328. Pune, Punacha, Punchame villages.

Pune (Poona or Puna) is a burgeoning metropolitan city in Maharastra. However the place Pune is not alone. There are numerous places called Pune (or its variants like Puna , Puni, Punia or Punay etc)  in different parts of India in States such as Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland.

The term puNa in Tulu language means dead body (peNa old Kannada; heNa in modern Kannada). However this may not be the meaning of the word Puna in coastal place names such as Punarur, Punacha, Punchame, Punchapadi, etc. Because none of these place names are exclusive to Karavali Tulunadu but found all over the country.

Pun(a) Villages in India.

We can find numerous villages in India named after Puna (plural Punar) tribes, of course with assorted spatial suffixes, some of which are common all over India irrespective of its diversity.

Andhra Pradesh: Punaguda, Punjanur, Punnole, Punem, Punukudu, Punnum, Punubuchampeta, Punuvalsa, Punukuru, Punukollu, Punaraka, Pungami, Punganur, Punnepalli, Punaraka. etc

Assam: Punirmukh, Punicherra, Pundibari, Punia, Puniagaon, Punia, etc

Bihar: Punar, Punarwara, Punaura, Pundale, Punach, Punwa, Punsia, Punadiah, Punesra, Punha, Puna,Pundark, Punawan, Punaidili, Punaul, etc

Chattisgarh: Punnoor, Punpalli, Punadih, Pungarpal, Punarkasa. etc

Goa: Punnola. etc

Haryana: Pundrak, Puniska, Puntawar etc

Himachal Pradesh: Punto, Puntwar, Punal, Punani, Puni, Puner, Punyal, Pundar, Puna, Punahan, Punahli, Punnar, Punan, Pundras, Punang. etc

Jammu & Kashmir: Punjvari, Punachetar, Puneja, Punwal, Punara, etc

Karnataka: Punajur, Pundahalli, Punaje, Pundanahalli, Punjihalli, Punagumarana-halli, Punacha, Punchapady, etc

Kerala: Punnayur, Punnapra, Punnala. Ponnani etc

Madhya Pradesh: Punchhari, Punawali, Punchhi, Punduwa, Punolhar, Punyakhed, Punapada,Punakheda, Puni, Punasa, Punhai, Punoli, Punda, etc

Maharastra: Punoti, Pungaon, Punkhede, Punnur, Punnaguda, Punwat, Pune, Punir,Pundhe, Pundas, Puntamba, Punatgaon, Punewad, Pungani, Punwar, etc

Manipur: Punge, Puni, etc

Nagaland: Puneboqa etc

Orissa: Punesia,Pundra,Pundal, Punanga,Punipada, Punjam, Punger, etc

Punjab: Punsai, Punga, Punj. etc

Rajastan: Punirsar, Punny, Punata,Punyana, Punsar, Punali, Punera, Punwalia, etc

Tamilnadu: Punganur, Punnamalai, Pundi,Punnai, Pungar, etc

Uttar Pradesh: Pundar,Punnar,Punda, Punapar. etc

Uttar khand: Punar,Pungroli,Pundori,Punoli. etc

West Bengal: Punia, Puncha, Punra, Pungila, Punja, etc

Punarpuli, Punake

Wild maroon colored berries are known as Punarpuli (Garcinia indica) in Karavali region.(Elsewhere it is known as Kokam, or  Birinda etc). Similarly the tamarind is known as Punake in Tulu. (Tamarindus indica. Punase/Hunase in Old/ Modern Kannada). There is a probability that these berries/fruits are named after the extinct Puna tribes.
Similarly, Poonacha is  a surname among people of Kodagu region

Origin

The wide distribution of Puna place names suggest that these places could have been named after a tribe that dissolved its identity and seamlessly assimilated into the Indian Diaspora. We do not find direct historical evidences for the now extinct Puna tribes.

1. One of the possibility is that the name refers to Hun people of Mongoloid origin (Hun>Pun) who invaded India around 6^th Century CE.

2. The other possibility is that they might have been the migrant Austro-Asiatic tribes from Southeast Asia, related to some of the Punan tribes.

3. One more possibility is that these could have been an ancient segment of African Punu tribes.

Readers having interesting additional data on the topic may share their views in the comments section.

R