Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c23.s23.t6: 4.20.6 Common toponyms
Early Tamil Epigraphy: From the Earliest Times to the Sixth Century A.D. c23.s23.t6
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4.20.6 Common toponyms
c23.s23.t6.1
The most common suffix to place names is *-ūr* 'village, town or city'. Other common names of villages include *-paḷḷi*, *-pēṭu*, *-cēri* and *-il*.
c23.s23.t6.2
A noteworthy feature of the place names is the occurrence of common toponyms based on local geographical features like hill (*-aṟai*, *-kuṉṟu*, *-malai*), jungle (*-kāṭu*), territorial division (*-nāṭu*), river (*yāṟu*), tanks (*ēri*, *poykai*), waterfront (*-tuṟai*). Village names are also derived from local flora and fauna; these names are given in the following section. Directions like *mēl-* (western), *kīḻ-* (eastern) and *teṉku-* (southern) are prefixed to place names to distinguish them from other places with the same names.
c23.s23.t6.3
A complete list of common toponyms occurring with place names in the inscriptions is annexed to the Index of Place Names in Appendix III.