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Know the Etymology: 67
Place Name of the Day: Sunday, 19 February 2017 Kōp-pāy, Neṭṭilip-pāy, Mayilap-pai, Pallup-paiகோப்பாய், நெட்டிலிப்பாய், மயிலப்பை, பல்லுப்பைKōp-pāy, Neṭṭilip-pāy, Mayilap-pai, Pallup-pai Kō+pāy Neṭṭil+pāy Mayilai+pai Pallu+pai The royal expanse The expanse of Neṭṭi shrubs The expanse of Mayilai shrubs The grazing-land expanse
The suffix component Pāy coming in Eezham Tamil place names, especially in the Jaffna Peninsula, means an expanse or a spreading place. The toponymic meaning is deducible from a number of Eezham Tamil place names and from literary cum inscriptional usages of the past. Pāy (noun) in common Tamil usage of today retains only the shades of meanings such as a mat to spread, sail of a ship etc. But in old Tamil, the root Pā itself, was meaning 'being broad' as a verb, and was meaning an expanse as a noun. The related verbs, Pā-ay, Pā-aya, Pāy and Pāvu were meaning, 'being extensive, spreading, to spread, to extend, to spread as creepers etc.' Pāyal as a noun was meaning an extensive place in Tamil inscriptions. The Tamil usages, having cognates in 12 Dravidian languages are listed as Dravidian (DED 4088). In a significant usage example coming from a Tamil inscription of Cholas on revenue coming from Trincomalee, dated to 1014 CE, the term Pāy/ Pāya coming in the context of land tax, means a kind of land (see citations below) The Pāy suffix seen in Jaffna place names is yet another example of old usages that have become obsolete in current Eezham Tamil. The suffix Pai noticed in some Jaffna place names is a shortened form of Pāy, as could be deduced from the examples. In meaning and usage, the Pāy suffix shares similarities with other toponymic terms Āy in Eezham Tamil and Yāya in Sinhala. The etyma may be different. See columns on Āy and Yāya.
The toponymic components Pā and Pāya in Sinhala have different meanings and they come from different etyma. In two of the place names, Kōp-pāy and Pattiṉip-pāy, Pāy may correspond to Pāya in Sinhala, respectively meaning a place and a temple. But in predominant place-name examples these meanings can't be applied and they favour the meaning, 'expanse'. In some Sinhala place names too, Pāya seems to be having meanings other than palace/ temple. See relevant columns. Pāy as verb meaning spreading: "பாய் மணற் பந்தர்" (பெரும்பாணாற்றுப்படை, 267) "Pāy maṇaṟ pantar" (Perumpāṇāṟṟuppaṭai, 267)
The shelter in the spreading sands (tells about a hut in the coastal tract)
"ஞெமிர்தலும் பாய்தலும் பரத்தற் பொருள" (தொல்காப்பியம், உரியியல், 65: 361) "Ñemirtalum pāytalum parattaṟ poruḷa" (Tolkāppiyam, Uriyiyal 65: 361)
Ñemirtal and Pāytal are used in the meaning of spreading/ expanding
"பெரும் பாய் இருக்கை" (சிலப்பதிகாரம், 5: 57) "Perum pāy iruppai" (Cilappatikāram, 5: 57)
The settlement in the great expanse or the settlement of great expanse [Comes in describing a suburban settlement, where various worrier communities were residing and roaming around)
"காயலுட் கமலம் மலரும் பாயலுள் வடபாலை" (Tamil inscription, 771 CE, EI, xvii, 16) "Kāyaluṭ kamalam malarum pāyaluḷ vaṭapālai" (Tamil inscription, 771 CE, EI, xvii, 16)
On the northern side of the expanse of lotus-bloomed backwaters
"பாயலினிமிர்ந்தும்" (பாயலில் நிமிர்ந்தும், Tamil inscription, 921 CE, SII, iii, 206a) "Pāyaliṉimirntum" (Tamil inscription, 921 CE, SII, iii, 206a)
Coming victorious in the battlefield
"பாயப் பாகாடி/ பாய்ப்-பாகாடி தறாண்டு வச்சால் உட்பட இறை கட்டின காணிக்கடன்" (Tamil inscription of Cholas on revenue coming from Trincomalee, 1014 CE, SII, ii, 92) "Pāyap-pākāṭi/ Pāyp-pākāṭi taṟāṇṭu-vaccāl uṭpaṭa iṟai kaṭṭiṉa kāṇikkaṭaṉ" (Tamil inscription of Cholas on revenue coming from Trincomalee, 1014 CE, SII, ii, 92)
The land tax paid, including the types of taxes for Pāya/ Pāy and Taṟāṇṭu [Darāṇḍa means paddy field in Sinhala. Pāya seems to be meaning another kind of land as the term comes in the context of paying Kāṇik-kaṭan, i.e., land-tax. In inscriptions Pāya could also be read as Pāy] Kō meaning king and royal in Tamil/ Dravidian (DED 2177) could be appropriately applied to Kōpāy, as the place is historically identified as one of the seats of the royalty of Jaffna. A variety of shrubs are called Neṭṭi in Tamil (see box). The Li-end is an affix. Note another example, Caṇṭi > Caṇṭili. Mayilai meaning varieties of shrubs or small trees comes in many Eezham Tamil and Sinhala place names. The term comes by comparison of attribute with peacock (Mayil, DED 4642). See column on Mayilai.
