By C.V. Wigneswaran –
Justice C.V. Wigneswaran MP
Someone asked me; Hon’ Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe has “advised” the Tamils not to boycott the Presidential Election nor put up a Common candidate on behalf of the Tamils. What have you to say about his “advise”?
My response was: According to news reports in the Tamil Papers, Hon’ Minister thinks such an action would divide the Tamils in the Island. His “advise” is that the Tamil Parties must vote for a non – communal candidate from one of the National Alliances. He has said a Tamil Candidate would only get support from the North and East and not elsewhere. The Tamils outside the North East would not vote for such a Candidate. This would polarize the Tamils.
Further he has said the Tamil candidate would not win the Election. In such an event the winning Sinhala Candidate would not forgive the Tamils of the North East. He has gone on to say that the Tamils no doubt would have various problems. But they should identify a proper Sinhala leader and support such Leader. They could get their claims included in the manifesto of such a Leader’s Party and obtain the benefits from such Leader, once he is elected. We must go back to the days of Independence where differences among Tamils, Sinhalese and the Muslims were not accentuated.
I do not know if my Honourable friend Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe has stated anything else in this regard.
Let me deal with his “advise”. His “advise” shows that he does not know anything about the expectations of the North Eastern Tamils. He is not even aware why various communities in 1948 were united.
I must remind Hon’ Rajapakshe of our History if he is to appreciate the expectations of the Tamils of the North and East. Many of our Politicians Sinhala or others, are unaware of the history of this Island. Let me briefly state the salient features of our History –
1. Tamil Language has been spoken in this Island for over 3000 years continuously. (Vide Professor Indrapala’s Book – The Evolution of an Ethnic Identity – The Tamils of Sri Lanka circa 300 BCE to circa 1200 CE).
2. Buddhism was introduced during the 3rd century BCE. At the time Buddhism was introduced there were only Tamil speaking Kings. The Tamils received Buddhism into this Country. (Vide reference to Buddhism in Tamil literature viz. Manimehalai in second century CE).
3. There was no Sinhala language born still at the time Buddhism was introduced into the Island. All converts to Buddhism at that time were the Tamil speaking.
4. With Buddhism came the Pali language. The Mahawansa and the Atta Katha were all written in Pali. There is no reference to the Sinhala language nor the Sinhalese people in the Mahawansa. On the contrary there is reference to over 30 Tamil Petty Kings whom Dushta Kamini (Dutugemunu) had to overcome before meeting the Tamil Hindu King Ellalan in Anuradhapura. Dushta Kamini was a Tamil Buddhist. The Sinhala language was still to be born when he lived.
5. The Modern Sinhala language was born or came into use only in the 6th and 7th Century AD. The first Sinhala inscription, the Sigiriya Cave Paintings were found in the 6th and 7th Century AD. Whatever were the preceding languages that gave birth to the Sinhalese language, they were not identified as the Sinhalese language at that time.
6. The Sinhala language was a mixture of Tamil and Pali and may be also some Veddha dialects.
Today in Chennai there is a new language being formed. It might be called Tamlish in another 25 years. It is a mixture of Tamil and English.
Just like that when people who were Tamil speaking used Pali words profusely a new language came into being in the 6th or 7th Century AD. That language was the Sinhala language.
1. The Tamil speaking people were the original inhabitants of this Island. They existed from the time the Kumari Kandam or Lemurian Continent now under the Indian Ocean, was in existence. There were no doubt influx of Pandiyas, Pallavas, Cholas, Cheras and the Arya Chakrawarthis at different times. But they added to the original Tamil indigenous population which can be traced back to the time of the Kumari Kandam.
Let me at this stage refer to Professor Dr.K.Indrapala’s views regarding the Sinhalese and the Tamils. He has said that the Sinhalese and the Tamils of Sri Lanka are descended from common ancestors who lived in Sri Lanka in prehistoric and proto historic times and have a shared history going back to over 2000 years.
The evolution of the Sinhala and the Sri Lankan Tamil identities was a process that continued until modern times with various South Indian (Telugu, Kerala, Kannada and Tulu) as well as South East Asian (Malay) elements contributing to both groups, apart from elements from each group getting assimilated with the other.
In recent times DNA tests have shown the Sinhalese to be descended from the Dravidians.
Having said this, let me respond to what my friend Hon’ Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe has said recently –
2. Voting for a Tamil Presidential candidate would polarize the Tamils. The Tamils outside the North and East would not vote for the Tamil Candidate.
My response – The only reason why the Tamils outside the North and East may not want to vote for a Tamil Candidate would be fear of reprisals from the Sinhalese. They have seen the 1958, 1961, 1977, 1983 pogroms apart from other skirmishes. By mentioning this polarization story my learned friend is trying to tell the Tamils outside the North and East “Look Tamils outside the North and East! if you vote for your Tamil Candidate a further pogrom would not be impossible”. In other words the polarization story is a threat to the Tamils outside the North and East. He dare not say that to the Tamil speaking people of the North and East because they are the majority in those areas from ancient times.
3. Since the Tamil Candidate would not win the Election, the Sinhala winner will punish the Tamils who vote for the Tamil Candidate.
My response – He speaks as if the Sinhalese who won Presidentships so for with Tamil Votes have solved the problems of the Tamils. At every stage we found Sinhala hegemony being foisted on the Tamils of the North and East. North and East are now an occupied Territory. Nearly 200000 Military persons occupy the North and East now. How could any further calamity fall upon the Tamils?
4. Why not join the Sinhala Candidates and get what the Tamils want?
My response – We have tried that for 75 years and got nothing. We have seen only the implementation of a hidden Sinhala concocted agenda to chase out the Tamils from the Island, reduce their numbers and set up a Sinhala Buddhist Country changing the demography content of the North and East.
5. Why cannot we go back to the time of Independence when all communities lived amicably?
My response – Under the British this was possible because the Sinhalese, Tamils and others were all sets of communities with equal rights. The English language bound them together. The way of life of the different communities in their areas of residence were not disturbed by the British.
How could we go back to the time Independence now? The “Sinhala Only” in 1956 have made the Sinhalese believe the entire Country is a Sinhala Buddhist Country in which certain minorities live. But this is not true. The Tamils are the majority in the North and East from pre historic times even before the Sinhala language was born.
