By Malinda Seneviratne –
Malinda Seneviratne
The history of this island can be read as an account of invasion, resistance, conquering and routing the enemy. It is also a history of migratory waves and, in recent times, emigration as well. There are of course all kinds of histories. There are those written by the winners which some claim make their authenticity questionable. There are histories embedded in folk traditions. Histories can be read through careful perusal of archaeological record. There are claims of place in history, some substantiated and others not.
Some say history is version, but no one will dispute that this assertion makes the version that the Ruwanweliseya is a Catholic Church anything but ridiculous. There are people who are scared of the word history and they tend to be those who make grand claims without substantiation or have little or no history to talk about.
These are the ones who murmur the ‘multi-ethnic, multi-religious’ mantra not so much as a desired or desirable resolution as a manifest aversion to acknowledgment that certain peoples and certain religious traditions have contributed overwhelmingly to the admittedly problematic composites called Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans.
We remain products of who we were, who our ancestors were and what they did, whether we like it or not. In other words, history sits at the head table of the present and in ways that are disconcerting to some.
One easy escape from historical discomfiture is the construction of more comforting narratives of event, personality and associated metaphors. It takes much effort, a lot of money, a lot of purchasing, myth-models and propaganda. In my view that’s an option that Tamil nationalism was forced to embrace.
The success of that particular effort is indicated in the fact that Eelamists have managed to convince some that ‘north’ is Tamil and ‘south’ Sinhala, that devolution (which includes federalist and secessionist options) makes sense because the North and East (they don’t say Northern and Eastern Provinces, because the demarcation-less articulation makes for further inflation of territorial claim) are ‘the traditional homelands of the Tamils’.
They do not unpack these terms because doing so would force them to swallow the hard facts of demographic reality (over half the Tamils live outside these two provinces) and geographical factors (most of the Eastern Province is made of Grama Niladhari Divisions with majority Sinhala populations).
Then there is also history.
They dare not talk of archaeological evidence. They will say the Mahawamsa was written by racist Buddhist monks but do not have anything close to a shred of evidence to counter what’s on the ground in these areas (even if one were to discount the Mahawamsa). They cannot talk about a permanent Tamil presence in demographically significant terms. At best it is about Tamils who chose to stay behind after the occasional South India invasion was turned back.
There is one exception: the golden age of Chola aggression. The 10th Century AD.
This was the time the Cholas invaded not just this island but vast swathes of the subcontinent as well as territories in what is now known as South-East Asia. The LTTE adopted the Tiger emblem from the flag of the glory days of Chola domination.
Tamil nationalism, desperately seeking a historical prop, picked a derivative of the name that the Cholas used for the island, ‘Ila-Mandalam’. They were careless. Raja Raja 1, during whose time the Chola empire reached its zenith of glory, not only invaded but plundered and bragged about the plundering.
The Archaeological Survey of India, for example, includes reference to inscriptions at various Hindu temples built with the wealth looted from lands conquered by Raja Raja 1. These inscriptions list the names of lands he conquered and refers to the island we today call Sri Lanka as ‘Ila-Mandalam’. ‘Ila’ is a corruption of ‘Hela’ or its four-part elaboration ‘Sihala’ (from ‘Siv-Hela’, made up of Yaksha, Naga, Deva and Raksha, each associated with a vocational sphere) and it is indeed the ultimate irony that the LTTE and its Tamil nationalist precursors used this to coin ‘Eelam’.
If this too is version, then Tamil nationalists could have all doubts erased by reading the elaboration that Raja Raja 1, no less, offers: ‘the land of the warlike Singalas’.
Whether the Singalas are/were warlike is not relevant to the issue of historical claim. What matters is that Raja Raja 1 had no doubt whatsoever that this land belonged to the Singalas. If it was the case that Singalas shared ownership with some other community, this fact would have been articulated especially if military intervention sought to buttress claim of or defend a kindred community.
In other words. it was a clear statement that ownership of territory had been wrested from the Singalas.
Now the inscriptions at the temples in Tanjavur and Ukkal were not authored by someone who had any interest in cooking history in favour of the Singalas. These were not the observations of some interfering, arrogant and ignorant white man. They are not taken from the Mahawamsa. Nor are they the 21st Century scribblings of a chauvinistic Sinhalese intent on deny property rights to Tamil Sri Lankans.
They are straight forward and matter-of-fact articulations of a particular political reality, authored in passing by someone who had absolutely no stake in conceding anything to those he conquered.
The claims about history put forward by Eelamists are eminently debunkable by a lot of archaeological and other evidence, but what shoots these to pieces is ironically the very source that they draw inspiration from: Raja Raja Chola I.
Does this mean that Tamils are not part of this polity or that they are or need to reconcile themselves to being second class citizens? No!
It merely means that they do not have any privileged claim on historical grounds to any part of the territory that is called Sri Lanka. As citizens they have every right to expect the same privileges that citizenships bestow on all other communities and all anomalies relating to these needs to be corrected.
Such correction as is necessary cannot be territory based as history, geography and demography do not support such arrangements. Devolution is out, therefore.
As for those Eelam-fixated sections of Tamil nationalists, they can relax now: Raja Raja Chola I has taken a huge load off their shoulders. Had they realised this several decades ago, this country would have been spared a lot of death, destruction and dispossession. Time to move on, though. Raja Raja Chola I demands this.
*Malinda Seneviratne is the Chief Editor of ‘The Nation’ and his articles can be found at www.malindawords.blogspot.com
Thiru / February 8, 2014
Malinda Seneviratne is rewriting history in his own whims and fancies, just like the Mahavamsa myths.
Sinhalese writers have mostly distorted the history of the Island: To get a true history we have to refer to writers outside the island and records in other parts of the world. There are plenty of authentic records available globally.
Records of trade with Eelam in the North-Eastern Sri Lanka are also available in Israel and elsewhere from the time of king Solomon.
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John / February 8, 2014
Tamils came in either as mercenaries brought in by fighting sinhala kings & princes or invaders only.
They have no claim for land in Lanka but only in Tamil Nadu.
Mahawamsa is perhaps the worlds’ longest & greatest History book, continuing todate for over 2300 years.
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Native Vedda / February 9, 2014
John
“Tamils came in either as mercenaries brought in by fighting sinhala kings & princes or invaders only. They have no claim for land in Lanka but only in Tamil Nadu.”
You are right, however that is only half of the story.
Where is the rest?
I will give you enough time for you to check your Mahawamsa for mythological background.
“Mahawamsa is perhaps the worlds’ longest & greatest History book, continuing todate for over 2300 years.”
It is novel set in historical background, its only 297 pages, that is not long.
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John / February 9, 2014
Native,
Mythology is there in Mahawamsa, perhaps to attract more readers in good old days, like salt & pepper in food but we should take those away & take the core of it.
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Native Vedda / February 9, 2014
John
“like salt & pepper in food but we should take those away & take the core of it.”
Once cooked not only you cannot get rid of both but over time you would have got used to the taste, without which food is no longer food.
Mahawamsa has been fed to the Sinhala/Buddhists as a staple diet for about hundred years with added hatred and lies.
You will find the whole process of removing pepper & salt utter waste of time.
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Thiru / February 9, 2014
By looking at the modern day bhikkus’ behavior, both in Sri Lanka and in Burma, we can imagine how the monks who contributed to this Mahavamsa were; not any different – racist bigots.
Do you know (as told by a Thai bhikku in a newspaper) demala means a bad person in Thai language: He also told how it got it into their vocabulary; Sinhala racist bhiikus going there periodically, brain washed the people there with that word. Is it any wonder this same prejudice got into Kumarodaya books read by Sinhala children?
The above is just like hindu is a baddie in Afghanistan: If you say it to somebody there he/she will get angry! This is Muslims’ prejudice against Hindus!
Bhikkus’ version of mythology or what ever rubbish must be taken with a truck load of salt. In another century the Buddhists will claim whatever written by BBS as history, I am sure about that.
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kali / February 9, 2014
John you Idiot:
Tamil came as Mercinaries to fight for Stupid Sinhalese Kings to stem the flow of Tamil Invasion. But having arrived in their thousands the Mercinaries then set up their own Kingdom in the North & East betraying the Sinhlses Kings who wasted a lot money and by the way were they paid in Rupees. It now eplains why King Mahintha wastes a lot of Money paying the Current Indian Mercinaries like Shiv Shankar Menon, Krishna and Loony Swami.
It runs in the family.
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Native Vedda / February 9, 2014
kalistani
“But having arrived in their thousands the Mercinaries then set up their own Kingdom in the North & East betraying the Sinhlses Kings”
So there had never been a 3,000 year old Tamil heritage in the island. You didn’t mean when you made your claim that the Tamils have lived in this island for over 3,000 years.
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kali / February 10, 2014
Foreign:
Your understanding is pathetic. Why do you persist. Give up man
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Native Vedda / February 10, 2014
kali
sach your sister has train you well in the art of how not to answer any question that got an element of history.
Congtratulation such at least you have trained Kali well.
Kali if you haven’t got the evidence say so and move on.
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kali / February 10, 2014
Foreign:
You surprise me when you say evidence. Man you come from a land headed by you mentor MR who doesn’t believe in Rule of Law or Evidence and since when have you started to pay any attention to evidence. There is overwhelming evidence supporting atrocities against Tamils which you and the rest of the 20 million have chosen to deny. If you believe in evidence why don’t you put yourself to the test and move on.
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Native Vedda / February 10, 2014
kali
So you don’t have evidence therefore you have no claim over my ancestral land.
“20 million have chosen to deny.”
The 20 million you quoted includes your stupid Tamils as well. Check the last census.
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kali / February 10, 2014
Foreign:
Stop talking rubbish about your Ancestral Home. We are not claiming yours and why do we want yours. But you are not taking mine. The North & East belongs to me From Nallur to Thiruketheeswaram to Munneswaram.
From the goodness of my Heart I will let you have: கதிர்காமம் (katirkāmam)) is a pilgrimage town sacred to Buddhist, Hindu, Muslim
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sach / February 10, 2014
Of course native vaddha talking about evidence! Do you know why most ignore your comments? useless! totally even replying to a racist like kali is more useful.
[Edited out]?
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Native Vedda / February 11, 2014
sach
“useless! totally even replying to a racist like kali is more useful.”
Pot calling the kettle black.
A renowned racist calling another renowned racist a racist.
How pathetic both of you are.
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sach / February 8, 2014
actually he points out at a records in other parts of the world like in Tamil Nadu where the inscriptions in temples say “brought from the country of warlike sinhalas”
Are you saying TN inscriptions are wrong? what are the tamil literature originated in SL? how old are they?
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Prasad / February 9, 2014
The concept ‘Singalas of Lanka is warlike barbarous mlecchas’ is already mentioned in the Mahabaratha. The inscriptions at the temples in Tanjavur and Ukkal may have adopted the same concept as mentioned in the Mahabaratha. The phrases ‘king of the Singalas’ or ‘the land of the warlike Singalas’ does not mean that the whole island belonged to the ‘Singalas’. This can be a reference to the Southern kingdom of Rohana where the ‘Singalas’ lived and ruled for many centuries.
From the archeological/epigraphic evidence and from the chronicles itself, it is clear that during the ancient period there existed not only Theravada Buddhism but also Mahayana Buddhism, Saivism, Vaishnavism, Jainism, etc. It is also clear that, not only Singalas, but many others such as Demadas, Kalingas, Kabojas/kambojas, Milekas, Muridis, Merayas, Jhavakas, etc have also lived in the island during that period.
Example,
Mahabharata, Book 2, Chapter 51
The Kings of Chola and Pandya, brought numberless jars of gold filled with fragrant sandal juice from the hills of Malaya, and loads of sandal and aloe wood from the Dardduras hills, and many gems of great brilliancy and fine cloths inlaid with gold. The king of the Singalas gave those best of sea-born gems called the lapis lazuli, and heaps of pearls also, and hundreds of coverlets for elephants.
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sach / February 9, 2014
yes non sinhala people may have lived there, same way non english people live in england. If non sinhala people lived there with a seperate kingdom for them as a seperate nation, why would the others call here the country of sinhalas?
why is the lack of any information for this “kingdom”? even the Pahien monk in Anuradhapura talks about chola kingdom as if he was talking about a pirate?
Rational understanding about migration disapproves the possibility of a kingdom in north
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Prasad / February 9, 2014
sach
First of all, we have to see the original Tamil version of the inscriptions at the temples in Tanjavur and Ukkal to see what exactly is written there. When people translate it to different languages, the original meaning may change.
On the other hand,‘the land of the warlike Singalas’ and ‘country of singalas’ are two different things. I do not think that the inscription said, ‘Lanka is the country of singalas’. For example, Rohana is ‘the land of the Singalas’ where as Jaffna is NOT.
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Javi / February 9, 2014
Oy, Ravana are you Dalit Slave??
Andaman Island has natives under scientific observation by UN and in Sanskrit it is called Hanuman Island.
Hanuman ki Jai
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sach / February 9, 2014
Oh you realiy need to get out of caste mentality of the tamils and tendency to look down upon others. Leave such mentality and be a part of 21st centruy humanity. :)
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sach / February 9, 2014
yeah but why many historical records at that time miss this tamil nation?
And why does it goes agaist rational migration? what ever the versions eelamists bring out when one look at the migration pattern their version looks less reliable.
After all what is your version? I have seen many eelamists having different versions.
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sach / February 9, 2014
So have you looked into the other inscriptions personally? specially when you copy and paste stuff from websites?
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Prasad / February 9, 2014
Why don’t you talk some sense instead of blabbering nonsense???
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sach / February 10, 2014
Does that mean you cant come up with a proper answer?
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Javi / February 9, 2014
Stop talking legends which are for a hindu privacy when these sihala Dalit Slaves which is the way the europeans handled spice colonies but not the textile fabric state of TN.
Common sense the spice plant is important not the slave. While textile drew in the respect so they negotiated with the chiefs or rulers from Roman days.
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Javi / February 9, 2014
The Dutch East India Company, or Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie (VOC), was a joint stock company based in Amsterdam,
The VOC was not merely a trading company, however. It was a quasi-governmental entity, with its own army. The Dutch government accorded it rights to seize and colonize new lands, wage war against other European powers as well as local governments and peoples, and set prices on its own trade commodities.
Among the most important of those commodities, of course, were the spices that flowed from what is now Indonesia. The VOC controlled the world market for such spices as nutmeg, cloves, and mace – used for medicinal purposes, as well as for flavoring food.
Throughout its history, the VOC made massive profits by exploiting and killing local people in the colonies. The East India Company enslaved hundreds of thousands of people on the Indonesian islands, massacred Chinese citizens of Batavia (Jakarta), and perpetrated a genocide against the inhabitants of the Bandas Islands to protect its nutmeg monopoly. In addition, the settlers at the Dutch refueling station at Capetown, South Africa, began systematically exterminating or enslaving South Africans – the early precursor to the apartheid system that would end only in 1991.
VOC transported UP/Bihar folk to Suriname and South Indians to Ceylon they were Dalits.
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Native Vedda / February 9, 2014
Thiru
“To get a true history we have to refer to writers outside the island and records in other parts of the world.”
Don’t you trust our own eminent historians such as Dharshnie Irathinavalli, Bandu de Silva, Kamalika Pieris, Champika, Nalin de Silva, …. Hela, Banda, Abhaya, Jimmy, Nak, Ravi Perera, Saman, …..Lalu,…
What a shame you are not a patriot.
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Thiru / February 9, 2014
Do you, I don’t trust these rascals, who are destroying historical artifacts in the North-East and planting bogus ones, to claim later as archeological finds and create bogus history.
Sinhala colonizers are worse than Portuguese, Dutch and the British put together – barbarians.
They are liars, cheaters who don’t keep their promises: Mass murderers, rapists, white van abductors, and the list is endless. This is the 2000 year old civilization they are talking about.
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sach / February 9, 2014
what are the historical artifacts in North and East?
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Native Vedda / February 9, 2014
sach
“what are the historical artifacts in North and East?”
Those were the ones preserved in the Jaffna Library before it was set alight by the Aryan Sinhala/Buddhists.
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sach / February 9, 2014
so you kept historical artifacts in a library? I can understand how little you must have had then
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Native Vedda / February 9, 2014
sach
“I can understand how little you must have had then”
I didn’t, it was your brethren who had very old ola manuscript in the library.
The art effects that were displayed in Jaffna Museum had been removed and taken to Anuradhapura.
You thought you have raised a clever question haven’t you.
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sach / February 10, 2014
You are hardly the person to say whether a question is clever or not, given that Thiru has been unable to answer.
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Javi / February 10, 2014
Dalit Slave, turned sihala mahawamse buddhist gaping and needs free education.
You are back to your scratchy underwear slave boy isnt it??
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sach / February 10, 2014
wow tamil upbringing! you really hate dalit people. dont u? leave such barbaric religious dogma.
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Prasad / February 9, 2014
Quote [ ‘Ila’ is a corruption of ‘Hela’ or its four-part elaboration ‘Sihala’ (from ‘Siv-Hela’, made up of Yaksha, Naga, Deva and Raksha, each associated with a vocational sphere) and it is indeed the ultimate irony that the LTTE and its Tamil nationalist precursors used this to coin ‘Eelam’.] Unquote.
