Indian Antiquary Vol 18

Author(s): John Faithfull Fleet, Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 73

FEBRUARY, 1889.]
NOTES AND QUERIES.
61
Sildleum'," was the poison, Che' Patih devised Upputoru, not far south of the western mouth of the remedy; I know thy origin, abscess; blood | the Godavari, was thy origin, abscess; not mine is the charm, it Sima is the most popular word for country on is the charm of Malin Kēlimun." May God be the banks of the Kșishna and the Godavari rivers. gracious, and Muhammad: may the mighty Every little tract with any peculiarity is a sima, Apostle of God be gracious.
e.g., Reddisima, Jhallisima, Divisima, Kayasima. D. F. A. HARVEY.
Sometimes a tract, surrounded by simas thus NOTE ON NAMES CONNECTED WITH THE named, but with no peculiarity of its own, is TELUGU COUNTRY
called after its principal village or town, e.g., The tract of country commonly spoken of by Gudivadasims. The people of these simas, from Europeans in the Madras Presidency as the Telugu which came the weavers who supplied the East Country is by the people themselves called Tenu. India Company with their famons salum pores, gurajyamu or Tenugusima, but to the world at roomaulls, madapollums, etc., seldom use any large it is, I think, best known as Telingana, and other word for country, no matter how extensive. for that reason only I use the last term in my In speaking to the early European traders of their notes. Tamil people, and more especially those of country, they would call it "mí sima," for to Madras, often speak of Telugu land as Golleti. this day they cannot get their tongues round simei, the Tamil pronunciation of Kollêtisima, Portugal, Holland, France, and England, and i.e., the country of the Kolleru (Colair) Lake, the never attempt to, if they can possibly avoid it. largest fresh-water lake in India, lying between The removal of the emphasis from the possessive the Krishna and Godavari Districts. That at pronoun mi, your, to the common noun síma Masulipatam being one of the earliest English would convert the latter into a proper noun, the factories, the neighbouring people naturally at. use of the possessive pronouns with proper nouns tracted more attention tlan those that were sub- being common; and thus Sima would come to sequently come in contact with, and amongst mean Europe. Whether the Tamil símei is a them the Bestá Bôyin (fisherman bearers) of the transliteration of the Telugd síma or separately Kollêtisima on the borders of the Kollêru were derived, I do not know found peculiarly trustworthy servants. When Masulipatam. H. G. PRENDERGAST. their English masters went on promotion to Madras, they were accompanied by their trusty | TESTS OF VIRGINITY AMONGST THE MALAYS. Böyis, and from that day to this Bestá Bôyis | Among the Malays tokens of virginity, such have been employed as attendants in public and as are mentioned in Deuteronomy axii. are mercantile offices in Madras and have continued examined by the parents of the bride the to maintain their good reputation. Being the morning after consummation of a marriage. In most prominent Telugu people in Madras at the the State of Perak on the occasion of a marriage time of their immigration, the name they gave among the higher classes when the bridegroom their own little tract was naturally assumed to be is introduced into the bride's chamber, four or that of the whole country. From Gollêtisimei has five old women are there and remain there. been derived from Gollêti, a Telugu man, used as a His mos apud novas nuptas, quae, ante sextum term of contempt, signifying unsophisticated. The vel septimum diem, ne virorum notitiam habuisse ordinary Tamil name for a Teluga man is Vaduvan, teneantur (quod virgini dedecori maximo haben. Northerner.
tur) mariti amplexus pati nolint. Marito instant. Sir William Hunter, when he was inclined to toties refugientem, toties anus nutricesque lecti believe that all South Indian languages were custodes captam reducunt. Inde, quum dies Kolarian, adduced as evidence in favour of his prescripti praeterierint, a custodibus admonita theory the frequency of pames containing the in lecto palvinis rite suppositis collocatur. Viro syllable Kol, including the Kolair Lake (sic). gaudia jamdudum optata tandem rapere licet. But the name is not Kolair, but Kolleru. Kollu At simulae primum raptum sit hymen, nappae is a contraction of kolans or golamu, a natural albae, in lecto super patinam argenteam ad id pond or lake, and is found in Palakollu, Gundu. paratae, notas tres transversu pene retracto, gollu, Kollari, Kollipara, etc. Hru means river. imprimere necesse est. Nappam, die proximo Kolléru, therefore, is the lake-river, which receives inspiciunt parentes cognataeque labe rubrissima the innumerable streams between the Kộishna and infici fas est. the Godavari that do not discharge into those The bride and bridegroom salute the bride's rivers and disembogues itself into the sea by the parents on the day after the consummation of the » Lákum is the name of more than one creeper.
». This may be a slip for Che Patih, or it may be an alias of Malin Kalimun.