We have seen that words, denoting
name or action, come into usage every now and then with specific meaning or
significance. Some of them become inscrutable with the passage of time. It is a leap in dark attempting to decipher
or interpretsuch words. This is very much true in the case of place names.
Ambagilu, which is located between
Kalyanpur (See Note) and Udupi (town entry point) is an example to be studied.
Enigma of Ambagilu
It seems to be an easy and plain word
but there is something curious about it. Every time when I cross Ambagilu or
Ambagalu, the curious name provokes me to find out its exact meaning. It rhymes with Mumbagilu (Front door) or
Himbagilu (Back door) in Kannada. The
Tulu Lexicon (Page 29)splits the word as “Am? + Bakilu” and gives a generalized
meaning as ‘Main entrance (of a colony, residential area, etc’) or ‘Spacious
veranda in front of a house’. Both in
Tulu (Bakilu) and Kannada (Bagilu) letters ‘k’ and ‘g’ are interchangeable.
Bakil/Bagilu means ‘door or entrance’ (Skt. Dwara).
A.Manner’s “Tulu-English Dictionary”
also gives the meaning of ‘Ambakilu’ as (1) a kind of veranda, (2) an outer
gate or door.
What is then the meaning ‘Am (ಅಂ)’,
pronounced as ‘um’ in umbrella?
Am = Water
‘Am’ means
water, perhaps a shortened word of ‘Ambu’.
Consider words like:
‘Ambi’ = Boat,
‘Ambiga’ = Boatman.
‘Ambalike/Lambalike
= Daughter of water, i.e. the Goddess who sprang out from water.
‘Ambhrani’, a
powerful mother Goddess, who was not a Vedic Goddess in the beginning. Vedic
Hyms of Eight-stanza, known as ‘Vagambhrani (Vak+Ambhrani) Sukta’ entered Rigveda
on later period of it. She is akin toPrimordial
Mother Aditi, comparable to ‘Amman’ of Nile Civilization and ‘Aphrodite’ of
Mediterranean and Saraswati, Goddess of Speech - all Mother Goddesses of Jalatatva (Water
element principle) as opposed to Agnitatva (Principle of Fire of Vedic people).
‘Amara’ = (in
paddy field), a dividing hump or bund or a ditch or small canal for water outflow
from paddy field (TL-133).
Am + bagilu – a sea Port?
Ambakilu/Ambagilu means a place where
the river meets sea. This bids me to
think that Ambagilu must have been an earlier location of estuary of River
Swarna as against the present estuary at Kodi Bengre-Hoode-Kemmannu where now River
Seeta too joins before debauching to Arabian Sea. All the west-flowing rivers originate from
Sahyadri Range, i.e. Western Ghats.Most of the rivers were navigable for marine
trade in olden days. R. Seeta originates from Agumbe Ghat, western part of Shimoga
district and is famous for rapids boating sport these days.
It is also worth pondering whether it
could be R. Udyavara many many years before. The last (recorded) shifting of
river courses to southwards in West coasts took place around 1887 (See Posts on
different names of Mangalore and Kordel).
Synonyms of Ambakilu
The following culling from Tulu
Lexicon and Dravidian Etymological Dictionary (DED) would adduce that
‘Ambakilu’ is an estuary in the unknown past and not associated with any tribe
‘Am’, as we are tempted to argue.
Aruveda
Bakilu
= (1) The place where river joins sea, (2) The entrance to a harbour
Aruvebagilu > Aribagilu > Alubakil > Ambakil.
Aruve
Saysira =
(1) Marine Department, (2) Sea Customs.
Aruve
Sayira Katte = Custom House (all
TL-162).
AaNa = (1) The entrance to a
harbour, (2) sea which is not deep (TL-233).
See Note on Kalianpur.*
In fishing
profession, this gives rise to phrases like:
ANagu
popuni/kulluni: Fishing in shallow waters,
ANevera
barpinni/ANevunu = Boats coming to shore after fishing.
DED ENTRIES
Ta: Ari (Entry 278, page 26) Place
where the lagoon joins sea. Arivay =
Sand-bank at the mouth of a river or harbour.
Arivi = inlet to a backwater, mouth
of a river.
Ma: Ari
bar =
River mouth
Ka: Arave = mouth of a
river in which tide ebbs and flows, bar.
Tu: Aluve = mouth of a river, harbour
B-K: Ana = the entrance to a harbour
Kor (M) Alubagalu = mouth of a river
Te: Ana = Bank or a dam
Eponym or Ethnonym Angle
Alternatively, it could be considered
whether there was a clan/tribe called Am/Amba or not. But suffix ‘Bakilu’ does
not permit us to think that it is a settlement of so called ‘Am’ people.
Conclusion
Place names suggest geographical
features throughout West Coast [Eg. Uran (New Mumbai), Arne, Verne, ANav,
Aluvaye (Kerala), Barakur (Udupi District) and so on]. All the above words
indicate to topographical and geographical features near water bodies.The reason
for the specific element ‘Am’ is now lost and hence the difficulty in
understanding. The generic part ‘Bakilu’ means ‘entrance’ is very clear.
However, our interpretation is not a last word. Assenting voice (from
knowledgeable quarters) helps in further exploring and setting at rest the
‘Riddle of Ambagilu’.
*Note on Kalyanapur
This place name has also undergone
change on arrival of Europeans for marine trade and on introduction of
Christianity. The old name was and
should be, in all practical sense, “Kalia+an+pura” as we find its cognates in
Maharashtra, eg. Kalyan (Kali+an), a hinter land marine trade port on River
Ulhas, a wide and deep navigable river in olden days. But before journeying
onward to drain into Arabian Sea near Bhayandar-Vasai the Main Riverbranches
outitself near Kalwa (Kal+wa) and hastens its joining Arabian Sea through Thane
Lagoon (now called as Thane Creek).
‘Kal/Kalia’ refers to rocky region, ‘an’ river bank or harbour and ‘wa’
means place/area. Kalina, a marshy land of Mithi River,
becomes ‘Koli Kalyan’ on conversion of Koli people to Christianity.
-Hosabettu
Vishwanath, Pune
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