The above statement by Malinda is absolutely hilarious. Before coming to the Argument about ‘Sihala’ from ‘Siv-Hela’, let me say a few words about the terms used in Mahavamsa and from where they were derived.
The scholarly monks of the Mahavihara in Anuradapura who wrote the Pali chronicles must have been very well versed in the Sanskrit texts of India such as the Mahavamsa and the Ramayana. The terms Lanka, Sinhala, Deva, Naga, Yaksha, Rakshasa, etc are mentioned for the very first time only in the Indian Mythology Ramayana and Mahabaratha. Very much later, the Mahavamsa has also adopted it but with a different way by including a new (Lion) story. The beginning chapters of the Mahavamsa stories which includes the names Sinhala, Lanka, and the four Deva, Naga, Yaksha, Rakshasa, tribes has NO archeological/epigraphic evidence in Sri Lanka and the present day historians do not accept any of them as true. The island was named ‘Lanka’ (influenced by Ramayana), the people were named ‘Sinhala’ (influenced by Mahabaratha), and the four tribes Deva, Naga, Yaksha, Rakshasa is nothing but a cut and paste from the Mahabaratha.
There is a group of Sinhala-Buddhists by the name Hela Havula (Sinhalese literary organization founded by Munidasa Cumaratunga) that has created a new theory (Siv + Hela = Sinhala) linking Ravana to the Sinhalas and totally contradicting the Mahavamsa to say that the Sinhalas are the original natives of Sri Lanka from the four tribes (four Hela) known as Siv-hela (Deva, Naga, Yaksha, & Rakshasa) and not migrants from India as mentioned in the Mahavamsa. Their theory is purely based on the Indian epics Ramayana and Mahabaratha. Some of them even want to add the Mahayana Buddhist text Lankavatara Sutta which is based on Ramayana to Sinhala-Buddhism. It should be noted that Ramayana is a mythology that talks of the story of Rama and Ravana that happened very much before the Buddha. Mahabaratha is even older than Ramayana.
How did “Siv-hela” becomes “Sinhala”? First of all, there is no any historical evidence to prove that the term ‘hela’ was used to denote any race or country. On the other hand the term ‘Siv-hela’ cannot be seen in any of the ancient inscriptions in Sri Lanka or in any of the ancient literary works. . I would like to ask Malinda or any other member of the Hela Havula, from where did you get this concept of Siv(four) hela? Can you present any piece of evidence to show that the concept of Siv-hela was used anywhere in our literature or any of the ancient inscriptions?
Even if you take the Sinhala Language, there is no any rule in Sinhala grammar to derive Siv+hela to sinhala. If it is so Kav+pela should become Kanpela, Pav+hela should become panhala or pansala. Your derivation from Siv+hela to Sinhala is just another non-creative creation.
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sach / February 9, 2014
that is what he is saying, what you are saying is your version!
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Prasad / February 9, 2014
It is NOT my version man, it is the obvious. I have given the source to prove from where it originated. Read very carefully (every word) what I have written and counter argue if you have the balls.
Refer to Ramayana and Mahabaratha and you will see how the Mahavamsa authors have done a cut and paste job. It is not my version, it is the Indian mythology.
Can you show me historical evidence to prove that the term ‘Siv-hela’ existed any where in ancient Lanka?
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sach / February 9, 2014
The history cannot be stated obvious. It is always some one else’s version. So lets say you are correct for the sake of argument still how does it prove the existence of a tamil kingdom?
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Prasad / February 9, 2014
It is pure Indian Mythology man. Mahavamsa author has simply copied from it. Can you prove the existence of Sinhala Kingdom? Which history book or inscription talks about a Sinhala kingdom? Can you show a reliable ancient historical source in Sri Lanka that talks about a Sinhala kingdom in Lanka?
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sach / February 10, 2014
Mahavamsa, Chula vamsa, Dathuvamsa, Pujavaliya, all the stone inscriptions, sinhala literature written in Kotte, books written in Kanda Udarata Sinhalaye. Sigiri poems and all the works of sinhala language. Records of foreign countries like TN, china, Burma, Thailand…
And the biggest among them being Sinhala people living here, with their own language and traditions for a very long time in SL alone. Got it?
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Prasad / February 12, 2014
Sach
NONE of the ancient history books what you have mentioned above and NONE of the stone inscriptions or cave writings have ever mentioned anything about a ‘Sinhala Kingdom’. It only talks of Anuradapura kingdom, Kandyan kingdom, Kotte kingdom, etc. NEVER the term ‘Sinhala kingdom’. None of the foreign records tell anything about a ‘Sinhala kingdom’.
Can you show us a reliable source that talks about a ‘Sinhala kingdom’?
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Prasad / February 12, 2014
Sach,
Please do not run away from this like you did the last time. Give us a link to a reliable source to show where the term ‘Sinhala kingdom’ is mentioned. All what you have listed above does NOT talk about any ‘Sinhala Kingdom’. Otherwise, show us exactly where you read the term ‘Sinhala kingdom’ in any of the above what you have listed.
Man, do not lie, if you have never read any of the above, do not simply lie. None of the scholars have found it in any of the above, how can you?
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Native Survivor / February 9, 2014
Really? Oh comeon! There is a kingdom called Elam in Persia also. That is the more logical meaning of the bible Elam. Just like there is a Salem in the USA and a Salem in India. The commonality of the name is a coincidence. Americans did not go witch hunting in South India.
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Maveeran / February 8, 2014
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Maveeran / February 8, 2014
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ela kolla / February 8, 2014
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Kutti Machan / February 8, 2014
Ela Kolla is the most eloquent commenter on CT.
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Native Vedda / February 9, 2014
Kutti Machan
“Ela Kolla is the most eloquent commenter on CT.”
Maveeran is catching up with ela kolla.
A healthy competition between two stupid people.
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Thiru / February 9, 2014
Emotions have overtaken their intellect!
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Native Vedda / February 9, 2014
Thiru
“Emotions have overtaken their intellect!”
If they had intellect in the first place emotions could not have succeeded.
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sach / February 10, 2014
This is tha man to say that. was it using the intellect you supported terrorists for 30 years
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Vibhushana / February 8, 2014
Chola was a Royal house or clan that became powerful during 10ce. This was the same period Ceylon is invaded by Kalinga Magha. This is the same period after which South Indian settlements begin flourishing in the north of Ceylon.
Although Chola is not exactly Tamil. He was a mix of Tamil/Malayalee. The Tamil and Malayalee ethnicity diverge around 12 CE going by the Tamil script.
On the other hand Sinhala Royal houses and Sinhala ethnicity can be traced as far back as 3CE. The oldest ethnicity in the Indian subcontinent is the Sinhala ethnicity.
The island is the homeland of the Sinhala just as Kerala is Malayalee and Tamil Nadu is for Tamil. The Tamil nationalist hoaxes have gone far enough.
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Local Historian / February 8, 2014
Surely you did not mean 3 CE (ie, 3rd Century of the Christian Era)
Theva Nampiya Theesan [Northern Indian Speak Devenampiya Tissa], of whom Mahavamsa wrongly claimed as Sinhalese, himself is about the period 3 BC (ie, 3rd Century Before Christ)
Please refer to commment
https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/raja-raja-chola-1-and-the-quicksand-of-tamil-chauvinism/comment-page-1/#comment-870838
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Javi / February 9, 2014
Linda Senevaratna,
The Tamils are clear of who they are: The Three Crowned Kings refers to the triumvirate of the Chola, Chera and Pandya dynasties.
Bestiality Breed Slave Sinhala Buddhist (BBS-SB) you were bought into Ceylon Spice Colony by the Slave traders Portuguese and Dutch to slave.
You say you, Dayan Jaya Silva are of the Lion. History Prof. Dr. Nira Konjit Wickramasinghe) who calls herself French Shamelessly says “By about the fifth century BC peoples from northern India had settled on the island. Legends mention the name of their leader, prince Vijaya. The settlers were called Sihalas–‘people of the Lion’–because Vijaya’s father was actually believed to have been a lion.”
The ones below have the DNA of you slave tell us which one are you.!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEMIh1i2ia0 February 2014 Breaking News Labs Mixing Human DNA with Animal DNA 4 of 5
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Javi / February 9, 2014
Kerala is smarter than you Dalit Slave Sihala think and know when to kick the bucket of the bull shit.
VOC history is available at Chennai (preserved by conscientious folk) where kerela & karanataka dalits were taken to Spice Colony Ceylon as slaves by VOC traders and their private contractors. Coimbatore/Erode Textile manufacturing people and place was always respected from Roman days not Kerala the pepper growers they were killed (spice that grew mattered)
Kerala has always been small (20 seats) and playing Persian politics of the Jamboys Opium Gandhi.
Tamil Nadu has 40 seats and edge of the Deccan mountain range separating north from south as central command stands the great Maratha warriors of Bhosle Dynesty Maharashtra 48 seats plus deccan member chief NaMo’s Gujarat 26 seats. NaMo is the face of Maratha Dynasty and their dreaded army- neither the Brits or Islamist could fight them man to man- they are todays IAF seals.
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Prasad / February 9, 2014
Vibhushana
“This is the same period after which South Indian settlements begin flourishing in the north of Ceylon.”
Did you invent the above from thin air? Any reliable source to prove your above statement? The history talks about Chola & Pandyan invasions and take over the kingdom, it does not say anything about any people settlements. The Tamil people were already there from the beginning.
Everything else what you have written is pure bull shit coming from your head and can NEVER be proved.
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Sulaiman / February 8, 2014
After a long wait Insidious is back. His rants and homilies were quite banal.
I concede that an editorial is not suited for nuanced discussions, but it should refrain from speaking in absolutes, especially when there is a lot of debate on certain issues. His omissions are also typical of his insidiousness.
1. Not explaining the use of the word “eelam” – This is an ancient word used as far back as 1 BCE in Tamil Sangam literature. Malinda’s piece implies that it came into being only in during Raja Raja Chola’s time.
2. Etymology of “eelam” – Malinda simply asserts one view that it is a derivative of the Pali word Sihala. He does not even acknowledge the numerous other theories – that Sihala came from Ilam, that Ilam has a link to toddy and coconuts etc.
3. He completely ignores the connection between Malayalam and Tamil and the fact that Malayalam became distinct from Tamil only a few hundred years ago. This explains a lot of how Tamil words used in Jaffna are not in usage in Tamil nadu but similar to those used in Kerala.
4. History can be viewed in many ways and no doubt invasions could be the lens through which one views it. But this is a deliberate ploy to keep up the myth of Aryan colonisation through the advent of Vijaya. Language replacement theory as advanced by Indrapala and even people like Seneviratne.
5. He ignores the common gene pool of Sri Lankans. If Tamils only came and settled in the 12th century in significant number then there should be a marked (or at least some) difference in the genes.
6. He ignores the presence of ancient Hindu temples and Tamil literature referencing them.
7. Most important of all – even if a people have come here in the twelfth century -does not a thousand-year history make them people of the soil too?!! For heaven’s sake – with a short life span of 70 years for a human how many more years should people have lived here to become sons and daughters of the soil?!!! I find it hilarious that the gist of Malinda’s piece (even if it were factually accurate) would be to say – “ha ha Tamils you have been here only for a thousand years!!!!”
S
p.s.
I think he is a wordsmith a la Sarah Palin with words like “debunkable”. What does he use for to check his language – wiktionary? or perhaps internet slang for lazy editors?
/
Local Historian / February 8, 2014
// Malinda’s piece (even if it were factually accurate) would be to say – “ha ha Tamils you have been here only for a thousand years!!!!”
But let us be happy Malinda maaththaya is willing to up the Tamils to first class.
Apartheid or not?!
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Steve Grafton / February 8, 2014
LOL here’s what the University of Madras Tamil Lexicon has to say about your “Eelam” LOL
īḻam
, n. < Pāli, Sīhala. < Siṃhala. 1. Ceylon
LOL
/
Robert.R / February 9, 2014
Just wondered whether you were the anthropologist I met while you were studying Tamils/Sinhalese ?
/
sach / February 8, 2014
then what about inscriptions in TN temples in South india? are they wrong too?
I have thought about this on a rational basis, and i came with these questions.
1. Had there was a successful tamil kingdom in SL they surely must have coorperation with TN. In such a case how come a small number of people from North India who came in a boat conquer the great kingdom? That is against rationality.
2. If Sinhalese came later and invaded Tamils how come sinhala people live in the south of SL while tamils live in North? The pattern of invasion would suggest otherwise. The reason Sinhala people dominate the south while tamils live in North is because sinhalese were pushed into the island interior due to invasions.
3. The logistical support in TN would have stopped any north indian settlers dominating the island. Imagine a north indian today go to Tamil Nadu and make it north indian character.
4. Jaffna is the most difficult part in SL to defend. That was the first that will hold onto the hands of enemy as sinhalese, tamils, portugese, dutch learnt with time. So the fact that Tamils hold Jaffna raises questions.
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Prasad / February 9, 2014
“I have thought about this on a rational basis”
Ha,ha,ha….LOL
Is this Gibberish known as ‘Rational’ in your language???
Write something meaningful man.
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sach / February 9, 2014
So why dont counter argue?
1. How do a group of north indians (700 strong) come and defeat the natives who had a mighty kingdom (that nobody has heard of)?
2. what did the allies in TN do?
:) i understand why you dismiss them with a “ha ha”. Lack of any proper counter arguement?
/
Prasad / February 9, 2014
That is what your own history book says man. So you are saying that the so called ‘Sinhala’ history book is pure Bull crap??? Thanks for admitting it but the Sinhalayas will never believe you.
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sach / February 10, 2014
what sinhalese believe doesnt matter ne, what matters is the version of history with more rationality and evidence.
And why should we believe what the history book says? Weeks back you wanted us to not believe and ditch it ne? so why sudden change?
And Sinhalese dont believe in Mahavamsa’s aryan immigration as you people believe. It is just a story which are certianly unrealistic.
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Prasad / February 12, 2014
Who says the Sinhalese don’t believe in Mahavamsa? Most of the Sinhala history scholars are defending the Mahavamsa. What you are talking now is a new story.
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manisekaran / February 10, 2014
You answer how just an east india company of 50 sailors later robbed whole of India? Then apply the same logis that answers your silly question.
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sach / February 10, 2014
The fifty sailors werent alone, a whole empire, advanced weaponsry, advanced naval war fare, advanced technology and mercenary units made up of Irish, scottish, british and other asians. That is how. Also a beleagued country after successive islamic invasions.
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manisekaran / February 11, 2014
You mean entire British empire were stationed everywhere they ruled? Great knowledge. Amazed at your arguements. Tell me how many britishers were in India when they ruled?
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sach / February 8, 2014
Vijaya’s aryan immigration is just a story, it is not accepted 100% by sinhalese and archeologists.
5. He ignores the common gene pool of Sri Lankans. If Tamils only came and settled in the 12th century in significant number then there should be a marked (or at least some) difference in the genes
doesnt this point negate what youre trying to say?
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Javi / February 9, 2014
Such is a Dalit Slave (Spice colony) turned Buddhist,
Vijaya and you were gonnas all along like the malayalees in their pepper crops as slaves,
while the tamils of textile city Kanchipuram, Coimbatore were treated with royal respect by all from the west and east romans, dutch VOC (it’s achives say you are kerala karanataka dalit slaves transported to spice land ceylon) remember the english they bought the hindu tamil to plant tea.
Sach you are nothing more than a Dalit Slave who has enjoyed the patronage of westerner trade, their education for free but yet the dalit slave mahanama buddhist racist.
Churchill was tired US won and was in no mood but divide baharat in 4 because Russia was warring East Germany (1/2 million US/UK forces due to leave Germany 2020)
Now that bestiality breed has lost ground because the Farsi is getting fcked and Hindu/Sanskrit is coming of age again.
The northern Exodus was Roma folk to Romania and beyond (you are kalu kolla and different DNA)their music is Baila and they are horse riders before westerners.
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sach / February 9, 2014
Oh these caste mentality of the tamils is disgusting. You guys need to come to this 21st century. Dont act like barbarians believing such outdated religious ideologies.
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Native Survivor / February 9, 2014
sach, don’t blame the Tamils for this sort of mentality. He extensively quotes in Hindi, praises the caste-system and the Indian army and wants white-people to control the world. Unfortunate self-defeating traits of many Indian politicians and diplomats. No sane Tamil praises the Indian army because they know what the IPKF did to their people.
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Prasad / February 12, 2014
Right from Paranavithana, every Sinhala archeologist and historian accepted the Mahavamsa 100%. Only a very few like Leslee Gunawardene, Sudarshan Senaviratne, et al are special cases.
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Ajith / February 8, 2014
Malinda,
You are more intelligent historian than Mahinda. I am sure you you would have find all evidences from the laptop you received from Mahinda. You can submit your thesis to Mahinda University and you will receive double doctorate from Mahinda.
