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Today's Topics:
1. What is the etymology of the word agrahaara? (P.K.Ramakrishnan)
2. Re: What is the etymology of the word agrahaara? (Ambujam Raman)
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Message: 1
Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2005 23:28:50 -0800 (PST)
From: "P.K.Ramakrishnan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [Sanskrit] What is the etymology of the word agrahaara?
To: sanskrit digest <[email protected]>
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Many Brahmin settlements in South India are called agraharams.
What is its etymology? I have my derivation of the word whch I will give later.
Thanks.
P.K.Ramakrishnan
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Message: 2
Date: Sun, 20 Feb 2005 12:26:31 -0500
From: "Ambujam Raman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: Re: [Sanskrit] What is the etymology of the word agrahaara?
To: "P.K.Ramakrishnan" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>, "sanskrit digest"
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I believe 'agrahAram' is a portmanteau word of mixed origin viz., sanskrit and
tamil. The sanskrit part 'agra' (a^Ng raN (Un 2.28) means first,
foremost,pre-eminent, best etc, the tamil part is 'akaraM' which means house,
settlement etc. Collectively the word means the foremost or important
collection of houses or community. In the olden structure of a village (grAmaH)
in India the temple was the centerpoint and the agraharam was around the temple
literally the first segment.
There is a 'ha' to 'ka' tranformation when words are transcribed from sanskrit
to tamil. In this case the transformation is reverse.
One may also derive the word entirely in sanskrit as 'agra+hAram' meaning the
foremost garland (of houses), but I believe my former derivation makes more
sense since agraharam is a south indian concept.
rAmaH
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End of sanskrit Digest, Vol 23, Issue 17
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