By C. V. Wigneswaran –
Justice C.V. Wigneswaran MP
Someone asked me a question; Mr. Dilith Jayaweera M.P. has said Provincial Councils are not suitable to Sri Lanka. What is your observation in this regard?
I said; I have great respect for Mr. Dilith Jayaweera, an Attorney at Law, and who has been one of our foremost businessmen. He entered politics very recently. He is no doubt a Nationalist. He feels for his Nation just as much as we feel for ours. What he has failed to appreciate is that his is Sinhala Nationalism just as ours is Tamil Nationalism. He confuses his Sinhala Nationalism to encompass the whole Island. He has a right to feel for his Sinhala Nation. But the Sinhala Nation does not encompass the whole Island.
The North and East of Sri Lanka has been Tamil speaking from even before Buddhism reached this Island. The Tamil language has been spoken in this Island long before the Sinhala language evolved in the 6th and 7th centuries AD. Professor Indrapala has said the Tamil speaking people have been in this Island for more than 3000 years. The Northern and the Eastern Provinces have been areas of historical habitation of Sri Lankan Tamil speaking peoples in terms of the 1987 Indo-Sri Lankan Accord.
Key Terms of the 1987 Indo-Sri Lankan Accord included inter alia
* Devolution of Power: Sri Lanka agreed to implement devolution of power to Provinces, particularly the merged North-Eastern Province, through the 13th Amendment to its constitution.
* Provincial Councils: The Accord established Provincial Councils with internal self-governance powers being granted to the North-Eastern Province.
* Language: Tamil was recognized as an official language alongside Sinhala.
* North-East Merger: The Northern and Eastern Provinces, historically Tamil-speaking areas, were to be merged temporarily until a referendum could decide their permanent status.
Thus the purpose of the Provincial Council system was not for the benefit of those in the Sinhala Nation but to help the people in the Tamil Nation to co-exist peacefully with those in the Sinhala Nation in this Country.
But the Tigers had come to the conclusion consequent to the passing of the Sinhala Only Act and the staging of the 1958 riots and thereafter many a pogrom against the Tamils culminating in the 1983 Racial Riots that the two communities which were held together in camaraderie by the British can no longer live together but must part ways.
A very significant policy pertaining to University Education designed by the Sinhalese intelligentsia including their politicians became the straw that broke the Camel’s back in persuading the Tigers to take up arms to set up a Thamizh Eelam. Eelam is the old word for Sri Lanka which was used by the Sinhalese too as Hela. Eelam and Hela both come from the Tamil word Ealu (seven) which referred to the division of the lost continent of Kumari Kandam into seven regions where Sri Lanka was situated in the seventh region.
In 1971 the Sinhalese-led government introduced a system of standardisation of marks for admissions to the universities which was directed against Tamil-medium students. Professor K. M. de Silva described it as follows:
“The qualifying mark for admission to the medical faculties was 250 (out of 400) for Tamil students, whereas it was only 229 for the Sinhalese. Worse still, this same pattern of a lower qualifying mark applied even when Sinhalese and Tamil students sat for the examination in English. In short, students sitting for examinations in the same language, but belonging to two ethnic groups, had different qualifying marks.”
Therefore, the government policy of standardization was in essence a discriminatory regulation to curtail the number of Tamil students selected for certain faculties in the universities.
The benefits enjoyed by Sinhalese medium students including Muslims who opted to appear for the Examinations in the Sinhala medium, as a result of this, meant a significant fall in the number of Tamil medium students within the Sri Lankan university student populace.
Mr.Dilith Jayaweera when he says Provincial Councils are not suitable for Sri Lanka, he seems to have not studied the causes which made such an innovation necessary for Sri Lanka. In fact the Provincial Councils were not designed for the whole of Sri Lanka. It was a constitutional arrangement designed to give self government to the North and East under the Unitary Constitution which Constitution had been handed over to Ceylon by the British consequent to a conspiracy hatched by D.S.Senanayake and Sir Oliver Goonetilleke which Lord Soulbury regretted later when he found that he and the other Commissioners of the Soulbury Commission had been misled. (Vide Foreward by Lord Soulbury written for B.H. Farmer’s publication Ceylon- A divided Nation in 1963). In a letter to C. Suntharalingam, Lord Soulbury had written thus – “The Sinhalese behaviour to the Tamils has been excessively short-sighted and foolish. When as Chairman of the Commission on the reform of the Constitution of Ceylon in 1945 I studied the relations of the two communities. I was much impressed by the important contribution that the Tamils had made and were making to the economy of Ceylon – and I was aware that the Ceylon Tamils were better educated and more industrious than the Sinhalese – in many ways they were playing the part the Scots had played and still play in the economy of England”.
The Upcountry Sinhalese had preferred a federal constitution for Ceylon before the Donoughmore Commissioners.
Though the Provincial Councils under the Unitary Constitution were to be restricted to the North and East, President JR Jayewardene to impress the diehard Sinhalese who supported him that he was not giving any constitutional benefits to the Tamils, extended the Provincial Councils Law to include the Sinhalese majority areas too. May be the Sinhala majority areas do not need Provincial Councils. But they were never innovated nor designed for the benefit of the Sinhalese!
So Mr.Dilith Jayaweera must be presumed to have overlooked the history of this Island both ancient and recent when he said that the Provincial Councils are not necessary nor suitable for this Island.
Of course the Provincial Councils’ system as presently designed under the Unitary Constitution of Sri Lanka does not give the Tamil speaking People of the North and East the right they are entitled to under Article 1 of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) which reads thus – Article 1 of ICCPR – 1. All peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.
2. All peoples may, for their own ends, freely dispose of their natural wealth and resources without prejudice to any obligations arising out of international economic co-operation, based upon the principle of mutual benefit, and international law. In no case may a people be deprived of its own means of subsistence.
