Valikamam

The name Valikamam ({{Langx|ta|வலிகாமம்|Valikāmam}}) translates to "the sandy village", whereas {{Langx|ta|மேற்கு|Mēṟku|West}} denotes the geographical marker.{{Cite book |last=Indrapala |first=Karthigesu |title=The Evolution of an Ethnic Identity |publisher=South Asian Studies Centre |year=2006 |page=389}}{{Cite web |last=Fabricius |first=J. P. |date=1972 |title=J. P. Fabricius's Tamil and English dictionary. 4th ed., rev.and enl |url=https://dsal.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/app/fabricius_query.py?qs=%E0%AE%AE%E0%AF%87%E0%AE%B1%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%95%E0%AF%81&matchtype=default |access-date=2025-03-13 |website=dsal.uchicago.edu}}

It is derived from the words:

• {{Langx|ta|வலி|Vali|Sand or sandy land|links=no}}
• {{Langx|ta|காமம்|Kāmam|Village|links=no}}

The word {{Langx|ta|காமம்|Kāmam|label=none}} is no longer in common use but was historically found in Eezham Tamil place names. It shares linguistic roots with {{Langx|sa|ग्राम|Grāma}}, {{Langx|pi|गाम|Gāma}}, and {{Langx|si|ගම|Gama}}. The word has been found in early Tamil inscriptions, including an 11th-century record at Velgam Vihara, Trincomalee, and a 12th-century Chola inscription at Thiruvalangadu, where Valikamam is explicitly mentioned as a village.

The name Valikamam is also linguistically equivalent to Manaltidar or Manarridal, the ancient Tamil names for Jaffna, which carry the same meaning of "sandy land."{{Cite book |last=Ragupathy |first=Ponnampalam |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yI4cAAAAMAAJ |title=Early Settlements in Jaffna: An Archaeological Survey |date=1987 |publisher=Thillimalar |publication-place=University of Jaffna |pages=211 |language=en}}

According to the 16th-century Tamil literary work Santiago Kumara Ammanai, Valikamam was historically referred to {{Langx|ta|வல்லி கிராமம்|Valli Kiraamam|The village of the Tinospora cordifolia plant.|label=as well as}}

The village Mallakam ({{Langx|ta|மல்லாகம்|Mallākam}}), located in Valikamam North, derives its name from: - {{Langx|ta|மல்ல|Malla|label=none}} – a personal title associated with royalty or warriors, originating from the Sanskrit {{Langx|sa|मल्ल|Malla}}, meaning wrestler or great person. This term was commonly used by Pallava rulers and medieval Sri Lankan kings, such as Nissanka Malla (12th century).{{Cite book |last=CDIAL |title=Comparative Dictionary of Indo-Aryan Languages |publisher=Royal Asiatic Society |year=2006}}

Valikamam is currently divided into 6 Divisional Secretariats, each of which is further subdivided into 190 Grama Niladhari (GN) divisions. Every Divisional Secretariat has its own Divisional Council, which is elected every four years through local government elections.{{Cite web |title=Administrative Structure - Jaffna DS |url=http://jaffna.ds.gov.lk/index.php/en/administrative-structure/gn-divisions.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210421055940/http://jaffna.ds.gov.lk/index.php/en/administrative-structure/gn-divisions.html |archive-date=2021-04-21 |access-date=2021-04-21 |publisher=Jaffna Divisional Secretariat}}{{Cite web |title=Administrative Structure - Nallur DS |url=http://www.nallur.ds.gov.lk/index.php/en/administrative-structure/gn-divisions.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630022209/http://www.nallur.ds.gov.lk/index.php/en/administrative-structure/gn-divisions.html |archive-date=2020-06-30 |access-date=2020-06-30 |publisher=Nallur Divisional Secretariat}}{{Cite web |title=Administrative Structure - Valikamam East DS |url=http://valikamameast.ds.gov.lk/index.php/en/administrative-structure/gn-divisions.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201024090136/http://valikamameast.ds.gov.lk/index.php/en/administrative-structure/gn-divisions.html |archive-date=2020-10-24 |access-date=2020-10-24 |publisher=Valikamam East Divisional Secretariat}}{{Cite web |title=Administrative Structure - Valikamam North DS |url=http://valikamamnorth.ds.gov.lk/index.php/en/administrative-structure/gn-divisions.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200722195555/http://valikamamnorth.ds.gov.lk/index.php/en/administrative-structure/gn-divisions.html |archive-date=2020-07-22 |access-date=2020-07-22 |publisher=Valikamam North Divisional Secretariat}}{{Cite web |title=Administrative Structure - Valikamam South DS |url=http://valikamamsouth.ds.gov.lk/index.php/en/administrative-structure/gn-divisions.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203121528/http://valikamamsouth.ds.gov.lk/index.php/en/administrative-structure/gn-divisions.html |archive-date=2020-02-03 |access-date=2020-02-03 |publisher=Valikamam South Divisional Secretariat}}{{Cite web |title=Administrative Structure - Valikamam South West DS |url=http://www.valikamamsw.ds.gov.lk/index.php/en/administrative-structure/gn-divisions.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190422123038/http://www.valikamamsw.ds.gov.lk/index.php/en/administrative-structure/gn-divisions.html |archive-date=2019-04-22 |access-date=2019-04-22 |publisher=Valikamam South West Divisional Secretariat}}{{Cite web |title=Administrative Structure - Valikamam West DS |url=http://valikamamwest.ds.gov.lk/index.php/en/administrative-structure/gn-divisions.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200130212812/http://valikamamwest.ds.gov.lk/index.php/en/administrative-structure/gn-divisions.html |archive-date=2020-01-30 |access-date=2020-01-30 |publisher=Valikamam West Divisional Secretariat}}

• Piranpattu
• Thenmarachchi
• Vadamarachchi

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Category:Geography of Jaffna District