In this article, I couldn’t see any evidence that Sinhalese are origins of this island based on history, geography and demography. Therefore correction is necessary, you have no right to live in this island.
Malinda,
We Tamils do not want to be part of your Sinhala Sri Lanka politics. We understand you very well what you are and what your politics. We are humans and we don’t want to live with carnivorous animals like you.
/
sach / February 8, 2014
This article doesnt mention Sinhalese’ origins are here. why i think it is out of the scope of the topic and why state such an obvious thing again?
Sinhala people, their language, tradition, culture, food everything originated here. I am sorry if the same cannot be said about you but we cant let go off our mother.
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Prasad / February 9, 2014
This is an absolutely ignorant ‘frog in the well’ attitude/argument.
First of all, learn a little bit of North & South Indian languages including the old ones like Sanskrit, Pali, old Tamil, Malayalam, etc and you will see how the Sinhala language originated. Go to South India (especially Kerela) and see their food, it is almost identical to the Sinhala food. Also, see the South Indian culture, you will get to know from where the Singalese came from. Also, compare the Singala DNA (genetic study) with both North & South Indians and you will get to know from where the Sinhalese came.
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sach / February 9, 2014
where in india did Sinhala language originate? Sinhala language has many similarities that is because Sanskrit heavily influenced Sinhala language. That doesnt mean SInhala originated in North India.
Even English has similarities with sanskrit, does that make English a north indian language? :)
Sinhala have shared a lot of cultureal elements with Kerala. yes, the reason was many sinhalese came from Kerala as well. They brought their own cultural elements from Kerala and enriched and contributed towards evolving the sinhala culture in SL.
Does that make Sinhala alien to SL? NO. why? because that is the natural way of immigration and absorbing of cultural elements that has been happening through out the world.
If going by your logic, Tamils origintaed in Africa. SOme have found similarities between abrahamic religions and african tribal beliefs and some Hindu beliefs as well. :)
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Prasad / February 9, 2014
Read your own history man. The Mahavamsa says Sinhala originated in Sinhapura in India by Sinhabahu. There must have been a place in North India by the name Sinhapura 2500 years ago but not anymore. For example, Tamil Nadu never existed in India until the British created it.
Are you saying that the Ven. Mahanama Thero, the author of Mahavamsa is a Blatant Liar?
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sach / February 9, 2014
But mahavamsa is not true ne? werent you the one’s who were arguing in this very forum why sinhala people should ditch the mahavamsa? :)
why get hold of mahavamsa when there is obvious lack of argument? I am not saying mahanama is liar or not, (werent you saying all these things weeks back?)(facepalm situation?)
And i remember many erudite members here saying mahanama is a racist liar and mahavamsa is an insult. SO why depend on it?
And mahanama got to know that because that was a story at that time. He doesnt verify that. There is no area called Sinhapura in India, many historians assume this may be the place given that mahavamsa story is true. But that is a big IF.
The reality is Sinhala people didnt migrate here from anywhere. It was formed here with all its language, culture, tradition and everything.
Between why hold into Mahavamsa? Dont you have any SL tamil equivalent that talks about history?
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Prasad / February 9, 2014
Looks like you have invented a new story contradicting the Mahavamsa story. The biggest joke is, you are saying the Mahavamsa is not true but at the same time you do not want to admit that Ven. Mahanama Thero, the author of Mahavamsa is a Blatant Liar.
Mahanama the author of Mahavamsa is not just a normal man, he is supposed to be a scholarly Buddhist monk of the Mahavihara. The venerable Buddhist Thero is a responsible member of the Buddhist Sangha of the Theravada Buddhist School. How can a person of his caliber write some rubbish or damn lies (blindly) without verifying it just because that was the prevailing story at that time?
Why don’t you talk some sense???
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sach / February 10, 2014
You are funny man. First tell us mahavamsa is a joke and an insult. Then tells us how Mahanama is a learned erudite monk. :)
yes mahanama is a learned monk but what he says as vijaya story is a story he had ‘heard’ which was around at that time. Remember he is from 5AD. So the so called vijaya story is 1000 years before that? :)
Do you want us to believe that? :) Hey get out of the mahavamsa mentality.
How can i say whether mahanama lied or not. Before 1500s people in the world believed earth to be flat and said so. were they lieing? No they were not. because that knowledge was not available for them. If you fail to understand this simple logic, get some help. In the same way mahanama was not lieing cos he was simply stating something he had heard before.
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Prasad / February 12, 2014
You are not only a joker but a damn fool.
Are you talking thro’ your Arse?
According the scholars, Ven. Mahanama thero the author of Mahavamsa is supposed to be a scholarly Buddhist monk and a responsible member of the Buddhist Sangha (Mahavihara of Anuradapura.
You are accepting the fact that the stories what he wrote (Mahavamsa) is not true but bull crap. In 5AD, people were not fools, they were able to think.
If you use your so called ‘logical/rational’ brain, you will realize that even a layperson (leave aside an educated Buddhist monk) will not write something stupid without verifying what he ‘heard’, a 1000 years old story if that story sounds stupid and unbelievable.
Mahavamsa is a creation of Ven. Mahanama thero. He has picked up something from Deepavamsa (another myth similar to Mahavamsa), Ramayana, Mahabaratha, Jataka Katha(all Indian myths),etc and also his creative mind to create the Mahavamsa stories. Even the terms Lanka, Sinhala,Yaksha, Naga, Deva, Raksha, etc are simply cut and paste.
Mahanama thero is not stating what he ‘heard’, he created something from what he read/learned. For thousands of years, his writings (the lies he created) fooled the gullible Sinhala-Buddhist masses (both educated and uneducated)and it is still continuing to fool them.
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Native Vedda / February 10, 2014
sach
“The reality is Sinhala people didnt migrate here from anywhere. It was formed here with all its language, culture, tradition and everything.”
Where is the evidence?
If true why is Sinhala language grouped under Indo Aryan family of languages? If Sinhala developed within this island why use Pali to supplement your communication deficiency?
Why do almost all your “renowned” historians write that Sinhalese are Aryans?
Aryan Sinhala hydraulic civilisation, Aryan Sinhala suit,… are some phrases used on a regular basis. Why?
If your ancestors were not migrants how come DNA takes you back to Tamilnadu? You have less than 5% affinity with my people.
Are you people going to tell us my Veddah ancestors were Kallathonies from Tamilnadu?
I have lot more question for you.
I know you are not going to respond to my questions, it should not stop you from tickling me, of course with your stupid comments,
/
Survivor / February 10, 2014
“Why do almost all your “renowned” historians write that Sinhalese are Aryans?”
I believe that myth was told to the present day Sinhalese and Indians by Max Muller, a British imperialist with the usual agenda of divide and rule. Sinhala nationalist argument was based on the finding that Sinhala language is etymologically similar to Sanskrit and Pali, so the speakers of those languages must have been the same ethnicity as the original speakers of those languages. That is a flawed logic. By this logic, the Afro-American speakers of English in the Caribbean would all be English people. The Sinhala nationalist types fell hook, line and sinker for this nonsense and ultimately made a fool of themselves.
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Native Vedda / February 10, 2014
Survivor
Thanks
I get your point.
However the question was aimed at sach the stupid pandit.
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Javi / February 12, 2014
OooooBurn!!
Aryan- Is the place of residence of Iranians so even the Farsi’s call themselves Aryans.
Since they were across the river they invaded Baharat as much as Alexander the Great and married up untill the Maratha’s from across the hills in the Deccan Plateau finally drew them away. In 1502 too the Mughals invaded the north and subsequently built Taj Mahal.
They copied(sufi) the dance but just the single spin from the dancing nataraj- The D N is at the EU not Sufi style= sihala balitoil.
Sihala slaves dont even know the terrain of Baharat to say we came from north India- the hills give deccan plateau its uniqueness that even today the best cannot beat them.
_____________________
NaMo is for Hindu/Sanskrit and this is from Maratha Dynasty Days where even Muslims fought on their side to oust not just the Mughals but all European invaders. The last battle was in 1818 “3rd Anglo-Maratha” for the British to take over the whole of East India Company. _________________ The Maratha army especially its infantry was praised by almost all the enemies of Maratha Empire, ranging from Duke of Wellington to Ahmad Shah Abdali. After the Third Battle of Panipat, Abdali was relieved as Maratha army in the initial stages were almost in the position of destroying the Afghan armies and their Indian Allies Nawab of Oudh and Rohillas. The grand wazir of Durrani Empire, Shah Wali Khan was shocked when Maratha commander-in-chief Sadashivrao Bhau launched a fierce assault on the centre of Afghan Army, over 3,000 Durrani soldiers were killed alongside Haji Atai Khan, one of the chief commander of Afghan army and nephew of wazir Shah Wali Khan. Such was the fierce assault of Maratha infantry in hand-to-hand combat that Afghan armies started to flee and the wazir in desperation and rage shouted “Comrades Whither do you fly, our country is far off”.[45][46][47] Post battle Ahmad Shah Abdali in a letter to one Indian ruler claimed that Afghans were able to defeat the Marathas only because of the blessings of almighty and any other army would have been destroyed by the Maratha army on that particular day even though Maratha army was numerically inferior to Afghan army and its Indian allies.[48] The letter is kept in the National Archives of India. Similarly Duke of Wellington after defeating Marathas noted that Marathas though were poorly led by their Generals but their regular infantry and artillery matches the level of Europeans, he also warned other British officers from underestimating Marathas in battlefield. He cautioned one British general that: “You must never allow Maratha infantry to attack head on or in close hand to hand combat, as in that your army will cover itself with utter disgrace”.[49] Even when Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington became Prime Minister of Britain he held Maratha infantry in utmost respect, claiming it to be one of the best in world at the same time however he noticed the poor leadership of Maratha Generals, who were often responsible for their defeats.[49] Most British Authors agree that Maratha infantry was equal to that of British infantry after the Third Anglo-Maratha war in 1818, Maratha agreed to serve British Empire, and Britain listed Maratha as one of the Martial race.[50
___________________
The final shot by Marathi Brahmin was the naked fakir for allowing the partition.Then the wars with Porkistan supported by US pilots. The Marathas modified the throwaway British “Gnat” and won every war in the valley.
Now the 50/50 partnership for the fifth generation stealth fighter bomber which is better than the US (at this moment in time US don’t have the cash to develop on theirs further)
Panetta was rebuked recently regarding South China Sea.
/
Javi / February 13, 2014
“the Afro-American speakers of English in the Caribbean”
They were slave like you bought in by the Spanish, Dutch, English.
The indigenous were the Arawak (very peaceful with people and nature) like the Veddhas of Spice land (ravana) and Great Andamanese of Andaman (Hanuman) where mosquito’s bring death.
Unfortunately for you slave survivor the official language for Andaman is Tamil and governed by TN. It is a UN center for the study of indigenous people not slaves like you.
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sach / February 10, 2014
“Where is the evidence? “
Either the sinhala people must have come to Sl or evolved here. There is no such sinhala people outside SL and no such reported authentic migration. But there is plenty for evolution of sinhala identity and race. This is a stupid question like asking evidence for non existance of god.
“If true why is Sinhala language grouped under Indo Aryan family of languages? If Sinhala developed within this island why use Pali to supplement your communication deficiency? “
Because some of the people who came to SL have Aryan roots, and Buddhism religion brought Pali and sanskrit. That is how languages evolve like the rest of the world. talking about using Pali due to deficiency is a hilarious, it rathers point put your stupidity. People then used the then available sinhala and pali influenced it. Is it that difficult for the vaddha? May be the deficiany of vaddha language.
“Why do almost all your “renowned” historians write that Sinhalese are Aryans? “
You asked that from reknown historians. If A says Native Vaddha is an idiot, how can B says why he said so?
“Aryan Sinhala hydraulic civilisation, Aryan Sinhala suit,… are some phrases used on a regular basis. Why? “
I didnt use it ne. How can i answer something I didnt say. You ask that from the ones who say that.
“If your ancestors were not migrants how come DNA takes you back to Tamilnadu? You have less than 5% affinity with my people.”
I didnt say some of sinhalese are not frm TN, in fact my point is they are primarily dravidian people. The reason for less than 5% DNA may be they found Vaddhas unattractive. This question itself prove you have no idea what my point is.
“Are you people going to tell us my Veddah ancestors were Kallathonies from Tamilnadu? “
I didnt say so but anyhow yes Vaddhas need to come here from africa too.
As i see you have NO understanding, let me tell you in simple words. The people who formed sinhala nation did come from southindia and rest of india. However when they come to SL they were no sinhalese. It is after coming into SL they formed the Sinhala identity and the language much like in all the ancient civilizations.
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Survivor / February 11, 2014
Sinhala language has absorbed hundreds of thousands of Tamil language syntax, pronunciation and words, it has absorbed from other languages like Portuguese and Dutch. Does that fact make the Sinhalese into Tamils, Portuguese or Dutch? Flawed logic. There are other words that are unknown to the Indian or European language families. Are these the original native language words? Probably. The white-dress wearing, tee-totaling politician regime might want to “purge” the Sinhala language of all these “foreign” influences and try to force everyone to speak Sanskrit! That’s fine, but they cannot at the same time claim to be the original Sri Lankans.
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Javi / February 13, 2014
Native,
Such is behaving like confused Hitler who hit the Himalayan rocks in his quest for his blue eyed/cats eyes Aryan. In utter disgust he thought that Alexander the Great took it away and raped Greece. Today the poor Greeks want their Gold back from the Germans.
Such thinks he is hitting India using Dalit conversions.
So long Such you must work hard for your remuneration from
`Gooo`ta `Boo`ts the Bestiality Breed Slave.
/
Steve Grafton / February 8, 2014
Excellent Malinda. You don’t even have to go so far back to disprove Tamil Eelamist myths and propaganda. I was reading an article posted yesterday about the Kandyan convention, which ceded control of Sri Lanka to the British – it was written only in Sinhalese and English. Not a word of Tamil. No mention of any Tamil homelands or kingdoms but plenty of references to the island which was about to be handed over as “Sinhala country”. And no ‘Lingams’ or ‘Ponniahs’ in the list of signatories either LOL
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Local Historian / February 8, 2014
That Kandyan Convention is of circa 1815 when the Tamil King, betrayed by Sinhalese chieftains was taken to Vellore fort for life imprisonment.
Dutch conquered the Jaffna Kingdon fully in 1621
The genocide in Vanni of Pandara Vanniya’s people by the Dutch with help from English combine was about the time the English were fighting the French in Cuddalore to Trincomalee and off Batticaloa – the year is 1782.
Do you get it?
Let the illustrious editor of The Nation stick to his cooked up new argument that Raja Raja Cholan I is not all that and the discovery that Tamil people are not second class citizens.
If they want to self determine if they would want to put up with all these wild imaginations of history or not is another question altogther.
/
Steve Grafton / February 9, 2014
LOL isn’t the charge against the British by revisionist Eelamist historians that they brought together the supposed independent ancient Tamil territories with the Sinhala country and then left the Sinhalese in charge of it all when they went? LOL so why is there no mention of these Tamil territories in the convention? After all it’s the document that deals with the handover of the entire island, not just the “Sinhala areas”. Well maybe it just does deal with the Sinhala areas, because that’s all there was LOL
By the way the genocide by the Dutch was against the Sinhala people – check the maps in the Dutch national archives and count up the number of villages with Sinhala names in the so called “Tamil” homelands, and how many of these were left by the time the colonials were finished (or even today) LOL
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Local Historian / February 9, 2014
By 1815 what remained under native in the hill country was signed in Sinhalese – why would that describe anything that was lost in the preceding 200+ years by fellow natives.
You have just learnt the difference between Eelam and Tamil Eelam and you remain blinded by racial hatred that your reading of Dutch place names or linguistics is very poor.
Try not to laugh while typing. Try to think what you type.
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Javi / February 10, 2014
“By the way the genocide by the Dutch”
Glow-worm they were bought as slaves into the spice land- indigenous folk are the Veddhas recognized by UN. Slave masters caused genocide in plantations is very common.Therefore it was banned.
Steve you must be from a former colony of Columbus and British?? You are nit picking into history as if you are still researching via others than leaving it to City planners who need to be well versed with all subjects and material evidence isn’t it?
US was the cause of the partition and handing over Ceylon to Dalit Slaves.
US are just arrogant rump and Churchill was too tired and poorly at peace time.
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Native Survivor / February 12, 2014
“US was the cause of the partition and handing over Ceylon to Dalit Slaves.”
The Hindi-speaking, fair and lovely cream using, amude obsessed, Servant of White Men (“in control”) has spoken. Better to be a “Dalit slave” than your type, wanker. Your country is the shit-hole if the planet.
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sach / February 8, 2014
I think you have picked the wrong one. They must have given you a kiddie version.
In ancient south asia tamils were traders and they traded with SL immensely. Some of them were absorbed into Sinhala society so sinhala people then learnt and did know tamil as a foriegn language, like we use english.
By the way does signing in English makes you English?
