, and the Kudimbigala sanctuary (3rd century BCE Buddhist rock caves, Brahmi inscriptions etc are found here). The Muhudu Maha Vihara, picture by cdw, 2009, dating back to probably the 3nd century BCE, and at the edge of the sea, surrounded by sand dunes, is in a state of utter neglect today. The temple name is often anglicized as "Mudu Maha Vihara", and has a 3-meter high Buddha statue and several Bodhisatva statues, all subject to erosion. Some traditional settlements of Panama villagers are still found inside the Kudimbigala sanctuary. The Pada yaathra route to Katharagama falls near by. There is also a Pattini Devala in Panama. The Panama area, originally Buddhist Sinhalese, Veddaha, and Tamil has now acquired a larger Muslim presence, and the temple-land area of some 300 acres donated to the Muhudu Maha Vihara by royal decree has absorbed recent settlers, especially during the Eelam conflict This has reduced the temple to a small pocket of land at the edge of the sea, c.f., Lakbima July 11, 2005 report.. There is one monk, Katharagama Sri Rathana Thera, picture by cdw in 2009, living in an impoverished 'aarama', with a meager supporting community in 2009. | පනම පානම |
Panankamam, Panamkamam, Panankaamam (manvaeva[Mankulama]) PAHANGAMA Labeled #45 in Vanni Buddhist sites map 10th CE inscription at Isurumuniya confirms this name. More recently, a vanni chieftain known as Vanni bandara (also known as 'Pandara Vannian' in Tamil) fought with the British at Kohilamaduva ( Katsilaimadhu). Map | පහන්ගම |
| Pandarikulam (Vavnimava [Vavniya]) BANDARAVAEVA See discussion under "Bandarikulam". | බන්ඩාරවැව |
| Pandaterippu (Yapanaya [Jaffna]) BandhaKalapuva The place-name means `twin-pond' or two small connected bodies of water. The word 'Terippu' in Tamil could also mean `pond', as well as other meanings inconsistent with the context. Hist. coins of Queen Lilavati (12th-13th Century A.D.) | බන්ධ කලපුව |
| Pandikkeitakulam ( Vannimava [Vanniya]) BAENIDIKAETIVAEVA | බැඳි කැටිවැව |
| Pandiruppu (Ampare) BANDARA-PATTUVA, PADIRIPPUVA `rippa', and `rippuva' have been used in place names to mean `village'. Regional map | බන්ඩාරපත්තුව |
| Pantrichurichchan, Periyapantrichurichchan (Mannarama) OORA-KURAHANA 'Pandi' in Tamil, and 'Pantri' in Malayalam do mean "Pig" or wildboar. Kurakkan (Eleusine coracana) is a millet planted since ancient times in Sri Lanka. The Tamil names, Keazh-varaku, Thinai, etc., are not used in SL Tamil. In fact the Sinhala name "Kurakkan" has also been adopted in SL-Tamil. குரக்கன் This differs from typical Dravidian-language usage (Indian tamil- Iraaki, 'Raagi' in Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu), confirming the borrowing from Sinhala. "kurahana" may refer to the shape of the early flower of this type of Millet. see Kurakkan etc. There are varieties of kurakkans, and they require little water. Cereals cultivated in the medieval period included different varieties of rice, as well as "kurakkan, iringu and amu, java, meneri, undu, mun, tal", green gram, mae-ata and barley. Even today, "thalapa" or gruel made with kurakkan and a curry made with "kollu" is eaten in the dry zone. See also the entry under: Kurrakkan-Kaddukulam | ඌරකුරහන |
| Pandivirichchaan (Mannarama) ORRAKURAHANA, OORA-VIDI-THAENA See discussion under Pantrichurichchan | ඌරවිදිතැන |
Panemiyankulam(Mooladoova[Mulativu]) LUNUVILAVAEVA Labeled #29 in Vanni Buddhist sites map Disc.-'Lunuvila' is L., Bacopa monnieri or water hyssop. An old tamil word for this is Piramiyam although other names, e.g, "neer-brahmi" etc are used in Aurveda. Sanskrit name: "Brahmi". See also p 2691 of Madras Tamil lexicon. The name needs more authentication. This is an ancient Buddhist site, listed in 1982, by Arch. Dep. Somasiri. | ලුනුවිල |
| Panichankemi, Panichchankeni, -kerni (Madakalapuwa [Batticaloa]) PANIKANGAMA, Thimbirikaenna Disc. 'Pannikka' in S. refers to the barber caste. In T., 'panikkan' may refer to 'teacher, dancing master, carpenter, mahout, barber, etc., or a subcaste of the Pallar caste The 'Mahout-Pannikiya' subcaste existed mainly in the Vanni The Timbiri tre is called 'Panichchai (Embryopteris glutinifera)' in tamil. (Note: Timbirigama in the Gampaha district.) Map | තිඹිරිකැන්න, පනික්කගම |
| Pannikkaddi Murippu (Gokanna [Trincomalee]) Pannikettiyaava | පනික්ක කෙටියාව |
| Panikkaniravi, Penikaneeravi(Vavnimava [Vavniya]) PANIKKANIRUWA, Thimbiritheeruva Disc. 'Pannikka' in S. refers to a caste designation which may be barber, athletic trainer, etc. 'Iruwa' is a portion of land, well or tank ascribed to this caste In T., 'panikkan' is not necessarily a specific caste designation. It may refer to mahout, barber, etc., or a subcaste of the Pallar caste 'Panikkan' ←- Panichcha could arise from the name of the Timbiri tree The 'Mahout-Pannikiya' subcaste is present in the Vavnimava area Map | පනික්කන්ඉරුව, තිඹිරි තීරුව |
| Panikkankulam (Giranikke[Kilinochchi]) PANIKKANVEVA Disc. 'Pannikka' refers to the barber caste. In T., 'panikkan' may refer to 'teacher, dancing master, carpenter, mahout, barber, etc., or a subcaste of the Pallar caste. Vanni elephant trainers in Dutch times as well as the "caste" of elephant catchers in the Vanni, were known as the "Panikkara" - a name originating from "Vannikaara". See also the entry under "Eravur" regarding elephants. The LTTE had an airstrip in this location, and it fell into the hands of the SL-forces on 30-Sept-2008. Defencewire report Map | පනික්කන්වැව |