The Tamils had their own kingdom when the Westerners came here. The majority in the seven Provinces have started to dominate the majority in the two Provinces (North and East) having obtained the reins of Government from the British by deception. A book explaining the details of this deception is now under preparation. We have not made at least these languages English, Tamil and Sinhala compulsory throughout the Island even now, to ensure that our people understood each other.
My learned friend had stated all these to stop a Tamil contesting the Presidential Election. If a Tamil contests, the Tamil votes may not go to any Sinhala Candidate and he would be hard pressed to get the 50% votes of those who vote at the Election.
The reasons that could be placed before the people of Sri Lanka to invite a Tamil person to contest at the Presidential Election are as follows;
1. The voice of the Tamils of North and East who are the majority in the two Provinces for over 3000 years, has been so far ignored by the Sinhalese leaders from the time of Independence It is high time to remind the Sinhalese that we are not mere minorities but the majority in the North and East, despite all the land grabbing, Sinhalisation and Buddhistisation that have been taking place in the North and East under succeeding Sinhala Presidents and Sinhala majority Governments.
2. It is high time a Sinhala speaking Tamil reminds the Sinhala speaking majority in the Island in their own tongue, of the several trials and tribulations the Tamils have been facing so far at the hands of the ethnocratic Sinhala majority.
3. It is high time the world at large comes to know of our plight while the Tamil Candidate contests the post of Presidency.
4. It is high time the Tamil Leaders of Parties in the North and East selected a Tamil person well versed in the three languages Tamil, Sinhala and English to speak to the audience throughout the Island, of the problems of the Tamils.
5. It is high time that the Tamils reminded the majority community in the Island that Unity among the Tamil speaking in the North and East could adversely affect the Sinhala Candidates at the Election.
Hope my dear friend Hon’ Wijeyadasa, would realize the plight of the Tamils presently and act while he is in power to ameliorate their lot politically, socially and economically. At least let him ensure an Amnesty for the remaining Tamil political prisoners before he relinquishes office.
*Justice C.V. Wigneswaran, Member of Parliament – Jaffna District
SJ / January 7, 2024
“The Tamil speaking people were the original inhabitants of this Island. They existed from the time the Kumari Kandam or Lemurian Continent now under the Indian Ocean, “
*
Is this a voice from Kumari Kandam?
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menace / January 7, 2024
What a dumb thing to say if Tamils are the original inhabitants then why would the genetic studies done on ancients if sl say that Sinhalese and veddas as the closest descendants but where is sl or it might be cause the sl Tamils were immigrants who landed in 12 th century
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Lanka Canuck / January 7, 2024
Which genetic study says so? Can you cite evidence? Please check the most recent (2023) genetic study conducted jointly by Indian and Sri Lankan DNA scientists which covered the Sinhalese, the Sri Lankan Tamils, the Indian Tamils, the Muslims, the Malays and the Veddahs. See what Dr. Ruwandi Ranasinghe, a senior scientist at the University of Colombo’s comments on this study. The study findings also shows that: “The differences between the major ethnic groups are minimal except in the case of the Veddahs who stand out as a separate cluster. The Veddahs are the most distinct group but are a little close to the Sri Lankan Tamils.”
Let’s see what the earlier researchers say about Veddas,
The Veddas, the aborigines of Sri Lanka are considered to descend from the hunting tribe called Vettar in South India or to the Savaras of India or the Mundari people (Hugh Nevill 1886, Seligmann 1911, Parker 1909). Whatever the historical and literary reference may be, it is evident that a group called Veddas have lived in the jungle solitude in Sri Lanka throughout and remained in complete isolation for 2,500 years. Today, the identification of Veddas has become quite controversial for most of them have been absorbed into the main communities. They range from fully Sinhalized groups in the South to the fully Tamilized groups in the Eastern coastal belt of Sri Lanka. (Brow, J. 1978).
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SJ / January 9, 2024
“The Veddas, the aborigines of Sri Lanka are considered to descend from the hunting tribe called Vettar in South India or to the Savaras of India or the Mundari people (Hugh Nevill 1886, Seligmann 1911, Parker 1909). “
*
This piece of etymology is a little shaky.
The Veddahs are so called because they were hunters which is “vEdar” in Tamil.
The Veddas never called themselves that. They call themselves ‘aeththO’.
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SJ / January 8, 2024
m
“sl Tamils were immigrants who landed in 12 th century”
Untrue.
Archaeological studies point to Tamil presence in the centuries BC.
There were no nations but natives and immigrants fro different parts of India, and even west asia or Africa.
What does it matter? Cannot we learn to coexist the way we did for most of the life of this country before the past century?
*
The man knows no geology, some confused history perhaps, and no linguistics but picks up rubbish and regurgitates it on these pages to provoke communal tension.
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Lester / January 8, 2024
menace,
“cause the sl Tamils were immigrants who landed in 12 th century”
The main point is, they are not indigenous. Either they came as invaders (Cholas), intermarried with Sinhalese kings (Pandyans), were originally Telugu-speaking but later adapted Tamil as their mother tongue, or were brought by the Dutch to cultivate (Vellalar). In fact, when you see the genetic studies, that SL Tamils are closer to Sinhalese than Indian (hill country) Tamils, what does that tell you? That they have lost their connection to Tamil Nadu via millennia of genetic distancing. Counterarguments claiming Tamils are indigenous are rather silly: (1) Tamil is the mother of all languages, (2) all Dravidian languages (and all Dravidian people!) are derived from Tamil, (3) Tamil fishermen built a few shrines in the North & East, (4) Tamils were the original “Buddhists.” I have had this argument with such fanatics more than 20 years ago. If you take it far enough, they will claim even Sanskrit is derived from Tamil. The best written history of ancient times is Mahavamsa/Dipavamsa.
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Lanka Canuck / January 8, 2024
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***The best written history of ancient times is Mahavamsa/Dipavamsa???***
The Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhist Chronicle ‘Deepavamsa & Mahavamsa’ written in Pali during the 4-6th century AD covered the period between 6th century BC and 4th century AD, is believed to be one of Asia’s longest unbroken written historical accounts in chronological order, had much to say about the history of India where Buddhism originated. It has been a major source for Indian historians as well because Indian history has been oral rather than written.
