by Durand Appuhamy
(March 25, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Negombo's intriguing connectionsIn an article on The Evolution of Place names by A. G. Abeysiriwardhane (The Island, 15th Mar.) the question was asked "to what amba do we attribute the name Negombo?" My immediate answer is Meeamba if one is looking for a derivation from mangoes. There are plenty of meeamba trees in and around Negombo. However, I have got three other sources as serious contenders for the derivation of the name Negombo.
The first one is the Mee tree (botanical name?). Apparently, there had been many Mee trees in and around Negombo. In fact, I can remember reading somewhere that the Dutch had to clear the area full of Mee trees before planting cinnamon plants stretching nearly ten miles to the interior from Negombo. Thus Negombo, got the name Mee (from the trees) and gamuwa (a rural town/hamlet).
The second derivation has a Tamil origin. Nir is water in Tamil. Columbu is a hamlet in Tamil. Thus combined we have NIRCOLUMBU the present name in Tamil. In fact the old hamlet of Negombo, was the present town area. This was surrounded by water in the west by the sea, in the south by the lagoon and in the east by a lake where the Rajapakse park is today. This lake has been filled up and is today a built-up area full of pleasant houses. From the time of Mukkuwars, there had been Tamils and Tamil speaking Muslims living in Negombo. Therefore, it is quite plausible they gave this name, given the fact that the town was virtually surrounded by water.
The third derivation has eminent royal connections. Queen Vihara Maha Devi, while expecting Prince Duttugemunu craved for bees-honey. The king was informed of a very large (one Usabha long according to Geiger and the size of a bull according to Guruge), beehive nestling on the masts of a fishing vessel in the Negombo lagoon. This was taken to the palace and the Queen's craving was satiated after the Dane to the venerable monks. Thus, we have Mee from bees-honey and gamuwa for hamlet. It certainly is an intriguing derivation and makes every Negombian proud that their bees-honey nourished Queen Vihara Maha Devi. Perhaps, there are other derivations I am unaware of and would be pleased to know.
- Sri Lanka Guardian
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A discussion of Sri Lanka place names is given at the website:
http://www.geocities.com/place.names/
Here thousands of place names have been
discussed. It is the work of a group of academics, now availble as a popular website.
The entry under Negambo goes as:
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Neerkozimpu, Negambo (Halavatha [Chilaw])
MEEGAMUVA, MEEGAMUWA
"Mee→Nee", "Gammuva→Gambo", gives the European "Negambo". The name Meegamuva may refer to a village which was reputed for its honey. Thus the Mahvamsa-based traditon has it that honey was procured from this region for Queen Vihara Maha Devi, (2 century BCE). It could also refer to a forest of Mee trees ('Madhuca Logifolia(Koenig)'. Another legend is that the name is related to "Nihumbala", the Nephew of the Yakka king "Raavana". The Tamil form நீர், nīr, may mean water, and 'colompu' is sometimes claimed to mean 'village', but such a meaning is not recognized in standard Tamil Lexicons. Also, the Tamil name originally applied to the lagoon-like area, and, given the ancient history of the village, it may have come from the sinhal "kalapuva" attached to tamil "nir". Thus "Neerkozimpu" is probably based on the older name "meegamuva→ neer-kalampu→Neerkozimpu".
This was an early center of the cinnamon trade, set up by the Moors in medeival times. The Portuguese ousted them in the 16th century and built a fort, and established a strong Catholic religious centre here. The Portuguese were ousted by the Dutch in the 1644 CE. The ruins of the fort, with its fine archway marked 1672 can still be seen. In 1796 the British took over Negombo, by which time the cinnamon trade had declined. The town has remained strongly Roman catholic to this day. මීගමුව
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Please check out the other entries as well.
Thank you.
When we were small my great grand uncle used to tell us that a white man was walking along the beach in Negambo area when he stopped to ask a local man what the area was called. The local man thought that he was asked what, a dog that was barking non-stop nearby was doing. So he said "nikanburanawa". The white man heard it as "negambo". That is how that area got its English name. I am still convinced that is the correct version.
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