Place name examples show that Pallu, Pallam and Palli (word forms are close to Telugu) mean a grazing land, cattle station or cattle-herder's settlement, and they correspond to Paḷḷi (Tamil, DED 4018). See column on Paḷḷi. Kōp-pāy is a major village and divisional headquarters of Valikamam East in Jaffna district. Historiographical literatures of Jaffna note that there was a royal residence and fortifications at this place. The place has extensive ruins. Neṭṭilip-pāy is a locality in Kōṇṭāvil in Nalloor division of Jaffna district. Mayilap-pai is a locality near Vīmaṉkāmam in Valikamam North division of Jaffna district (Balasundaram, p. 181). Pallup-pai is a place in Vadamaratchi North division of Jaffna district. Some related place names: Pāy: Mānip-pāy: Valikamam Southwest, Jaffna. 1. Māṉiyam?: land held on free tenure (Tamil, MTL); 2. Note the place name Māṇā-pāya in Ibbagamuwa, Kurunegala. Mānā: a grass (Sinhala, Clough); Māṉam-pul: Tamil Kiṇāp-pāy: Manippāy, Valikamam Southwest, Jaffna. Kiṇāṅku: a species of grass, Rotboella corymbosa (Tamil, MTL, Winslow) Caṇṭilip-pāy: Valikamam Southwest, Jaffna. Caṇṭi: a small tree or shrub, the leaves of which are used for food (Tamil, Winslow) Katirip-pāy: Pattaimēṉi, Valikamam East, Jaffna. Katiram: Acacia Tōlap-pāy: Urumpirāy, Valikamam East, Jaffna. Tōlai: grove, jungle, thicket Tekkaṇap-pāy: Vaṭṭukkōṭṭai, Valikamam west, Jaffna (V. Almanac). Tekkaṇam: south Iyakkaṭap-pāy: Cuḻipuram, Valikamam west, Jaffna (Balasundaram, p. 256-257). Tēṉap-pāy: Tuṇṉālai, Vadamaratchi Northeast, Jaffna (V. Almanac) Pattiṉip-pāy: Paḷḷikkuṭā, Poonakari, Kilinochchi. Pattiṉi: goddess Kaṇṇaki Pattinp-pāy-villu: Paḷḷikkuṭā, Poonakari, Kilinochchi. This is a marsh adjacent to the Pattiṇip-pāy temple (One Inch Sheet) Kaccap-pāy: Cutumalai, Valikamam Southwest, Jaffna. Kacci: jungle Taṇṭalap-pāy: Taiyiṭṭi, Valikamam North, Jaffna (Balasundaram, p. 256, 257) Toṅkaḷap-pāy: Taiyiṭṭi, Valikamam North, Jaffna (Balasundaram, p. 256-257). Taṅkalāṉ: a section of Paraiyar community Cavaṅkaṭap-pāy: Taiyiṭṭi, Valikamam North, Jaffna (Balasundaram, p. 256-257) Mala-maṇṭalap-pāy: Vīmaṉkāmam, Valikamam North, Jaffna (Balasundaram, p. 256-257). The place is in the limestone high ground region Māntap-pāy: Vīmaṉkāmam, Valikamam North, Jaffna (Balasundaram, p. 256-257) Talap-pāy: Vīmaṉkāmam, Valikamam North, Jaffna (Balasundaram, p. 256-257). Talai: catchment area, place where a flood outlet begins Pai: Malap-pai: Kīrimalai, Valikamam North, Jaffna. Malai: hill, mound. This is an open place adjacent to Kīrimalai limestone area Kayintap-pai: Kollaṉkalaṭṭi, Valikamam North, Jaffna Malaip-pai: Cuṇṇākam, Valikamam South, Jaffna (Balasundaram, p. 262). This is a place adjacent to Katiramalai in Cuṉṉākam, which is a high ground. See Malap-pai Nalap-pai: Valikamam South, Jaffna (Balasundaram, p. 425) Teṇiyam-pai: Valveṭṭittuṟai, Vadamaratchi Northeast, Jaffna. Teṇi: a low ground Revised: Sunday, 19 February 2017, 23:45 First published: Wednesday, 12 September 2007, 01:00
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