However, Ven. Mahanama Thero who compiled the Mahavamsa never expected to write a history of the island with evidence and facts because accurate material and data were not available to him in the 6th century AD. He compiled most of the documentation with his imagination as a chronicle of the famous Theravada Buddhist Institution known as the ‘Mahavihara’ that believed in the purity and superiority of Buddhism. Those Dravidian kings and their followers who converted to Buddhism were highly devoted to the Mahavihara and their religion. The description of the events in the Mahavamsa has a very strong Theravada Buddhist flavor (political in nature) and due to this bias, the history was modified to glorify those kings of the Anuradhapura kingdom who patronized this institution and followed/supported Theravada Buddhism.
Continued…
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Lanka Canuck / January 8, 2024
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However, during the early period before converting to Buddhism, most of the kings were Tamil and Prakrit speaking Saivaite Dravidians such as Muta Siva, Maha Siva and so on. Those Saivaite Dravidian Chieftains/Kings (strong devotees of Lord Siva) who rejected Buddhism were portrayed as either ‘bad kings’, or ‘good kings but usurpers or invaders’. As evidence, at the end of every chapter, the Mahavamsa says it is written for the ‘serene joy and emotion of the pious’ (for the glorification of Theravada Buddhism). In other words, no real history could be compiled without facts and evidence and therefore at the end of all the chapters he plainly and apologetically remarked, I am writing this for readers’ satisfaction and excitement mixed with piety.
In doing so, the Theravada Buddhism of the Mahavihara established its supremacy in the island over all others (Saivism, Vaishnavism, Jainism, Mahayana Buddhism, etc.). Since the majority of the Dravidian Tamils were Saivaites (not Theravada Buddhists) they became enemies of the Mahavihara monks not because they were Tamil Dravidians but because they were mostly Saivaites, opponents of Theravada Buddhism.
However, the Mahavamsa never mentioned the ethnicity of the Theravada Buddhist kings (Dravidians of different clan, ILambakkannas, Moriyar, Nagas). The Culavamsa refers to the existence of the Lambakarna clan in the Pandya country also.
Continued…
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Lanka Canuck / January 8, 2024
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It was the result of the quarrel between Mahavihara and others that portrayed the Saivaite Tamil kings as ‘invaders and usurpers of the throne’. The Mahavamsa author by trying to discredit those Saivaite Dravidian Tamils who rebelled against imposing Buddhism ended up in unwittingly admitting/reveling the truth by confirming the presence/existence of Saivaite Tamil inhabitants and Saivaite Tamil kings and Chieftains in the entire land beyond the Mahaveli River during the early historic period. Not only were the Saivaite Tamils, even the Dravidian Mahayana Buddhists of Abhayagiri and the Jain (nigantha) were their rivals.
The common people of the island (Prakrit and Tamil speaking Dravidians) did not maintain any historical records but the Mahavihara monks had a tradition of preserving the historical records of the rulers, praising and glorifying those kings who helped them and their institutions while vilifying others (Saivaite Dravidians) just because they were not Theravada Buddhists. For example, they made king Dutugemunu a superhero and exclusively allocated 11 chapters, almost half the Mahavamsa is devoted to him because he was very generously helping the Mahavihara monks and their institutions. They have gone to the extent of telling Duttugemunu, ‘if a person kills a person who is not a Buddhist, he has not killed a human being and therefore should have no remorse’.
Continued…
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Lanka Canuck / January 8, 2024
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According to them (as per Mahavamsa), whoever did not belong to the ‘Buddhasasana’ was regarded as ‘micchaditthi’ (wrong believer) and ‘dussila’ (evil doer) and ‘passuma’ (like a beast).
The Sinhala Society has been built on mainly three mythologies viz, Buddha`s visit to Sri Lanka, Advent of Prince Vijaya, and King Dutugemunu`s war to vanquish king Elara. None of these Myths have any archeological evidence to prove. It’s only an imagination of the Mahavihara monks who authored the Pali chronicles.
Even the so called ‘Invasion’ theory of the Mahavamsa (any ruler other than a Theravada Buddhist was considered as an invader or a usurper) only talks about the replacement of the king (not the people) at the Anuradhapura kingdom by the Cholas or Pandyas (Dravidian Tamil clan of South India). If the Chola and Pandyan kings who ruled the island happen to be Theravada Buddhists, the Pali chronicles would have never called them invaders/usurpers but praised them as well. The Dravidian Tamil people were already living in the island (irrespective of who the king was) very much before the so called arrival of mythical ‘Prince Vijaya’ or the arrival of Indo-Aryans from North India (more than 3000 years). Calling the Dravidian Tamil people as invaders who came along with the Cholas or Pandyas from South India is another biggest Myth ever told.
Continued…
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Lanka Canuck / January 8, 2024
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The ethnic conflict between the Sinhalese and Tamils began only during/after the British rule when the British re-discovered the Mahavamsa in the 19th century AD. Based on the uncritical acceptance of the local chronicles, the Mahavamsa’s contents (Myth) which portrayed the glorified Theravada Buddhist viewpoint against others was used by the European Orientalist scholars (Colonial historians) and the local historians who followed them to misinterpret or rather misrepresented the Sri Lankan history to prop up the theory that Sri Lanka was, and is, a Theravada Buddhist Sinhala country or rather a Sinhala Buddhist country and the Dravidian Tamils were, and are invaders (interloper and not indigene) which undoubtedly has conditioned the minds of the Sinhala Buddhists over the years (Mahavamsa mindset). The Sinhala-Buddhists are brought up, grew up, evolved and metamorphosed in this Mythical Mahavamsa mindset which is engraved in their sub-conscious minds. It was only in the 19th century AD (during/after British rule), the Sinhalese started to believe in the myth that they are Aryans who descend from the North Indian ‘Prince Vijaya’ who created the Sinhala ‘Lion race’ and they are the proper inhabitants of Sri Lanka where as the Dravidian Tamils are outsiders/foreigners. They strongly, genuinely and reverently believe that this little tear shaped island belongs to the Lion race, the chosen people of Buddha.
