403. Kanagod(a) & Mangod, along Udyavara river

Deciphering place names is a daunting job.  Naming of a village takes place on occupying an area.  Such settlement is named after geographical features, original occupiers from distinct group/tribes, occupations, conquerors, natural surroundings, etc.  The queerest part is that such names are coined mostly by outsiders. Barring mythological legends, reliable records are rarely found.  This is the case with Kanagod, Kanagoda, or Kanagode and Mangod – fishing villages on the bank of Udyavara River.  In the past, the Udyavara River used to debauch into Arabian Sea in Udyavara itself and not Malpe, as we see today (Read our old Posts on Kaipunjal, Uliyaragoli to Malpe, Pithrodi and Magic of Malpe).

While at my daughter’s house, the invitation from Shri Pandharinath Bhajana Mandir (Regd), Kanakoda, Udyavara Padukare, Post Mattu (Udupi District) has rekindled our interest on place name decipherment. This is the 80^th auspicious yearly (Brahma Kalashotsava) ceremony (from 18^th March to 31^st March, 2018).     Kanakoda is a coastal hamlet of Udyavara, across Udyavara River.  The village hamlet is one of the constituents of federation of seven fishing villages (Elur Mogaveera Pattana Sangha) along the river. The other six villages are:  Udyavara (with hamlet Pithrodi – see our Post-178 of 14^th March 2009), Bolje, Yenade, Kote Mattu (Katapadi), Kuthipadi, and Kadekar (ಕಡೆಕಾರ್).  

Location of Sand-barrier villages: 
 Our earlier Posts contain maps.  Riverine topography right from coastal Mattu  Koppala village, which is western part of Mattu Kote, which is on eastern bank of Pangal rivulet  (along Kaipunjal and Pangal stream/rivulets, which join Udyavara River – both Mattu Koppala and Kote villages are part of Katapadi) to Malpe Padukare.  The villages along Sand barriers are:  Mattu Koppala >Kanakodi Padukare(on western Bank of Udyavara River from across Pithrodi-Udyavara) > Kuth(i)padi Padukare > Kadekar Padukare > Malpe Padukare (across Kidiyoor and Kalmadi villages).   Mangodu is a hamlet of Kuth(i)padi on East Bank of Udyavara river.  Readers would get a glimpse of this from Google Maps.

Kanakoda

Kanakoda or Kanakode can be dissected as:

Kana + Koda  or Kanak + Oda or Ode.  Koda or Kode is comparable to ‘Kodi’.  Kod/Kodi is narrow and pointed stretch of sand barriers between river and sea, which is a common phenomenon near estuaries of rivers.  Note the confluence of rivers of Netravathi & Phalguni at Ullal-Kudroli-Bengre, Shambhavi & Nandini at Hejamadikodi & Kadike-Sasihitlu, Sita & Swarna at Hangarakatte-Kodi Bengare or Kadike (Tottam), etc. These walls {Kuda (ಕುಡ) = gode (ಗೋಡೆ)} are in the shape of kodu, meaning horn.  Remember Malampu/Malampe (Modern Malpe) was known as Kudaar in ancient time.

Alternative 1 – Landscaped:

Meaning of ‘Kana’ or ‘Kanak’ is not easy to decipher.  We may deduce it as ‘particle’, say sand particles of sand barriers.  So Kanakode is derived from sand barriers, the geographically natural shape.

Alt.2 – Sacred Grove/Forest:

If we take ‘kana’ (ಕನ) as ‘Kaana (ಕಾನ = Garden, Grove or Wooded land), it could be presumed that the village has taken its name from ‘preserved and protected grove/forest’.

Alt. 3 – an Ethnonym:

Kanakod-a/i/e can be split as Kanak+Oda/Odi/Ode.  What is ‘Kanak’?  Does it mean ‘Gold’? Oda/Odi/Ode means ‘raised/elevated land/habitation/settlement. 

Coastal belt is beseted with many place names with Kan, Kanak and Kanka. It is not an eponym.  Could it be an ethnonym, derived from ‘Kan’ people? There are many place names, such as Kanangi, Kannarpadi, Kannangar, Kankanadi and likewise. It is said that Kannada is originated from ‘Kan (= eye)’ tribes, known as Kaniars (= Seers or Sooth-sayers). Kannada is one of the Dravidian languages branched off from Proto-Dravidian language.  Tulu, one of the Pancha Dravida Languages, is more near to Old Kannada and Tamil.