3. The States Parties to the present Covenant,(that included Sri Lanka too) including those having responsibility for the administration of Non-Self-Governing and Trust Territories, shall promote the realization of the right of self-determination, and shall respect that right, in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
The Tamil speaking persons in the North and East of Sri Lanka are a People in terms of Article 1(1) of the ICCPR. They are entitled for self government.
The Human Rights Committee, which monitors the implementation of the ICCPR, has clarified that the right to self-determination belongs to the group as a whole and not to individual persons. Key characteristics and implications related to “peoples” in Article 1 include:
- Collective Rights: Rights of “peoples” are exercised by the group collectively, not by individual members, in contrast to most other rights in the ICCPR which are individual in nature.
- Right of Self-Determination: By virtue of this right, “peoples” are entitled to:
- Freely determine their political status.
- Freely pursue their economic, social, and cultural development.
- Freely dispose of their natural wealth and resources.
- Essential Condition: The Committee considers the realization of the right of self-determination an essential condition for the effective guarantee and observance of individual human rights.
- Beneficiaries: The term “peoples” has been interpreted to include, among others, the inhabitants of Non-Self-Governing and Trust Territories (colonies) and, in certain contexts and jurisprudence, indigenous groups, who can exercise their rights to culture, religion, and language collectively under Article 27, in the light of Article 1.
Ultimately, while “peoples” are composed of individuals, their rights under Article 1 of the ICCPR are distinct and focus on their collective ability to control their destiny and development.
The Provincial Councils’ system as designed presently does not grant self government to the People of the North and East. Until self government for the Tamil speaking People of the North and East are guaranteed in some form, we cannot afford to do away with the Provincial Councils’ system however ineffective the terms of the provisions pertaining to the Provincial Councils might be.
The idea of some Sinhala leaders, including Mr.Dilith Jayaweera probably, seems to be to cash in on the inadequacies of the present provisions relating to Provincial Councils from a Tamilian standpoint, and call for the abolition of the Provincial Councils’ system. Their ultimate desire seems to be to get rid of any semblance of self government for the North Eastern Tamil speaking Peoples that may lie in the present Sri Lankan Constitution. They also want such provisions to be excised from the Constitution to debar any interference by India through the 1987 Accord and the 13th Amendment.
But from the perspectives of the Sri Lankan Tamils the Provincial Councils’ system must be retained until an alternative access to self government to the North and East is established constitutionally. I do not agree with Mr. Dilith Jayaweera that Provincial Councils are not suitable for Sri Lanka. They may be not required in the South. But until a federal constitution is established or any other constitutional innovation that ensures self Government for the Tamil speaking North and East is established the Provincial Council system must prevail in Sri Lanka.
Nathan / January 15, 2026
I wish that those who reject the arguments of Justice C.V. Wigneswaran counter them as judiciously as he has.
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SJ / January 15, 2026
N
“I wish that those who reject the arguments of Justice C.V. Wigneswaran counter them as judiciously as he has.”
Since according to you he has countered his arguments judiciously why should anyone further bother with them?
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Tony / January 15, 2026
His arguments are based on lies and myths.
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Native Vedda / January 17, 2026
Tony
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“His arguments are based on lies and myths.”
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Like yours and other recently arrived Kalla Tony converts.
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nimal fernando / January 16, 2026
I don’t waste time reading what these deceptive uncivilized men CV Wignes and Dilith et al. have to say ………. for the simple truth/phenomenon/axiom ……. a civilized nation cannot be born from uncivilised leaders/rulers/pols.
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Some may go behind them like the jackal behind the goat …….. that’s an individual personal choice ….. left to each ……. in a free-world.
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I’d rather read Playboy …… old copies, to learn true world history ……. there were good well researched articles. Thank you Heff ….. wherever you are, you did humanity yeomen service. …… Without wasting their precious time on BS, I wish ol’ Wignes or Dilith was a Lankan Heff ……. instead of pols!
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An interesting debate on a rather different matter, fallopian tubes …….. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1t-D4wxhPMA
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chiv / January 15, 2026
Dilith and you ( CVW ), may have political answers, but lack the will and commitment to solve problems.
Sorry to say neither of you are genuine.
Funds already allocated to built an indoor sports facility in North was returned back to Sports Ministry , because of opposing politricking.
PC’s will be just like local councils , where time will be spend on infighting, back stabbing,
abusing opponents, defeating budgets, horse trading, not allowing party in power to succeed . . . . . blah . . . . blah.
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SJ / January 15, 2026
C
The man has no understanding of history.
He takes things out of context and makes unfounded declarations.
His pathetic performance as CM, NPC exposed not just incompetence but also indifference.
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Ajith / January 15, 2026
“The man has no understanding of history.”
what is your understanding of the history of the island? Is it the special status to Buddhism?
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SJ / January 15, 2026
I have sufficient understanding not to willingly present falsehoods as history.
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Ajith / January 15, 2026
“I have sufficient understanding not to willingly present falsehoods as history.”
It proves that you are just another liar pretending like knew everything but nothing.
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SJ / January 18, 2026
Whatever I know I try to know as thoroughly as possible.
But to catch stupid bigoted lies, one need not know very much.
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Native Vedda / January 17, 2026
“I have sufficient understanding not to willingly present falsehoods as history.”
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Except anything to do with Banda, Weeping Widow, Mao, Pol Pot, Guzman, …. imaginary revolution of the proletariat, …..
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Tony / January 15, 2026
Ajith,
Buddhism and Sinhala Buddhist culture have always had the special status. Even the British had to do so.
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LankaScot / January 16, 2026
Hello Tony,
I’m British, so when was I coerced (had to do so) into giving “special status” to Buddhism or Sinhala Buddhist culture?
And joking aside – “Under British rule, the monasteries lacked official status and were unable to defend their land or rights. One report claimed that 800,000 acres of temple property were confiscated. The colonial government and the Christian missionaries took the entire school system out of the hands of the Buddhists. The Buddhists became second-class citizens, while the Christians and the English-educated rose to the best positions in the colonial administration. Only Christian Sundays and feast days and the British national holidays were celebrated in this Buddhist country ….” https://www.budsas.org/ebud/ebdha152.htm
Best regards
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old codger / January 19, 2026
“I have great respect for Mr. Dilith Jayaweera, an Attorney at Law, and who has been one of our foremost businessmen” says CVW.
