Tamba

1. Tamba.-A king of Benares whose queen was Sussondī. For his story see the Sussondī Jātaka (J.iii.187ff). He is identified with Ananda.

2. Tamba.-A Tamil general and a fort of the same name. Both were captured by Dutthagāmani during his campaign against the Tamils. Tamba was an uncle of Unnama. Mhv.xxv.14.

3. Tamba.-An officer of Parakkamabāhu I. He was chief of the Kesadhātus. Cv.lxx.66.

4. Tamba.-One of the ten families of elephants. Each elephant of this family has the strength of ten thousand men. AA.ii.822; MA.i.262, etc.

Dictionary of Pali Proper Names, G P Malalasekera (1899-1973), which is available as printed version from

tamba : [adj.] copper-coloured; brown. (nt.), copper.

A.P. Buddhadatta Mahathera, Concise Pali-English and English-Pali Dictionary [available as digital version from Metta Net, Sri Lanka]

Tamba (nt.) [Sk. tāmra, orig. adj.=dark coloured, leaden; cp. Sk. adj. taŋsra id., to tama] copper ("the dark metal"); usually in combinations, signifying colour of or made of (cp. loha bronze), e. g. lākhātamba (adj.) Th 2, 440 (colour of an ox); ˚akkhin Vv 323 (timira˚) Sdhp 286; ˚nakhin J vi.290; ˚nettā (f.) ibid.; ˚bhājanaDhA i.395; ˚mattika DhA iv.106; ˚vammika DhA iii.208; ˚loha PvA 95 (=loha).

Pali-English Dictionary, TW Rhys Davids, William Stede,