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Sulaiman / February 9, 2014
Finally, my friend, you got it. Knowing English doesn’t make one English. If you read the language replacement theory you will note that what they argue is that people’s language and ethnicity ate different things. The people on the north continued to speak Tamil because of the trade links with Tamil nadu, while the rest developed into Sinhalese speakers over time with the Pali influence. Ethnically, we are one.
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sach / February 9, 2014
yep. but why should it change the history of SL and accepting that Sinhala is a language and a civilization which is uniquely SLn. And how does it prove Eelamist version of history??
That is the qn!
Now do your tamil friends accept ethnically we are one? I am yet to see such a tamil!
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Sulaiman / February 9, 2014
Great we are making progress. First, since we are in agreement that ethnically we are one, it shows that the Aryan invasion is a myth. The people (or peoples) of Sri Lanka are of one stock regardless of the language that they speak.
If they are not Aryans who are they? If you look at the DNA it is clear that we are all Dravidians (with the exception of some Muslims who have Arab genes as well). Tamil is the oldest Dravidian language – all other Dravidian languages (such as Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam) branched away from Tamil at various periods. It is therefore clear that the original inhabitants were Dravidian. [See also a recent satellite image showing the man made Adams’ bridge nearly 10,000 years ago. The timing is important as it shows that 7500 years before Vijaya is supposed to have come to Sri Lanka there has been human passage between Southern India and Sri Lanka.]
These Dravidians language speakers were heavily influenced by the Buddhism and consequently Prakrit or Pali. Buddhism (and Jainism) also took root in Tamil Nadu. But around the 6th Century AD there was a Hindu revival, which appears to have spread to the North of Sri Lanka as well. Trade and the Hindu revival ensured that the Northern and Eastern parts of Sri Lanka continued to retain Tamil as their language, while the Southern part kept getting isolated. Thus Sinhalese as a distinct language came about only around 7th century AD. This is natural that a distinct language came about after about 900-1000 years of Pali or Prakrit influence. (As opposed to Dharashani’s fantastic claim that Sinhalese suddenly came about in less than two hundred years!!) This sounds logical and is consistent with the facts.
S
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sach / February 9, 2014
So are you saying Dravidians were living in SL before vijaya’s arrival?
Are you believing in Vijaya story in Mahavamsa? :) get out of that mahavamsa mentality other wise sharmini would spank your little butt for not thinking like her. (this some what contradict your “aryan migration is a myth claim”)
Yes drvidians were here first and they were the ancestors of Sinhala people. :). With input from religion and constant immigration from other parts of the world (especially india),
their language, culture and tradition with a unique identity was formed.
Between this is the first time i saw a Sulaiman believing in Ramayana.:) The reason hinduism became dominant in northern SL was not some Hindu revival but barbaric religious oppression and converstion of the invading Chola armies in the north. The way they destroyed buddhist temples and burnt them is very well documented.
Between isnt your version against the very much spread propaganda version of Eelamists? That tamils were here and Sinhalese are invaders. Some eelamists even put the theory sinhalese in south were formed by south indian immigrants brought in by dutch and Brits. So do your tamil brethren believe Sinhala and Tamils are a same ethnicity?
(if that is so, who are SL tamils? Tamil speaking sinhalese :)?)
By the way dont you think bringing ramayana somewhat weaken your argument? And i didnt see any response from you about rational migration pattern.
/
Survivor / February 10, 2014
“It is therefore clear that the original inhabitants were Dravidian” – Sulaiman
How is this clear? What are your sources? It is fairly well researched and accepted that Dravidians came from the Middle East (or J haplogroup in the latest genetic studies), established the Indus Valley civilization where they developed Hinduism and later came south into present day India where they displaced the existing indigenous populations. The indigenous Veddas are said to share ancestry with the remnant indigenous populations in South Asia, Burma, Andaman Islands, Oceania and the Australian aborigines. None of these peoples have Dravidian connection. Their languages are unrelated to Dravidian languages. They are sometimes known as “Austronesians”. Be careful how we describe history because there are politicians and nationalist types in Ceylon, as well as the loony, illiterate crowd in Tamil Nadu waiting for excuses to make wars over this. Your other thesis, that Sinhalese and Tamils share common ancestry is more plausible however neither of these groups, are the original inhabitants of the island, although over the years, there would have been much interaction so now the population is fairly mixed. It is reasonable to assume that there is indigenous ancestry in nearly every Ceylonese with origins in the island going back over 200 years.
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Burning_Issue / February 8, 2014
You have no idea at all. If you read the Sinhala Buddhist chauvinistic materials exclusively you will be fed with garbage nothing.else!
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Steve Grafton / February 9, 2014
Yes of course the Kandyan convention, a historical document drafted by the British to take over the Sinhala country certain is a “Sinhala Buddhist chauvinistic material” LOL
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Burning_Issue / February 9, 2014
Kandian convention was signed to takeover the kandian territory that was all. The rest of the country was already under British. There is a clause in the convention stipulating that provisions applied in the convention did not pertain to the rest of the country. Some of the kandian chieftans signed the convention in Tamil!
Please learn history objectively.
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sach / February 9, 2014
yes some signed in Tamil. many sign today in English. so does that make them tamil?
even if the chieftains are tamil? what is the version you want to interpret? Remember kandy was called the Sinhalay, by the rest of the country.
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Burning_Issue / February 9, 2014
Such,
Please do not shoot from your hip! I was responding to a Sinhala Buddhist Chauvinist and directly pertinent to his comments. You do not need to literally take the meaning. If it had offended you, you can be rest assured that I agree with what you said.
Many Sinhala brag about how they stood up against the colonial powers but often mask the fact that it was the Sinhala chieftans who betrayed the kandian king in favour of the British!
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sach / February 9, 2014
I know you directed it at someone else, but still my question was valid. :)
Yes sinhala chieftains betrayed the king and that had reasons. How does that devalue the opposition and resistance put forward by Sinhala ordinary folks?
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Prasad / February 9, 2014
People sign in English even now because during the British period they were made to learn English. The British rulers did not serve the country’s interests (of course they were not invitees) but they made sure that even the future Sinhala leaders learn their English language.
The Million Dollar question is, why the Sinhala aristocrats, the leading Kandyan Sinhalese Lords or Dissawas including Ehelepola, Pilimatalawe, Ratwatte, and so not only learned to speak and read but also write in a language (Tamil) alien to them and also chose to sign an important official document/treaty concerning the country and Religion in Tamil (the kings language)?
What is the reason for the Kandyan Sinhala chiefs/ministers to learn not only to read and speak but also write in a language (Tamil) that is alien to them? Did the King force them or did they have any Tamil connection or was the language of the Kandyan kingdom both Tamil and Sinhala?
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sach / February 9, 2014
Because sinhala people living at that time considered Tamil language highly. And many had relations in Tamil society. People migrate from kerala.
Before the arrival of colonial powers tamil language may have had a position in south india and SL like the position English have today. It was the language of the traders. So you learn it, same way you have to learn English today.
The reason you bring this point is your total lack of knowledge in Sinhala literature apart from usual eelamist tid bits. See a book like Subhashithaya. In that book the writer particularly says he is writing it for the benefit of ordinary unlearned people who do not know tamil, Sanskrit. So it appears the learned people at that time in Sinhalay learnt tamil as we learn English. :)
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Prasad / February 9, 2014
Ha,ha,ha…LOL
Another good joke!!!
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sach / February 10, 2014
I understand “ha ha” is a way of evading difficult questions.
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Prasad / February 12, 2014
When you imagine some crap and write nonsense what else can anybody say other than laugh.
I asked,
What is the reason for the Kandyan Sinhala Lords/chiefs/ministers to learn not only to read and speak but also write in a language (Tamil) that is alien to them and also chose to sign an important official document/treaty concerning the country and Religion in Tamil?
You are saying,
Sinhala people living at that time considered Tamil language highly.
WHY???
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sach / February 9, 2014
So what else should be read? I am very open to knowledge! tell me!
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Javi / February 10, 2014
Such,
Dalit Slave Sihala Buddhist Of bestiality breed did not fight its master but spied for the Japanese and hid at Tamil Nadu for independence.
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sach / February 10, 2014
So you mean beasts didnt fight? what sort of kind and humane beasts. Which religious book make you so hateful towards others?
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Robert.R / February 9, 2014
Just wondered whether you were the anthropologist I met while you were studying Tamils/Sinhalese ?
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Sulaiman / February 9, 2014
I hope you read the signatures too my friend! do me a favor and go back and see in what language the Kandyan nobility signed the convention.
S
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Javi / February 9, 2014
Steve Sihala means Dalit Slave in Spice Colony Ceylon!! Even the British learnt trade from VOC Dutch and that is how they ran Spice colony, Hindus from Patna were taken to Suriname and Caribbean you could meet them even today living in the Netherlands as Hindus. The British bought Tea workers from TN and they live as Hindus.
In principal Ceylon was a Spice Colony starting with the Portuguese to British not the textile centre to pamper the worker or ruler. Portuguese Dutch British bought Dalit Slaves to work on these crops as in other islands the VOC Chennai has well-kept records even today of the trade and slaves why not Malayalees??
Father was a lion concept of the lie because the DNA of Roma are different. Only Dalit Slaves speak like this of their origin.
Its Farsi Jamboys and Opium Boys with power and deception who have been at it to claim they are different Bombay is theirs but they are Persian Boat people refugees not Indian.
Dalit Slaves Sihala Buddhist continues to destroy evidence militarily politically. Fortunately NaMo will put a stop to that bullshit.
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Javi / February 8, 2014
Linda Seneviratne,
Tamil Brahmi script dating to 500 BC found near Erode. (No untouchable buddhist slaves property nede??)
http://www.newindianexpress.com/states/tamil_nadu/Tamil-Brahmi-script-dating-to-500-BC-found-near-Erode/2013/05/17/article1593552.ece1
http://travel.india.com/travel-blogs/the-great-living-chola-temples _A Little over a millanium but ther is nothing in the north where your blood brothers the islamist razed to ground.
NaMo is the way SL down down.
4th Feb – wasn’t that Independence day for the former slaves of spice colony???
History with out artfacts or structures is sihala cock and bull spin of former slaves generally blackish.
Linda cannot claim other peoples things especially of India and call it your own though you are a slave because it is Hindu/Sanskrit not low class untouchable buddhist slaves NeDe??
From all accounts the black boy Linda was bought in from Kingdom of Bisnagar by the Portuguese because his language begins there strictly in the hands of the white folk until he ends up in the states to lick white mans khyber pass.
According to Sihala Prof of History Nira W (presently Netherlands) Legends mention the name of the leader, prince Vijaya. The settlers were called Sihalas–‘people of the Lion’–because Vijaya’s father was actually believed to have been a lion.
North Indian exodus northwards of the Deccan plateau mountain range not southwards- (Alexander the Great 300BC invasion from north, many Islamic invasions). South was accessed by sea – romans, portugese, dutch, english.
The northern Indian folk went across to today’s Romania and beyond THE ROMA’S English Gypsies. Sihala are black comparatively with straight hair. http://tinyurl.com/qy5f9jy
Kingdom of Bisnagar by the Portuguese was the cause of kallathonies from the west. The kandayan kingdom protected by the Dutch put a stop to that.
The Dutch Necklace of ports (21) stretching from The kingdom Pallava influenced ruled southern tip to Patna Bihar was the cause of kallathonies influx from the east.
The British was the cause of the hills being populated by Tamils of TN.
(Both Pallavas and Vijayanagara Empire were by imposters carried out cultural mixing on a large scale)
Karnataka, Kerala Goa Tamil Nadu Andhra Pradesh, Bihar and mixing thereof forms the exodus as storways and slaves during the period.
The first Portuguese encounter with India was on 20 May 1498 when Vasco da Gama reached Calicut on Malabar Coast. Vasco da Gama sailed to India for a second time with 15 ships and 800 men, arriving at Calicut on 30 October 1502, where the ruler was willing to sign a treaty. The Portuguese built the Pulicat fort in 1502, with the help of the Vijayanagar ruler.
(Raja Shivaji II (Marathi: तंजावरचे शिवाजी II)(died 30 Oct 1855) of the Bhonsle dynasty, was the son of Raja Serfoji II and ruled the fortress of Thanjavur and its surroundings from 1832 to 1855. He was the last Raja of Thanjavur known to wield any authority. On the death of Shivaji II, due to the absence of a legitimate heir to the throne, the kingdom was annexed by the British East India Company as per the Doctrine of Lapse.)
Civilizing the island started in 1505. The Portugese/Spaniards went to Malabar in search of `pepper corn` where the Jewish refugees (driven by Romans) and Syrian Christians had set up business and still do.
Mesopotamia , Ziggurat was made of clay- the Arabs did not come from the Nile to Lanka to stay.
Slave Sihalas common language Sinhala commenced with the arrival of Vasco da Gama.
The Slave Sihala Buddhist Supremes’ (schedule class) have hijacked Sanskrit of the Hindu Brahmin.
`Amma` is common to south India.
1 English; Shirt Spanish: Camisa; Sinhala: Amude/Camisa
2 English: Shoe; Spanish: Zapato; Sinhala: Amude/Sapatu
3 English: Towel Spanish: Toalla; Sinhala : Amude/Toalla
4 English: Table Spanish: Mesa; Sinhala : Amude/Mesa
5 English: Closet Spanish: Armario; Sinhala : Amude/ Armario
6 English: Space; Spanish: Sala; Sinhala: Amude/Sala
Spanish Tiles: Mission Clay Roof Tile S type; Sihala ulu same as `Mission Clay Roof tile.`
Spanish Roofing S type Rustic Antique Red, Dark /Light, `Mission Clay Roof Tile`
Conclusion:SINHALESE WERE LIVING UNDER TREES BEFORE THE EUROPEANS ARRIVED OR HANGING LIKE MONKEYS Sihala was concoted languages of the slave workers of the Spice Colony and Bandits, kallathoni’s off private trade of the Dutch traders.
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sach / February 8, 2014
wow what a display of tamil culture! do u call your untouchables like that when they enter your kovils?
That must be why those untouchable tamils touched sirimavo’s feet and asked her to save them.
So what has findings in Erode has to do with SL or north of SL? why isnt there a single tamil piece of literature from SL in ancient world? why didnt you record history? why?
after all i cant imagine what sort of losers the tamils were if some stupid boat people like 700 strong could defeat their mighty kingdom ? why didnt their friends in TN help them?
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Native Vedda / February 9, 2014
sach
What is Tamil culture?
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sach / February 9, 2014
i dont expect veddhas to understand that. Between are you Uvindu?
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Native Vedda / February 10, 2014
sach
Don’t mind if I don’t understand.
Let me hear the answer so that even if I don’t understand there are at least two well informed Tamils who know something about their culture can mark the test paper.
The question was “What is Tamil culture?”
If you really don’t know, you don’t have to respond, as usual.
Now what is Sinhala/Buddhist Culture?
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manisekaran / February 10, 2014
I answered you couple of times, and don’t pose the same question as if you have not known.
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sach / February 10, 2014
if you want to know what tamil culture is ask from them.
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Native Vedda / February 10, 2014
sach
It was you who often you comment on Tamil and Sinhala culture hence you are duty bound to explain those words.
If you haven’t got any idea please stop dropping names and I will stop asking you to explain.
Is it a deal?
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Steve Grafton / February 10, 2014
The entirety of ‘Eelam’ Tamil literature and history was recorded in the two exercise books that went up in flames in Jaffna library. This is why they have no evidence to back up anything they say LOL
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Javi / February 8, 2014
Linda S,
Could you please give us your expert comment as to why sinhala lion people vijaya kill lion cubs??
Is it to buy Kfir (hebrew Lion Cub) 5/02/14.With yesterday’s deaths, 28 cubs of the cat family––26 tiger cubs including ten rare white tiger cubs––have died
during the past four years.
…… …. http://www.island.lk/index.php?page_cat=article-details&page=article-details&code_title=97320
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South African folk play with lions why are the sihale the slave mercenary folk that became civilised from 1505 onwards??
No lion in the flag either for SA or Australia as they are human.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8iU9y-_afE Lion and Man
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ms-piPxEzbk Christian Lion
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Kiri Yaka / February 8, 2014
Hi Malinda,
Clearly you have run out of stuff to write on. Every time you write in support of the Honorable Percy the President – you expose the stupid generosity of the government in paying for your ineffective efforts. You do more damage to his bad name. Just read the comments to your articles.
The Cholas were not invading the land of the Sinhalese. They were invading the Land of the Pandays. Did not the 500 perverts that were shipped with Vijays mary Pandaysn women ?
This land belongs to the Vehdhas. The Sinhalese messed it up real bad.
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sach / February 8, 2014
Ok we messed up, what were you doing?
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Javi / February 9, 2014
According to UN and its scientific site at Andaman:
“Great Andamanese of Andaman” (Hanuman in Sanskrit) and “Veddha of Ceylon” (Ravana in Sanskrit) are similar and are the Indigenous peoples.
______________________
‘people of the Lion’–because Vijaya’s father was actually believed to have been a lion.”
Slave Sihalas common language Sinhala commenced with the arrival of Vasco da Gama.
Bestiality Breed Slave Sinhala Buddhist you were bought into Ceylon Spice Colony by the Slave traders Portuguese and Dutch to slave.