To keep it short, I don’t.
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Rohan25 / January 15, 2026
Thanksyou. The ancient history of Tamils in Sri Lanka dates back to at least the 2nd century BCE, with archaeological evidence from megalithic sites like Pomparippu showing cultural links to Tamil Nadu, suggesting early Iron Age settlements and migrations from South India. Over centuries, Tamil cultural influence grew, leading to powerful kingdoms like the Jaffna Kingdom and significant interactions with Sinhalese kingdoms, with Tamils becoming integral to Sri Lanka’s pluralistic society and forming distinct communities in the North and East, coexisting and sometimes clashing with the Sinhalese majority before later British colonial impacts. Early Presence & Cultural Roots (Pre-5th Century AD): Megalithic Sites: Excavations at Pomparippu (west coast) and Kathiraveli (east coast) reveal burial practices and artefacts similar to South India, dating from the 2nd century BCE to the 2nd century AD, indicating an ancient Tamil presence.
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Tony / January 15, 2026
There was no such thing as the Jaffna Kingdom, nor was there a North or East. The Northern and Eastern provinces were created by Western countries.
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Rohan25 / January 16, 2026
Really! Getting desperate, are we? No Jaffna kingdom, no Kandyan nor Kotte kingdom. No north or east, no south, central or west too, just you and your racist views.
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Rohan25 / January 16, 2026
The British created the modern Tamil northern and eastern provinces from parts of the ancient Tamil homeland, to which the Sinhalese did not have any claim whatsoever and declared them the ancient homeland of the Tamils. When creating these provinces from the former Jaffna kingdom and the Eastern Tamil Vannimai chiefdoms, all Sinhalese claims to land from these areas, however remote or absurd, were looked upon favourably by the British and a large amount of land from these areas was transferred to the newly created Sinhalese North West and North Central Provinces. Eg, Pathavi Kulam, now renamed Padaviya to the Anuradhapura district, Thamban Kadavai, now renamed Thaman Kaduwa, was transferred from the east to the Polonaruwa district and large parts of what is now the modern Puttalam district were taken from the north and given to the newly created Sinhalese North West province. It was only after this that the Tamil northern and eastern provinces were created from land that the Sinhalese had no claim whatsoever from ancient to present, from ancient Eelam Tamil land. However now after the so-called independence, the Sinhalese are using the power of the state and fake history to claim large parts of the north and east as theirs, knowing they can get away with this lie.
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Native Vedda / January 17, 2026
Tony
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Could you cite reference.
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old codger / January 17, 2026
Tony,
“There was no such thing as the Jaffna Kingdom, nor was there a North or East.”
In case you don’t know, the Bishop of Jaffna belongs to the Church of South India. So, there is your evidence that Jaffna is part of South India. What are you going to do about it? Don’t you think it should be returned?
https://jdcsi.in/
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Rohan25 / January 15, 2026
Naga People: The Jaffna Peninsula was known as “Naga Nadu” in ancient texts (like the 2nd-century AD Manimekalai), inhabited by the Naga people, considered early ancestors of modern Sri Lankan Tamils who adopted Tamil culture.
Cultural Diffusion: Historians suggest cultural and linguistic diffusion from South India occurred well before the arrival of the Sinhalese, with Tamils and Sinhalese sharing common roots in ancient South India.
Medieval Period & Kingdom Formation (5th – 10th Century AD)
Increased Tamil Influence: Tamil influence became more pronounced from the 3rd century BCE, with Tamil mercenaries increasingly present from the 7th century AD.
Tamil Settlements: More permanent Tamil settlements emerged from the 10th century onwards.
Jaffna Kingdom: The Jaffna Kingdom in the north became a major Tamil power, existing alongside Sinhala kingdoms like Kotte and Kandy by the 1500s.
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SJ / January 15, 2026
Read what Indrapala had to say about Nagas.
He holds that they were neither Tamils nor Sinhalese and with passage of time they assumed one or the other ethno-linguistic identity.
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Ajith / January 15, 2026
“He holds that they were neither Tamils nor Sinhalese and with passage of time they assumed one or the other ethno-linguistic identity.”
Have you got any evidence that Sinhala Buddhists live in the North East as majority and if from when?
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SJ / January 15, 2026
Cannot you understand language?
I was only presenting what Indrapala had to say.
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Ajith / January 15, 2026
“I was only presenting what Indrapala had to say.”
what is your understanding of neither Tamil or Sinhalese? Does it mean Sinhalese Buddhists?
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SJ / January 16, 2026
“what is your understanding of neither Tamil or Sinhalese?”
The correct answer to that question from anyone who knows English will be a firm NOTHING
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Rohan25 / January 15, 2026
The Nagas of Sri Lanka were an ancient people, possibly indigenous, who inhabited the island, particularly the Jaffna Peninsula (Naga Nadu), long before the arrival of the Sinhalese and later Tamil migrants, with Sri Lankan Tamils considering them ancestral figures who adopted the Tamil language and culture, continuing traditions like Shaivism and serpent worship (Nakam). The Nagas were significant in early Sri Lankan history, appearing in chronicles and early Tamil texts, and their integration with Tamil culture explains enduring links between Naga traditions, Tamil identity, and Hinduism in the region, with some scholars seeing them as proto-Tamils or an early Tamil tribe
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Rohan25 / January 15, 2026
The Nagas are believed to be one of Sri Lanka’s earliest inhabitants, culturally linked to people in Tamil Nadu, India.
Serpent Worshipers: They are associated with serpent (cobra) worship, known as Nakam in Tamil, a tradition still present in Sri Lankan Tamil culture.
Connection to Sri Lankan Tamils: Sri Lankan Tamils see themselves as descendants of the Nagas, who assimilated into Tamil culture and language over centuries.