| Panichchaikkulam (Mannarama [Mannar]) THIMBIRIVAEVA, PANIKKAVEVA Disc. 'Pannikka' in S. refers to the barber caste. In T., 'panikkan' may refer to 'teacher, dancing master, carpenter, mahout, barber, etc., or a subcaste of the Pallar caste. Also 'Panichchai' is Tamil for the Timbiri (Embryopteris glutinifera) tree Map | තිඹිරිවැව, පනික්කවැව |
| Pankudavely, Pankudaveli (Madakalapuwa [Batticaloa]) PANGODAVAELLA This is towards Thoppigala, and an LTTE center till 2007. | පන්ගොඩවැල්ල |
| Pankulam (Sirigonakanda [Trincomalee]) PAENVAEVA South east of Vilpanakulam, ~25km west of Trinco. GajabaLen Vihaara is found here. Large stone pillars, and several meditation caves, 3 with inscriptions. Listed in Archaeological Dept. surveys. | පැන්වැව |
| Pannai (Yapanaya [Jaffna]) PAENNA Disc. This is an area accessing Yapanaya via a bridge and connecting Valigama (Valikamam) to Jaffna islets Meaning Pannai in T. could mean 'farm' or related to farming 'Pannai-pay' in T. could mean 'dive and play in water' The latter meaning is consistent with the S. alloform 'Paenna' which could mean 'water' or 'jump'. | පැන්න |
| Panrikeithakulam,Pandikkeitakulam (Vavnimava [Vavniya]) BANDIKA`TIVEVA Map | බැංදිකැටිවැව |
| Papparappiddi, Peparaputti; பப்பரப்பிட்டி (Yapanaya [Jaffna]) GATHTHARA-PITIYA Disc.- It is tempting to identify 'Pappara' as 'Barbar', i.e., Muslim west African people, since the word is recognized as such in Tamil and possibly in sinhala (Baabura) usage, as well as in English. The more likely source is the word "Gaththara" used in sinhala. It is in many ways equivalent to 'Pappara', and is probably derived from Sanskrit. 'Gothra' = 'clan' → 'Gaththara.' It is known that an early Dutch census (1790 CE) records 196 males belonging to 'Pallivili' caste as taxpayers, and no mention of African Muslims. So this 'gothra' need not be west-africans or muslims at all. This caste is probably those who lived near a Buddhist or Jain temple but had no right of entry into the temple (Madras Tamil Lexicon). This is consistent with the Tamil விழி which could mean "watchful", and these people watched over the Temple. We may also remark that "Pey" or "Pei" in Tamil is etymologically related to "Pretha", and means "spirit" or "devil", and "pey-para", if taken as a Pali/Sanskrit word, would been the the devils who are outsiders (para). However, that too would be consistent with our interpretation of "pappara" as "Gaththara", the latter being the the outsiders. | ගත්තරපිටිය |
| Paranaddakallu (Vavnimava [Vavniya]) BERA-NAADHA-GALA Disc. The name Bera-nasda-gala (the stone with the sound of drums) may have arison because the stone refelcted Drum sounds from a nearby temple and echoed the sounds. The name may also suggest a watch post Vanni Buddhist sites map | බෙරනාද බලනැදිගල්ල |
| Paranattakulam(vavnimava [vavniya]) BERA-NAADA-VAEVA ancient Buddhist ruins here. it is close to nikamotte(nochchimoddei) shown as label 77 in Vanni Buddhist sites map | බෙරනාදවැව |
| Parangi Aru, Paranki aru (Giranikka [Killinochchi]) PARANGIOYA This rivers empties into the western seaboard near Andaradoova (Viduthaltheev) | පරන්ගිඔය |
| Parankiamadu (Madakalapuva[Batticaloa]) Parangiyamaduva "Parangiya" refers to Portuguese. | පරන්ගිමඩුව |
| Parangikkulam (Mannarama[Mannar]) PARANGI-VAEVA Map | පරන්ගිවැව |
| Parankikamam (Mannaram[Mannar]) PARANGI-GAMA Map | පරන්ගිගම |
| Parangkisirukulam(Mannaram[Mannar]) PARANGI-HITI VAEVA Military action in Mannar, 2008 | පරනපැන්තැන්න |
| Paranpanjan, Paranpanthan (Sri Gonakanda[Trincomalee]) PARANA-PAEN-THAENA Ancient Buddhist site, listed by Archaeo. Dep. Somasiri, 1982 Disc.- The place name has no clear sense in tamil, M., Tu or K. The sinhala name suggest an old water disrtibution point to Pilgrims. | පරනපැන්තැන්න |
| Paruthu Thurai, Paruththith-theevu (Yapanaya [Jaffna]) PULUNDOOVA Indian cotton plant, Gossypium herbaceum, is "pulun". It has also been speculated that the original name was Paaruthota, since the Tamil form should have been Purutti-th-thuri rather than Paruthu Thurai. | පුලුන්දූව |
| Paranthan, Parantan (Giranikke, [kilinochchi]) PURANTHANNA, PURANTHAENNA Disc. In T., 'Paranthamam' could mean 'heaven', or Lord Vishnu' In Sinhala,'Puran-thanna' could mean 'old-field', or 'a field gone fallow'. This is located at the intersection the A9 North-South road through the vanni and A35 East-West road. Its capture on 2nd January 2009 in the last war with the LTTE was a crucial point in the war. Lanka Libraray report Regional map | පුරන්තැන්න |
| Paranthan (Vavnimava [Vavniya]) PURANTHANNA See previous entry | පුරන්තැන්න |
| Parappakandal (Mannarama [Mannar]) PURANKADOLA Disc.- Region filled with large Mangroves. 'Poorna → Puran'. The tamil 'from' 'parappa' could mean 'full', or 'exremely extended', 'large' etc. It could also mean a type of scorpian, but scorpians are not associated with mangroves. There is no "Gonusu-kadol" variety known in Sri lanka or tamil Naadu. The various types of mangroves found in Sri Lanka are listed in our Botany Page | පුරන්කඩොල |
| Parasangkulam (Mannarama [Mannar]) PULASVAEVA, PARASANVAEVA Disc.- The red flowring tree known in Sinhala as 'Pulas', or Palas, or the sanskrit name has given the form 'Parasan' in the place name. Thus there is a 'Parasangaha' in the Anuradhapura district. The tree (Butea frondosa) is commonly known in tamil as Murukku. | පුලස්වැව |
| Paravaveli(Mannarama) PARAVAVAELLA Disc. Parava is a sea fish in Sinhala, a name used by Sri-Lankan fishermen of all communities. However, in Tamil 'Paravu' is a river-fish, black, reaching 12cm. in length, latin name: Nuria danrica, or silvery, attaining 5 in. in length, Rasbora buchanani. Also, "Para(tha)var",பரதவர் could refer to a fisherman caste. | පරවවැල්ල |
