Kannada vacanas

[Dr Shivamurthy Swamiji]

----------
From:   DEVARAKONDA VENKATA NARAYANA SARMA[SMTP:narayana at HD1.VSNL.NET.IN]
Sent:   Monday, May 11, 1998 9:34 PM
To:     INDOLOGY at LISTSERV.LIV.AC.UK
Subject:        Re: Kannada vacanas

<< A more rational hypothesis will be to
assume that ordinary people who did not understand that sangama =
kUDala started calling saGgamEZwara as kUDala saGgamEzwara. In Andhra
people are named as saGgamEzwara. For example the great vaiNika
TumurADa SaGgamEzwara sAstri. Thus the gods name as saGgamEZwara
is prevelent in Andhra.>>

It is wrong to attribute it to the ignorance of ordinary people who did not know that sangama = kuuDala.  As a matter of fact, when we use the proper name of any person or a place, we hardly think of its meaning or its derivation.  I wonder whether we can extend the character of "doublets" we find in common words of daily usage to the proper names.  

Please note the genetive case of the Kannada word "kuuDala".  The word "kuuDala sangama" would literally mean the Sangama of kuuDalu or kuuDali.  There is a place called "kuuDali", the confluence of the rivers Tunga and Bhadra in Shimoga Dist of Karnataka.  Though it is also a Sangama, it is known as "kuuDali" only.  There is also a place called "kuuDaluuru" at the confluence of the river Tungabhadra and a stream.  We find reference to this place in the inscription of 11th and 12th century AD.  After the famous "Hari-hareshvara" temple was constructed several centuries ago, the old name was lost and the place became popularly known as Harihar.

There is another place called "tirumakuuDala-narasiipura" in Mysore Dist.  The derivation of the word is: "tiru + mukkuuDal + narasiipura.  It refers to the place called "narasiipura" situated at the confluence of the rivers Kaveri, Kapila and an under-current of a lake called SphaTika Sarovara.  Please note the word "mukkuuDal" which means the confluence of the three. Something like the "TriveNi Sangama" in Allahabad. The influence of English in modern times has made the place to be more popularly known as T.Narasipura.  There are many villages in Karnataka with such English abbreviations prefixing the names.  Examples:  B.Durga, S.Bidare,  K.Bidare, H.Kalpanahalli, B.Kalpanahalli.  

The kuuDala-sangama is the confluence of the two rivers namely KrishNaa and Malaprabhaa.  There is also another Sangama called "muurumaTTi-sangama"  not very far away from kuuDala-sangama.  It is the confluence of KrishNa and GhaTaprabhaa rivers.  It has also an ancient temple.  The Kannada word "kuuDala" may not, therefore, be used out of ignorance of the meaning of the Sanskrit word "Sangama", but out of necessity to identify the place properly in the daily life of the people.

Dr Shivamurthy Swamiji
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sri Taralabalu Jagadguru Brihanmath   * Taralabalu Kendra
Sirigere - 577 541, Karnataka, India     * 3rd Main Road, 2nd Block
Email: swamiji at giasbg01.vsnl.net.in     * RT Nagar, Bangalore - 560 032
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: attachment.bin
Type: application/ms-tnef
Size: 3015 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <https://list.indology.info/pipermail/indology/attachments/19980529/61b3b658/attachment.bin>