Continued…
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Lanka Canuck / January 8, 2024
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In other words, a true Sri Lankan should be a Sinhalese and a true Sinhalese should be a Buddhist. Sinhala Buddhist nationalists base their arguments of ‘birth rights’ of the Sinhala race on this mythological imagination (mythical ideology) of the Mahavamsa. Out of their ignorance and innocence (naïve) they are hell bent on clinging on to this Myth at any cost and not prepared to think beyond the Mahavamsa and are prepared for self-ruination rather than re-writing this myth. The Sinhala politics in Sri Lanka has always been based on this Mahavamsa Myth. This naturally irked the politically marginalized Tamils who in turn accuse the Sinhala Buddhists of having a “domineering Mahavamsa Mindset” which is the root cause of the island’s ethnic conflict. In order to fully establish the Sinhala-Buddhist hegemony in the country, now they are coming up with a new story that Buddha was a Sinhalese born in Sri Lanka.
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Mahila / January 11, 2024
LC,
Very enlightening indeed!!
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old codger / January 9, 2024
Lester,
“The best written history of ancient times is Mahavamsa/Dipavamsa.”
Ah yes, certainly! So does Lester the great historian take good care of his leonine tail in the morning? Does he use a special comb? Does he use only the best quality flea powder, even though his fleas are high caste Brahmin ?
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SJ / January 9, 2024
oc
Be fair by the text. It was the only decent chronology of events in any part of South Asia at that time.
I do not deny bias and the harm done by the rather unnecessary Vijaya legend.
But it was composed centuries after the alleged event.
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Lester / January 10, 2024
SJ,
As far as I know, no Sinhalese person actually believes a lion mated with a woman. Just like, no Christian actually believes Jesus was born to a “virgin” Mary, or humans were created out of dust. On the other hand, there is something called “archeological evidence” to corroborate many of the events in Mahavamsa.
https://www.mahawansaya.com/uploads/gallery/big/Dakkhina-Stupa-37.jpg
That is Eelara’s tomb. The tomb is mentioned in Mahavamsa. The reason for the existence of the tomb is mentioned as well. Once you make the assumption that Mahavamsa is a fairy tale, you still have to explain why these places (100’s) plus rock inscriptions (1000’s) plus ola leaf inscriptions exist. If the answer is “because a handful of Tamils converted to Buddhism”, you have failed the exam : (
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notohypocrisy / January 10, 2024
Lester,
“As far as I know, no Sinhalese person actually believes a lion mated with a woman.”
That shows how much YOU know about the Sinhalese. Why don’t you ask all those guys with “Sinha-le” stickers on their cars? Or don’t you know what that means?
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davidthegood / January 10, 2024
Lester, Luke 1,31 says “You will conceive in your womb and bring forth the Son Jesus” Luke 2,5 says “Joseph went with his betrothed wife who was with child” for census. VS. 7 She gave birth in a cattle shed as there was no room for them in the inn. Also human bodies consist of dust elements but God breathed his spirit to give life. When we die we go back to dust and his spirit returns to him. But our soul got formed so we could have free will and the soul not accepting God will be judged. See how wrong humans are.
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LankaScot / January 10, 2024
Hello Davidthegood,
The vast majority of the heavy elements that are essential for life – like Phosphorous, Magnesium, Silicon, Calcium and Iron were created in a Super Nova (explosion of a star). So in the words of the song “we are stardust” not God’s dust.
Best regards
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davidthegood / January 11, 2024
LankaScot, You believe a song, but I believe the bible. Hence we think differently
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Lester / January 10, 2024
Old Codger,
High caste/high IQ Brahmins rejected the fake freedom struggle. Jayalilitha compared Prabhakaran to Osama Bin Laden and called the LTTE as terrorists.
Q. What about the Sri Lankan Tamils in the State?
A. We have already enunciated our policy with regard to Sri Lankan Tamils – refugees and the militants. The LTTE is just another terrorist group and we will deal with the menace as we would with any terrorist organisation.
What a brilliant lady, she is the true definition of Brahmin. That’s why the scoundrel Periyar was determined to kick the Brahmins out of TN. Weak minds become agitated in the presence of higher minds.
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Pandi Kutti / January 10, 2024
High caste Jayalalitha may not have like Prapakaran but she also did not like the Chingkallams. Called the Chingkallams a bunch of evil racists and wanted the Sri Lankan state and the Rajapussies prosecuted for war crimes. What a brilliant Brahmin lady. What do you think of high caste high IQ Thamizh Brahmin posting pro Thamizh message here. Brilliant too because he is Brahmin and high caste?
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Pandi Kutti / January 10, 2024
I thought you Chingkallams constantly say caste is not an issue but you and the rest of the Chingkallams constantly worhip Brahmins as they are high caste and worship and only high caste racist scoundrels, most of whom have a recent immigrant South Indian Thamizh ancestry, as they beat the anti Thamizh drum. This is the biggest joke, ancestors arrived from Thamizh South India post 15Th century and now the biggest anti Thamizh and ardent supporters of the Chingkalla Buddhist Aryan half lion half human origin.
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Lester / January 10, 2024
It is true that JJ called Mahinda a war criminal. This type of allegation is leveled against numerous politicians, including Bush, Blair, Obama, Sunak and now Netanyahu. It doesn’t matter as long as there is no arrest warrant. Prabhakaran had an arrest warrant. The fake freedom struggle was even banned in Tamil Nadu. That is the key point.
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Mahila / January 11, 2024
True enough!!??? Don’t bother about it but keep going and test the feeling of the followers, who are the sole arbiters!!! May be if any attempt is made to “Starve” them again, there may also be, B___y Revolt, with very harmful effects!!! One mistake is forgiven, but repetition may SPELL Utter DISASTER for all!!??
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Lester / January 10, 2024
Jayalalitha never said anything bad about “Sinhalese.” All she said is that the killing of Balachandran was a war crime, because of his age. This is true, a 12 year old child is innocent. Then again, Velu Prabhakaran conscripted many children into the LTTE, forcing them to fight with cyanide capsules, while Tamil diaspora and Velu sent their children to school in European capitals.
What do I think of real Brahmins? Not the fake ones posting here with 4 IDs. The real ones would never support a fake freedom struggle undertaken by thugs with cyanide capsules and funded by drug smuggling. Brahmins are not criminals.