| Pasikudah, Passikuda,Passekudah(Madakalapuwa[batticaloa]) PAASITHUDA Beach resort 32 km north of madakalapuva, now affected by the civil war Dis. 'Pasi' in S. could mean a type of coral. Also, in Urdu, 'pasi' may mean 'fishery' and may have come from Moor fishermen Paasa in Sanskrit→Sinhala may mean a fishing net or rope noose. Varuna is depicted as such in medieval sculptures, but not in early sculptures, with such a noose in his hand. see East coast Map | පාසිතුඩාව |
| Patchenai(Madakalapuwa[Batticaloa]) BATAHENA Map | බටහේන |
| Paddiapuliyankulammalai(Vannimava[Vavniya]) MAHA SIYAMBALA VAEV-KANDA See Periyapuliyankulammali Ancient Buddhist ruins, Listed in 1982 by Archaeo. Dep. Somasiri. Uttiya and his consort are mentioned in an inscription here, See Archeo. Survey of Cey., Ann. Rep. 1905. Labeled #84 in Vanni Buddhist sites map | මහසියඹලාවැවි |
| Pattiniyamakilankulam(Vavnimava[Vavniya]) PATTINIMAHIMAVAEVA Disc. See also entries under Chankanai, Kannakipuram, Vattappalai, Madhu Gomarankadawala etc. regarding various aspects of Pattini cults. 'Makil' in tamil could mean 'joy, religious sprit' etc., and the Sinhala 'mahima' means 'miraculous' or 'glorious' import. Map | පත්තිනිමහිමවැව |
| Pavanai(Sri Gonakanda [Trincomalee]) PEHEVANAYA Ancient Buddhist site; in the list by Archaeo. Dept., Somasiri, 1982. | පේහේවනය |
Pavatkulam, Pavkkulam (Vavnimava [Vavniya]) PAWATTAVAEVA | පවත්තවැව |
| Pavattaikulam, Pavatkayikkulam(Puhulmotte[Pulmodei]) PAVATTAVEVA See Pavatkulam Map | පවත්තවැව |
| Pembathy(Japanaya [Jaffna] or Mannarama [Mannar]) PINGBADDA Disc.- According to Paul E. Pieris,Kingdom of Jaffnapatamthe “Sinhalese Patabenda, usually applied to headmen of the Fisher caste” are referred to as "Patangatin's in Portuguese texts (specifically, the Floral). These headmen had been given the village Pembathy “as an emphyteuta” by the native kings of Jafanapatam and by the Portuguese too “this was confirmed on the Patangatin Mor Thome de Mello, the heir of the last holder, on condition of his supplying yearly an aleya or aliya (i.e., elephant, usually without tusks) of not less than four covados.”- Anecdotally, we have been told that the old name of the village was "Ping-Badda", where "ping-badda" means a "neighbourhood" given as a gratuity. This is consistent with what is stated in Paul.E.P. | පිංබද්ද |
| Peraru (Sri Gonakanda[Trincomalee]) NaaOya Disc.- 'Naa' in Sinhala is Iron-wood, 'Peri' in T., 'Peri-aru→'Peraru'. 'Na' is L. Messua nagassarium or Mesua ferrea , adopted as the national tree of Sri Lanka, 1986. The Naa forest planted by King Dappula IV in the 8th CE still exists (~100 hectars) and is one of the oldest man-made forests. The wood is very heavy and strong. LTTE base near Panvaeva(Pankulam), Gokanna(Trinco). | නාඔය |
| Periya-Alankulam, Periya Alankulam (Mannarama [Mannar]) MAHARANVAEVA Army action near Mannar 2008 | මහරන්වැව |
| Periyakaddu (Vavnimava [Vavniya]) MAHAKADUWA Map | මහකඩුව |
| Periyakallar (Madakalapuwa [Batticaloa]) MAHAGALAARA North of Galmune (Kalmunai) MAP | මහගල්ආර |
| Periyakulam(Mooladoova[Mullaitivu]) MAANAVATHUVAEVA, MAHAVAEVA, site 1 Labeled #54 in Vanni Buddhist sites map Ancient Buddhist site. site 2, same name. Periyakulam(Gokanna[Trincomalee]) MAANAVATHIE tank is the original name. The name Periyakulam was given in 1929. See the entry under "Vilgamvehera'. Bronze Buddha statues, figurines, coins etc. have been found here. Velgam vehera is close to this site, i.e., Periyakulam. Label 167 in Vanni Buddhist sites map See entry under 'Vilgama Vehera'. | මහවැව, මානවතු වැව |
| Periyakulam(Puhulmotte [Pulmodei]) NAAMAL VATHA The name periyakulam had been used in some parts of the area which was extended and connected with the Naamalgama area, and the name Naamalwatha has been used for the whole, extended area. Regarding claims of tamil nationalists, see discussion under GalOya | නාමල් වත |
| Periyakunchikulam (Mannarama [Mannar]) MAHAKUNCHAVAEVA | මහ කුන්චවැව |
| Periyamadhu (Mannarama [Mannar]) MAHAMAUDWA, MAHAMMAWA Meaning: Madhu in Skrt. may mean "Lady" or 'mother', i.e, Periya-madhu is big-mother, i.e., Holy Mary, c.f., Madhu church. | මහමඩුව |
Periyamariluppai, Periyamara (Mooladoova[Mullaitivu]) MAHAMEEYA Ancient Buddhist ruins, Listed in 1982 by Archaeo. Dep. (Somasiri). Labeled #52 in Vanni Buddhist sites map. | මහමීය |
| Periyaneelavanai (Ampare) MAHANEELVANAYA Regional map | මහනීලවනය |
| Periyaparanthan (Giranikke, [kilinochchi]) MAHAPURANNTHANNA Regional map | මහපුරන්තැන්න |
| Periyaporativu (Madakalapuwa [Batticaloa]) MAHABORADOOVA | මහබොරදූව |
Periyapuliyankulam (Vavnimava [Vavniya]) MAHASIYAMBALAVEVA Area associated with Nadhimithra, a worrier of Dutugaemunu. Ancient Buddhist ruins, see p. 76, E Medhananda(2003) | මහසියඹලාවැව |
| Periyapuliyankulammalai (Vannimava[Vavniya]) MAHA-SIYAMBALA-VAEVKANDIYA Ancient Buddhist runs, cited in Archaeo. Dept. List (Somasiri) 1982. Uttiya and his consort are mentioned in an inscription near here. Label #84 in the Vanni Buddhist sites map | මහසියඹලාවැවි කන්ඩිය |
| Periyapullumalai (Madakalapuwa [Batticaloa]) MAHABULUKANDA | මහ බුලු කන්ද |
| Periyapullaichchipotkeni(Mannarama [Mannar]) MAHADIVIPOKUNA Map | මහදිවිපොකුන |
| Periyapunchankulam(Mannarama [Mannar]) MAHAMUVAVAEVA | මහමුවවැව |
| Periyathampanai (Vavnimava [Vavniya]) MAHADAMPANE, Maha-damana. This is | මහදංපනේ, මාදංපෙ |