Cultural Continuity: The Jaffna Peninsula, referred to as Naga Nadu, was a significant Naga area, highlighting this early connection.
Linguistic Evidence: Ancient Tamil poets sometimes used Naga prefixes/suffixes, indicating a strong bond, and early Tamil texts mention the Naga people and their presence.
Religious Practices: The Nagas’ ancient Hindu Shaivite practices predate Buddhism’s arrival, influencing Tamil Hinduism in Sri Lanka, with sites like the Nainativu Nagapooshani Amman Temple linked to these traditions.
See the link below. This self-hating Tamil who supports Sinhalese Buddhist supremacism thinks he knows far more than everyone else
https://www.dailymirror.lk/print/opinion/Tamils-have-valid-claim-for-homeland-Prof-Pathmanathan/172-126359
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Rohan25 / January 15, 2026
Professor K. Indrapala was a pivotal Sri Lankan historian known for his extensive research on Tamil history, particularly challenging nationalist narratives with evidence suggesting shared ancestry and language evolution between Tamils and Sinhalese, arguing for a common past in Sri Lanka, a view that sparked controversy but laid groundwork for a deeper understanding of Tamil identity beyond separatist claims, notably in his book The Evolution of an Ethnic Identity: The Tamils of Sri Lanka. He highlighted that both groups developed distinct linguistic and religious identities from common roots, with Tamil evolving in parts of the island and Buddhism becoming associated with the Sinhalese, while Saivism dominated among the Tamils after the Cola invasions.
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Rohan25 / January 15, 2026
Indrapala proposed that Tamils and Sinhalese descend from common ancestors in prehistoric Sri Lanka, with North Indian Prakrit dialects evolving into Sinhalese and Tamil becoming dominant in other regions.
Linguistic & Religious Divergence: He explained how language (Tamil vs. Sinhalese) and religion (Saivism vs. Buddhism) became markers of separate ethnic identities, stemming from shared beginnings.
Focus on Inscriptions & Archaeology: A leading epigrapher, he studied Tamil inscriptions and conducted excavations, uncovering new historical evidence for the ancient Tamil presence. Challenging Nationalist Narratives: His research, particularly his doctoral thesis on Dravidian settlements, countered narratives of Tamils arriving much later, suggesting earlier roots but also a complex, evolving history.
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Rohan25 / January 15, 2026
Indrapala’s work was controversial because it didn’t fully align with extreme Tamil nationalist claims of being the island’s first inhabitants from time immemorial, leading to friction with some groups.
Despite controversy, his work provided a crucial academic foundation for understanding the intertwined history of Sri Lankan Tamils and Sinhalese, moving beyond simplistic, politicised versions of the past.
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Rohan25 / January 15, 2026
Here is a link to the Naga of Sri Lanka
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naga_people_(Lanka)
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SJ / January 15, 2026
Indrapala’s work was well researched.
There is no evidence of serpent worship in ancient Tamil culture.
Stop conning.
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Rohan25 / January 16, 2026
Snake worship has been an integral and deeply rooted tradition among ancient Tamils and continues to be prevalent in South India today, particularly in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Even amongst Jaffna Tamils. This practice is part of a wider, ancient Indian cult of “Nagas” (serpents), which predates the arrival of Indo-Aryans and is linked to the Indus Valley Civilisation. Key Aspects of Snake Worship among Ancient Tamils
Deities and Symbolism: Serpents are considered semi-divine beings (Nagas) and are associated with powerful concepts.
Fertility and Progeny: Nagas are widely revered as fertility deities. Childless couples often install stone slabs with snake images (Nāgakals) under sacred trees (like the peepal or banyan) and offer worship to be blessed with children.
Protection and Guardianship: Snakes are seen as protectors of the household, fields (by controlling rodents), and hidden treasures. They are also believed to guard temples and water bodies like rivers and lakes.
Rebirth and Transformation: The shedding of a snake’s skin symbolises immortality, rebirth, and spiritual regeneration.
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Rohan25 / January 16, 2026
Divine Association: Snakes are closely linked with major Hindu deities worshipped by Tamils:
Lord Shiva is often depicted wearing the serpent king Vasuki around his neck as an ornament, symbolising his mastery over death and time.
Lord Vishnu rests on the cosmic serpent Shesha (Ananta) in the ocean of milk, who also supports the earth on his hoods.
Lord Murugan (Subramanya): Is worshipped as the lord of all serpents, and many major snake temples in South India are dedicated to him, such as the Kukke Subramanya Temple in Karnataka and temples in Tamil Nadu.
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Rohan25 / January 16, 2026
Practices and Rituals: The worship involves specific traditional practices.
Sacred Groves (Sarppakavus): Traditional Tamil and Kerala homes often had a dedicated sacred grove (a small, dense patch of forest) in the southwest corner of the ancestral property for the serpent deities.
Offerings: Devotees make offerings of milk, turmeric, and rice powder mixed with ghee and tender coconut water (known as noorum paalum) at anthills or snake idols.
Festivals: The festival of Naga Panchami is widely celebrated, where prayers are offered to serpent deities for protection and prosperity.
Sarpa Dosha: In Vedic astrology and local beliefs, it is widely held that harming a snake or destroying its habitat can lead to a curse called Sarpa Dosha, which is associated with misfortunes like childlessness or skin diseases, and requires specific appeasement rituals.
The enduring presence of these beliefs and practices, as well as mentions in ancient Tamil Sangam literature, highlights the deep cultural and religious significance of snake worship among ancient and modern-day Tamils.