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Pandi Kutti / January 9, 2024
See this what Siva Sankaran Maama stated with regards to language replacement
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lMYbMyWsA4
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SJ / January 9, 2024
“Maama”
How dare you?
He insisted a few days ago that you call him Anna!
Now which of you is getting demented?
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Siva Sankaran Sharma / January 10, 2024
I do not recall ever insisting PK to address me as Anna a few days ago. It may have been another person, definitely not me. I think you are the one who is getting increasingly frustrated and demented due to old age and posting rubbish everywhere like some venomous snake.
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SJ / January 10, 2024
Do not be pathetic,
It has nothing to do with your insisting on anything.
It is about your claim that he calls you Anna when I said that he called you Maamaa.
Now he has sided with me to affirm that he calls you Maamaa as I observed.
*
Pretty decent of him for a change.
Scolding me will not help, for the fact stares in your face.
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Siva Sankaran Sharma / January 11, 2024
Senile person I have never interacted with him for the past few days or even insisted on him calling me Anna or Maama or anything else. You cannot accept that you have lied or mistaken me for someone else. Which proves that you are becoming demented and senile but keep on denying it. Signs of it is becoming cranky petty and vindictive.
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Rohan25 / January 11, 2024
SJ that interaction was between you and me a few days ago and not between me and PK You stated that PK calls me Maama and I replied stating no he calls someone else Maama and me Anna and I really do not care how he addresses me. Anna Maama or Grandfather, as I will soon be a granfather. That interaction was between you and me and not between me and PK, nor did I insist on any name or title. I think you are indeed getting muddled and forgetful and mixing up people and events or as usual deliberately being spiteful and creating mischief. You are the person who cannot accept truth or facts and keep on denying. Please check again.
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Pandi Kutti / January 10, 2024
Hello SJ Thaatha, how is life? You like to listen to a nice song. Here is one for you. It will make you happy and feel less demented. Hope you like Malayalam. Does not matter. Chill Thaatha. 😊🤣❤️😍😁
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY6ksHEynSc
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SJ / January 10, 2024
Nice try babaa.
You have to practice hard to avoid calling good old RSS (now SSS) Maamaa. do it a few time before and after bed each day.
*
“https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oREibjUo8D0” is a bad song.
Try something like
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54ViLPftKWM
The lyric suits the occasion.
With love from Granddad
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Pandi Kutti / January 11, 2024
Yuk so old and boring Thaatha
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Pandi Kutti / January 10, 2024
Jester and Menance when did the Pandians become Telugu speaking later adopting Thamizh. You really are a jester. There was not Telugu language when the ancient Pandians appeared on the scene. Stop posting rubbish for the sake of posting anti Thamizh nonsense.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_Pandyan_Kingdom
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Lester / January 11, 2024
40% of Tamil vocabulary comes from Sanskrit. Someone is posting here under the fake name of “Sharma.” Sharma (Sanskrit = ṣárma) is the name of a Brahmin. Of course you are not a Brahmin, as they rejected your fake freedom struggle.
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Mahila / January 9, 2024
“Or it might be cause the sl Tamils were immigrants who landed in 12 th century”
If that is the case, who was in SL when Buddhism came 3rd Century BCE, and Sinhala as a Language was pronounced and used 600-700 years ago only!!! That is why, the Mahavamsa Chronicle which was originally written in ‘Pali/Prakrit’ or ‘OLD Tamil’ as it is sometimes known only.
That instrument was translated only after Sinhala Language “Came of Age” – 600 or 700 years ago!!!???
How did a Race exist, without it’s own Language being in existence!!?? Very Queer!!!???
This seems to be the case of, “the THIEF attempting to BURY the Stolen Pumpkin, in a PLATE of RICE!!!??? FUTILE ATTEMPT!!!???
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SJ / January 10, 2024
M
Be fair.
Latin was the language of records in much of Europe even after the Roman script had caught on in Europe.
It is true that Sinhala was not the language of scholarship until after Mahavamsa. But Pali was the language of Buddhism until Sanskrit took over.
Tamil had been denied status of court language during various phases of history.
That may explain the glaring gaps in the two millennia long record of Tamil literature.
*
How did a Race exist, without it’s own Language being in existence!
There are two assumptions: one is that the language did not exist. The other is that a race is born with a language.
Races precede everything in human cultural activity.
*
Let not bigotry breed bigotry.
/
Mahila / January 11, 2024
SJ,
“There are two assumptions: one is that the language did not exist. The other is that a race is born with a language.”
Agree, that 1st was an assumption, but Circumstantial Occurrence (Evidence) of events – “Mahavamsa written in Pali/Prakrit” – and translated much later into Sinhalese adds, credence to the assumptions, Sinhala Language was not in any acceptable use level, until or Chronicle being Translatied!!!???
It is a moot point, that Race could have pre-existed the language!!! Without a distinct Language, cultural development of any race wouldn’t have been enabled!!! Or very hard to nurture and cultivate, if not totally obviated!!! Some distinct words in the Language, also found to be during after the incursion of western Powers – Post 15th century – Portuguese and Dutch!!!??? If the language was in existence long before, there was no point in borrowing such terms – names of common day-to-day items being referred in a foreign Language!!!??? Hard to explain!!!
/
SJ / January 11, 2024
If one starts with the assumption that a language has a script right from its outset data on world’s languages contradict it.
Buddhism intervened by way of dominance of Pali and Sanskrit.
I think that the theory that there was no Sinhala before 5th Century AD has more spite to it than study.
*
My final comment on the subject is: I learned through experience that it is futile to debate religion with a believer. — not just religion.
/
Lester / January 11, 2024
SJ,
“It is true that Sinhala was not the language of scholarship until after Mahavamsa. But Pali was the language of Buddhism until Sanskrit took over.”
The evolution of Sinhala is well-documented from Prakrit to its modern form:
https://www.colombotelegraph.com/index.php/a-language-called-sinhala-through-a-glass-darkly/
Unfortunately (or fortunately) it just lends more credence to Mahavamsa. And less credence to “alternative theories” that are evident in this thread.
/
Lester / January 11, 2024
“How did a Race exist, without it’s own Language being in existence!!??”