Right now you are wearing scratchy underwear exactly like your Dalit Slave beginnings.
◕‿◕◕‿◕◕‿◕
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Native Vedda / February 9, 2014
Kiri Yaka
“This land belongs to the Vehdhas. The Sinhalese messed it up real bad.”
Thanks a lot.
We need more people like you, finding them is the most hardest part of my liberation struggle.
“Did not the 500 perverts that were shipped with Vijays mary Pandaysn women ?”
Actually, 700 followers and their wives and children.
The island where children landed was called Naggadipa and the island where the wives landed was Mahiladipaka. Vijaya initially landed in Supparaka (situated on the west coast of India), he feared for his life then left Supparaka and landed in Lanka.
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Prasad / February 9, 2014
The Cholas and Pandyans did not invade Sri Lanka from time to time, as falsely mentioned in the Mahavamsa. During the ancient period, they considered both Sri Lanka and South India as one country, as one region, as their native land and they moved freely and sometimes conquered the kingdoms within this region irrespective of Chola, Pandya, Chera, or Sinhala. The Cholas invaded not only Lanka but also the other kingdoms in South India, it does not mean they are aliens to the South India-Sri Lanka territory. Even your own Mahavamsa says the Tamils were in Sri Lanka from the beginning of history 1500 years before the Chola invasion. There were many Tamil kings that ruled Sri Lanka before this Chola invasion.
Are you sayig the Tamils were not living and ruling Sri Lanka before the invasion of Raja Raja Chola? :)))
The Tamil emperor Raja Raja (Cholan) the Great established the Eela Mandalam ruling most parts of the Island from Anurathapuram. He also established and built Pollanaruwa as the second capital of his territory of Eela Mandalam. His son Rajaendra Cholan moved the kingdom from Anurathapuram to Polanaruwa.
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Native Survivor / February 9, 2014
I’m not entering the contemporary politics of this discussion since I think its fairly pointless (all citizens must have equal recognition regardless of when their forbears arrived). On a historical point, I have been told that for centuries the Cholas “moved freely” in and out of peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra (Indonesia) and Cambodia. Yet, prior to this, there were already indigenous peoples in those countries. In Ceylon too we had indigenous people here for millennia before any invaders Cholas or Vijayans travelled south.
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sach / February 9, 2014
This is what happens when social media came into the hands of racist idiots.
If the sinhala was a part of cholans why did they call this land as “Lands of sinhala”?
We were a part of British empore once, does that negate the existence of Sinhala kingdoms
Several tamil invaders ruled certian parts of SL, that doesnt make SL a part of tamil country but that is a invader from outside taking the resources from other countries. Even today even the begging TN thieves cant let the SL fish alone. :)
Tamil invaders coming to SL doesnt make SL a legitimate land of tamil invaders. Between werent you saying, you had a seperate tamil kingdom (not that belonged to cholans)? So why bring out cholans?
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Native Vedda / February 10, 2014
sach
“This is what happens when social media came into the hands of racist idiots.”
Why are you scathing Malinda?
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Rambler / February 8, 2014
Malinda
“As citizens they have every right to expect the same privileges that citizenships bestow on all other communities and all anomalies relating to these needs to be corrected.”
I agree, with a caveat. This emphasis on individual rights based on citizenship over collective rights based ethnicity and religion should be applied uniformly.
That means while acknowledging that “certain peoples and certain religious traditions have contributed overwhelmingly to the admittedly problematic composites called Sri Lanka and Sri Lankans,” there shouldn’t be any hesitation or reluctance on the part of those “certain people” in moving towards a multi-ethnic, multi-religious
constitution and polity.
If this is what you have in mind, then I’m all for it.
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The Last Dinosaur / February 8, 2014
Dear Ma Linda Seneviratne….
You deserve a Nobel Price for this ingenious discovery that the whole island belongs to sinhalese…
I don’t know how to praise you… I believe that we have to send you to Geneva instead of G.L. Pea ris… Where have you been all these days my son… If you have written this article long before.. there will never have been a war… If Prabaharan has read this (in tamil) so long ago.. he would have consumed his cyanaide and would have gone to hell..
Ma linda… Plez write about what is the easiest and painless method to commit suicide in your next article.. I would do it immediately..
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Native Vedda / February 9, 2014
The Last Dinosaur
“Plez write about what is the easiest and painless method to commit suicide in your next article.. I would do it immediately..”
Not just you, look behind you there is huge queue waiting to join you.
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S. Makenthiran / February 8, 2014
Malinda should realise that the real invaders were Vijaya and his gang who came from Bangladesh as illicit immigrants and encroached on Tamils, who were the original inhabitants.
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sach / February 8, 2014
Oh please get out of the mahavamsa mentality! do u really believe in Viajaya? oh! please try to become intelligent like sharmini
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shankar / February 9, 2014
sach,then how do you explain the bengali genes in the sinhalese.
Beggarly genes of course can be explained,but not the bengali.
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sach / February 9, 2014
Immigration from North!
Are you saying had people immigrated from North , they must be the vijaya people? Cant people immigrate here in different ways apart from Vijaya legend? You guys need to get out of mahavamsa mentality.
And the comment about beggarly genes, ouch! what to do we needed begging to feed a population in N&E for 30 years while they did nothing for GDP.
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shankar / February 9, 2014
Sach,why should they immigrate to srilanka from so far away?Why not immigrate to south india instead of srilanka.Would have saved them a boat trip.The reason they immigrated is because the vijaya mob was there to welcome them and settle them in comfortably.No one likes to immigrate unless someone is there to look after you until you have settled down.Vijaya came and after that got some more down.
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sach / February 10, 2014
:D seems like you have no other argument without vijaya. The same way first africans set off from Africa. :)
By the time North indian immigration occurs either they came here in search of new lands or they had knowledge of this place and came here. Mostly religion was a reason for them to come.
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Javi / February 9, 2014
….like the farsi opium boys/jam boys moving ship to karanataka once maharashtra started rejuvenating Surat!
Ha ha the heat is on!!
◕‿◕◕‿◕◕‿◕
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Native Vedda / February 9, 2014
sach
“Oh please get out of the mahavamsa mentality!”
In order to get out Mahawamsaa mindset, first you will have to remove Vijaya story from school text books and lion from the flag.
You love to have the cake and eat it don’t you?
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Native Survivor / February 12, 2014
Dont tell lies. Dravidian “Tamils” are not the original inhabitants in the subcontinent. The original people are most likely proud “Austronesians” with links to Burma, Andamans, Melenesia and Oceania. They are proud the way they are. Tamil is a more recent identity forced on some of the original inhabitants and with a strata of Dravidian-Hindu invader influence. They gave the original black inhabitants an inferiority complex and called them “Dalits” and “tribals”. That explains the absence of Tamils in early Ceylon. More recent usurpers like Hindis are reinforcing their inferiority complex as an undesirable by product of Hinduism. Sinhalese have so far escaped the worst of this influence, but not so our unfortunate Tamil brethren. Tamils and Sinhalese must reject these invader identities (at least their negative slavish aspects) and embrace the original indigenous identities and forge links with those peoples globally. We are the essentially the same. Whatever way you look at it white-worshipping slavish Hindi interference is the source of our conflict, ancient and modern. Sooner or later Hindia will fragment and retirn to its original form. Rejoice when it happens.
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Javi / February 14, 2014
kalu kollo dalit, Mugabe loves you :)
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gamini / February 8, 2014
Will not old history be distorted when recent history is distorted within our life time?
The Tamils have been favoured by the British by their divide and rule policy’ is an untruth and a figment of the imagination of the present day so called Sinhala Patriots. The British never practiced a divide and rule policy as they gave equal opportunity to all who were Qualified whether they be Sinhalese or Tamil. It was the Sinhalese after Independence that adopted a divide and rule policy to favour the majority Sinhalese, playing the Sinhalese Buddhist card for them to secure political power, thereby reducing the number of Tamils holding Office frastically.
To elaborate the issue further, there is a greater number of Tamils in the diaspora than the Sinhalese. Is it that all the countries have favoured accommodating Tamils, more than the Sinhalese or is it due to that more Tamils were English qualified who found employment easily overseas and thereafter got their kith and kin across, while the Sinhalese clamouring for Swabasha education were unable to find easy employment and further were selfish not to help their own kith and kin to get across? When the Tamils were in greater number in the Govt Services then, they had the required qualifications and were more dedicated and did an honest job of work, compared to the lazy corrupt Sinhalese of today, where the majority have all ridden the social ladder to high office through corrupt means including the post of President and the post of CJ. So how can one expect standards, honesty and dignity?
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paul / February 8, 2014
LEARN YOUR HISTORY, FOOL.
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gamini / February 9, 2014
Learn whose History? Yours?
The Mad thinks the others are Mad. Similarly Fools think, others are Fools. There is no medicine for Foolishness. Sad but true.
I do not deny the British were innocent. They are guilty for many things. But what I have said here is with reference to the Sinhalese trying to justify their acts against the Tamils.
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Local Historian / February 8, 2014
British first divided up the Tamil people of Madras Presidency/State in to Tamil Nadu [remember that Kerala was formed in 1950s using the fact Travancore Royalty tracing roots to Tamil, Chera dynasty, was allowed to hold on to a silly kingdom till Indian independence]. Likewise the British were quick to divide the Tamil people surviving in Tamil homelands now claimed as Tamil Eelam, away from now established Tamilagam [rpesent day Tamil Nadu].
The British feared the Tamil people so much that the intricate social divisions and cracks were wedged and hammered out in to current Tamil Nadu politics. It is undeniable that Tamil Eelam politics borrowed from agnostic Tamil Nadu revivalist movement and quest for reclaiming the Tamil identity.
This is not to deny the Sinhalese people too were divided and ruled by the Sinhalese.
In Ceylon there was never going to be any equivalence to the great game of dividing and ruling the Hindus and Muslims across India or the struggle for Indian independence and the granting of dominion status to ‘independent’ Ceylon in 1948 [Why Feb 4th is Independence Day remains as another mystery of British rule]. While the Divide and Rule policies of the British currently continue through the companies and corporates who inherit directly from ways of East India Company, in modern Sri Lanka we see the phenomenon of blaming the Tamils for the economic backwardness of 20+ million people on a small sweltering rock.
This is the undeniable ground reality.
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Rajash / February 8, 2014
Since independence there has been race riots against Tamils very few years 1959 and 1983 are the two of the worse race riots
The Sinhala mobs organised by the government of the day carry placards and shout abuse at Tamils
They would shout “para demala yaalpaana Ganda”
There is an inherent recognition that NE is the homeland Tamils
Linda Seniveratne, Michael Roberts etc are trying now to change this inherent recognition
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paul / February 8, 2014
1958 riots were caused by Chelvanayagam’s anti-Sri campaign in Jaffna, 1983 riots by the murder of 13 soldiers. But don’t expect the terrorists to explain any of this.
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Burning_Issue / February 9, 2014
I know that the Sinhala could not help it!
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Rajash / February 9, 2014
Perhaps you are missing my point
During every riots Tamils were told to go back home to Jaffana or Trinco or Batti
Oil ships were hired to transport the Tamils to their homeland by the Sinhala thugs and Sinhala govt
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Steve Grafton / February 10, 2014
The rioting thugs weren’t exactly scholars of history, or they would have told Tamils to go back to Tamil Nadu, their actual homeland LOL
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Javi / February 10, 2014
“The rioting thugs weren’t exactly scholars of history,”
Steve,
I suppose you are the trailer trash attempting human engineering with a background of joooohooo social engineering.
The 21st centenary belongs to Indo-China not Jewish US/UK.
“homeland `LOL”
Steve, stop belching and farting.
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lal / February 9, 2014
Hi Rajash,
The Tamil/Sinhala riots occured in 1958, not 1959 as you have stated. I remember 1958 well as a 9yr old, our Tamil neighbour Mr P being brought in a VW van into our expansive compound (in Colombo), his face slashed by a mob, almost dying. Sice my family was well known and influential in the area, the mob did not enter our compound to finish Mr P off. My parents happened to be out, but my 15 yr old brother took the initiative to call the police and admit Mr P to hospital. Mr P survived but, with a scar covering the lenth of his face. I also remember and shudder at the thought of his two little daughters, whom I often played with, and wife, screaming with fear and sorrow. We all were scarred by this madness of hatred and violece. 1958 riots are daubed as a riot against Tamils (by bogus Historians). Wrong! They were Tamil/Sinhala riots, the first casualties being Sinhala. Many Sinhalese were assaulted and killed by Tamils in Jaffna, Ampara, Trino, Batticaloa. Chelva, Ponna, Sunda knew well how to provoke Tamils vs Sinhala suspicions leading to violence, and make Tamils appear innocent victims. Who are winners and losers in Sri Lanka now? There will never be a winner who can take all, hence we are all losers. Get over this ethno-lingual madness, and work towards common good!
Malinda has responded eloquently to misinformation presnted by many bogus Tamil historians who distort history to make claim to NP as a Tamil only entity, whilst many of them enjoy a lifestyle of envy in Colombo. Isn’t this hypocritical and provocative? Do these Tamils recognise some parts of Sri Lanka as exclusively Sinhala? I doubt it. What is to become of millions of Tamils who live outside of NP, should NP attain “statehood?” I hate to ponder, but there could be more of Mr P and screaming wives and little children.
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kali / February 9, 2014
Lal you Bloody Sinhalese RACIST:
I have read your previous comments and I knew there was a sting in the Tail and You claim to be who you are not.What you are saying is that the Sinhalese were innocent and the Tamils even way back in 1958 were so racist that they started attacking the Sinhalese who then fought back by killing thousands. Have you ever asked the question why no Sinhalese were killed but thousands of Tamils were slaughtered.
By your own admission you were 9 years old and you were on your own with your brother and your parents were out no doubt with the Mobs on the Killing Spree. Mr.P is a figment of your imagination and you were 9 year old at the time and sadly your brain is still that of a 9 year old and hasnt developed and it never will just like the rest of the 20 million Racists like Malinda.
It is now obvious why we can never Reconcile.
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Paul / February 9, 2014
Well explained Lal. Kali’s furious outburst just shows how sensitive he is to clear explanations.
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kali / February 10, 2014
Paul:
It is natural sticking up for a brother. But in the process you have pleaded Guilty.
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Rajash / February 8, 2014
Should read
“…. Yaalpaana yanda…”
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Local Historian / February 8, 2014
Wrong.
“Para Demalu Yapanata Dhuvappang!” is what is closest to reality.
In translating that we come across the abuse of the word “Para” which correlates with British manipulations which leveraged Nayakkar dynasty who were oppressing the roundly informed Paraiyar caste at the time when East India Company was still struggling to get a foot hold in Tamil Nadu in 17th century.
The British accommodated the word Paraiah in to the Oxford Dictionary and Anglicised traitors of the region fell for the trap.
That is not to say all Sinhalese are fools unless when they use the adjective “Para” to describe Tamil people.
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PalaH / February 8, 2014
Reconciliation in Sri Lanka cannot be achieved because minorities don’t like to accept the history and there are many Sinhalese who tell baseless facts about religious and ethnic diversity of Sri Lanka.
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sach / February 8, 2014
so are you saying religious and ethnic diversity in SL are baseless
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Javi / February 9, 2014
Yes because you are a Dalit Slave bought in by the Spice Colony Europeans
Now you have changed your name religion to high status but are the same dalit slave in thinking and action of being a mercenary.
The Brits were the last to bring in labour and they have left a mark on Tea which is your bread and butter.
You are mainly the product of Portugal/Dutch VOC slavery.
Stop bullshiting about other peoples languages as if it is your own
your initial makeup language started with Spanish/Portuguese then you took the easy way out pali sanskrit of the hindu. But poor tamil hindus of the estates have retained their language and religion. You are Malayalee, Tamil and Kannada dalits. The Malayalee folk also worked as slaves in the pepper trade.
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sach / February 9, 2014
wow the culture and tamil up bringing in full display! did your father used to clean the seat whenever a low caste tamil sit in a chair at your home?
oh sorry you mustnt have let him in ne?
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jansee / February 8, 2014
Malinda:
Raja Raja Chola 1 had wanted and would still want to rule Illa Nadu. His desire was to subjugate the Sinhalese under his rule, not as an independent country. I hope you don’t dispute the Chola king was/is a Tamil and he wanted Tamils to rule the Sinhalese by conquering the Illa Nadu. If that is ok with you, there shouldn’t be any problem, too. Just don’t try to be too smart with history. Just because at one time Hitler wanted part of Europe and ventured to conquer it does not mean it is his. Contemporary history and the Sinhala leaders have, since independence, at various times acknowledged the traditional lands of the Tamils. If you think MR and the extremist Sinhalese like you want to mess around with that then you would be paving the way for partition. Now it is only meaningful devolution, so have some sense here.
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Local Historian / February 8, 2014
// the LTTE and its Tamil nationalist precursors used this to coin ‘Eelam’
You are confusing Eelam the same way Tamil Nadu State Assembly confuses itself.
Tamil nationalist project in Eelam is for a Tamil Eelam.