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SJ / January 16, 2026
Stop conning
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Rohan25 / January 16, 2026
Here is another ancient historic temple showing the worship of the Snake, amongst the ancient Naga, the ancestors of most Sri Lankan Tamils. It is from these ancient Dravidian Naga that the Nayar, Nairs, Naickers, and Naidu arose. Look at all the many names common amongst Sri Lankan and other Tamils, Nagarajah, Nagamuttu, Naganathan, Nagiah, Nagamutthu, Nagavalli, Nagammah, even amongst Sinhalese, Nagawatte. The only person conning here is you, and then making an idiot of yourself. You are not all-knowing, just some nasty, evil, spiteful old man full of himself and constantly trolling and trying to put down others he does not like to deliberately reduce their self-esteem and worth, so that they lose their confidence and stop posting here. This is what you call degrading emotional abuse. I know you are trying your best to do this to me, and at times, you recruit others, too. Dont worry, you will not succeed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nainativu_Nagapooshani_Amman_Temple
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SJ / January 16, 2026
“It is from these ancient Dravidian Naga that the Nayar, Nairs, Naickers, and Naidu arose.”
ABSOLUTE BOLLOCKS
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old codger / January 17, 2026
Rohan, Rohan,
“even amongst Sinhalese, Nagawatte. “
Don’t let your enthusiasm for snakes get the better of you. In Sinhalese, it is written as “නාගාහාවත්ත” , clearly a reference to the presence of a “Na” tree at the location, similar to “Kosgashandiya” or “Koswatta”.
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Rohan25 / January 18, 2026
OK OC I stand corrected on that
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SJ / January 18, 2026
oc
The man rattles off nonsense.
Nayar, Nairs, Naickers, Naidu etc (like Nayakan in Tamil) are related to the Sanskrit term Nayaka (lord, leader etc).
Naga will not grammatically decline to become any of these,. The man writes bollocks with no evidence.
There was no serpent worship by Tamils and no literary reference until rather late in history.
He goes on to insult the Yakkas, really Yakshas, a term receiving reference in much of Hindu mythology referring to highly capable beings on par with humans.
Please note that enthusiasm is not the same as obsession.
Can one reason with the obsessed?
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LankaScot / January 19, 2026
Hello OC,
Strange that is exactly the way my wife explained the name to me. She says that Nagahatenna is near her sister’s house outside Matale and there is a Nabadagahawatta a bit further North of Matale nearer to Dambulla.
It’s all confusing to me😎. I presume the Kos is Jack Fruit Tree?
Best regards
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old codger / January 19, 2026
LS,
Yes, many if not most place names in the country have reference to particular landmarks, which include trees,(gaha) mountains (kanda, gala), paddyfields (wela), higher land near a field (goda), or a tank (weva). Deniya means valley, and Peradeniya could mean valley of guava. But that doesn’t quite click because”pera” or guava is an introduced fruit from South America. Nagahatenna means “plain with a Na tree “
Yes, Kos is jackfruit, and there are likely dozens of places named “Koswatta”. The notorious Mihintale monk is called Walawahengunawewe Dhammarathana Thero.
Walawahengunawewe appears to mean “the tank where the bear hid”.
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Native Vedda / January 17, 2026
“He holds that they were neither Tamils nor Sinhalese and with passage of time they assumed one or the other ethno-linguistic identity.”
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He also explained about Language Replacement over time.
However Anaikkottai archaeological excavations are still going on therefore please hold tight until the final report is published. I am told two of our eminent Archaeologists (Nimal Perera and Pushparatnam) are involved in that excavation and unbiased report is expected.
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I do think this has nothing to do with Maoism.
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Rohan25 / January 18, 2026
Correct, however, the vast majority of them, with the passage of time, largely assimilated into the Tamil identity, as most of them lived along the coast, especailly the north, northwestern, north eastern and eastern coasts and traded with the world. They were far more sophisticated than their close kin, the Yakka, who were boorish and very rustic; this is the reason even now, in Sinhalese are very simple and unsophisticated person is still derogatively called a Yakka. The Yakkas predominated in the interior, the south, the west and the highlands. Unlike the outward-looking Naga, who had contact with the outside world and traded heavily with them, through various ports along the north, northwest, and northeast coasts, and had largely adopted proper Tamil around 300 BC as their mother tongue, the Yakka were still speaking some proto or semi-Tamil dialect and were largely ruled by a Naga elite in their areas.
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Rohan25 / January 18, 2026
As per Professor Pathmanathan, wherever the Nagas were concentrated in larger numbers than the Yakkhas, the Tamil language prevailed. Another additional factor is the uninterrupted contact with the coast of South India, from where more and more people were coming into the island. In other places, where the Yakkhas were predominantly large in numbers, the Tamil language could not survive. They retained some traces of it. They adopted Prakrit. In Sinhala, the vocabulary is of Indo-Aryan origin. It is Dravidian in structure. There are three key considerations regarding the languages spoken or used on the island. Prakrit is Indo-Aryan and was introduced to the island after the introduction of Buddhism. It was initially used as a link language. In the course of time, it displaced the other languages in a major part of the island. The origins of some of the place-names in both Sinhala and Tamil could be traced to the lost language
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SJ / January 18, 2026
Are the said archaeologists digging to determine Naga links?
Pushparatnam never even hinted at that to me.
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Rohan25 / January 15, 2026
Chola Conquest & Beyond (10th – 13th Century)
Chola Empire: The Chola Empire from South India conquered the entire island around 1017 AD, shifting the capital from Anuradhapura to Polonnaruwa and significantly impacting Sri Lankan politics and administration.
Kalinga Magha: The invasion by Kalinga Magha (from modern-day Orissa) around 1215, recruiting soldiers from South India, led to the formation of the Jaffna Kingdom and disrupted ancient Sinhala civilisations.
Key Takeaways
Tamils are not newcomers but have a long, continuous history in Sri Lanka, deeply intertwined with the island’s ancient past.
There were early cultural and settlement links with Tamil Nadu, evolving into powerful local Tamil kingdoms like Jaffna.
The history involves periods of coexistence, conflict, and cultural exchange, with Tamils forming distinct communities in the north and east.