This is a very silly question. Languages evolve through time. So-called “Sinhala language” has existed for at least 2500 years, only the form has changed.
The development of Sinhala is divided into four periods:
Sinhalese Prakrit (until 3rd century CE)
Proto-Sinhala (3rd–7th century CE)
Medieval Sinhala (7th–12th century CE)
Modern Sinhala (12th century – present)
As one can see, “Sinhalese Prakrit” is the oldest version of Sinhala there is. “Sinhalese Prakrit” is also known as “Hela” or “Helu” or “Elu”. It is categorized as follows :
Indo-European —> Indo-Iranian —> Indo-Aryan → Eḷu (aka ‘Sinhala prakrit’)
Sinhala prakrit and Vedic Sanskrit are the two known forms of old Sinhala and old Sanskrit known to the Royal Asiatic Society.
This is the evolution of Sinhala language according to linguists (language scholars). Separatists and terrorists may have a different interpretation.
/
Pandi Kutti / January 10, 2024
Oh! We started with a Jester named Lester, then a fake Scot came along and now we even have a menace. A Jester a Menace and a Scot, what else oh forgot Choma. However, we all miss our late Eagle Thaatha.
/
Rohan25 / January 7, 2024
SJ strangely I agree with you only in the issue of Kumari Kandam/Lemuria. Really! but unlike you I agree with the rest.
/
SJ / January 8, 2024
Thanks,
Ignorance is bliss. Enjoy yourself.
/
soma / January 8, 2024
Original inhabitants had tails.
–
Soma
/
SJ / January 9, 2024
Are you sure that they were not apes?
/
old codger / January 9, 2024
SJ,
Apes don’t have tails, monkeys do. Are you suggesting something?
/
SJ / January 9, 2024
oc
You know me.
It is an innocent question.
/
Native Vedda / January 10, 2024
soma
–
“Original inhabitants had tails.”
–
Where do you keep yours?
/
LankaScot / January 9, 2024
Hello SJ
Nice to see that the old issues keep re-surfacing. When the ancient continent of Gondwanaland broke up into many parts India, Madagascar and Sri Lanka were rifted northwards towards Asia. In the process the Tethys Ocean sediments were scraped up and ended up in the Himalayas amongst other places. Sri Lanka’s metamorphic rocks still show the sedimentation even though they have been subjected to extreme pressures and heat. From Wegener onwards the science of Plate Tectonics has increasingly explained the distribution of the land masses over Geological Time. India collided with Asia from about 200 Million years ago forming the Himalaya Mountains. “The presence of limestone and ocean marine fossils at the top of these mountains is one of the key pieces of evidence cited that advanced the idea of plate tectonics…”. https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/3499/mt-everest There is not a shred of geological evidence that a continent stretching from Sri Lanka in the North to Madagascar in the South West and Indonesia in the South East ever existed in the last 10 million years since we split from the Apes. If there is any objective scientific evidence for Kumari-Kandam I have yet to see it.
To be continued
/
LankaScot / January 9, 2024
Continued
In Victorian and early 20th Century times, Lemuria was the invention of the fraudulent Madam Blavatsky and her dupe Henry Steel Olcott. They conflated the idea of Kumari-Kandam with the postulated Lemuria and made this part of their Theosophical Juju. They were active in Sri Lanka in the revival of Buddhist Nationalism from about 1880 to the early part of the 20th Century https://scroll.in/magazine/1047687/how-an-american-helped-revive-buddhism-in-sri-lanka-after-moving-to-india An example of the fascination with Lemuria is in the following link
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/history-of-geology/a-geologists-dream-the-lost-continent-of-lemuria/
In an interesting book by Sumathi Ramaswamy – The Lost Land of Lemuria_ Fabulous Geographies, Catastrophic Histories (2004) he says the following
“But it is certainly to insist that as a fabulous place-world, Lemuria is utterly unavailable outside imagination. There is simply no there there.”
Best regards
/
Lester / January 11, 2024
LankaScot,
” They were active in Sri Lanka in the revival of Buddhist Nationalism.”
I wonder if you can see the irony here. The Europeans built big boats and sailed all over the world, using religion as a false pretext to plunder the natural resources of indigenous peoples. But a handful of monks like Dharmapala who rallied against proselytization by the British are accused of “Buddhist nationalism.”
/
Ruchira / January 11, 2024
Lester – Ever heard of the adage – “Go big or go home”. LanakaScot on the otherhand found a home away from home. So better give him a break. 😏
/
SJ / January 9, 2024
This figment of imagination called Kumarik Kandam or Lemuria is has been thoroughly discredited, perhaps a century ago. But it lingers on for there is something fr somebody to gain.
People who are ready to believe historical myths are selective in what they choose to hear.
There are quite a few who display their prowess here. CVW is just one.
/
notohypocrisy / January 10, 2024
SJ
It isn’t that they don’t see. They don’t want to see.
/
SJ / January 10, 2024
nh
True
/
Ajith / January 7, 2024
Mr. CVW,
Just to remind you that you are not justice now but an ordinary politician like any other politician. You came to the politics through the Tamil National alliance (TNA), particularly the Tamil Federal Party. Then you formed a forum called “Thamilar Peravai” and promised that you will not come to politics but then formed a party and took part in election forming your own political party and becoming an MP.
Tamil people are confused with the number of political parties that emerged after the end of war in the name of winning Tamils right of self-determination. You have highlighted the facts that revealed from various archeological research carried by national and international experts about the history of Tamils and Sinhalese in this island. That is great but there is a unity among Tamils to represent their needs loudly and clearly with one voice and as a retired judge and old politician among our politicians to unite or come together with a new political institution such as TNA, TULF including the traditional political institutions within a common agenda. Can you take this challenge now?
/
Lanka Canuck / January 7, 2024
1 of 3
Ethnic origin of Sinhalese has several versions
Deep down in the Sinhala psyche, there has always been the nagging doubt about their real origin, despite all their brave talk about their ‘Aryan/Lion’ origin and their presence in the island, before the Dravidian Tamils.
There is one group that totally believes in the Mahavamsa, that about two thousand five hundred years ago, Vijay (who descend from a Lion) and 700 men (Aryans) came from North India, took Tamil Pandya wives (Dravidians) from South India and formed the Sinhala race.