Just refer to old Sri Lankan Education Department texts books to see EE is for Eelam in introduction to Tamil Alphabet and the entire island of Eelam is drawn next to it.
Eelam is an ancient word that is in Pura Nanauru. People of Eelam are refered to as Eelavar. If Eelavar as in Pura Nanuru included pure Sinhalese is another question but please do not confuse yourself with lazy references to Eelam,
Raja Raja Cholan is of much recent periods and the words such as Eela-Mandalam have no historical significance. Eelam was well defined by that time in Tamil literary tradition.
If you want to bark at the greatness of Chola empire you want to to look at someone like Ellalan who as you know well is entombed out of respect by Dutta Kamini [King Dutagemunu for you inclined to Norht Indian speak] in Anurathapuram. Then ask yourself why there is a statue for Ellalan outside Chennai High Courts.
What you have to understand and appreciate is the Tamil kingdom that Ellalan ruled so justly attempted to HQ itself in Malaria infested Eelam and that the first Rajaraja Cholan was another 1000 years or more away. Tiger flag bearing Chola dynasty or the Fish flag bearing Padya dynasty with even more longer time span, surviving until the colonial conquests by east India Company should never be confused with Tamil identity or Tamil people who are not just about built civilisation but also about living in harmony with nature as Veaduvar [Veddha for those inclined to North Indian Speak]
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Steve Grafton / February 9, 2014
“Eelam”/”Ilam” refers to the Sinhalese and the island of Sinhalese, according to the University of Madras Tamil Lexicon:
ஈழம் īḻam
, n. < Pāli, Sīhala. < Siṃhala. 1. Ceylon
http://dsalsrv02.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/contextualize.pl?p.1.tamillex.872807.873107
So as you can see the notion of a "Tamil" Eelam is idiotic – the extremist Tamil propagandists who came up with it clearly didn't have the sense to look up the origin and meaning of the word before they started spinning their tales.
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Local Historian / February 9, 2014
See another comment in same page about fools who buy in to British manipulations and how and why Paraiah was put in to the Oxford dictionary.
Madras itself is so English. Madras University is English lackeys.
Please give respect to regional knowledge.
Anyhow the point that Eelam is to describe the whole island should get in to almost any fool’s head by this.
LTTE itself has efforts to describe they are about Liberation of Tamil Eelam – not Eelam. If it was about Eelam then you would be ranting and raving, blind and deaf to any reasoning about an organisation that would be called LTE!!
Please don’t repeat this mistake and please tell all your fellow misinformed people about it.
Tamil People Yearn For Tamil Eelam.
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Paul / February 9, 2014
Local Historian, they can yearn all they like, some people yearn for World Peace but…..
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Robert.R / February 9, 2014
Just wondered whether you were the anthropologist I met while you were studying Tamils/Sinhalese ?
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Javi / February 9, 2014
Steve time to wash your socks like the dalit slaves turned sihala.
English is a borrowed language but it does not end there either because now the Indian Curry has been copied by the white British and its called simply “Curry”
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Paul / February 9, 2014
God almighty Javi! What an ignoramus you are. Do you think that throwing insulting terms around makes you intelligent?
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Javi / February 9, 2014
God who is???
Paul the half breed Dalit Slave with scratchy underwear feeling the heat??
Ha ha ◕‿◕
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Native Vedda / February 9, 2014
Steve Grafton
One should not confine oneself to a particular reading of this word “Eelam”.
Here is a summary of various shades of Eelam:
Know the Etymology: 142
Place Name of the Day: Friday, 01 January 2010
Eezham / E’lu / He’la
ஈழம் / எளு / ஹெள
Īḻam / Eḷu / Heḷa
The gold (land)
The land of metal
Eezham Name of the island called Sri Lanka today. In this sense it is found written in Tamil literature and Tamil Brahmi inscription dating back to the dawn of the Common Era (1st century BCE / 1st century CE); Eezham: Name of the country equated with Chingka’lam and another meaning given is gold (Tamil lexicons Cheanthan Thivaakaram of 8th century CE and Pingkalam of 10th century CE, Dravidian Etymological Dictionary 550); An additional meaning toddy is given by Choodaama’ni lexicon of 13th century CE; Eezhak-kaasu: Gold coin (comes in Tamil inscriptions dating from 912 CE); Eezha-vi’lakku: A kind of lamp made of Eezham alloy of metal or in the style of Eezham (Comes in Tamil inscriptions dating from 808 CE; Illama: A vein of metal (Sinhala, Clough’s Dictionary); Eezhavar: Name of a community that was climbing coconut and Palmyra palms (comes in Tamil inscriptions dating from 789 CE). The community found in Kerala today traces its origins to the island of Eezham; Heḷa-divi, Heḷa-ṭuva, Heḷa: The He’la Island (Sigiri graffiti, c.8-9th century CE, Dhampiyaa aṭuvaa gæṭapadaya, Sinhala literature, 10th century CE, Clough’s Dictionary); Heḷa-basa, Heḷu: The language of He’la; Dhampiyaa aṭuvaa gæṭapadaya, Sinhala literature, 10th century CE, equated with E’lu or ancient language of Ceylon (Clough’s Sinhala Dictionary); Eḷu: The country of E’lu as in the title of the Sinhala literature Eḷu Bōdhi Vamsa. Also language in later usages; Eḷuwa: The ancient Sinhalese language (Clough’s Sinhala Dictionary); E’lu-dhoo-karaa: (Eḷu dū karā): The land / coast / border of the E’lu Island. The traditional way Maldivians called today’s island of Sri Lanka in their literature and speech (Dhivehi Bas Foi, Maldivian Dictionary).
More details of usage and related words are given at the end of the column and in the re-appraisal of Thirupparangkun’ram Tamil Brahmi inscription of Eezha-kudumpikan Polaalaiyan. Also see the column on Sinhala / Chingka’lam / Ceylon
Among all the names that are currently in use for the island of Sri Lanka, Eezham seems to be the oldest one simultaneously attested by literature as well as epigraphy.
ETE 507 / 55
Estampage of Thirupparangkun’ram inscription: This one-line inscription is given here in two pieces of estampags. Note the vertical line separating two sentences after the 18th character [Image courtesy: Iravatham Mahadevan, Early Tamil Epigraphy, pp 507]
ETE 390 / 55
The lettering of the Thirupparangkun’ram inscription in Tamil language and Tamil Brahmi writing. This one-line inscription is reproduced here in two lines in the sentence order, as given by Mahadevan. Note the writing Eezha in the 6th and 7th letters of the inscription [Image courtesy: Iravatham Mahadevan, Early Tamil Epigraphy, pp 390]
Eezham, clearly spelt with the retroflex Ḻ (ZH) peculiar to Tamil, Malayalam and Old Kannada / Telugu, is found in Changkam literature (Paddinappaalai) and in the Thirupparangkun’ram Tamil Brahmi inscription dateable to the dawn of the Common Era, if not earlier.
The writer’s re-appraisal on the interpretation of Thirupparangkun’ram inscription is given at the end of this column.
It is a well-established fact that at least over two thousand years Eezham was in continued use without any change in its form in Tamil usage to denote the entire island.
Another name Tamba-pa’n’ni in Prakrit, so far the earliest definitely dateable name for the island, found in Asoka’s inscription of 3rd century BCE and in Greek records became obsolete later.
The names Seeha’la, Saimha’la, Sinha’la etc, which are yet another set of terms most probably of Dravidian origin and became Ceylon eventually, are two or more centuries late in their epigraphical appearance compared to Eezham.
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ETE 508 / 57
Muththuppaddi Tamil Brahmi inscription of 1st century CE, giving a personal name Chaiy-a’lan [Image courtesy: Iravatham Mahadevan, Early Tamil Epigraphy, pp 508]
ETE 394 / 57
The lettering of the inscription. Note the name Chaiy-a’lan in the first five letters [Image courtesy: Iravatham Mahadevan, Early Tamil Epigraphy, pp 394]
If a term Chaiy-a’lan found in a Tamil Brahmi inscription of 1st century CE could be accepted as meaning a person from Chaiy-a’lam and this place is nothing but Seeha’la of the Prakrit inscription of 2nd-3rd century CE, then the origins of the above set of terms could go on par with Eezham in antiquity. (See column on Seeha’la / Chingka’lam / Ceylon)
Such parallel occurrences around the dawn and early centuries of the Common Era make it very clear that Eezham and Seeha’la were parallel names for the island and they are not derivates of one into the other in their formulations.
Some early writers have surmised that the Sanskrit name Saimha’la became Seeha’la in Prakrit and this in turn has become Se’la, He’la, E’lu etc, and Eezham was derived from E’lu.
Even the authors of Dravidian Etymological Dictionary tend to infer this origin for Eezham (DED 550, note the direction of the arrow mark in the entry in the dictionary).
Such etymological conclusions stemming from norms that Sanskrit is always older than Prakrit and Sinhala is an ethnic name of protohistoric origins, do not find support in objective epigraphical or literary evidences and in their chronological order.
Whether the Dravidian term See-a’la / Chai-a’lam (red tract of land) was Prakritised and then Sanskritised or vice versa is the question. If we go by inscriptions it should be the former.
The names Siele, Sele for the island appear for the first time in a Greek work of 6th century CE. The form He’la appears for the first time as an adjective for the geographical identity of the island in 8th century CE Sigiri Graffiti and as an adjective for the name of the language in a 10th century CE Sinhala literature. The form E’lu comes afterwards.
There is no logic in saying that the 2000-years-old word Eezham came form terms that appeared 1000 years later.
On the contrary, the stronger possibility is for He’la and E’lu to be derivates of Eezham.
The initial S / H in Se’la or He’la commonly occurs in Prakritising / Sanskritising Dravidian words, just like the initial addition of A or I or U in Tamilising Sanskrit / Prakrit words.
Also note how the retroflex Ḻ (ZH) is retained in He’la and E’lu as palatal ‘L, compared to alveolar L in Sele and in today’s spelling of Sinhala.
K. Indrapala traces another cognate of Eezham i.e., I’la in the Brahmi inscriptions of Sri Lanka and in Mahavamsa. (The Evolution of an Ethnic Identity, 2006, pp 144-145.) The evidences are weak but he makes an interesting point by showing how I’la-Naga of Mahavamsa became E’lun-Na in later literature and thus tracing the development of the word E’lu from I’la.
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Coming to the meaning of the word Eezham, the word was clearly used in a geographical sense in Paddinappaalai. In the Thirupparangkun’ram inscription even though the word is associated with migrant identity it doesn’t go against understanding the word in a geographical sense that the person or his clan had come from the geographical space called Eezham.
Lexicons equate Eezham with Chingka’lam another geographical identity and at the same time give two more meanings, gold and toddy.
Much significance is attached to the omission of the meaning toddy in the earlier lexicons Thivaakaram and Pingkalam and its inclusion in the later lexicon Choodaama’ni. This excludes the possibility of toddy or coconut being the original meaning for the name Eezham. Obviously the meaning toddy got included in the later lexicon because of the specialisation of the migrant community from Eezham in the produce of coconut palm, especially toddy, for centuries.
The meaning gold given in the early Tamil lexicons needs closer scrutiny to get a cue for the origin of the name Eezham. There is another related Tamil word Eekai that stood for gold in the Changkam literature. Yet another related word Eeyam originally meant a variety of metals.
It should be noted here that in Tamil tradition a word Pon for gold meant five metals, gold, silver, copper, iron and lead as found in usages such as Aim-pon – five varieties of gold. Old lexicons also attest to such an idea about gold (Pingkalam, 10:871).
The island of Eezham was well known for metallic ores since distant past. Iron, copper and to some extent gold – three of the five-gold were found in the island.
Gold is found in small quantity in the beds of Maha Oya and in the rivers flowing to the west in the island, and the ancients were not unaware of finding gold in the island, says Emerson Tennent (1860), citing Mahavamsa.
There is a reference in later literature of the popularity of Eezhaththu-Irumpu (Iron from Eezham). We do not know the antiquity of this nomenclature but a kind of sword called Eeli in both Sanskrit and Prakrit could probably be of Eezham origins.
Interestingly, Sinhala vocabulary has retained a term Illama for a vein of metal.
Medieval Tamil inscriptions, apart from coming out with a number of references to Eezhak-kaasu (a gold coin) also let us know about a kind of metal lamp called Eezha vi’lakku, Eezha-nilai vilakku etc.
We do not know what was special about this lamp; whether it was an import from Eezham to Tamil Nadu or recognition of a style, but there is a strong possibility that the reference was for the metal or metal alloy.
* * *
Eezham was probably the Tamil way of naming the land of metal ores just like the Sanskrit tradition of naming some of the Southeast Asian countries as Swrna-dvipa (Island of Gold) and Swarna-bhumi (Land of Gold).
This etymology for the word Eezham tally well with the other early names for the island, i.e., Tamba-pa’n’ni (the copper-coloured land) and See-a’la (the red tract of land), which are obvious references to the iron-rich red earth of the island.
Ample archaeological evidences attest to the flourishing iron industry in the length and breadth of the island in the megalithic protohistoric times and in the early historic times, when the island names discussed above probably originated
All the three identities, Tamba-pa’n’ni, Eezham and Seeha’la, the first one in Prakrit and the other two in Dravidian, are perhaps generically related to one another in meaning. They are geographical and descriptive of the landscape of the island and its metallurgical potentialities.
Lanka, another name for the island, considered to be older than the ones discussed above because of its Austro Asiatic origins, belongs to a different genre and will be taken up for a separate study in a subsequent column.
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A list of original references to the terms and their chronology is given below, followed by a re-appraisal of the Thirupparangkun’ram inscription, for those who wish to pursue the investigation further:
Geographical Meaning:
Eezhaththu-u’navu: ஈழத்து உணவு: Food from Eezham (arriving in shipment to Kaavirippoom-paddinam); Changkam Diction, Paddinappaalai, c. 1st century CE.
Izha Kudumpikan / Eezha Kudumpikan: ஈழ குடும்பிகன்: Householder from Eezham / of the clan of Eezham; Thirupparangkun’ram Tamil Brahmi inscription, c. 1st century BCE / CE
Eezhaththup-Poothan Theavanaar, Mathurai Eezhaththup Poothan Theavanaar: ஈழத்துப் பூதன் தேவனார், மதுரை ஈழத்துப் பூதன் தேவனார்: The poet coming from Eezham / the poet hailing from Eezham but settled in Mathurai; One of the Changkam poets whose poems are found in Akanaanooru, Ku’runthokai and Natti’nai – early layer of Changkam literature dateable to centuries before the Common Era. But the compilation of the works giving his name is dated to c. 5th century CE.
Eezham Chingka’lam: “ஈழம் சிங்களம்”: Eezham is geographically equated to Chingka’lam in this verse found in old lexicons; Tamil lexicons, Cheanthan Thivaakaram (8th century CE); Pinkalam (10th century CE) and Choodaama’ni (13th century CE)
Ilangkai Eezhaththu: இலங்கை ஈழத்து: Eezham that is Ilangkai or Eezham that is in Ilangkai; Eezham is geographically equated with Ilangkai; Perungkathai / Kongkuvea’l Maakkathai, Jaina Tamil literature of 10th century CE.
Eezham: ஈழம்: Used in geographical sense; Tamil inscription 905 CE, (TASSI 1962-65 p 1-31, also Glossary of Tamil Inscriptions)
Eezhaththaraiyan: ஈழத்தரையன்: The king of Eezham; Tamil inscription 919 CE, (SII iii p99, also GTI).
Eezha-ma’ndalam: ஈழ மண்டலம்: The geographical region of Eezham (as part of the Chola Empire); Tamil inscription 1012 CE (SII vii p863, also GTI).
Eezhap-padai: ஈழப் படை: The army of Eezham; Tamil inscription 1168 CE (SII vii 456, also GTI).
Eezham: ஈழம்: In Tamil literature and Epigraphy, this is the word that is found used with the longest continuity over two thousand years to mean the entire island. Tamil literature that arose in the island as well as inscriptions such as the one found at Fort Hammenhiel, Kayts (1017 CE) also have used the term. Somewhat a modern sense of national identity could be traced in the use of the word in Pa’raa’lai Vinaayakar Pa’l’lu, an Eezham Tamil literature of the Dutch period, in which the senior wife of the cultivation worker while challenging the junior who had come from the Chola country would assert “ Eezham is our country” (Eezha ma’ndala naadengka’l naadea / ஈழ மண்டல நாடெங்கள் நாடே).