| Periyativu, Periyathivu (Madakalapuwa [Batticaloa]) MAHADOOVA This name is also found applied to several islands. In particular, an island in region between the Puttalam Lagoon and Mun-thalam laggon. | මහ දූව |
| Periyaulukulam, Periya Ulukulam (Vavnimava [Vavniya]) MAHA-ILUKVAEVA | මහඉලුක්වැව |
| Periya Villan Kulam, Periyavilankulam (Gokanna [Trincomalee]) Maha Divul waeva, Mahadivulwewa, Mahadivuloya. Regarding this village and Tamil claims of Traditional Homelands, etc., see discussion under GalOya, and also under Mudalikkulam (Morawewa). | මහ දිවුල්වැව |
| Pesalai (Mannarama [Mannar]) BERALA Ancient Buddhist ruins, stone pillars etc. see also Ancient Buddhist ruins, see p. 76 E Medhananda(2003). Map | බෙරල |
| Pillaiyaradi (Madakalapuwa [Batticaloa]) PIHILLAYARA Meaning: In T., 'Pillai' is a name, or a reference to Ganesh'. | පිහිල්ලයාර |
Pilikulampam(Mooladoova[Mullaitivu]) MONARAKALAPUVA Ancient Buddhist site, listed by Archaeo. Dep. Somasiri, 1982. Labeled #58 in Vanni Buddhist sites map | මොනරකලපුව |
| Piramanalankulam (Vavnimava [Vavniya]) PIYAMANARANWEWA | පියමනරන්වැව |
| Pirappuvedduvan (Mooladoova[Mullaitivu]) PIDENI-VAEDDA This is located on the (OThThAN-THUDAVA)Oddusuddan-(Aluthkulissa) Puthukudiruppu road. "Pideni" are food offerings to deities and spirits, usually placed in a forest setting. "Vaedda" may mean "forest", or "approach" to a place. | පිදේනිවැදද් |
| Point Pedro, Pt. Pedro (Yapanaya [Jaffna]) PEDURU THUDUVA, VAK THUDUVA This is a name introduced by Portuguese sea farers. Older names "Kapu Thutduva", "kava thuduva" and "vak-thuduva--> Vaththuduva" also seem to have existed. "Vartha", "Vak", "kava" etc., mean circular, and may have refered to the shape of the coastline here, when the easterly extension of the shore ends and the shore line curves southwards. In Pali, 'Vartha" becomes Vatta", and in sinhala it changes to "Vaka". A recognized transpositon of phonetic elements may change "Vaka" to "kava". "Varthi" in Sanskrit also stands for "mfn. growing near the water (said of water-plants)", cf. Cologne Digital Sanskrit Dict.; or "Ocean" etc.,. In Tamil, the name Parithithurai has been used. Here again, Parithimay have come from "Vartha", the Sanskrit word for "cirum-circular", or from "ocean", Sea shells etc., accepted into old Tamil. This is an old sea-farer town. See Valvettithurai sailors Westward Ho G. G. Ponnambalam entered politics by winning this seat in 1934, where he defeated Sri Pathmanathan of the P. Ramanathan family. Prior to GGP, this was the "home seat of K. Balasingham, who was part of the "Jaffna boycott" of the Donoughmore commission proposals. 1931. See Jane Russell, Communal Politics under the Donoughmore Constitution, 1931-1947 (Tissara Publishers, 1982, Dehiwala, Sri Lanka). see click "map 1 Jaffna peninsula" after clicking here.
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| Pokkaravai (Vannimava [Vavuniya]) PUDUKARAVAAPI Disc.- See Pokkarvanni below. 'Vapi' here means 'tank' as in "deegavaapi' | පේරුතුඩුව |
| Pokkarvanni(Mannarama[Mannar]) PUDUKARAVANAYA Disc.Pokharini in Prakrit means "Sacred" tank, or place. e.g, as donated to a temple. A similar meaning is found in Dravidian languages (K., T.). Effectively, in Sinhala "Poojaakarapu → pudukara" lieu. Thus "Pokkara" is perhaps a liguistically correct Tamilization. This is an ancient Buddhist site (listed by Archaeo. Dep. Somasiri, 1982). Map | පුදුකරවාපි |
| Poligandy (Yapanaya [Jaffna]) BOLKAENDA A Coastal village in the Vaedimuraekiya (Vadamaratchy) area. 'Bolkaenda' is chaff or useless grain left in winnowing. See Polikkantu in Tamil. It could also mean a ridge between the ocean and a lagoon-like area. The sea-tiger leader soosai (Sivanesan) is from this village. | බොල්කැන්ද |
| Polonnnaruvai, Pollonnaruwa, Pollonnaruva (Pollonnaruwa Dist.) Polonnagara, Pulatthinagara, Pollonnaruva This is the city adopted by Parakramabahu, one of the greatest kings of Sri Lanka; he is the hero of the second part of the Mahavamsa, known as the Chulavamsa. The Chulawamsa (13th Century) gives the name "Pulatthinagara" for this city. The older Velaikkara inscription (12th century or before) refers to a temple of the Tooth built by Vijayabahu at Pulanari, which is most probably modern Pollonnaruva. Polonnaruva is referred to in, e.g., a 12th Century slab inscription from the reign of Vijayabahu I, where the names Polonnakara, Polonnakaru are used. However, a number of scholars including S. Paranavithana and Godakumbure have claimed that 'Pollonnaruva' is derived from 'Pulaththinagara', presumably giving priority the name used in the Chulavamsa. They have gone on to interpret "Pulatthi" as a the Indian Muni-sage "Pulasthi" mentioned in the Rig Veda. Furthermore, the statue is believed to be that of Pulasthiya. Raja de Silva has however speculated that the statue is that of the Indian muni Agasthiya. Another view has also been proposed, mainly by Sri Gunasinhe, who believs that the statue is most likely to be that of a lankan Rish known as Kapila Siri Gunasinghe, Statue in Pollonnaruva, Oct 26 Island 2011 midweek review However, the place-name Pollon-nakara probably came from 'Poron-nagara', where 'porana', or 'Paerani' means old, or precedent, i.e., 'Pala(mu)'. Thus the Mahavamsa writer used "Pollasthinagara" to mean "Poorva-shthaavira nagara → Pullatthinagara"; thus it is consistent with "Poronnagara" and the slab-inscriptions. Hence a correct rendering of the Pali, and rendering it into English as "Polatthinagara", rather than "Pulasthinagar" clarifies its meaning. It has nothing to do with "Pulasthi", the Indain Muni-Sage . Any details of the "old town" which gave rise to Pollonnaruva are unknown at present. This would require deeper excavations in the area. (Note that the 'w' was used in the south for rendering the ව sound, while in the north the 'v, வ', and not 'w' is used in English transliteration of Tamil place names. The dutch 'v' is pronounced as an 'f', and led to this distinction in the south where names were europeanized prior to the North.). The Island newspaper 29- Oct-2011 | පොලොන්නරුව |