Alt.4 – A Ferry Point

It may sound an absurd exposition. Tulu: Kanak = Dead-wood + Oda = Boat.  It means a boat of deadwoods, i.e. a teppa (ತೆಪ್ಪ), English: Raft.   Wooden rafts were used in earlier days for ferrying in rivers. Ferry boats from Udyavara to Kanakoda are now discontinued.

Alt.5 – A Golden Land:

The place name Kankavli in Sindhudurg (one of the Konkan Districts) is dissected as Kanak + avli (= Gold+land, i.e Golden land).  We feel that this explanation is given by Sanskrit-loving people and that it does not reveal the correct meaning of the olden place, inhabited by several migratory people of different tongues from benighted ages.

Bridge for rapid movement:

Malpe-Padukare Villages, in narrow coastal belt, are now connected by a bridge near Kalmadi.  So the coastal motorable road journey from Kaup-Malpe to Udupi is now easy and it has reduced the distance and time. Earlier, residents from Padukare were taking ferry service route on Udyavara River to reach Malpe and from thence to Udupi.  By road residents were reaching Udupi through circuitous coastal feeder road that goes through Mattu and Katapadi.

Mangod(u)

It is a hamlet in Kuthipadi, famous for Subramanya Temple and Vasuki Nagabana.  Mangodu is made of two elements:  Man + Kodu (on joining of the parts, ‘k’ changes to ‘g’).  ‘Man’ means raised soil, say a mound, ‘Kod’ means ‘a pointed stretch or side like a horn’, as explained above.

Mangodu can also be analysed as Mang+odu.  Mang is supposed to be a tribe migrated from Africa. Odu means settlement or habitation.  So, place name is originated from settlement of Mang people.

Mangodu falls on the eastern bank of River Udyavara in Kuth(i)padi between Pithrodi and Kadekar. Padi, i.e. vast vegetated area or   village full of ‘Kuthi’, meaning dwarf bushes and trees, i.e. trees of short trunk and stunted-trunk.  Kuthipadi may also be explained as ‘a place where cutting action took place, i.e. where a man is slained, as we learn from a para hereunder.

The place Mangodu is locally famous for its two temples - one for Subramanya, son of Lord Shiva, and the other for Vasuki, the Serpent king, adorned by Shiva as His garland (Or else, a bed of Lord Vishnu, as understood by ‘Vasukishayana’ in some devotional songs).  In Kuthipadi, there is one more temple known as Kanangi Mahabrahma Lingeshwar Temple, dedicated to Trinity Brahma, Vishnu and Maheshwara.

Now it has become a tourist spot owing to the recent find and decipherment of an old Kannada inscription at Subramanya Temple.  It is a 9^th Century 8-line inscription (7^th line found effaced) on a round stone, types of which are normally found in Kudar, now submerged area of Malpe, known as St. Mary’s Island.  According to history, Tulu Nadu was ruled by Alupa Dynasty, who ruled the kingdom for more than thousand years, changing their capital from Mangalore, Udyavara and Barkur.  Glimpses of this dynasty are touched in some of our articles.

The epigraph on a naturally round stone says:

Pala Achiya, servant of Navre, stabbed Svetavahana, while forcibly entering Udayapura (now Udyavara) and killed him.  Pala then died fighting the soldiers of Svetavahana.

Svetavahana, who ruled Tulu Nadu around 9^th Century, is a scion of Alupa Dynasty.  It is understood that there were in-fighting among royal stakeholders.  This incident is one of the episodes of infighting. Navre is a Chieftain of Alupas in Udyavara.  He is cited in Greek-Tulu Farce (Prahashan), which tells how Greek sailors freed a Greek lady, held captive by Navre, by intoxicating his soldiers.  

The decipherment is made by T. Murgeshi in 2015.  He is the Associate Professor of Ancient History and Archaeology at Mulki Sundaram Shetty College, Shirva.

Mangodu, as place name, is found even in Kerala (Palakkad) and Tamil Nadu (Ponneri, Tiruvalluru). At some places, it is mentioned as Mankadu.  It may be ‘kavu’, preserved and protected sacred groves or forests, as we described in our Post-282/29.06.2011 on Kavradi.

Coastal erosion

Kanakoda faces sea erosion problem year after year, as is Ullal, Hejamadikodi, etc.  It is more severe during rainy season or at the time of tidal waves. 

