Sri Lankan placename etymology is characterized by the linguistic and ethnic diversity of the island of Sri Lanka through the ages and the position of the country in the centre of ancient and medieval sea trade routes. While typical Sri Lankan placenames of Sinhalese origin vastly dominate, toponyms which stem from Tamil, Dutch, English and hybrid also exist. Toponyms and their etymologies are a source of heated political debate in the country as part of the political struggles between the majority Sinhalese dominated governments and minority Sri Lankan Tamils. But in the past the many composite or hybrid place names and the juxtaposition of Sinhala and Tamil place names indicated the peaceful coexistence of people of both language groups.

Historical period

Sinhalese placenames Sinhalese place names are found throughout the island. As discussed by Sri Lankan historians such as Paul E Peiris, Karthigesu Indrapala and others, pre-Christian stone inscriptions of Sri Lanka point to the extensive use of the Sinhala language in local administration. Much of the information for tracing the old place names comes from etymology, written texts, many stone inscriptions which are in Sinhala and dating back to pre-Christian times, as well as the more recent colonial records.

The commonly used land usage forms are Kumbura(paddy fieldds), Deniya, watte(garden), pola, gama (village), Hena (newly cultivated lands). Commonly used caste related forms are waduwa (carpenter), batta (lower caste settlement), ambataya (barber), aruwa (potter), govi (farmer), bamuna (Brahmin) and Villiya (Rodiya).. Commonly used trees in village names are pol (coconut), Kitul (palm)amongst others. Names of Flower gardens belonginging to Buddhist establishments end with uyana. Grass lands were termed as talava and tree groves were termed golla. Village tanks were called pokuna or katuwa. Irrigation tanks were called wewa.. Canals from such lakes were called aala. Flat lands were termed botha.Ports were termed tota.. Tamil placenames According Professor K. Kularatnam (1911- 198?) when analyzing regional distribution of place names in Sri Lanka, one can not only come across Tamil names in areas which are now Sinhala-speaking areas and vice versa, but also composite or hybrid place names which are part Sinhalese and part Tamil in composition as well as Sinhalese and Tamil place names juxtaposed within small areas. The place names are simple and descriptive; they reflect criteria normal to early societies and are related to the concepts and outlooks of people of those times. The majority of the place names can be listed under caste and occupational, landforms, land classifications, coastal features, irrigation works, fields and farms, trees, animals, names of deities, personal names, old, new, big, small, good, settlement and village.

The commonly used caste or ethnic titles in Tamil language are Chetty, Vannan and Demala. The commonly used landforms Mulai or Mulla (corner), Malai or Male (Montain), Aru (Creek), Kuda (bay) Manal (sandy place), Kuli (depression), Tivu (Island), Pallam (depression) and Ur or uruwa (Village), Land classification are Tottam (garden), Kudal(bay), Puval, Kadu (forest), Munai or Mune (front Karai (coast) and Turai or Ture (port). Irrigation and Agriculture classifications are Kulam or Kulama (tank) the commonest village name ending in Anuradhapura district and Puttalam district. Kinaru (well), Kani (allotment), Vayal (paddy field), Vaikkal (canal) and Eri (tank). The commonly used Trees are Vembu, Panai (Palm) and Illupai. Commonly used animals and birds are Anai (Elephant), Puli (Tiger), Kuranku (Monkey). Other notable classifications are deities such as Amman, Andi, Kali and Pillaiyar.Hybrid placenames Most hybrid place names are found in the traditionally Sinhalese provinces such as North Western and North central provinces of Sri Lanka as well as traditionally Tamil Northern and Eastern provinces. In the currently Tamil dominant Jaffna district in the Northern province, according professor Karthigesu Indrapala there are over 900 village and town names within the Jaffna peninsula with Sinhala toponyms. The village of Chunnakam is supposedly derived from Hunugama and Kantarodai is derived from Kadurugoda. The origin of the name of modern-day Jaffna is a bit more complex. Horsburgh suggests that Jaffna, or Yalpanam in Tamil, was derived from the Sinhala words Yapapatuna where Yapa is government official and 'Patuna', i.e., 'entrepot' or 'harbor'. but the archaeologist Paranavithana suggests that the original name was Javapatuna, where 'Java' alludes to the presence of Javaka people. The Portuguese historian De Queyroz refers to it at 'Jafnapato'. Centuries earlier, Sigiri graffiti verses written circa 8 century CE, contain references to Vaeligama refering to the Jaffna peninsula, and the Dutch East India Company or VOC maps also show Jaffna as Waligamo province.

According to Professor K. Kularatnam, he concluded that from the hybrid place names in the tradionally Sinhalese North Central and North-Western Provinces as well as the coastal tracts as far as south as Colombo were inhabited by Tamil-speaking people in the past. In addition there have been also at least small segments elsewhere in the Island. The many composite or hybrid place names and the juxtaposition of Sinhala and Tamil place names indicated the peaceful coexistence of people of both language groups.