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Rohan25 / January 15, 2026
People must realise the king who converted to Buddhism, Devanampiya Tissa, in Pali or Thevanai Nambiya Thessan in Tamil, the meanings are more or less the same in both languages, was a Tamil Saivite Naga. His father was King Mootha( mutha) Sivan, a pure Tamil name meaning the great or venerated Lord Siva, and his brother was King Maha Sivan, meaning the Great Lord Siva. The so-called Sinhalese Dutta Gamini was not a Sinhalese, as there were no Sinhalese people or language 2300 years ago, but was a converted Tamil Naga Buddhist. His father was King Kakkai Vanna Theesan, meaning in Tamil the Black king or the king of the colour of a crow, referring to his dark complexion. Aryan were light-skinned or white and not the dark or the colour of a crow. His other title was Kaavan Theesan, again a pure Tamil title or name meaning the great protector, which is the duty of the king. In Tamil a king is also called Kaavalan, meaning the protector
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SJ / January 15, 2026
“Thevanai Nambiya Thessan”
What bollocks!
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Rohan25 / January 15, 2026
Just like the Thirukural verse Kaavalan Kaavan Enin. This battle, now falsely depicted as a battle between the Sinhalese and Tamils 2300 years ago, to decide who will dominate, is incorrect. This is another Mahavamsa fair tale and a twisting of the truth as to what really happened. This battle was between the newly converted Buddhist Tamil Naga ruling elite and the largely Tamil Yakka converted Buddhist masses, against the ruling Tamil Saivite or Hindu establishment and the Hindu Tamils that were ruling the ancient established capital Anuradhapura, and largely living and occupying these regions. There was no Sinhalese language 2300 years ago, so how can there be a Sinhalese people? That Dutu Gemunu, a young, fit man, finally defeated an old or middle-aged king Ellalan in a one-to-one battle, is another story. It was very brave or extremely foolish of Ellalan to agree to this battle, knowing that the odds were against him, but most probably, he wanted to save unnecessary deaths.
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Rohan25 / January 15, 2026
This battle was between the Tamil Hindu establishment and the newly converted Buddhist Tamil Hindu Naga elite and Yakka masses, as to which religion would dominate the island and had nothing to do with Sinhalese or Tamils. That these converted Tamil Buddhists in the south of the island later corrupted their Tamil with Pali and Prakrit that came with Buddhism, and a few hundred North Indian immigrants to create a new language and identity called Sinhalese by 7 AD is another story, but when this battle took place, they were all Tamils and it was religious and not an ethnic or language war. The fact that there are very ancient shrines and Ishvarams pre-dating Buddhism dedicated to Lord Siva and the Tamil god Murukan, throughout the island, proves the ancient Tamil presence on the island. The provincial council was only the Tamil north and east as one unit, recognising the ancient Tamil homeland in a federal or semi-federal setup with land and police powers for both private and public lands, like an Indian state. There was no provision for the other seven provincial councils in the Sinhalese areas, as it was not needed. JR deliberately did this to even scuttle this and dilute the power of the North East Tamil provincial council, and the Rajapakses went even further, proving it was not the LTTE but the Sinhalese who are the problem
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Professor ANI Ekanayaka / January 15, 2026
This article is valuable if nothing else for the plain historical realities both ancient and modern that have been long been airbrushed out of the false history ( dominated by Mahavansa mythology) of Ceylon with which successive generations of Sinhalese have been deluded and brainwashed.
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SJ / January 15, 2026
Mahavamsa is part myth part history like the Holy Book which a few too many hold to be absolutely true.
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Ajith / January 15, 2026
Did you write the part right history?
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SJ / January 15, 2026
Can you ask your question a little less stupidly?
It is hard I know.
But you may try.
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SJ / January 15, 2026
It seems that you cannot.
We will leave it at that.
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Rohan25 / January 15, 2026
Professor, we cannot solely blame the Sinhalese, either, as the colonial British establishment, with their divide-and-rule policies, deliberately and widely endorsed the blanket Arab only origin Sri Lankan Moor myth, which has now definitely been proven to be a lie, they are descended from South Indian Tamil immigrant Muslim immigrant men, who largely married local Tamil women, and some Sinhalese, or from South Indian Tamil immigrant families, with hardly any Arab ancestry in them, other than in their brainwashed minds and the indigenous Sinhalese Aryan Mahavamsa myth, that the island only belonged to the Sinhalese and the Tamils were outsiders, who only came as invaders and quite recently. The British, like all European colonial powers, were racist to the core and badly wanted to divide their subjects based ona imagined race structure with them at the apex, the so-called White Aryans, then came the lighter-skinned Western Asians and Northern Africans, then the so-called Brown Aryans of South Asia(sic) and the Sinhalese elite and uppper and middle classed lapped up this myth, including the homeless one, just like the Muslims did with the Arab only myth.
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Rohan25 / January 15, 2026
The British never favoured the Tamils; they only used them for their brains and brawn, but always favoured the Sinhalese and Northern Indians. This is why the Tamils, especially the ones in Sri Lanka, are now in this pickle. The LTTE could have helped the Tamils, but later they also became brutal, lost their way and made things worse for them. The British united the then-divided Sinhalese and Tamil parts of the island to create a new colony called Ceylon in 1833, making the Tamils, who were a 100% majority in their own land, a minority in the entire island, and the Sinhalese who until then were confined to the southern parts of the island, a majority in the whole island, and then made Colombo in the heart of the Sinhalese homeland the administrative and economic capital, for their own convenneince and largely neglected the Tamil areas. When they left in 1948, they handed over power to the Sinhalese majority, including the Tamil/ Tamil speaking minorities who then made up around 33% of the population, with hardly any safeguards and what happened next is history. They had no right to have done this; to create a unitary state without consulting the Tamil people, they should hav
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SJ / January 15, 2026
Certainly true for their brawn. Tamils were the biggest component of indentured labour from South Asia to be taken to work in plantations in the colonies.
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Kindly tell us what the Brits did with the chosenTamil brains?
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Read some Indian history before commenting on who were favoured by the Brits.
Tamil Brahmins played both sides well during the independence struggle.