* * *
Meaning Gold / Coin / Metal:
Eezham: ஈழம்: Gold; Tamil lexicons Cheanthan Thivaakaram (8th century CE), Pingkalam (10th century CE), Choodaama’ni (13th century CE), Dravidian Etymological Dictionary 550
Eezhak-kaasu: ஈழக் காசு: Gold coin / the money of Eezham; Tamil inscription 912 CE (MCCM viii p144-09, also GTI)
Eezhak-kazhagnchu: ஈழக் கழஞ்சு: Gold coin / Gold coin of Eezham; Tamil inscription 950 CE (TASSI 1962-65 p32-52, also GTI)
Eezhak-karung kaasu: ஈழக் கருங் காசு:A kind of coinage / a kind of coinage from Eezham; Tamil inscription 960 CE (SII xiii p84, also GTI)
Eezhang-kaasu: ஈழங் காசு: Gold coin / the money of Eezham; Tamil inscription 1189 CE (CHEN xxviii p 144, also GTI)
Eekai: ஈகை: Gold; Tamil, Changkam Diction, dateable to the dawn of the Common Era (Puranaanoo’ru 99:5, 353:3, Ku’rignchippaaddu 126, Malaipadukadaam 72), Tamil lexicon, 10th century CE (Pingkalam 10:155)
Eeyam: ஈயம்: Lead, originally a common name for several metals, lead, graphite, copper etc. (Lexicons, Thivaakaram, 6:26, Pingkalam10:509, Choodaama’ni 11:299); One of the five metals, gold, silver, copper, iron and lead. All five of them were often called Aim-pon – the five kinds of gold. The usage of ‘five kinds of gold’ is also attested to by one of the lexicons (Pingkalam 10:871). The island of Sri Lanka is a well-known source for iron, copper and graphite (Kaar-Eeyam); Eeyan, Eeyam, Eeyama: Lead (Sinhala)
Illama: A vein of metal (Sinhala)
* * *
Meaning an identifiable community engaged in tapping toddy or climbing palmyra and coconut palms to get their produce.
Eezhap-poochchi: ஈழப் பூச்சி: A kind of tax on the community of Eezhavar who were tapping toddy, Tamil inscription 750 CE, (EI vol 8, also GTI)
Eezham-poodchi: ஈழம் பூட்சி: A kind of tax levied from the community of Eezhavar tapping toddy; Tamil inscription 789 CE (SII ii p99, also GTI)
Eezhavar: ஈழவர்: The name of the community indicated as those who climb coconut palms and palmyra palms; Tamil inscription 789 CE (SII ii p99, also GTI)
Eezhavar, Eezhak-kaiyar: ஈழவர், ஈழக் கையர்: The community of Eezhavar and those who belong to the code of conduct of the guild of Eezhavar; (Tamil inscription 849 CE (TAS ii p 67-68, also GTI). One shade of meaning for the word Kai in old Tamil is code of conduct. The word was used in this sense in the names of guild-based identities such as Kaikkoa’lar and in the names of identities such as Valang-kai, Idang-kai etc.
Eezhach-chaan’raan: ஈழச் சான்றான்: The one who draws toddy belonging to the Eezham community; Tamil inscription 929 CE (SII iv 533, also GTI)
Eezhak-kula-theepan: ஈழக் குல தீபன்: The light of the community of Eezhavar. Reference to a Saiva saint Eanaathi-naatha-naayanaar by Nampiyaa’ndaar Nampi in Thiruththo’ndar Thiruvanthaathi, verse 10, 10th century CE
Eezhavan: ஈழவன்: The community tapping toddy mentioned along with Kollan (black smith), Va’n’naan (washerman), Pa’rampan (leather workers / a hill tribe) and Pa’raiyan (drummers); Tamil inscription 1000 CE (EI xxxiii p 33, also GTI)
Eezhap-poodchi: ஈழப் பூட்சி: A kind of tax levied on the community of Eezhavar who were tapping toddy; Tamil inscription 1008 CE (EI xxii p 34, also GTI)
Eezhach-cheari: ஈழச் சேரி: The settlement of Eezhavar; Tamil inscription 1014 CE (SII ii p 4, also GTI)
Eezham: ஈழம்: Toddy; Tamil lexicon (Choodaama’ni 13th century CE)
Eezhavar: ஈழவர்: Today this is the name of a caste associated with drawing toddy in southern Kerala. Migration is remembered in the legends and folklore of this community, which traces its origins to the island of Eezham.
Eedi, Eedigaa, Eedigitti: ஈடி, ஈடிகா, ஈடிகித்தி: Toddy, toddy-tapping man, toddy-tapping woman respectively (Kannada, note the ZH / D interchange, DED 549, 550)
Eedigaa, Ee’ndra, Ee’ndradi: ஈடிகா, ஈண்ட்ரா, ஈண்ட்ரதி: Toddy, man and woman of the toddy-tapping community (Telugu, note the ZH / D interchange, DED 549, 550)
* * *
Lamp made in the style of the country of Eezham or lamp made of a particular alloy of metal
Eezha Vi’lakku: ஈழ விளக்கு: The lamp of Eezham; Tamil inscription 808 CE (EI vi p29, also GTI)
Eezha Nilai-vi’lakku: ஈழ நிலை விளக்கு: Stationary lamp of Eezham; Tamil inscription 923 CE (SII xix 397, also GTI)
Eezhach-chiyal vi’lakku, Eezha-achchiyal vi’lakku: ஈழச்சியல் விளக்கு, ஈழ அச்சியல் விளக்கு: A kind of Eezham-lamp; Tamil inscription 1009 CE (SII v p521)
Eezhap-parisu: ஈழப் பரிசு: A lamp made in the Eezham way – an eight sided or eight angled lamp made of brass as we come to know from the ionscription; Tamil inscription 1014 CE (SII ii p36, also GTI)
GTI: Glossary of Tamil Inscriptions (In Tamil), Santi Sadhana, Chennai, 2002
EI: Epigraphia Indica
SII: South Indian Inscriptions
TASSI: Transactions of the Archaeological Society of South India
TAS: Travancore Archaeological Series
CHEN: Chenthamizh, Journal of Madurai Thamizh Changam
MCCM: Madras Christian College Magazine
* * *
Cognates in Sinhala:
I’la-barata: (Iḷa-barata) Whether this phrase found in a Brahmi inscription of Sri Lanka means a person of Parathavar community of Eezham or whether the phrase as one word means a place name as the word in the inscription is followed by a locative case ‘hi’ (Iḷabaratahi) are debatable (Brahmi inscriptions of Ceylon, Paranavitana, 1970, No 94; Seneviratne. S., 1985 and Indrapala K., 2006)
I’la-naaga: (Iḷa-nāga) Name of a 1st century CE ruler of the island found mentioned in Mahavamsa compiled in 5th century CE. Sinhala chronicles of the later period rendering the name as Eḷun-Nā may imply that I’la of the early centuries and E’lu of the later centuries were cognates. However, whether the word I’la in this case means Naga of I’la country / identity or whether it was an adjective to mean younger or junior is debatable (Indrapala K., 2006)
He’la-divi: (Heḷa-divi) The ‘He’la island’; (Sigiri graffiti, c.8-9th century CE)
He’la-tuva: (Heḷa-ṭuva) The He’la island; Dhampiyaa aṭuvaa gæṭapadaya, 10th cenury CE Sinhala literature (K. Indrapala, 2006 p 369)
He’la-basa: (Heḷa-basa) The language of He’la; Dhampiyaa aṭuvaa gæṭapadaya, 10th cenury CE Sinhala literature (K. Indrapala, 2006 p 369), Elu or ancient language of Ceylon (Clough’s Sinhala Dictionary)
He’lu: (Heḷu) The country or language of He’lu; Dhampiyaa aṭuvaa gæṭapadaya, 10th cenury CE Sinhala literature (K. Indrapala, 2006 p 369)
He’la: (Heḷa) The ancient name of Ceylon; (Clough’s Sinhala Dictionary traces the origin of the word to Sihala > Seela > Sela > Hela)
E’lu: (Eḷu) The country of E’lu as in the title of the Sinhala literature Eḷu Bōdhi Vamsa. Also language in later usages
E’luwa: (Eḷuva) The ancient Sinhalese language (Clough’s Sinhala Dictionary)
* * *
Cognate in Maldivian / Dhivehi:
E’lu-dhoo-karaa: Eḷu-dū-karā: (in Maldivian transcription, Elhu dhoo karaa): This is the traditional Maldivian way found in literature and usage to refer to the island called Sri Lanka today. Any foreign country is referred to as Karaa in Maldivian (Karai : coast, border etc in Tamil). In Tamil the phrase literally means ‘the coast of the island of E’lu / Eezham’ (E’lu: Eezham; Dhoo: island; Karaa: coast / border / land)
* * *
Thirupparangkun’ram Tamil Brahmi Inscription of Eezha Kudumpikan (Īḻa kuṭumpikaṉ): a Re-appraisal:
ETE 507 / 55
Estampage of Thirupparangkun’ram inscription: This one-line inscription is given here in two pieces of estampags. Note the vertical line separating two sentences after the 18th character [Image courtesy: Iravatham Mahadevan, Early Tamil Epigraphy, pp 507]
This inscription in Tamil language and Tamil Brahmi characters, palaeographically dateable to the dawn of the Common Era, appears in one line on the ledge above a row of stone beds made for Jaina monks in a cave in Thirupparangkun’ram hill near Madurai in Tamil Nadu.
The inscription was first published in Annual Report of Epigraphy of the Archaeological Survey of India, 1908 and 1911-12.
The latest study of the inscription can be found in Iravatam Mahadevan’s, Early Tamil Epigraphy, Harvard Oriental Series no. 62, 2003, p 142, 390, 393, 583 and 584.
Mahadevan dates the inscription to c. 1st century CE. Some earlier studies dated it back to c. 1st century BCE.
The text could be transcribed as follows. Note that pure consonants had no special markers in old Tamil writing system. They were identified and differentiated by context.
* * *
ETE 390 / 55
The lettering of the Thirupparangkun’ram inscription in Tamil language and Tamil Brahmi writing. This one-line inscription is reproduced here in two lines in the sentence order, as given by Mahadevan. Note the writing Eezha in the 6th and 7th letters of the inscription [Image courtesy: Iravatham Mahadevan, Early Tamil Epigraphy, pp 390]
Transcription of the inscription letter by letter:
e ru kā ṭu ra i ḻa ku ṭu ma pi ka ṉa po lā lai ya ṉa |
ce ya tā ā ya ca ya ṉa ne ṭu cā ta ṉa
எ ரு கா டு ர இ(ஈ) ழ கு டு ம பி க ன பொ லா லை ய ன |
செ ய தா ஆ ய ச ய ன நெ டு சா த ன
The one-line inscription is separated after the 18th character by a vertical line to indicate there are two sentences. The characters of the second sentence are smaller than the first.
Applying the conventions of Tamil epigraphy and treating characters in certain contexts as pure consonants, Mahadevan reads the text in Tamil as follows:
erukāṭur iḻa-kuṭumpikaṉ polālaiyaṉ |
ceytā[ṉ] āycayaṉ neṭucātaṉ
After the 21st character Mahadevan adds an N. He says that this is “supplied here from the evidence of the noun which follows.” This is not necessary as we shall see later.
“(The gift of) Polālaiyaṉ, the Īḻa-householder from Erukkāṭṭūr. Āyccayyaṉ Neṭucāttaṉ made.” is the meaning given by Mahadevan.
The gift made is the stone beds as understood from the context of the inscription.
The writer prefers to read the second line without supplementing an N, as ceyta Āyccayyaṉ, Neṭucātaṉ.
The preferred version of the writer in Tamil:
எருகாடூர் ஈழகுடும்பிகன் பொலாலையன் |
செய்த ஆய்சயன், நெடு சா(த்)தன்
See table at the end of the column for discussions on the phrases.
* * *
In his interpretation Mahadevan says Ila-householder (Īḻa-kuṭumpikaṉ) more appropriately means a householder of the Eezhavar community (tree climber caste) than a householder from the island of Eezham. He also attributes Kannada connections to the personal names appearing in the inscriptions but the explanations are not convincing. (Mahadevan,I., Early Tamil Epigraphy, 2003, p584-585)
Indrapala argues in favour of interpreting the adjective Īḻa of the phrase Īḻa-kuṭumpikaṉ of the inscription as a cognate of Eezha, I’la, E’lu He’la etc., and as an ethnic name for the dominant ethnicity of the island now called Sri Lanka. (Indrapala.K., The Evolution of an Ethnic Identity, 2006, pp 140-149)
It seems the key lies in satisfactorily interpreting Polaalaiyan, the personal name of the Īḻa-householder.
* * *
The name Polaalaiyan has three components: Pol+ aal+aiyan.
Pol is a unique word found today only in Sinhala language to mean coconut. The Sinhala vocabulary has a number of derivates from the word Pol to stand for various produces of the coconut palm.
Interestingly the Sinhala word Pol is of Dravidian origin and is a cognate of the Tamil word Pul (Dravidian Etymological Dictionary 4300), which was originally a generic term for plants such as coconut palm, palmyra palm, arecanut palm, bamboo as well as varieties of grass.
“Pu’rak-kaazhanavea pul ena mozhipa; Akak-kaazhanavea maran enappadumea” புறக் காழனவே புல் என மொழிப; அகக் காழனவே மரன் எனப்படுமே (all those plants for which the exterior is harder than the core are Pul and all those for which the core is harder than the exterior are Maram: Tholkaappiyam 27: 86-87
Tholkaappiyam further clarifies that coconut palm along with other palms is classified as Pul, by bringing out the conventional names that are used for parts of such plants in the next stanza 27:88:
Thoadea madalea oalai en’raa
Eadea ithazhea paa’lai en’raa
Eerkkea kulaiyea chearnthana pi’ravum
Pullodu varumenach chollinar pulavar
தோடே மடலே ஓலை என்றா
ஏடே இதழே பாளை என்றா
ஈர்க்கே குலையே சேர்ந்தன பிறவும்
புல்லொடு வருமெனச் சொல்லினர் புலவர்
This earliest available grammar in Tamil, dateable to c. 5th century CE if not earlier says, Thoadu (leaf), Madal (leaf-branch and its base), Oalai (leaf), Eadu (flat and long single leaf), Ithazh (leaf), Eerkku (the spine of a leaf), Kulai (bunch of fruits) etc are names of parts applicable only to Pul variety of plants.
Anyone who is familiar with Tamil usage could see from the names how the generic term for coconut palm in old Tamil was Pul.
However the Tholkaappiyam classification doesn’t explain the etymology of Pul. This is better explained by other terms such as Pulli in old Tamil for outer leaf of a plant. It seems all those plants having leafs as branches were called Pul.
In modern Tamil Pul means only grass but in old Tamil usages there are clear examples for the use of the word for Palmyra palm, bamboo etc.
In Sinhala vocabulary too the word Pol, besides being the name of coconut palm is also the prefix of the names of a few variety of grasses. (See table below)
P.C. Bagchi (1929), Prof D.E. Hettiarachchi (University of Ceylon History of Ceylon vol I and Prof K Indrapala (2006 p 312) have perhaps missed the obvious affinity between Sinhala Pol and Tamil Pul in surmising Austro Asiatic origins for the word Pol and its meaning as coconut palm. (Indrapala K, 2006, pp 312-314.)
Probably people of the island of Eezham applied the Dravidian generic term Pul / Pol to name the coconut palm that is not native to the island and the name stayed in Sinhala language. Coconut palm is believed to be native to Southeast Asia / Pacific islands and the island of Eezham could have been one of its first habitats in South Asia.
* * *
Coming to the inscription under discussion, the second component of the word Aal is another old Dravidian word meaning water.
The third component Aiyan meant leader, father, elder brother etc. in old Tamil and is listed in the Dravidian Etymological Dictionary. Meaning elder brother in Sinhala, the word Ayiyaa is a common suffix found in Sinhala usage in respectfully addressing experts of any trade.
Polaalaiyan simply means the ‘Toddy Elder’ or ‘the elder of the profession of tapping toddy / coconut palm water.’
If this interpretation is acceptable then the whole context only favours the deduction that the householder was of the origins of the island of Eezham and the adjective Eezha of Eezha-kudumpikan originally stood for the geographical identity of Eezham, even though it might have also stood for that migrant community specialized in tapping the produce of palm trees.
* * *
The folklore and legends of the community of Eezhavar, found mainly in Kerala today, are full of references about their origins from the island of Eezham and about their community introducing the coconut palm to Kerala.
Indrapala cites the literature Kēralōtpatti, and the following publications: A Aiyappan, Iravas and Culture Change, Madras Government Museum; Travancore State Manual I and II, 1906 and 1940 and Cochin State Manual, 1911.
Even though Indrapala’s argument that Eezham itself might have originally meant coconut to render the name to the island seems not well attested to, his citations strongly suggest that right from early times coconut palm could have been associated with the island of Eezham and the migrant community of Eezhavar. He cites that the names Thennai and Thengku in Tamil and Malayalam for the coconut palm inferring its introduction from the south.
Whether Eezham originally meant coconut is very doubtful because the early lexicons do not give the meaning toddy for Eezham. This meaning is found only in a late lexicon Choodaama’ni of 13th century CE.
However the Eezhavar community and their profession of climbing not only coconut palms but also Palmyra palms is specifically mentioned in a Tamil inscription dated to 789 CE.
“Thengkum panaiyum Eezhavar ea’rap pe’raathaaraakavum”
தெங்கும் பனையும் ஈழவர் ஏறப் பெறாதாராகவும்
“Coconut palms and palmyra palms (in this endowed land) are prohibited for Eezhavar to climb.” (South Indian Inscriptions, ii p99)
There are hundreds of later inscriptions attesting to the wide prevalence of the identity of this community, which might have ultimately equated the term Eezham with toddy.