Colonial period

Portuguese and Dutch placenames The Portuguese who came to the island in 1505 and left in 1658. They have left behind some interesting place names such as Mattakkuliya and Kollupitiya. Mattakkuliya is a Portuguese name which means "where the coolly was killed." Kollupitiya was a great plain where the boys played. It had first been called 'Koan Pitiya' which later became Kollupitiya and during the time of the British occupancy it came to be called 'Colpetty.They often gave names of Saints to whom the churches in the vicinity were dedicated. San Sebastian Hill and St. Joseph's Road are examples of these and Milagiriya had the church of Our Lady of Miracles.

The Dutch rule the maritime provinces from 1658-1796. Amongst their legacy place-names of Dutch origin although not many are still significant. For example Hulftsdorp which is Dutch for 'Hulft's Village'. This area once served as the headquarters of the Dutch General Gerard Hulft during the siege of Colombo in 1656. Although Dutch arms triumphed in this decisive battle against the Portuguese, General Hulft was killed in the ensuing conflict. It was in remembrance of this soldier that the Dutch named the area Hulftsdorp and developed it into a township which was later to become the country's legal hub. Among the other place-names in Colombo which are of Dutch origin may be included Bloemendahl (Vale of Flowers) and Wolfendahl (Dale of Wolves). The Beira lake in Colombo probably takes its name from De Beer who is believed to have been an engineer in charge of the Dutch water defenses. A granite plaque inscribed with the words 'De Beer 1700' recovered from an old Dutch sluice which controlled the flow of water from the lake has altered the hitherto accepted view that the lake takes its name from the Portuguese beira meaning 'bank or edge (of a lake)'. In the far north, the Dutch term Delft given to the island of Neduntivu still survives. The Dutch names given to the other islands of Jaffna such as Hoorn, Leiden, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Middelburg and Enkhuizen have all but disappeared and have been replaced by their local Tamil names. Messenger Street was called Rue de Massang by the Dutch because there were many Massang trees and even today it is called Masang Gas Vidiya and Korteboam(short trees). English placenames The British who followed the Dutch left many place names within the capital Colombo city. Many of the place names in Colombo such as Queen's Street, Prince Street, Duke Street have a British royal connotations. The bridge which leads into Colombo is called the Kelani Bridge now but earlier this very same bridge was called Victoria bridge, named after one of Britain's most famous Queen Victoria. Albert Crescent was named after Prince Albert and Edinburgh Crescent was named after the first Duke of Edinburgh. Colombo's Queen's Street got its name because the Queen's representative lived there. There are many places in Colombo named after some of the past English Governors who served here. These include Maitland Crescent, Paget Place, Barnes Place, Campbell Place, Ward Place and Macarthy Road and Guildford Crescent. Similarly Rosmead place is named after Governor Hercules Robinson who later became Lord of Rosmead. Chalmer's Granaries was named after Sir Robert Chalmers and Manning Town, Manning Place and Manning Market are all linked up with the name of Sir William Manning. Some of the well-known roads in Cinnamon Gardens which was a fashionable residential area even then was named after Governors Sir Edward Barnes, Sir Robert Horton, Viscount Torrington, Sir Henry Ward, Sir Charles MacCarthy, Sir Hercules Robinson and Sir William Gregory. There also places with British origin outside of Colombo city.

Controversy

Place names are a source of controversy in Sri Lankan politics. According Jonathan Spencer, a social anthropologist from the School of Social and Political Studies of the University of Edinburgh, the Sri Lankan Civil War is an outcome of how modern ethnic identities have been made and re-made since the colonial period, with the political struggle between minority Sri Lankan Tamils and the Sinhala-dominant government accompanied by rhetorical wars over archeological sites and place-name etymologies, and the political use of the national past. Spencer further noted that in the currently Tamil-dominant Northern Province there are place names with Sinhalese etymologies, which is used by the Sinhala dominant government to claim the territory, whereas Tamils using Tamil place names in rationally Sinhala areas point to their antiquity in the island.There is a movement in Sri Lanka that seeks to Sinhalize all placenames throughout the country.

See also

• Languages of Sri Lanka

Notes

References

• Gnanaprakasar, Swamy A Critical History of Jaffna. New Delhi: Asian Educational Services.
• Asiff Hussein Dutch heritage of Sri Lanka. Retrieved on 2008-03-06..
• Andrew Scott Romance of Colombo's place names. Retrieved on 2008-03-06..
• Spencer, Jonathan Sri Lanka: History and the Roots of Conflict. Routledge.
• Kularatnam, K "Tamil Place Names in Ceylon outside the Northern and Eastern Provinces". Proceedings of the first International Conference Seminar of Tamil Studies, vol. 1, 483-493. .