Coastal erosion is one of the significant coastal hazards, turning into loss of precious lives and valuable properties and lands alongside coastal zone.  The inter-faced land and sea is a zone of active and fragile ecosystem. Rock-boulders are put along shore-line as stop-gap measure.  These boulders are washed away by tidal waves. As a permanent solution, construction of break-water walls is contemplated by Central and State Governments for permanent protection of shore-line instead of temporary measure.  Readers would do well if they read ‘Shoreline change atlas of the Indian Coast (Vol.3 – Karnataka to Kerala).

Conclusion

We have tried to make a logical analysis.  We pass on this challenge to readers to say their version and share the factual information on places under study.

Hosabettu Vishwanath, Pune 

402. Word cognates of cow, a wealth symbol

World languages seem related to some extent. It is to be seen or understood by virtue of words in them. Vindication of this statement surfaces suddenly in the course of our knowledge-gathering.  We have had touched this aspect in some of our articles elsewhere in this Blog, say on place name stems  ‘Al or Ala’, ‘kuppe’, etc.   

Here is one more example.

Peculate

“Word of the Day” in Dictionary.com of 5^th March has sprung a surprise to me.  The word is ‘peculate’.  It means: (1) to steal or take dishonestly (money, especially public funds or properties entrusted to one’s care), (2) embezzle.  Other synonyms are: misappropriate, forge, loot, defalcate, misuse and so on. 

The word ‘peculate’ is derived from ‘peculatus’, which is, in turn, is derived from ‘peculatium’.  It means ‘wealth in cattle’.  The root noun is ‘pecu’.  It is pronounced as ‘peku’ (‘c’ is pronounced as ‘k’), meaning cattle and large cattle, domestic animals.  The word entered English in 18^th Century, sometime in 1740-50. 

Pecu versus Pashu

A thought has crept into my mind that this word has connection to Indian languages.

From this ‘pecu’, we get words, like:

Pecus: Mindless group of people, cattle, sheep, rabble, mob

Pecuarius =  Sheep, Cattle

Pecunia = movable property, riches, wealth, money. 

Pecuniary = relating to money, monetary

Peculiar = particular, strange, abnormal, atypical, private (property)

‘Pecu’ Cognates in world languages

Latin ‘Pecu’ comes all but unchanged from Proto-Indo-European ‘Pek’, ‘peku’, having the meaning of wealth, livestock, and movable property.  It cognates with:

Sanskrit:  Pashu (पशु) (Meaning Dhan = Wealth)

Lithuanian:  Pekus

Proto-Germanic:  Fehu or fehe

Germanic: Vieh (In German  ’V’ has the sound of ‘F’ (Valve is pronounced as Falfe – as understood from German technicians who came for start-up of Plant of the company where I was working some time in 1969-70 and from some initial learning of German in late 1970s but not kept up).

Low German: Veeh

Dutch:  Vee

Old Norse and Danish:  Fae

Swedish: Faa

Armenian:  ‘wunl’ (Asa) = fleece, wool

Old English:  Feoh (meaning cattle, goods, money)

English:  Fee 

[Source:  Dictionary.com, Collins English Dictionary, Pecu – Wiktinary, quoting from sources, like Charles T. Lewis &  Charles Short   (1879) – A Latin Dictionary, Oxford, Claredon Press & Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York, Harper & Brothers,  pecu from Gaffiot, Felix (1934)]

Prakrit: Pasu  and Basu from Vasu = Treasure of wealth

Kannada:  Pashu, Pasu (Old Kannada), Hasu (new Kannada), Dana (Compare dana (cow) with dhana (cash, wealth)

Tulu:  Pasu (ಪಸು), Petta (ಪೆತ್ತ – ‘Pe’as in ‘Pen’, ‘tta’ in Sanskrit ‘vitta’ (वित्ता = Finance, Money). Cow or Petta is normally used for female cow.  ‘’Pasu’ also means a docile and calm person or a great or respected person.

Tamil: Perram

Telugu:  ?

Malayalam:  ?

Assamese:  Pohu

Cow as symbol of wealth

Cow has been a symbol of wealth and holiness, even before the Vedic age.  Cowherds became kings because of their cow-wealth.  One who fought and won battle for ownership of cows was called a ‘Dhananjaya’. 

There were groups of traders, known as ‘Phanis’.  They were mentioned as enemies of Devas in Sanskrit scriptures (say Rig-Veda) as they were stealing cows of Brahmins. 