| Pomparippu,Pomparippuwa (Puttalama-Mannar) RANPARITHTHA, Thaambraparni රන්පරිත්ත Hist. Tamil scholars have claimed that "Ilam" means gold and SriLanka was the "gold Island", using a suggestion that Ranpariththa means "gold-spread". Having said this, they, e.g., Sirinivasa Aiyankar, also contend that "Ila" is morelikely to mean Toddy. There is also a strong possibility that the name 'Ranpariththa' may have evolved from 'tham(bra)parni' referred to in the Vijaya legend recorded at the Sanchi site in India. V. Begley's excavations in 1981 found no gold ornaments Clay Urns from 200 BC Dental morphology from the iron age and the early Sinhalas | රන්පරිත්ත |
| Ponnaveli (Giranikke, [kilinochchi]) RANVAELLA, See Map | රන්වැල්ල |
| Poonagama(Giranikke[Killinochchi]) PINGAMA, PUNYAGAMA From the Sanskrit, to "Purify", or "having merit" C.f., also, Punaka, an old name of Pune, Maharashtra, in India. There is a copper-plate from the Rashtrakoota period indicating that Pune, in India was known as "Punya-Vishya" in the 10th century CE. | පින්ගම පුන්යගම |
| Poonakary(Giranikke[Killinochchi]) PINKARAYA, PUNYAKARAYA This the name of the region, near the western coast. From the Sanskrit, to "Purify", or "having merit" C.f., also, Punaka, an old name of Pune, Maharashtra, in India. There is a copper-plate from the Rashtrakoota period indicating that Pune, in India was known as "Punya-Vishya" in the 10th century CE. Regional map | පින්කරය පුන්ය කරය |
| Poonagar (Sri Gonakanda[Trincomalee]) MAHINDAPURA | මහින්දපුර |
| Poonthottam (Vannimava[Vavniya]) PINTHOTA, punyatheetha Buddhist archaeological remains have been discovered in this area and reported in the annual reports the Archeology Dept., and in the report by Mr. Somasiri, Ass. Archaeological commissioner, in 1982. This has been a region affected by Eelamist violence and war, and a large refugee camp has existed since the late 1990s. The government allowed food and medicine to the terrorist occupied areas at all times, provisioned the refugee camps as well as the LTTE dominated areas where it maintained a skeleton government service. The Government Agents were paid salaries etc.(For details of the LTTE war and the government, see Gerald Peiris, The Twilight of the Tigers, Oxford University Press, 2008) Click here to see the 2002 Flicker Photo of a refugee camp in Pinthota After the war the refugee camp swelled enormously, with the influx of some 300,000 refugees who broke out from the LTTE enclosure in April 2009 (this became part of the Menik Farm complex which covers the area Mahathalithagama of the ancient texts.). However, within two years most refugees seem to have been resettled. In 2011 Pinthota was the location of a rehabilitation and welfare center for the ex-LTTE combatants. Gen. Metha of the Indian army visits the ex-LTTE rehab center in Pinthota | පින්තොට පුන්යතීත |
| Poornaryn, Pooneryn, Poonakarai (Giranikke, [kilinochchi]) PUNRANNA Meaning: If the name had been 'Ponnery' it could have meant 'golden (big) tank' in Tamil, however, there is no tank here. 'Poonakarai' would mean 'sacred shore' in Tamil Ancient Buddhist ruins are believed to be in this area. Upatissa Nagara, mentioned in the Mahavamsa as th earliest town, may have been near here. Pooneryn's past In 1993 notable LTTE/SLF military battles took place at Poornaryn. See Regional map | පුන්රන්න |
Poovarasankulam,Puvarasankulam, Puwarasankulam (Vavnimava [Vavniya]) SOORIYAVAEVA Labeled #43 in Vanni Buddhist sites map There is also a "Sinnapuvarasankulam" or PODI-SOORIYAVAEVA. Ancient Buddhist site, listed by Archaeo. Dep. Somasiri, 1982 Labeled #42 in Vanni Buddhist sites map Podi-sooriyavaeva is Labeled #74. Meaning: Here 'Sooriya' (bot. Thespesia populnea) is the 'Portia' tree in E., 'Plaksa' in Skrt. Poovarasu' means 'king of flowers' in Tamil. Map | සූරියවැව |
| Poovarasantivu, Poovarasanthevu,Puvarasantivu (Madakalapuwa [Batticaloa]) Sooriyadoova See Map Disc.: See 'poovarasankulam' reg. 'Sooriya' tree. 'thev' ending is sometimes used. This village is NOT near the sea in spite of the 'thivu' or 'Doova" in the name. | සූරිය දූව |
| Poramadu(Sri Gonakanda [Trincomalee]) PORAMADUVA Ancient Buddhist site; in the list by Archaeo. Dept., Somasiri, 1982. | පොර මඩුව |
| Poththanai, Pottanai (Madakalapuva [Batticaloa]) POTHUTHAENNA, POTHTHAENNA c.f, Pothuthaenna → Patana For a discussion, see Pothuvila below. This is a village close to Serapura(Eraavoor) | පොත්තැන්න |
