It is possible that some simple appearing words may
have altogether alternate explanation etymologically. For example the word: “Odera”.
If we look it as a word of Kannada origin it may simply mean owner lord or
boss.
·
Odera Hobli or Vadera Hobli near Kundapur.
·
Oderabettu in Mulki
If we look it as a word of Kannada origin it may simply
mean owner lord or boss. However, there are related ancient words like: Odi and Oda. Were these words evolved into
Odera?
Let us analyse
the expositions of pleonastic compound
words used in some of the place-names vogue
in the coastal districts of Udupi and Dakshina Kannada, popularly known as Tulu
Nadu.
Oda : and its variants
(I) Oda
·
Oda/Vāda= boat
·
Odera = evolved from Oda(da)r
or Oda + ar/er = A boatman. Or
fisherman.
·
Vadera =alternate form of Odera.
(II) Odeya
·
Odeya=owner, lord
·
Odera = Odeya + avar/ ar. A landlord
or a nobleman or a king.
(III) Vadda
·
Vadda (Prakrit; Sanskrit “Vriddha”) = Elderly or senior person. Big.
·
Vadera= a worshippable or respectable elderly or important
person. (as in “Vaddāradhane”).
(IV) Odda
·
Odda= stone cutter. Also meant an artisan? Vodda, a variant
of Odda.
·
Odari= artisan? Vadari an variant of Odari.
(V) Oddu
·
Oddu 1= a small barrage across a fluvial
course.
·
Oddu 2= stub remaining after harvest of paddy
crop in fields.
First view
Our first impression is that Odera is derived from
Oda (= boat). So Oderabettu is a hamlet
of fisherfolk. This is evident from the
predominant population of fishermen in the area, engaged in fishing in rivers
and sea.
Apprehensive of our jumpy view, we feel it necessary
to give a studied and discerning exposition in the matter. What follows is our attempt to analyze the
place names referred above.
Vadera Hobli
Vadera hobli is a large village, located between Kundapura
and Basrur. Basrur was a prominent port
for marine trade during historical times.
Since ports were connected to fishermen colonies it can be surmised that
Vadera hobli , was named after fisherfolk.
We find an alternate explanation in the following
story: There is a historical connection of Vadera Hobli and Kundeshwara Shiva
Temple to Shringeri Dharma Sansthana in Chikkamagaluru District. It is
popularly known as Shringeri Math, located at Shringeri-577139 on the banks of
River Tunga. It is about 85 km East of
Udupi and 100 km (62 miles) Northeast from Mangaluru across Western Ghats. There is an inscription of 1406 Century AD found at Vadera Hobli. Two priestly persons (Bhats) of Hangaru
donated this large area to the administration of Shringeri Math when the
Jagadguru Shri Narasimha Bharati was the Pontiff. So income from this land was
used for religious purposes. So it has
become a land of ‘Brahmadaaya’. Again
these two Brahmins regained this vast land after paying original price (Moola
Kraya). According to the Inscription,
the witness to this sale/purchase was Bettada Devaru (Lord of the Hill), i.e.
Shri Malahanikareshwara in Shringeri.
Thereafter the income from this land is used for the administration of Kundeshwara
Temple. As the land is connected to
Shringeri Shri Shri Sharda Math and Shri Shri Shri Narasimha Bharati Vodeyar
was the Pontiff then, this has come to be known as ‘Vadera Hobli’.
Oderabettu
Odera may reflect to boatmen or a feudal lord +
bettu, meaning a high land at east Bank of R. Shambhavi in Mulki. Mulki was ruled by vassals of
Alupa/Vijayanagara. They are called as
‘Savantas’. So the hamlet is now
popularly known as ‘Oderyarabettu > Oderabettu.
Odda places
·
Oddarse > Vaddarse.
It is in northen part of Udupi.
·
Oddathamukhi. It is a hilly area in Sulia Taluk.
These could be derived from the Odda (senior, respectable)
word probably suggestive of ancient Jain traditions.
Odera-Vadera : A riddle!
It is possible that originally the Oderabettu or Vaderahobli
could have been boatmens or fishermens colony, like the word “patna” (or “pattaNa”) originally used for the colony of fisherfolks . It reflects to the societal preference of
living in groups. Fisherfolk living
together as a community is an age old practice.
The Koragas, the original tribal inhabitants living in Tulu Nadu, refer
to fishermen as ‘pattanadakulu’ or the people from the “patna” (=colony; town).
The place names Oderahobli and Oderbettu are of recent
coinage some time in 14th/15th Century AD. It reflects the influence of Kannada. Thus there is a possibility that the words
were slightly modified with change in meaning, after the Tulu Nadu came under the
rule of Kannada Kings. It is a common
factor that old place names transform into the hue of language of the
conqueror. ‘Kannadikarana’ (=Kannadaization)
and Sanskritisation have played an important role in shaping and altering the place names (as highlighted in one of our earlier Posts). Human memory is
short. It remembers only the very recent
events and never bothers to know what happened in time-sand of history.
Oderabettu is a high place where the fishermen
inhabited since long ago. They engaged
in fishing in ponds/lakes, streams and rivers prior to venturing to sea for
fishing. We know about the changing
courses of rivers and ingress and regress of sea near the coastline. This phenomenon is highlighted in our various
Posts (on Mulki, Kaipunjal to Udyavara, Udyavara, Malpe – Magic of Malpe,
Kordel, Kolalagiri, Telaru>Chelairu– Community Fishing, etc).