Donation of cow with calves is considered as a donation of the highest order.  Kings used to donate cows to hermitages of rishis. 

In the Epic Mahabharata, we have the story of ‘gograhana yuddha’ (गोग्राहण युद्धा).  By the ruse of ‘gograhana’, Kauravas wanted to find out the place of hiding of Pandavas during the last one year of their living in incognito as one of the conditions of punishment for losing the Game of Dice with Kauravas.  On the last day of their secret stay in the Kingdom of Virata, Arjuna, remaining incognito in the guise of Brihannala (a eunuch who taught art of dancing to Uttara Kumari), fought the Kauravas and won the battle for Uttara Kumar, son of Virata.    This highlights significance of a cattle wealth in a kingdom. 

Story of Madhavi in Udyoga Parva of Mahabharata also highlights the significance of domesticated horses as ‘property’. She was the beautiful daughter of Yayati, King of Lunar clan, from Urvashi, an Apsara (Celestial woman).  Madhavi was blessed by a sage that she would always remain virgin and sacred even after giving birth to powerful sons.  How she was traded by Galava, the disciple of Sage Vishwamitra, a King turned ascetic in search of ‘Brahmajnana’, is a strange story (morality of which is to be judged from the customs of those days).  Hence Vishwamitra is called a ‘Mahabrahmana’.  On insistence of Galava, Vishwamitra ordered him to give 800 snow-white horses, each one having one black-coloured ear, as Guru Dakshina (Fee given to Guru at the end of studies). Galava approached (on the advice of Garuda) King Yayati, who did not have horses, fitting the description. So, King offered his daughter with divine power of regaining virginity after bearing sons only, to be pledged for collecting horses from other kings.  Galava got 200 horses from Ayodhya King Haryaswa of Ikshuvaaku Dynasty, who was not having a son.  Madhavi advised Galava to offer her to the King for 200 horses and take her back after she bore a son (Vasuprada or Vasumanas) for the King.  This way, Galava took further 200 horses each from Devodasa, King of Kashi, who got a son named Pratadana) and King Ushinara of Bhojanagari.  Living with him for a year she gave birth to a son, who was named Shibi.  Shibi was a generous King and was famous for his steadfastness in upholding truth and justice.  Unable to procure remaining 200 horses of special kind, he returned to Vishwamitra and begged him to take Madhavi in lieu of the remaining horses.  From Madhavi, Vishwamitra got a powerful son Ashtaka.  When Madhavi was free after fulfilling the wish of her father of helping Galava, she chose to remain an ascetic, living in    woods like a deer.

Conclusion

Is such word-comparison at random a truth or a myth? Or is it a mere coincidence?     We feel that such likeness or image is an essential truth, masked by time and distance.

Harmony between man and Nature with animals is the corner-stone of ecological balance.   Nature is evergreen, as the story of Madhavi symbolises.  Madhavi means Lakshmi, the Goddess of Wealth and spouse of Lord Vishnu and ever-beautiful like a creeper with fragrant flower having honey. Cattle wealth is replaced by artificial goods now.  Man’s unbridled greed has spoiled the atmosphere and water sources, threatening all types of lives of this world.

Hosabettu Vishwanath, Pune

401. Inscription stones of Bengalore

Inscription stones of  Bengalore is an enthusiastic  project group  dedicated to the preservation of historical inscriptions located in and around Bengaluru. Shri Uday Kiumar and Vinay Kumar on behalf of the group presented interesting information on the importance of preserving, studying and understanding the inscriptions of Bengaluru recently (4-3-2018) at the Centre for Internet & Society at Domlur, Bengaluru. (You can find the facebook page on #InscriptionStonesOfBangalore.)

Inscriptions

Inscriptions are ancient memorials that provide windows into the bygone history of the land. Many of the inscriptions directly or indirectly throw invaluable light on the status of land, language, customs and circumstances of the period of erection of these stones.

In those days, the death in war or by sacrifice was glorified with the promised expectations of glamorous benefits in the life after death.

An enticing Sanskrit couplet explains thus:

Jitena labhyate laxmiamritenapi surangana

Kshana vidhvansini kaaye kaa chintaa maranerane.

(Victory in war begets opulence; or else,   if martyred you get divine beauties. Why do you worry,   in the battle field to discard your body,   which anyway is destroyable within a moment.)