| Pottuvil, Potuvil, Poththuvil (Ampare) POTHUVILA, Bodhivāla Meaning. 'Pothuhaera' in Sinhala is a type of bullrush. A similar meaning may be given to Tamil, 'pottukkampu', with the botanical name: Penicillaria involucratum. Other types of rush used for making mats, "pan", are Scleria oryzoides. and Sacchorum spontaneun etc. In Tamil "vil" means "Bow" and is not valid in this context. Other possible origins, given the Buddhist antiquity of the place, are: "Buthvila", "Bodhi vila", or more probably, Bodhivāla. A village known as "Bodhivāla" is mentioned in the Chulavamsa (lvii,54) in the context of the Ruhuna campaigns of Vijayabahu I. It is not yet clear if "Bodhivāla" is the present day "Potuvil" In Pali and Sanskr. "vāla" does mean water in compound usage (PTS dict., p 610) as in "Aalavaala"(Sanskr.), i.e, basin of water found at the root of a tree. "vāla" is also a type of jasmine, Pavonia Odorata grown in temples. "Vaala" also means circumference or periphery (c.f., chakravaala), and "Bodhivaal" could simply mean the region enclosing a Bodhi (c.f. Devaala). If we consider Sinhala-tamil hybrids, "Puthuvil" could mean "new-pond". The suggestion that "Pottundy" is a name for "Kaāli", Hindu godess, is not supported by the Madras University Tamil Lexicon, chankam or other south Indic dictionaries that we have searched. We also note that "podu (පොදු)", i.e., "common property" in Sinhala (also malayalam, and tamil) may imply a pond (vila) held in common by several villages. However, "Pothuhara, Poththaenna, Pothuvaeva" and similar place names exist in other provinces. Hence we opt for "Potuvila" as a proche-form to the existing name, and aand adopt the form "Bodhivāla" as the archaic toponym. Hist. Mooddu Maha Viharaya is near by; Dhatusena 5th cent.,14th Cent. inscriptions It has also been claimed that Viharamahadevi landed near here, or in Kirinda. Read the Article | පොතුවිල, බෝදිවාල |
| Pudukottai, Puthukottai (Gantale [Kantalai]) ALUTHKOTTE | අලුත්කෝට්ටෙ |
| Pudukudiruppu(Yapanaya[Jaffna]) ALUTHKULISSA The word `Kuli' was used in old sinhala for hamlet or village. 288 the verse (9th century), Sigiri Mirror-wall – “I am Gunakara (of) Ambagam-kuli (of the) Northern Province (Jaapanaya) See entry under 'Puthukudirupu' | අලුත්කුලිස්ස |
| Puduvaikadu, Pudawaikadu, Puthivaikaddu, Pudavai Kulam (SriGonakand, Trincomalee]) SAAGARAPURA. Some writers have used "sangara pura". | සාගරපුර |
| Pulakkadu, Poolaakkaadu (Madakalapuwa [Batticaloa}) PULUNKADUVA; Bombax malabaricum or Purani (Poolai), mullilavu, Ilavu, in Tamil. In sinhala it is called "KatuImbul" or "pulun gaha", as it has silky cotton pods. Here "pulun" refers to "cotton", and may be connected with the sanskrit. Thus name "Pula" may have links to the Sanskrit "Purannee", or tamil Purani. Map | පුලුන්කඩුව |
| Puliyantivu (Madakalapuwa [Batticaloa}) KOTIDOOVA Hist.Dutch Fort, King Wimaladharmasuriya, see Arasaratnam, CJH&SS, vol.6,#1. | කොටිදූව |
Puliyankulam(Sri Gonakanda [Trincomalee]) SIYAMBALAVAEVA There are two such sites with the same name in the area. Ancient Buddhist site; in the list by Archaeo. Dept., Somasiri, 1982. Labeled #146 in Vanni Buddhist sites map The state of the Puliyankulam station, destroyed by the LTTE, at the end of the war, 2009 | සියඹලාවැව |
| Puliyankulam (Vavnimava [Vavniya]) SIYAMBALAVEVA Milit. Important LTTE battles, Sept.-Nov. 1999. Currently(2006 update), this is an LTTE checkpoint on A9 Journey to LTTE controlled ... | සියඹලාවැව |
| Puliyanpokkanai (Giranikke[Killinochchi]) Siyambalapokuna Regional map | සියඹලා පොකුණ |
| Pullawali, Pullavali (Giranikke, [kilinochchi]) PUHULVAELLA, PULUNVALA Remarks: 'puhul' in S. is a gourde grown in the dry zone. 'Pull' in Tamil could mean 'grass', or Purani, i.e., KatuImbul (pulun gaha) Regional map | පුලුන්වල |
| Pullimulai(Madakalapuva[Batticaloa]) Eluvamulla Disc.- Pulli-(nam, naataayan etc) in T.) connotes "Goat, Sheep", etc. | එලුවමුල්ල |
| Pulumalai, Pullumalai(madakalapuva[Batticaloa]) THANAKANDA Ancient Buddhist site, in the Arch. Dep. list, Sirisoma 1982. Disc.- The word stem 'pulu', 'pul', in Telegu, M, K and in Tamil correspnds with grass. Tus Pullukkattai is a stubble of grass. | තනකන්ද |
Pulmoddai,Pulmuddai (Sirigonakanda [Trincomalee]) PUHULMOTTE` Mineral Sands Ancient Buddhist site; in the list by Archaeo. Dep. Mr. Somasiri, 1982 See Remarks regarding 'Pullawali'. 'Motte ↔ Modde ↔ Made' signifies a muddy, swampy place. The latin word for 'marsh' is 'madeo', while Skrt. 'manda' means slime. Strategically situated on the sea route connecting Trinco and Jaffna sea battles tiger massacre of 230 Muslims at Prayer Labeled #131 in Vanni Buddhist sites map | පුහුල්මොටේ |
| Puluddumanoddai, Puluddumaanoadai புலுட்டு மானோடை (Madakalapuva [Batticaloa]) MEEMINNAOYA, MEEMINNAODAYA MeeminOde Meeminna is a mouse deer (Moschus meeminna) shown in the Rs. 4.00 stamp. "Tragulus meminna or Moschus meeminna", is the zoological name, derived from the Sinhalese name for it. "Puluddumaan " is the Tamil form. 'Ode', (Odthe) is an intermittent water stream used for small "Oya". | මීමින්නාඔය මීමින්ඔඩය |
| Pulukunavai (madakalapuva[Batticaloa]) VEHERAGALKANDA Pre-christian Buddhist site, with ruined buildings, stupa, inscriptions, many medidation caves, including those of 'Theraputtbhaya' and 'Phussadeva'. There are long stairs, pathways, ponds, stone pillars, guardian stones etc. 14 stone inscriptions from caves have been published. The hill is known as 'Viharakanda', while the stupa on the lower level is "Miyuguna Saaeya". It is incredible that this site is simply neglected and left to erosion and plunder. See E. Medhanada (2003), p. 225 | වෙහෙරගල්කන්ද |
| Punanai (Madakalapuwa [Batticaloa]) DOMBAPE, PUNNAAGE Punnaga (pkrt) is Masstwood, Calophyllum inophyllum, or 'Domba'. | දොඹපෙ |
| Punanaitupe(Madakalapuwa [Batticaloa]) DOMBATUVA, PUNNAAGADUVA Village or islet with mastwood Calophyllum inophyllum, or 'Domba'. | දොඹටුව |
