Ostensible etymology of Chennai localities
A fresher to Chennai might get confused over usage of words like Pakkam, Bakkam, Pettai, etc which form the suffixes of many of the localities of Chennai. Kaadu, Oor, Pur, Naadu, Kottai,Karai, etc.. are some of the other suffixes to quote.
We have popular cities in the names like Nagpur, Jaipur, Udhaipur, We are also aware of the fact that "Pur" translates to "city" or "fort." These suffixes are in vogue for many decades/ centuries to designate urban settlements and fortified locations. These suffixes demonstrate not just a mere element of linguistic representation. Many a times, they serve as a tangible link to Tamilnadu's rich heritage, connecting recently-blossomed localities to their ancient roots.
As we desire to deeply delve into the diverse landscapes of Tamilnadu, these "oor" or "pur" or "nagar" in each city name becomes a gateway to understanding its pauranic history and interwoven cultural fabric. .It is learnt that many "pur"-ending worded cities were established by the monarchs, many of whom used to incorporate these suffixes into the names of their very own kingdoms. Needless to mention that this paramparai-0sort of following did reflect the very power and influence of the rulers of those times, etching their legacies into the very names of their localities. Let us also compare these tags with the distinctive suffix in places like Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Warwickshire, etc in UK. Here, ‘..shire’ seems to be a larger administrative unit and it is the near-equivalent of a district in Tamilnadu. .
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In Chennai, Kodambakkam is a famous locality having thrived due to establishment of many cinema studios and related production units. Pakkam - Tamil version of the Urdu word ‘bagh’(meaning: garden). In Tamil it means Thottam or Thoppu. Within Kodambakam vicinity, there exist small hamlets such as Maanthoppu Colony and Vaadhyar Thottam..
It is believed that the name "Kodambakkam" itself might have been derived from the Urdu word Ghoda Bagh meaning "garden of horses". Another version says that it derives its name from "Karkodagan Pakkam"(Karkodagan is the name of a famous snake in Hindu mythology). Some say that if the earliest British records are traced, they seem to refer to the place as Corumbat and Codamback, both dating to 1661.
There are some more schools of thought saying that In ancient Tamil, ‘pakkam’ meant a coastal township and that with passage of time, it got corrupted to ‘bakkam’. Eenjambakkam, Kelambakkam are some of the places having suffixes as "Bakkam". There are plenty of other places too to talk about on these etymological lines which I will unleash it all in forthcoming editions.
(to be continued)