A few questions by Krishna, dated 9/27/97 and reply by Ramani

[Alvappillai Veluppillai]

1.Regarding Ramani's explanation of place names in the Tamil region of
Ilankai, I am in general agreement with him but I could add a little more.
According to the legend, the uninhabited sandy tract of.YAZHppANam was
given as a present to a blind poet YAZHppATi/ Antakakkavi VIrarAkavan by a
king called Ukkirasingan of Katiramalai. The poet brought his own folk from
Tamilnadu and settled them there. The king who made the present had not
been identified.
Jaffna is indeed a Portuguese version of this name.

2. The Tamil name for Batticaloa is MaTTakkaLappu. The word kaLappu is
given in the Tamil Lexicon as meaning shallow part of the sea. The name of
the region is said to come from a huge vAvi or tank, within Batticaloa,
connected to the sea. According to the MaTTakkaLappu MAnmiyam, a legendary
chronicle, the original settlers, who entered the tank, noticed, after
sailing a long distance, that they had reached the shores, shouted that
they had reached the end of kaLappu, maTTu having the meanings of limit,
boundary, also. kiLappu is a colloquial form.

3. Regarding the name of the third rock, I think that it should have been
TirukkALatti. TiruvAnaikkA is on plain land- there is no rock.  But
TuruccirAppaLLi Rock is situated within a few kilometres from the
TiruvAnaikkA temple. There is a TAyumAnavar temple for Siva in the rock,
but it is the Ganesa temple at the peak that attracts pilgrims.

Regards,
A.Veluppillai