| Punevai, Punewai(Vannimava [Vavniya]) PUNEWA, PUNEVA The name 'PUNEWA' is what is used today, while the tamilized form is also found in Tamil sign boards. This is a small hamlet north of Madavachchiya, on the A9 road, with a small roadside Pillyar shrine. Pillyar (Ganesha) shrine | පුනේව |
| Puloli(Yapanaya[Jaffna]) PUHULELIYA Ancient Buddhist ruins. Puloli W is ~3km from Point Pedro. A 'siripatul' (foot-print) stone was discovered from the site. Remains of other buildings are visible at the site. | පුහුල්එලිය |
| Pungudutivu, Punkuduthivu (Yapanaya [Jaffna]) PUNGUDUDEEPA, PUVANGUDOOVA, Puvangudeepa Hist. Mahawamsa, Nampotha refs., Baldaeus,1658, "Pongardiva" Thus this is an ancient name, and may be based on a type of tree known as "Puvangu" (Myristica horsfieldia, and Aglaia roxburghiana) | පුවගුදූව පුන්ගදිව |
| Punnainiravi(Giranika(Killinochchi]) Punnya-niravia, DOMBAVELA, Punnagavela Ancient Buddhist site. 'Niraeviya' is a well or water-logged region. Punnaaga (pkrt) is Mastwood, Calophyllum inophyllum, or Domba | දොඹවෙල පුන්නාගවල |
| Punnalai, Ponnalai(Yapanaya[Jaffna]) PUNNAAGA, DOMBAPE Punnaga (pkrt) is Masstwood, Calophyllum inophyllum, or Domba. Ancient Buddhsit site, and causeway to Karadoova(karaitivu). Alfred Duraiappah, mayor of Jaffna was assassinated. at the Krishnan Temple here on 25 July 1975, allegedly by Prabhakaran himself. This assassination was part of the program of rising Tamil terrorism where some members of Tamil society were declared to be "traitors", and targeted for elimination. The organization "Maanavar Peravai" (Student Federation) led by Sathiyaseelan was one of the earliest such organizations which mis-represented the district-based affirmative action program for the admission of students to universities to its political advantage. Prabhakaran was an early member of it who went on to from the TNT (Tamil new tigers) in 1974. Assassination of Durayappah by T Devendra Map of Punnaaga | දොඹපේ, පුන්නාග |
| Punnalaikkadduvan, Punnalakadduvan, Punallaikattuvan, Punnalai Kadduvan, புன்னாலைக்கட்டுவன் (Yapanaya [Jaffna]) DOMBAKDUVA, PUNALAKADUVA Calophyllum inophyllum is Punnnaaga(pkrt) or Domba in sinhala. Meaning: 'Kadduvan' in T. could mean a bobcat For other meanings, see the notes under the place name 'Kadduvan'. This village has recently been in the news because it has the typical caste structure of Tamil villages where one part of the village is for the depressed castes who have never had any, "human rights", but were later recruited to fight for the separatist war led by the upper-caste Tamil leadership which attempted to establish "exclusively Tamil homelands" free of Moslims and Sinhalese, in the North and the East. Here is a brief extract from Ragavan (LTTE founding member C. Rajeshkumar), while the full text may be followed from the link below: My village, Punallaikatuvan, was divided into various areas, and Punallaikatuvan did not have one identity, there was the North side and South side of the village and marriage customs were different and restricted. So when I was quite young, there was a man called Thuraisingam, an upper caste man and a Chandiyan (a local village thug), my mother told me that he murdered a man long ago. He also owned land and the Dalits were the service caste and they would work for him. At that time I was about six or seven years old, in the early 60’s, and one day, there was some problem with the Dalits, possibly because they didn't want to work as he hadn't paid them properly. The outcome was that the entire Dalit community was chased away from my village. If you look at our recent history, it is like the manner in which the Northern Muslims were chased away. So, all the Dalits were chased away from my village and their belongings were taken away by the Chandian and his followers. And it took them a long time before they could come back and resettle. No one challenged that eviction at that time and that had a lasting impact on me even though I was also from a Vellala middle class family. In the 70s, the government tried to implement existing legislation allowing equal access for Dalits to temples and public places. Temple entry in my village was out of the question. Nobody wanted to challenge the strength of the caste system. I remember going to a barber saloon (barbers belonged to the oppressed castes) when I was small, and asking the barber if he would allow Dalits into his saloon. There was a big muscular farmer standing next to me and he slapped me, because he was angry that I would even ask such a question. The barber saloon was soon closed down as the barber was scared of the upper castes. He started visiting people’s houses and doing his work. The caste system was strong in the villages. With the service castes, there was no question of workers’ rights. Whether or not you were paid, you had to work. In the seventies, the village and caste identity were stronger than Tamil nationalist identity. I believe this to be still (Feb. 2009) the case. In practice, cultural and religious festivals are caste orientated and the identity is preserved. Although there is, in a sense, a Tamil identity, it is the outer layer rather than the substance of the Tamil community. Social practices such as festivals, marriage and death are arranged according to the caste and village hierarchy. And although communist parties in the north talked about class during that period, there was no real working class formation and only a few factories, like the cement factory. I would say class was subsumed under caste. There may have been class divisions but there wasn’t a strong consciousness of class whereas caste consciousness was strong. Without the elimination of the caste system, I believe that class unity is not possible. See Ahilan Kadirgamar: Interview with Ragavan, LTTE co-founder, on Tamil Militancy (Early Years): Role of Caste and Hitlerian views From the Tamil writer Ganeshan Iyer (LTTE founding Treasurer) The last Sinhalese to run a business in Jaffna is back Map | දොඹකඩුව |