Martyr stone inscriptions

The historical inscriptions preserved in Karnataka region are mostly served as

(1) Martyr stones (Veeragallu, hero-stone) erected during the past history are usually written and erected in honor of legendary heroes laid their life in the service of public or the State.

(2) Mastikallu (stones honoring immolation of women of the martyred heroes along with (sahagamana) or after the death (anugamana) of her husband.

Or other types of martyrs such as

 (3) Ooralivu (died during defending the village)

(4) Gadi-kalaga ((died during defending the border of the State)

(5) Go-grahana/ Turugol ((died during defending the cattle)

(6) Pendirdadeurchu/Penbuyyal ((died during defending the women)

(7) Bete (died during hunting)

(8) Keelgunte (self burial)

(9) Siditale (sacrifice by blasting the head)

(10) Nisidi (self sacrifice in a holy place or occasion-especially in Jain monks) etc. (source: Karnataka itihasa academy .org).

Mysore Archeological Department

Benjamin Lewis Rice, the early British Director of Mysore Archeological Department studied, compiled facsimiles of hundreds of stone and copper plate inscriptions distributed all over the region of old Mysore State and published them in the form of volumes of  Epigraphiya Carnatica during 1898. The work was continued by other officers of the department. Rice (1898) reported some 1023 inscriptions from Bengaluru Taluk of which  merely  some 30 have survived and traceable now.

Begur inscription 890 Ce, Bengaluru

Begur inscription

One of these inscriptions found at Begur (South-eastern part of the modern Bengaluru city, near Electronic city) and dated at the end of ninth century (890 CE) is interesting as it contains probably the oldest documented   reference to the city of Bengaluru.

The inscription reads:

“Srimat Nagatarana manevagati pervona shetti Bengalura kaalegadol Nagatarana magmaam buttana pati sattam.”

 The inscription was discovered by R. Narasimhachar, an officer in charge of  Mysore Archeological Research, in the year 1915.

Bengaluru-Bangaluru

A printed post card containing the photograph and description of the  celebrated Begur  inscription, with chalk markings for enhancing the chiseled letters, was provided by the  Uday-Vinay  presentation team of #InscriptionStonesOfBangalore. One interesting point is that the photograph of the 890 CE Begur inscription shows the place name of Bengaluru  as Banguluru.

Vengaluru

Surprisingly the ancient inscriptions of Bengaluru can be found in Tamil and Telugu apart from Kannada, which indicates that the region was multilingual even during the past.  About six kilometers from Begur, in the Someshwara temple located at Madivala the outer wall of the temple contains an inscription written in Tamil and Grantha scripts dated at 1247 CE. The Tamil inscription contains reference to Vengaluru which is clearly the Tamil pronunciation of Bengaluru.

Benda kālur: a recent interpretation

So far it was in vogue that the place name Bengaluru was derived from the phrase “benda-kaalu-ooru “( literally: the village of boiled beans).  However, the discovery of the Begur and Madivala inscriptions refutes this hypothesis of the village of boiled beans, since the place was known as Bangaluru as early as 890 CE and Bengaluru or Vengaluru even during 1247 CE.

 Thus the interpretation of the village of boiled beans appears an imaginary hypothesis  of relatively recent origin and  does not have support in the ancient inscriptions.

Bengal+uru

The Begur inscription of 890 CE has documented the name of the city as Banguluru  or Bangaluru which has far reaching historical  implications than apparent.

First of all. it shares  analogous name with Bengal (or the Bangal) since Bengaluru (or Bangaluru )r represents Bengal + uru. (or Bangal+uru ), suggesting socio-cultural ties between the two regions in the antiquity.

Banga tribes

Beng+al (or Bang+al) is a ethnonym, evidently named after the now forgotten ancient Banga tribes. Masked signatures of the ancient Banga tribes can be found in not only in Bengal and Bengaluru but also widely in the West Coast of India (Tulunadu) as well in South east Asian countries.

In the Tulu regions of West Coast of Karnataka, minor kings and chieftains of Banga dynasty, followers of Jain traditions, ruled for years. Bangera (plural form of Banga in Tulu language) were a widespread tribe in ancient Tulunadu as we find them assimilated into various Tulu castes and communities but still retain their surname as Bangera.

Ancient migration of Banga tribes to Southeast Asian countries (or vice versa) has been preserved in their place names such as Bangkok.

References

https://karnatakaitihasaacademy.org/memorial-stones/

http: //idb.ub.uni-tuebengen.de/diglit/EC_09_1905B/