Button tree, and Bangalore cityy-name

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Reading a messenger pirapantam by Kuttiyappa Gounder

(18th century, acc. to its editor) which sends the mirror

as messenger to PaTTiizvara of pEruur (mentioned in Tevaram).

(PDF file is at

S_India/message/70

eventually the text will be the Project Madurai website.)

 

In the verse couplets (kaNNi), numbered 7-11,

goddess Paccaiyammai/Marakataambaa's eyes are compared

to things from nature such as fish, beetle, ocean, cut green

mango, lotus and karuviLai flowers etc.,

Paccaiyammai's eyes are also compared to a product from the

button tree (anogeissus latifolia) which commonly

found in s. India and Ceylon.

 

In this exquisite ciRRilakkiyam(prabandham), the button tree

is called "veGkaal". The button tree is variously

called in tamil as jnemai, veL-jnemai (in akanaanuuRu), veLLai

nAkai, veTkaali/veTkaali/vekkaali & veGkaali. Its use

as axles for carts is mentioned in the ancient Perungkathai

(Tamil version of Brhatkathaa) of KonguvELir (hence,

'axlewood' name)

 

Why is "anogeissus latifolia" called button tree?

Does its flower resemble a circle with a dark dot

in the middle? button-like flowers??

 

Either its flower, or the

exudate from the tree, called gum ghATTi

which are like play-marbles are compared to

Parvati's eyes.Gum ghATTi from Sahyadri(w. ghats, caiyam

in classical tamil texts):

http://www.krystal-colloids.com/ghatti.html

 

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Interestingly the vengaal tree has a bearing upon

the city name of Bangalore. It's mentioned

in a first millennium hero-stone found

(R. Narasimhachar, Mysore archaeological report, 1914-1915).

In the adjascent Kongu region, an area

is called vengaalanaaDu, apparently named after

the vengaal tree also. An old poem documenting

this name is given at the Tamil poetry group:

santhavasantham/message/4515

 

It's common to find Bangalore refered to as vengaaluur in Tamil.

For example, a Tamil researcher/writer is

vengaaluur guNaa, author of many books.

I submit that bengaaluuru toponym (modern Bangalore, the software

city) has to do with the button tree.

bejjalu (Kannada) tree's cognate name is vengaal in tamil.

vengaal/benjaalu (cf. iingu/iinju 'date palm' in tamil).

A parallel toponym is unjai/ucilai tree. Ujjain (where Kalidasa's

name is associated) is called unjai/unjEnai (maakaaLam temple)

in old tamil literature.

 

Otherwise the -l- in the city name goes unexplained

if it's named after vEngai/benga (Indian kino) tree as claimed in

http://www.bangalorebest.com/discoverbangalore/sightseeing/Time

Line/originname.asp

(if the URL line breaks, join them)

 

Regards,

N. Ganesan