Beluur and Belgaum

[Robert Zydenbos]

Replies to msg 30 Apr 98: indology at listserv.liv.ac.uk (jayabarathi)

>Seeking the opinion of Dravidian linguists on Indology
>on two place names of S. India:
>
>Beluur and Belgaum appear to be related to the Tamil
>cognates, vELuur and vELakam.
>
>My question: Are they related?
>
>Regards,
>N. Ganesan


 bJM> I am afraid I will be opening a Pandora's box by answering
 bJM> that. They are related. The Hoysalas were collaterals of the
 bJM> vEL clan. I was told that bELUr = vEL+Ur, and beLgaum =
 bJM> vEL+grAm. The story behind Hoysala (Hoy! SaLA!) is similar
 bJM> to the Tamil Sangam name and its meaning, Pulikadi mAl.
 bJM> Though the Hoysalas make their appearance in history later
 bJM> than the vELir, they were always around in the Mysore
 bJM> region. And there were also more than one sect (kudi) of
 bJM> vELir. The Calukyas were also known to be related to the vEL
 bJM> clans. In fact, there are instances where they are denoted
 bJM> as the "vEL pula vEnthar". vEL pulam is the Karnataka,
 bJM> Southern Maharshtra and parts of Telengana.

Though right now I am not in the ideal place from which to answer, I would, at first thought, rather be skeptical about the relatedness.

If "Belur" in Karnataka is the city famous for the Hoysala temple, we have to bear in mind that it is beeluuru and not bee.luuru / beeLuuru.

Robert Zydenbos
zydenbos at flevoland.xs4all.nl