Another group, the followers of Anagarika Dhammapala believes the same but without the Tamil connection, that is, the Sinhalese are pure North Indian Aryans and did not mix with anybody.
Then there is another group known as the Jaathika Chinthanaya (national consciousness) movement founded by Gunadasa Amarasekera that believes, about two thousand five hundred years ago, Vijaya Singh and his clan (Aryans) came from North India and landed in Hela Diva and mixed with the Hela tribes that lived in Sri Lanka and formed a Sinhala Nation under king Pandukabhaya.
Contd…
/
Lanka Canuck / January 7, 2024
2 of 3
There is another group by the name Hela Havula (Sinhalese literary organization founded by Munidasa Cumaratunga) that created a new theory (Siv + Hela = Sinhala) linking Ravana to the Sinhala and totally contradicting the Mahavamsa to say that the Sinhalese are the original natives of Sri Lanka (even before Ravana) from the four tribes known as Siv-hela (Deva, Naga, Yakka, & Rakhsasa) and not migrants from India as mentioned in the Mahavamsa. Their theory is purely based on the Indian epics Ramayana and Mahabaratha.
Today, another group believes that the four tribes Yaksha, Naga, Raksha, and Deva inhabited the island from different parts of India settled at least 3000 years ago. Later, the traders/merchants from North-East, North-West and North-Central India came and mixed with these tribes and later developed the Sinhala race.
There are several more theories for the origin of the Sinhala race in Sri Lanka but none of them have any archeological/epigraphic evidence in Sri Lanka or India.
The historians believe that the aboriginal Veddhas (hunter gatherers) were the original inhabitants whose forefathers are the prehistoric people of the island who inhabited Sri Lanka as far back as 32000 BC. They do not have any relation with the Sinhalese or Tamils until recently when they mixed with Sinhalese and Tamils. They believe that the Sinhalese and Tamils are people who came from all parts of India (North and South).
Contd…
/
Lanka Canuck / January 7, 2024
3 of 3
On the other hand the Tamils believe that the tribes who lived in the island before the arrival of Vijay were Dravidians just like the people from Mohandajaro and Harappa who settled in the South India – Sri Lanka region more than 3000 years ago and their main language was Tamil. They also believe that the Indo-Aryan Prakrits and the Brahmi script were introduced to the Dravidians by either North Indian traders or migrants. Later when Buddhism was introduced by Emperor Asoka’s missionary monks, a large number of Dravidians got converted to Buddhism who later became Sinhalese. In short, the Tamils believe that it was the Dravidian Tamils of ILAM who adopted the Indo-Aryan Prakrits, converted to Buddhism and became Sinhalese. The most recent genetic study shows that the Sinhalese and the Sri Lankan Tamils are genetically very similar to each other proving that both populations have a common ancestry.
Linguistically, Sinhala is a North Indian Indo-Aryan language, but with heavy influence of Dravidian languages. The Sinhala script has a close relationship with the Dravidian language scripts of South India such as Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam. The Sinhalese culture is much closer to the South Indian Dravidian culture than the North Indian Indo-Aryan culture. The Sinhala religion is Buddhism but Hindu Gods are housed in Buddhist temples and homes.
/
Lester / January 7, 2024
“The most recent genetic study shows that the Sinhalese and the Sri Lankan Tamils are genetically very similar to each other proving that both populations have a common ancestry.”
Common ancestry does not necessarily mean one group is derived from another. There could be a third group, such as Telegu or Malayali, that provides a substantial genetic contribution. Dravidian does not necessarily imply Tamil. It implies “South Indian.” But then you have North Indian elements – Brahmins – inserted into the mix. Very light-skinned people, so there is no such thing as pure Dravidian either.
/
Lanka Canuck / January 8, 2024
According to the findings of the most recent (2023) genetic study conducted jointly by Indian and Sri Lankan DNA scientists could debunk traditional thinking on ethnicity and help forge the call that ‘we are all Sri Lankans’. As per the study, Sri Lanka’s two largest ethnic groups, the Sinhalese and the Sri Lankan Tamils, who were engaged in a longstanding civil war, are genetically very similar to each other than any other South Asian population group. Even though they are culturally and linguistically distinct, there seems to be a strong gene flow beyond the boundary of ethnicity and language from both sides for several centuries, resulting in this genetic affinity,” said Dr. Ruwandi Ranasinghe (a senior scientist at the University of Colombo).
[The Tamils believe that they were the original inhabitants of Sri Lanka (over 3000 years) and there have been several waves of Tamil conquest, but they only added to the Original indigenous Tamils who continued to live in the Island from pre-historic times. Only during 3rd century BC when Saivate Tamil King Muta Siva’s second son Theesan was the king, he and his followers (a large number of Tamils) got converted to Buddhism, adopted the Prakrit/Pali language and later became Sinhalese.]
Contd…
/
Lanka Canuck / January 8, 2024
Contd. from above…
[On the other hand, there is another school of thought that the Sinhalese were the original inhabitants of Sri Lanka. Only during 10th century AD Chola invasion, Sri Lanka (Anuradhapura and then Polonaruwa) remained a Chola colony (AD 993 – 1070) under the rule of Rajaraja Chola and his son Rajendra Chola, a large number of Sinhalese got converted to Saivate Hindus and adopted the Tamil language and later settled in the North and East as Sri Lankan Tamils.]
Whatever is believed, according to this study, the Sinhalese and Sri Lankan Tamils are genetically related to each other even though they differ in culture. Ethnicity is created by linguistic, religious and cultural differences, rather than genetic differences. The indisputable findings should lead to stronger bonds among the major ethnic groups, making the call ‘We are Sri Lankans’ louder and clearer. Will Sri Lanka have to re-write its history in the light of these very revealing or ‘set in genes’ findings, is the question on the minds of many?
