Muria, Maria and Meriah

[Jogesh Panda]

This is in partial response to N. Ganesan's query/theory.

Muria [acc. to Elwin] is from mur-, the original inhabitants of the land;
according to local ethnosophists [and local Anthropologists of the University at Raipur], muria is from Mura [stony land].

Maria is short for Abujhmaria [from AbujhmAr-placename, and the 'r' here is the 'r' with a dot under it/the retroflex D.

Meriah does not have to do anything with maria or muria, philologically that is. The word meriah is the anglicised form of meriha, 'one that goes to the mer'/'one who is sacrificed at the mer'. It is a Saora or Sora word.

The Munda-Dravidian convergence/interaction is yet to be studied. Who borrowed what from whom- not easy to tell. Caution pays, though.

Best wishes.
Jogesh Panda

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