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BTW, did they favour the Malayalis?
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Rohan25 / January 15, 2026
Definitely not with your sly, nasty, evil brains, this is wh,y despite trying to remain in Britain permanently, the British were aware of the nasty, spiteful,l evil you with some twisted brain and sent you packing to Sri Lanka, making you even more nasty spiteful, and evil with an intense hatred towards your fellow Tamils, especially the diaspora, as you could not be part of them. Tamils were not the biggest component of indentured labour from South Asia; they were largely sent to Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Singapore, and some to parts of South Africa, but many Hindi speakers were also sent to Fiji, South Africa, Mauritius, Caribean and later, after independence Britian recruited many Punjabi both from India and Pakistan as factory fodder to the British midlands, where their descendants largley live. Sinhalese were also recruited and sent to Australia, but were found not suitable and hardworking, so their recruitment stopped
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SJ / January 15, 2026
Words of personal abuse that one hurls at another are a declaration of ones own identity.
Thank you for the self revelation.
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Rohan25 / January 16, 2026
You are the one who is constantly trolling, resorting to abuse, and then, when others retaliate, accuse them of it. Look at all your nasty trolling of me and the constant nasty, sarcastic, demeaning comments against me that I constantly have to put up with, as you do not like what I state, deliberately trying to put me down, and discredit me. Not only do you do it, but you even get your elves to do this. Trying to make me worthless, useless and give up. This is called emotional abuse. You are very good at it. Dont worry, it will not work on me. I can see through you. Now crying foul, what you dish out to me constantly. Now run to mummy, old man.
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Rohan25 / January 16, 2026
Wants to constantly dish out abuse, constantly troll people whom he does not like here or whose views he does not agree with, emotionally abuse them so that they will ultimately lose confidence and self esteem and leave, but like a typical school yard bully, he cannot take it when its dished back to him or someone has had enough and retaliates, runs to mummy or teacher crying foul and I am being victimised and when he started the whole thing.
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Rohan25 / January 15, 2026
Please refer to a place named Badagini in Victoria, Australia. Lots of Malayali and Telugu were also recruited and sent as indentured labour even to Sri Lanka. You know this snake and now slither back to your miserable hole.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baddaginnie
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SJ / January 15, 2026
I said that “Tamils were the biggest component”.
That does not exclude others
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Rohan25 / January 16, 2026
No, they were not and dont lie, Hindi speakers were the biggest. Tamils were the biggest component, sent to Sri Lanka, Malaysia, andSingapore. While Hindi-speaking North Indians formed the largest component of those formally recruited under the contract indenture system for distant colonies like the Caribbean and Fiji, Tamils constituted the largest overall regional component of South Asian labour migration when including the regional Kangani system. Formal Indenture System (Hindi/Bhojpuri Dominance)
Most labourers recruited through formal long-term written contracts between 1834 and 1920 originated from North India’s “Hindi Belt,” specifically the Bhojpuri and Awadhi-speaking regions of eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Destinations: This group was the vast majority in Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, and Fiji.
Mauritius: As the largest single recipient of Indian indentured migrants, it received nearly 700,000 labourers, primarily from North India, though it also had significant Tamil, Telugu, and Marathi populations.
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SJ / January 16, 2026
Indentured labour migration occurred mainly from regions under direct British rule.
Tamils also went as indentured labour to Fiji, Madagascar, South Africa, and Trinidad among others. Even today, Tamils nationalists take pride in Tamil speakers in these ex-colonies.
Hindi is spoken in Mauritius, Suriname, Nepal, Trinidad and Tobago, and South Africa.
Compare the populations at appropriate periods and totals will tell a fuller story when you also note that Hindi speakers refers to several North Indian nationalities. (Biharis were a large contingent.)
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BTW
Malayalis migrated for all manner of jobs all over the world. But not as indentured labour.
Kannadigas did not emigrate as indentured labour.
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There is no shame in being sent as labourers under force, but vain nationalist boast about the intellectual and physical superiority of any race must bow to reality.
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SJ / January 18, 2026
None of it is enough to deflate Tamil predominance among indentured South Asian Labour.
Look at global totals by linguistic identity of immigrants.
You say “Tamils constituted the largest overall regional component of South Asian labour migration when including the regional Kangani system.”
Do I need to contest it. No.
The Kangani system was an effective way of sustaining indentured labour.
Thank you.
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Rohan25 / January 16, 2026
Kangani System (Tamil Dominance)
Tamils from South India were the primary group for regional migration under the Kangani (or maistry) system, which relied on collective recruitment via family or village networks rather than individual written contracts.
Scale: Tamil migration was the largest regional component of Indian emigration during the colonial era, with over 1.5 million ethnic Tamils enumerated in other colonies by 1931.
Destinations: Tamils were the dominant labour force in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Malaya (Malaysia/Singapore), and Burma (Myanmar), working mainly on tea, rubber, and coffee plantations.
South Africa: In the Natal colony, while many spoke Bhojpuri or Awadhi, a majority of the 152,000+ indentured arrivals were speakers of Tamil and Telugu.Summary of Major Groups
Hindi/Bhojpuri speakers: Predominated in the transoceanic formal indenture system (Caribbean, Fiji, Mauritius).
Tamil speakers: Predominated in the regional Kangani system (Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka) and formed a significant portion of the labour force in South Africa and Mauritius.
Dont try to be too smart. Nasty man
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SJ / January 16, 2026
How the Tamil became indentured labour is irrelevant to the fact that they were all in effect indentured labour.
Africans were taken as slaves in a variety of ways.
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Hindi/Bhojpuri speakers
Stop cheating..
Maithili and Bhojpuri are not dialects of Hindi but unique languages with a long history.