| Punochchimunai (Madakalapuwa [Batticaloa]) NIKAGASMUNNA Disc. Sinhala 'Nika gaha', is 'Vitex trifolia' In tamil, Malayalam, K., etc, kattunocci, karunocci, cirunocci, cennocci, Punnoci, nirnocci, nocci, noccil etc., are used for various types of 'Chaste tree' See discussion under 'Kilinochchi'. The word "Munna" is a frontal projection ("muhuna") or abutment of land into the sea or lake. See Map | නිකගස්මුන්න |
| Puththankalai (Ampara) BUDDHANGALA This is on the Ampara-Galmunna(Kalmunai) road, ~10km from Ampara, and has an ancient rock hermitage dating to the time of King Saddha-Tissa (137-119 BCE), the father of Dutuamunu, the hero-king of the Pali ChronicleMahavamsa written in the 5th century CE. | බුද්ධන්ගල |
Puthukkudiyiruppu, Puthukudiyiruppu, Pudukaduirippu, Pudukudirruppu, Putukkudi.. (Mooladuwa[Mullaitivu]) ALUTHKULISSA Disc. 'Means new settlement', or 'new quarters', e.g, of an army. The word `Kuli' was used in old sinhala for hamlet or village. 288 the verse (9th century), Sigiri Mirror-wall – “I am Gunakara (of) Ambagam-kuli (of the) Northern Province (Jaapanaya) This area has ancient Buddhist ruins scattered in the jungle. This has a hospital and military bases for the LTTE or SLF, from time to time. It had an LTTE "heros" resting place; and it may have had an LTTE air-strip as well. The Govt. Agent during the last days of the war (Mrs. Imelda Sukumar) testified before the LLRC-commission. When asked, stated that the Hospital was not damaged during the war. New monuments to commemorate the victory over the LTTE, May 2009 LTTE base Map | අලුත්කුලිස්ස |
| Puthukudiyiruppu,Puthukkudiyiruppu (Madakalapuwa [Batticaloa]) ALUTHKULISSA n.b., this is a second entry near Batti; previous near Mulativu. Loacated 5 miles out of Batti., on the Galamuna(kalmunai) road. UTHR-J 1995 Dec. report. | අලුත්කුලිස්ස |
| Puthukulam Vavnimava [Vavniya]) ALUTHVAEVA | අලුත්වැව |
| Puthumattalan (Mooladoova [Mullaitivu]) ALUTHMATTALA ⚓name, ALUTHMASSALA Maetta, Maththa, Mattaka, Mattala, Massala etc., are found in the Sinhalese-speaking part of the country, either independently, or attached, as in "Roomassala". On the other hand, the place name "Matale (Maatalé)" is probabaly a simplification of "Mahatalé" This was part of the no fire zone (NFZ) -last stand area of the LTTE in 2009. No Fire Zone and area map | අලුත්මස්සල |
| Puthuvedduvan (Mooladoova) ALUTHVAEDDA Meaning: See the discussion under "Makilavettuvan" 'Puthu' in tamil could mean 'new'. | අලුත්වැද්ද |
| Puthuvilankulam (Vavnimava [Vavniya]) POTHUVILVAEVA Meaning. In Tamil "vil" means "Bow" and has no immediate meaning, 'Puthukulam' in T. could have meant 'new-tank'. Here 'Puthuvil' is more likely a tamilization of Pothuvila'. | පොතුවිල්-වැව |
| Puttalam (Puttalama) PUTTALAMA Iban Batuta (1344 CE) refers to Puththalama as "Battala". The Galpitiya (Kalpitiya) logoon is near by, and Kalaoya fals to the ocean north of here, at the south end of Wilpattu. Read about this area in Kalpitiya- ගල්පිටිය-Calpentyn-Galpatuna - a historic theater of old battles and new confrontations , and look up the entry under Kalpitiya. | පුත්තලම |
| Putthankalai,Butthankalai, Buddhankalai (Ampara) BUDDHANGALA, ⚓ Buddhangala, KARAJIKA-GALA Disc. The name is not recorded in ancient texts. However, the area was full of ancient Buddhist sites, and Buddhangala is an old (pre-christian) shrine where the presence of Buddhist statues may have inspired the name, as these were visited by pilgrims even in medieval times (see entry under Digavapi). The Tamil names are clearly derived from the name Buddhangala. According to an inscription found at the site, its earliest name may be "Karajika-gala". Given that Brahmi "k" and "n" characters are similar, the earliest name could well be "Naa-rajika-gala", i.e., a shrine to God Natha. The King (Yuvaraja) Mahanaga was an early king of the Digamaulla region and father of Yatalatissa, with links to the Nagas. However, additional data are needed to confirm our view that Kaa-rajika-gala was indeed Naa-rijika-gala. We note the existence of "Rajagala" and "Samangala", other old Buddhist sites like Ilukpitiya, in the Ampara area. According to inscriptions found in the area, early pioneers of the Digamadulla civilization may be Dighayu, Dighagamani and Chitra, with links to the early Anuradhapura rulers. See a photo of modern (2011) Buddhangala, contributed by Prof. Shiromi Samarasinghe. A interesting historical report of the Buddhangala region is presented in Wasantha Rathnayaka, a resident of the area. | බුද්ධංගල |
| Putur, puttur, Puthur (Yapanaya [Jaffna]) BUTHPURA, ALUTHNUWARA Meaning: There is some evidence that this was 'Buthpura', a village donated to a Buddhist temple; similar to many villages of the area, like Telipola, Mallagama, Hunugama etc. Alternatively, 'ur', or '(p)ur' in T. is a town or village Tamil 'Puthu'= new, 'Putu-ur' → 'Puttur' means 'newtown'. This was the first bank robbed by the Tamil New Tigers (which was transfroming into the LTTE) in 1976. | බුත්පුර, අලුත්නුවර |
| Puvarasankulam(Vannimava[Vayniya]) See Poovarasankulam |
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