It may not be a remote chance to say that the
riverine place Oderabettu or Vaderahobli is coined to mean a ‘colony of
boatmen’. Oderabettu in Mulki is
abutting Shambhavi River and is predominantly inhabited by fishermen even
today, besides other places Ulya aka Chitrapu, Mulki-Hejamadi Kodi, Hejamadi
Kodi located in sand barriers, Kadike or Sasihitlu (also a sand barrier spit formed
between River Nandini ( Pavanje River) and sea.
Nandini and Shambhavi pair together and form a single estuary. Mulky was a leading port for marine trade of
yore. Sailing boats of merchants sailed
up to Olalanke (Old Mulaka > Mulki town) near Karnadu (famous for
Venkataramana Temple of Gouda Saraswats.
There is one more pattern of naming places. It is the interplay of the thing/matter/place
and sense of belonging. We give some
examples below:
· Pandya/Pandyan: Pandi = boat. Pandya or Pandyan is one who belongs to or
owns a pandi..
· Kharvi: Khar =
Sea coast. One belongs to Khar is
Kharvi, a fisherman as called in some places of Kundapur up to Karvar(a).
·
Kadya(n) (Kad + ya):
Kad = forest. One who is from
forest area is called Kadyan.
· Poleya (Pola+ya): Pola = agricultural field. One who works on or belongs to this field is
Poleya. It is possible that traditionally “poleya” were agricultural
laborers.
This pattern is logical
and is the original intention in coining place names Vaderahobli and
Oderabettu. It goes well with the
convention that the places were named invariably by outsiders. Even Dr. P.
Gururaja Bhat has raised a point in the passing in his book ‘History of Tulu
Nadu’ instigating us to study the place name “Oderabettu”.
Notes on this post
1. Pleonasm means use of more
words than what are necessary.
2. A group of villages as an administrative unit are
traditionally called hobali or
hobli (equivalents: nād or nādu or māgane) in
southern India. A Taluk usually consist of a few hobalis. A hobali in turn is divided into a few firka or phāt magane. During Alupa
and Vijaya Nagar period of coastal area was divided as Barkur and Mangaluru Hobalis.
It was a common custom to call out guests as from
these Hobalies during Tulu traditional marriage ceremonies while placing plates
(in Tulu tongue called as ‘Kanchi’) in front of groom and bride for collecting
gifts in cash or kind. The Gurikara of the village addresses the assembled
guests as from Barkur and Manguluru hobalies and seeks their permission as “ಕಂಚಿ ದೀಪೆರು ಪಣ್ಪೆರೋ” (kanchi deeperu panpero) and the assemblage says,
OK (ಎಡ್ಡೆ ಪಣ್ಪೆರೊ). Kundapura and villages around is called Bhagwadi Hobali,
where Mahishamardini Temple is famous.
3. ‘Vaddāradhane’,
composed by Shivakoti-ācharya is the earliest available text in Kannada. It describes stories of the elderly people,
practicing Jainism. Jainism was a predominant
religion during pre-Christian Era in Karnataka including coastal Karnataka in
medieval days.
4. Potters community of Tulu Nadu is called as
Odari/Vadari, besides other traditional names such as Moolya, Kumbāra (“Kumbhakāra”
in Sanskrit), Kusave, meaning one who works with mud (potters clay) and water. Kulāla is a Sanskritised word
and as such, a potters disc is called “Kulāla Chakra”. They have baris
(surnames – descent markers such as Kundar, S uvarna, etc. as is common
to other communities of Tulu Nadu. They
speak Tulu, though they are believed to have immigrated to Tulu Nadu from Tulugu
speaking areas. It is not clear whether the word has any connection with the
tribe “Odda” or “Vodda”.
5. The Oddas
or Voddas > Odari/Vadari, are a tribe of Telugu speaking people. They are working in quarries and as such,
stone-cutters or splitters, compared to Kallu kuttiga of Tulu Nadu. Naturally, they become shilpakaras
(architects or artists in rock stones and writers of inscriptions). They are now spread all over South India,
including Maharashtra. They are now
mainly engaged by builders of building constructions.
Refer our Posts:
124/07.07.2008 (Dissecting strange words II) and
398/22.01.2018
(Trail of Potter’s Wheel in Tulu Nadu).
6. Writer Vishwanath’s sister-in-law
is from Oderabettu.
He reminiscences school days in 1950’s. He used to visit his niece’s
in-laws place at Mulki-Hejamadi Kodi by crossing river at Bappanadu ferry point
or Oderabettu ferry point. Once he went to Oderabettu for Bappanadu Aayana with
his eldest brother on foot along sea coast up to Nandini ferry point at Kadike
Kodi and reached the east bank of Nandini by ferry boat. Return journey by road was very tedious and
time consuming. Bus route from Kulur to Pavanje terminates at Nandini Ferry
Point, east of present Pāvanje river bridge.
Pavanje-Mulki route terminates at Old Mulki ferry point. Kulur old bridge was under construction during
1950-51. Then the passengers used to embark their next bus by crossing rivers
by ferry boats.
-Vishwanath: with Ravindra