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Rohan25 / January 18, 2026
Getting desperate, are we after being caught out? Maithili, Bhojpuri, and Awadhi Etc, are different and unique languages and far older than Hindi or Khari Bholi Hindi, one of India’s two official languages, the other being English, and the language of the Delhi/Agra region. However, they are all very close sister languages and are all considered part of the Hindi Belt. Stop trying to be silly and stupid. Tamils or Tamil speakers may be the largest group of indentured labour that was sent around the Asian region(Sri Lanka, Burma, Malaysia) and South Africa, but the indentured labour that was sento the various parts of the world by the British from the Hindi belt and parts of Bengal, especially to Fiji, Mauritius and the Caribbean, far outnumber the Tamil speakers. You really are a treat and really very nasty and spiteful. Shame on you.
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SJ / January 18, 2026
You dumped all of them into Hindi speakers.
Ate you not tired of cheating?
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Rohan25 / January 19, 2026
They are part of the Hindi speaking world. Pathetic, not gracious enough to admit he made a mistake.
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SJ / January 15, 2026
Language skills do not seem to come easy to you.
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Rohan25 / January 16, 2026
Nothing comes easily to you, other than spite, venom and evil and trying to degrade people whom you do not like or agree with. Hope you understand, as language skills come very easily to you, especially the language of spite, venom and hate.
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SJ / January 16, 2026
OK, I will correct myself:
Your language skills are pathetic or you distort willlfully.
Make your choice.
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Naman / January 15, 2026
Is there a possibility of having an Election ONLY to have a combined N&E Provincial Council ?
The AKD ‘s government be functional for the REST of the country.
We don’t need 9 Provincial governments with more of the corrupt politicians to WASTE government funds
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SJ / January 15, 2026
“Is there a possibility of having an Election ONLY to have a combined N&E Provincial Council ?”
How can an election achieve that?
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Tony / January 15, 2026
Tamil Nadu is the answer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Rohan25 / January 15, 2026
Good, please migrate there and also take half the present-day so-called Sinhalese population also with you, as their ancestors largely migrated from South India post 15Th century. The only thing is they will definitely not want you to return. Will consider you as their discards
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Native Vedda / January 19, 2026
Tony
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Your long lost cousin in India is presenting a view of Sri Lanka in the following video clip:
Why are Tamils so Sensitive About Sri Lanka? | By Ankit Singh | StudyIQ IAS English
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO8GeFDCmo0
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Please feel free to have a go at you cousin.
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Douglas / January 15, 2026
What has Dilith got RIGHT?
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Tony / January 15, 2026
Who remembers Tam1l loan sharks?
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Pundit / January 16, 2026
“We will never know peace if we lose the present because we are trapped in the past and paralyzed by the future” – Unknown.
Thank goodness the younger generation does not dwell on this clap trap. Move on folks.
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Rohan25 / January 16, 2026
The past is very important for the present and future, especially when a fake past, fake origin, and fairy tale have been used to legislate, justify and discrimante one group of people by another. It may be claptrap to you, as you were not affected by this and had been a beneficiary of this discrimination, but not for the people who were affected by this. Proving how selfish and insensitive you really are, trying to whitewash and airbrush what really happened in the name of the past. If people, including the younger generation are not made aware of what happened in the name of a fake history and past, and to justify ethnic cleansing and discrimination by the Sinhalese state, that made this island broke and now a beggar state in the name of Sinhalese Buddhism, like in Nazi Germany and the real history of the island and no meaningful redress for the injustices of the past nothing will improve. Understood,. Don’t try to be smart and try to whitewash. What happened may be crap to you, and we also may be crap, but we are not. Pathetic.
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SJ / January 16, 2026
Which sectarian bigot does not fake his past?
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SJ / January 16, 2026
“…and we also may be crap, but we are not. Pathetic.
So he is not crap but plain pathetic.
How true!
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Rohan25 / January 17, 2026
To a Tamil Quisling like you, Sebastian SR, another new apologist and justifier of state sponsored Sinhalese racism, against Tamils, who has now recently appeared on the scene, and your band of elves, upholding Sinhalese Buddhist supremacism and the fake history and myths justifying this supremacism, any Tamil asking for accountability, redress, justice and safeguards for their lands, history, heritage from future Sinhalase agression and fake Arab Islamic fundamentalism, that is being funded by certain Western Asian and South Asian, nations, is a bigot and a racist. You want the current status quo to continue with no accountability, justice for all the war crimes and structural genocide against the Tamils to continue, all swept under the blanket, airbrushed, with feel-good stories and fairy tales, fake history, the younger generation never told the truth or the actual history of what really happened as to the reason and why the country became a bankrupt beggar nation and learn to to repeat this mistake, like in Germany after world war 2.
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Rohan25 / January 17, 2026
Yes, all the people who demanded accountability then were all bigots and racists. However, all you hypocrites want responsibility for the Palestinians and other downtrodden people, but not for the island’s Tamils, as it does not affect you and makes you feel good and wonderful—hypocritical old snake. Remember, justice and charity begin at home. Crying about another man’s family and wife being abused, whilst doing the same thing at home. If all these racist war criminals, who committed all these atrocities, looting the country, using fake history and myths and in the name of Sinhalese Buddhism, with no accountability or punishment for what they did, but instead praised as War heroes and Golden Heroes or whatever and put on a pedestal, Saviours of the Sinhalese, then there will be no fear that wrong doing will not be punished, but be rewareded and this rot will continue. Most probably, you benefit from this too, and this is what you want. If some idiots here think you are some rational thinker, then they must be bonkers and mad.
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Nathan / January 17, 2026
I am tired of reading responses to those who sound holier than thou.
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SJ / January 18, 2026
Good
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Native Vedda / January 19, 2026
Nathan
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“I am tired of reading responses to those who sound holier than thou.”
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Don’t worry nobody takes him seriously although he is a retired professor. He uses Mao’s Red Book for his reference and justifies Banda/Weeping Widow for entertainment.
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MongolianThroatSinger / January 19, 2026
Brevity is sadly an alien concept today.. ! After all, why bother to make a concise argument when it is possible to write reams and reams of boring rigmarole which is tiresome to read. perhaps it’s the belief that “quantity” trumps “quality”.
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