Girl · Tamil (from Sanskrit punīta) · Tamil · Hindu
Punithavathi
புனிதவதிSay it pu-ni-thuh-VUH-thi
- Meaning today
- Pure one
- Original meaning
- "a woman possessed of purity; from punīta, purified, holy" Tamil Lexicon, p. 2816
- Say it
- pu-ni-thuh-VUH-thi
- Written
- புனிதவதி
- Other spellings
- Punithavathy, Punitavati
Punithavathi
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Punithavathi meaning
Punithavathi (புனிதவதி) is a Tamil and Hindu girl's name.
A woman possessed of purity; from punīta, purified, holy
Also used to mean: pure one
Punithavathi (புனிதவதி) is built on puṉitam, which the Tamil Lexicon gives as purity, holiness and sanctity, from Sanskrit punīta, "cleansed, purified". The ending -vati means "possessing", so the name describes a woman of purity. It is best known as the birth name of Karaikkal Ammaiyar, the Shaiva poet-saint of Karaikal, one of only three women among the sixty-three Nayanars and among the earliest poets of Tamil devotion. Name lists give "the pure one".
Source: Tamil Lexicon, University of Madras (1924–36), p. 2816 · entry puṉitam¹ (புனிதம்) · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
References: Tamil Lexicon, puṉitam (புனிதம்), p. 2816 · Monier-Williams, punīta, p. 640 · Wikipedia, Karaikkal Ammaiyar
Famous namesakes
- Karaikkal Ammaiyar (born Punithavathi), Shaiva poet-saint
Spellings
Punithavathi · Punithavathy · Punitavati