* * *
The Thirupparangkun’ram Tamil Brahmi inscription under discussion is an evidence of very early times, going back to the dawn of the Common Era, for the arrival and identity of the migrants from the Eezham island and at the same time attesting to the antiquity of the name Eezham for the island.
The inscription not only evidences the use of Tamil by this community that migrated from the island by or before the dawn of the Common Era but also indicates through words such as Pol, the Dravidian substratum of their language that caused the subsequent formations of Sinhala and Eezham Tamil.
Perhaps Eezhavar were the first known community of migrants or what we call diaspora today that has come the other way round in considerable numbers- from the island of Eezham to the sub-continent and retained the identity for over two millennia.
* * *
See table below for discussions on the other words found in the inscription and their meanings:
Erukaadoor: எருகாடூர்: The village where the householder of the clan from Eezham was residing in Tamil Nadu. Interestingly, this village name, spelt as Erukkaaddoor is found mentioned in the Changkam literature too as the home village of a poet Erukkaaddoorth-thaayam Ka’n’nanaar. The affix Thaayam a term like Kudumpikan suggests that the poet belonged to a household of matriarchy in that village or to the matriarchal part of the village. Thaayam, from Thaay (mother) means matriarchy, matrilineal property, matriarchal household etc. Also note the words Thaayaththaar, Thaayaathi etc in Tamil, identifying close relatives in terms of matriarchy. Etymologically Eruk-kaaddoor > Erukku+kaadu+oor means the village of Erukku (Calotrophis gigantean) shrubs. Compare Erukkalam-piddi in Mannaar.
Izha-Kudumpikan: ஈழ குடும்பிகன்: Palaeographically it can also be read as Eezha-kudumpikan. The householder from the island of Eezham / the householder from the clan of the island of Eezham / the householder from the clan of the island of Eezham engaged in activities related to palm trees.
Polaalaiyan: Pol+aal+aiyan: பொல்+ஆல்+ஐயன்: The elder of the profession of tapping toddy / coconut palm water
Following are words and phrases in Sinhala related to Pol, meaning coconut and kinds of grasses:
Pol: பொல்: Matured coconut, also a grass Paspalum cora; Pol-gaha: Coconut palm; Pol-raa: Coconut toddy (Raa: toddy; Na’raa in old Tamil); Pol-atta: Dried coconut palm leaf, plaited; Pol-ula, Pol-koora: pointed stick to peal coconut; Pol-kaṭuwa, Pol-kōmbe: Shell of a coconut; Pol-kiri: juice of coconut; Pol-kuḍu: refuse of scraped coconut after extracting milk, also a sort of grass; Pol-kuḍupalā, Pol-palā: Knot-grass; Pol-amu: kind of grass, Paspalum scrobiculatum; Pol-æl-vī: Kind of paddy; Pol-kohu: Coconut fibre; Pol-tel: Coconut oil; Pol-walla: Bunch of coconut; Pol-waakara: Arrack of the first distillation.
The following are the references for the word Pul in Old Tamil, meaning palm varieties of trees as well as grass:
Pul: புல்: Generic term for grass family; Plants like grass, coconut palm, palmyra palm, arecanut palm, bamboo etc (Glossary of Historical Tamil Literature, Santi Sadhana, vol 4 2002, p 1730); Any plant for which exterior is harder than the core is Pul (Earliest Tamil grammar Tholkaappiyam, 27:86: “Pu’rak-kaazhanavea pul ena mozhipa;” புறக் காழனவே புல் என மொழிப; Grass, grass family (Tamil, Dravidian Etymological Dictionary 4300); Grass family (Old lexicons); Palmyra palm (Thivaakaram 4:73 and Choodaama’ni 4:10 lexicons): Pulli: Outer leaf of a plant, filament of stamen (Dravidian Etymological Dictionary 256). This explains the name Pul for plants having leafs as branches.
Also note the following stanza of Tholkaappiyam (27:88) that gives the conventional names for the parts of Pul variety of plants. The long popular use of these terms for parts of coconut palm in Tamil convention attests to the identification of the plant as a Pul in Tamil.
Thoadea madalea oalai en’raa
Eadea ithazhea paa’lai en’raa
Eerkkea kulaiyea chearnthana pi’ravum
Pullodu varumenach chollinar pulavar
தோடே மடலே ஓலை என்றா
ஏடே இதழே பாளை என்றா
ஈர்க்கே குலையே சேர்ந்தன பிறவும்
புல்லொடு வருமெனச் சொல்லினர் புலவர்
The following reference in Kallaadam (39:10), means a palmyra palm by the word Pul:
An’ril pul cheakkai pukku
அன்றில் புல் சேக்கை புக்கு
The An’ril bird reached its nest in palmyra palm (this bird always lives in palmyra palms)
Aal: ஆல்: Also, Aalam, Aali: Water, raindrops (Tamil and Malayalam, Dravidian Etymological Dictionary 384); Aali-neer: Water of dew (DED 384); Aali: Oozing water (Tamil literary usage); Æla: stream of water, brook, rivulet, canal (Sinhala); Æliya: River, drain (Sinhala). See column on Ællegoda.
Aiyan: ஐயன்: Also, Ayyan: Father, sage, priest, teacher, Brahmin, superior person, master, king (Tamil, DED 196); Ai: Lord, master (Tamil, DED 196); Aiyan: Husband, lord, elder, father, gods Murukan and Chaaththan (Tamil, Changkam Diction and lexicons); Aiyanmaar, Aiyar: Elder brothers (Tamil, Changkam Diction); Tham-Aiyan: Elder brother (Tamil, Malayalam DED 196); Ayiyaa: Elder brother (Sinhala); Ayiyaalaa: Elder brothers (Sinhala)
Second sentence:
Cheytha Aaychayan Nedu Chaathan: செய்த ஆய்சயன் நெடு சாதன்: The bed-cutter who made was Nedu-Chaathan. There is no need to add an N after Cheythaa to make it Cheythaan. Instead it should be read as Cheytha.
Cheytha: செய்த: Adjective meaning ‘made by.’ From the verb Chey (to do, make, creat, cause; Dravidian Etymological Dictionary 1957)
Aaychayan: ஆய்சயன்: Probably Aayvai-cheyan or Aayvai-cheyyan: The bed-cutter. Aayvai: ஆய்வை: Bed, sleeping place (Pingkalam lexicon 4: 260; Cheyan, Cheyyan: செயன், செய்யன்: one who makes
Nedu-chathan: நெடு சாதன்: Nedugn-chaaththan (நெடுஞ்சாத்தன்); the tall / great / senior / esteemed Chaththan. (Chaaththan is a common name found in old Tamil literature and epigraphy, probably for a member of an artisan guild or trade guild.)
First published: Thursday, 31 December 2009, 23:47
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=98&artid=30919
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Steve Grafton / February 10, 2014
This is a tough one Vedda, but I think I’ll go with what the University of Madras says over Tamilnet terrorist propaganda. But your mileage may vary LOL
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Native Vedda / February 10, 2014
Steve Grafton
Are you afraid of Tamilnet.
Put your foot down and argue your case.
Be a man or woman, take on the Tamilnet. You have nothing to lose. Go on.
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Javi / February 10, 2014
Steve stop making tea in your pajamas.
When Maratha Hindu/Sanskrit decides Tamil Nadu listens and correct its errors.
Doing the Dalit Slaves would be another feather in the cap like the doing of naked fakir at city center Nagpur.
Hanuman ki Jai
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aratai / February 8, 2014
Malinda,
It’s time to upgrade your laptop.
:-)
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chandra / February 9, 2014
Whats the use of an upgrade
His laptop (mind) will always be “tethered”
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paul / February 8, 2014
‘there is a greater number of Tamils in the diaspora than the Sinhalese. Is it that all the countries have favoured accommodating Tamils, more than the Sinhalese or is it due to that more Tamils were English qualified who found employment easily overseas’
What a lot of rubbish you write. Everybody (even a moron like you)knows that the West opened their doors to the Tamils because of the riots and a general sympathy to asylum seekers. This was especially so in Canada which always had a liberal policy in these matters. English qualified my ar8e! Most of them are still doing manual work today and hoping to have their visas renewed.
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Robert.R / February 8, 2014
I cannot comment on the history but I do feel Malinda seeing as he is an awful editor should try and become a better one at that rather than dabbling in history that he knows nothing of.
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bo / February 8, 2014
The fact of the matter is Chola got beaten and went off with his tail between the legs,PD.
Another pretentious imposter called Sun-Goat Paribha tried and ended up in mud with a hole in his skull,PD
Now viggie thinks he could do better than the both! Well try it and see what happens.
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Maveeran / February 8, 2014
Congrats Malinda, your free laptop is on its way from Mahinda Jarawapassa. Keep up the good work of arse licking. Also please tell me how the Sinhala race began. Is it true that a female had intercourse with a pig or a cat and Sinhala race evolved? Please tell me how.
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sach / February 9, 2014
finally published in the 3rd attempt! congrats
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bbs dayan / February 9, 2014
One look at this guy’s face should be all that is needed! Like the Kitchen slaves he is a descendant of Tamils who had slowly become sinhalized. So he speaks with a passion of a kitchen slave tyring to debunk that Tamils who are so close to sri Lanka came later to sri lanka than the so called punjabi or bihari sinhalese from north india.
what a stupid Tamil this punk is!
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shankar / February 9, 2014
BBS dayan,you hit the nail on the head.The tamils/malayalees who became sinhalese have a sense of insecurity and have to show that they are more sinhala nationalistic than the original sinhalese who are now marginalised by these people who are more hardworking,and intelligent.
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kali / February 9, 2014
Shankar you Muslim:
First of all man if you hadnt spied for the Sri Lankan army the LTTE wouldnt have driven you out to Canada and from the Candian Ghetto you wouldnt be talking rubbish.
By the way when did the Tamils and Malayalees decide to become Sinhalese and if that was the case man think about it logically ( if you have any brains) and you have scored an own Goal.
What you are saying amounts to confirming that the Tamils inhabited this island first and when they arrived there was no such race called Sinhalese so all 20 million racist are all descendants of Tamil Race.
Pass this to Malinda the Looser.
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shankar / February 9, 2014
kali,you LTTE,the karawe came from the malabar and coromandel coast and settled in srilanka and became sinhala bhuddhists.The same people who settled in the north are called the karayar.No difference between prabaharan and wijeweera,both karawe/karayar.
Peace be upon you.There is no god but Allah,and Muhammed is the messenger of allah.
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kali / February 10, 2014
Shankar you Muslim:
You have become a laughing stock and from Kolumbuturai what did you do Fishing or Smuggling Sarees from India before the LTTE drove you out.
At last reluctantly you have now admitted that you are a Mulim. I had to dig out from you. Adika Adika Ammyum Nakarum
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sach / February 9, 2014
ha ha typcial CT comment, play the ball not the man!
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Native Vedda / February 9, 2014
bbs dayan
“One look at this guy’s face should be all that is needed! Like the Kitchen slaves he is a descendant of Tamils who had slowly become sinhalized.”
Who did bring his ancestors to my land, Portuguese, Dutch or the Brits?
He looks like villans in Tamil Movies. Malinda has a good chance of becoming an actor in South Indian cinema. All he has to do is to invest in few machetes and learn how to swing them in the wrong directions, scream, shout, kick, get kicked, ……… in the final scene he also must die.
Not that he is stranger to any of the attributes. He does it all the time on his laptop.
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manisekaran / February 10, 2014
Funny Fellow!
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Native Vedda / February 10, 2014
manisekaran
“Funny Fellow!”
Do you think Malinda has a better chance of replacing Vadivelu the Tamil comedy actor.
Its a good idea.
Give him chance.
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kali / February 9, 2014
Malinda the Looser:
My friend you are speaking from the grave and you voice is hardly audible:
Let me correct on you what ever I can hear and make out and before I do I want to share your sorrow: Empires come and go and I know you are grieving the death of King Mahinthas Empire which is the shortest in the history.
1)The history of this island can be read as an account of invasion, resistance, conquering and routing the enemy.
*** First of all we have a claim to this Island just as much as you have. You are right the invasion is by both you lot and us so dont bullshit. Resitance yes and we resisted you and we have now succeded in check mating MR the born Racist.
2)It is also a history of migratory waves and, in recent times, emigration as well. There are of course all kinds of histories. There are those written by the winners which some claim make their authenticity questionable. There are histories embedded in folk traditions. Histories can be read through careful perusal of archaeological record. There are claims of place in history, some substantiated and others not.
*** Our claim to North and East is proven beyound reasonable doubt and we are not going to succum to threat and Intimidation and we will recaim our historical Land and the count down stars in March.
3) We remain products of who we were, who our ancestors were and what they did, whether we like it or not. In other words, history sits at the head table of the present and in ways that are disconcerting to some.
*** I agree with you entirely and you know who your ancestore are and why you have an animal instinct and that is why Killing comes naturally to you.
4)One easy escape from historical discomfiture is the construction of more comforting narratives of event, personality and associated metaphors. It takes much effort, a lot of money, a lot of purchasing, myth-models and propaganda. In my view that’s an option that Tamil nationalism was forced to embrace.
**** I totally disagree with you and let me tell you the Tamil Nationalism was foreced on us by you lot and the Propaganda you are talking about is done by your Mentor MR spending billions to hide his Crimes against Humanity.
5)The success of that particular effort is indicated in the fact that Eelamists have managed to convince some that ‘north’ is Tamil and ‘south’ Sinhala, that devolution (which includes federalist and secessionist options) makes sense because the North and East (they don’t say Northern and Eastern Provinces, because the demarcation-less articulation makes for further inflation of territorial claim) are ‘the traditional homelands of the Tamils’.
*** Let me spell it out to you.We are two different people and that is how God has created us and we have the right to remain that way. Yes North and East belong to us and the World recognises it whether you like it or not. Once we have liberated North and East you are welcome to come come and live in the North but under our Jurisdiction not yours. Your barabaric army cannot roam the street and and we will never forget ” Krishanthis” and Isaipriyas. No more Tamil Blood.
6)They do not unpack these terms because doing so would force them to swallow the hard facts of demographic reality (over half the Tamils live outside these two provinces) and geographical factors (most of the Eastern Province is made of Grama Niladhari Divisions with majority Sinhala populations).
*** Malinda you Idiot why do you think over half the Tamils live outside the North. It is because you never developed the the Tamil areas intentionally and that is why we are dependendant on your industries in the South for Jobs.
7)Then there is also history.
They dare not talk of archaeological evidence. They will say the Mahawamsa was written by racist Buddhist monks but do not have anything close to a shred of evidence to counter what’s on the ground in these areas (even if one were to discount the Mahawamsa). They cannot talk about a permanent Tamil presence in demographically significant terms. At best it is about Tamils who chose to stay behind after the occasional South India invasion was turned back.
There is one exception: the golden age of Chola aggression. The 10th Century AD.
This was the time the Cholas invaded not just this island but vast swathes of the subcontinent.
Man we are a race that ruled from Imamyam to Kumari and the remnants of our rule is everywhere.
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Dushy Ranetunge / February 9, 2014
Sudharshan Seneviratna will laugh at Malinda’s version of History.
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shankar / February 9, 2014
The best way to sort this out is to take DNA tests.First one for colombo and one for kandy,galle,kurunegala and jaffna.Different areas will show different results.So one statement saying sinhalese have X DNA and tamils have x+y DNA will give a wrong result.A DNA sample of jaffna and badulla will give different results while jaffna and kandy will have some similarities much more than kandy and matara.We are a pol sambol all mixed up in this small island where people have intermingled for 2000 years.Such DNA tests will put to rest once and for all that there is any pure sinhala or tamil race in this country and there fore there is no other alternative but to share the country together albeit without getting into each others nerves by an appropriate system of devolution.
IMHO the tamils can trace back their ancestry to the nagas who inhabited the coastal areas predominantly in the north and east and came later under the influence of the cholas and became saivaites and tamil speakers.Hence the snake worship even now in temples and names such as nagaraja,nagapattinam,nagatheepa etc.
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kali / February 9, 2014
Shankar You Muslim:
Man if you hadnt spied for the Sri Lankan army the LTTE wouldnt have driven you out to Canada and from a Canadian Ghetto you wouldnt be talking rubbish.
Before ordering a DNA test ask your master to order the following.
1) An order to find out where the 140,000 Innoncent Tamils and the thousands who have been killed Extra Judicially are burired and where the skeletons have been moved hurriedly.
2) Order a War Crimes Inquiry
3) Order the army out from the North and East before they are forced out.
4) order to stop the illeagal Sinhalese Settlement before they are removed after March.
Even China wouldnt lend you money to carry out DNA test.
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Native Vedda / February 9, 2014
Dushy Ranetunge
Come on, Sudharshan Seneviratna is a busy intellectually honest academic. Why would he waste his time reading this thrash?
BTW Darshanie Irrathinawalli’s next target is going to be Sudharshan.
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