/
Mallaiyuran / January 9, 2024
Kumai Kandam or Lemuria continent issues are not related to Eelam Tamils. Most of it were recent inventions to fight the Hindi occupation of TN. Until Eelam Tamils have freed them, there is no point in them getting involved in the arbitration of TN’s problems. Abandoning each other is not the suggestion. But local Tamils may not deeply engage in the Kumari Kandam deal. “Then Madurai” and “Kapadapuram” which are mentioned in Sangam literature may induce some interest to analyze when the time is proper. There is Mathura in North India. Then Madurai in TN and Matara in Ceylon. Ceylon Matara was written as Mathura in the first Portuguese’s map of Ceylon. These are suggesting similarity with England and New England or Ontario, CA and Ontario, Canada. Apparently, the Dravidian who moved from north to south named it like that. Then the question is, the “Then Madurai” is the Matara? Because on all three occasions when the land was lost to sea, Sangam moved North ward and recreated Madurai.
Another thing is you all may already have observed that the KKS and head part of the Jaffna so easily plugging in the curvature (depression of land) appearing north and South of Pattukodai. That means Ceylon once liberated it from the Indian subcontinent.
/
Rohan25 / January 8, 2024
Lester it is a well-known fact that the so-called Malayali ethnicity came out of the Chera Tamil a few centuries ago. It started to break away from the 12th century but really only broke of around the late 17Th 18th century or even much later. As it is recorded even the Portuguese arrived most of the population in what is now modern Kerala were still speaking a form of Tamil and considering themselves as Tamils. Modern Malayalam a highly Sanskritised form of Tamil, written in the Tulu based Tilgari script the language of the immigrant Namboothiri Brahmins, was only made the official language of what is now modern Kerala around 1820, after they banned the use of the local Tamil language called Malayalama or Malabar Tamil written in the Tamil Vatteluthu script, which was the language of 85% of the population at that time. This was done at the request of the Namboothiri and their half caste bastard Nair descendants who were the allies of the British. The Tamil masses were against the British and were rebelling against them. At the time it was easy as society was feudal, most of the population illiterate, so language switch from the top was easy to manipulate. The cunningly renamed Grantha Bhasha as Malayalam, the ancient name for the Chera Tamil dialect and as sop added thousands of Tamil vocabulary of the Dravidian Tamil masses. This is the reason simple spoken Malayalam is still like Tamil. Whereas the literary form is highly Sanskritised.
/
Rohan25 / January 8, 2024
As for Telugu and Kannada these are languages that separated from old Tamil or the local low Tamil dialect around 2000 years ago approximately. Largely again due to influence of immigration/invasions from North India but mainly the influence of Jain and in cases Buddhist monks. When this ancient Dravidian migration took place, these Dravidians would have all been speaking various dialects of semi or proto-Tamil. There was no Telugu, Kannada definitely not modern Malayalam even around the 14th 15th centuries. The Dravidians may have come from this area, but they were still Proto/semi or proper Tamil speakers, but the fact is the Dravidian migration largely came from what is modern Tamil Nadu and then from then Tamil Kerala (90%) and only a small amount from further north, from Andhra, southern Karnataka and hardly from Telangana or Odisha.
Look at this Malayalam song from the 70s it is still almost Tamil
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kULepu6PyHI
/
Native Vedda / January 8, 2024
Lester
–
“Common ancestry does not necessarily mean one group is derived from another.”
–
Thanks, I didn’t know you are an expert on genetics too.
–
“But then you have North Indian elements – Brahmins – inserted into the mix.”
–
You are a Sinhala/Buddhist Brahmin!!!!
–
“…….. so there is no such thing as pure Dravidian either.”
–
You are right there is no such thing as pure Angarika’s Aryan Sinhala/Buddhist either.
–
What is your point if there is one?
/
old codger / January 9, 2024
Native
You don’t have to make detailed arguments to refute wilful stupidity. Stupid racists make up their contradictory theories on the fly. The ones you have to argue with are the clever racists.
/
Native Vedda / January 9, 2024
old codger
–
“……. the clever racists.”
–
I got your point.
Thanks.
/
Native Vedda / January 8, 2024
Lester
–
Before you utter a word on Genetics please read the following articles, think about them, then say whatever nonsense you want to utter:
–
Complex genetic origin of Indian populations and its implications by RAKESH TAMANG, LALJI SINGH, and KUMARASAMY THANGARAJ
–
Genetic Evidence for Recent Population Mixture in India by
Priya Moorjani, Kumarasamy Thangaraj, Nick Patterson, Mark Lipson, Po-Ru Loh,
Periyasamy Govindaraj, Bonnie Berger, David Reich, and Lalji Singh
–
/
Lester / January 9, 2024
Vedda,
As I explained earlier, “Aryan” means “noble” in Sanskrit, nothing to do with race. Dharmapala was educated in Christian schools and mixed up “Aryan” with “race” thanks to Max Mueller. At the time Mahavamsa was written, people had no idea about race. This modern idea of “race” is mostly an invention of Francis Galton, based on Darwinism, and pushed by the Anglo-Saxons to justify colonialism. During Mahavamsa times, social status was based on lineage. See for example, the inscription made by Nissanka Malla at Dambulla:
“…having come from the royal line of the Ikshvaku family having become like a forehead mark to the royal family of Kalinga emperors born at Sinhapura…”
/
SJ / January 9, 2024
““Aryan” means “noble” in Sanskrit, nothing to do with race. “
Not even a noble race?
/
Lester / January 10, 2024
“Not even a noble race?”
The actual word in Sanskrit is “Arya” (आर्य). In Ramayana, you have a battle between Ram(Aryan) and Ravan (Dravidian king, but he himself is the son of a Aryan Brahmin and Asura/Ahura Lady Kesini).
If you look at ancient civilizations, slaves came from all over. Fast-forward to the 1900’s, slaves were exclusively African. This exclusivity is due to “modern” racial theories, particularly those purported by Anglo-Saxons.
According to the Wiki: “The Aryan race is an obsolete historical race concept that emerged in the late-19th century to describe people who descend from the Proto-Indo-Europeans as a racial grouping.”
Like I said, it was the invention of Max Mueller and popularized after the Nazis adapted various symbols from Hinduism.
/
SJ / January 11, 2024
Words are elusive. They show different faces in different contexts.
Very few words have only one meaning.
Words are flirtatious and change meaning with time, and sometimes take several meanings at the same time.
/
Native Vedda / January 9, 2024
Lester
–
“This modern idea of “race” is mostly an invention of Francis Galton, …. “
–
Are you sure you know what you are talking about?
/
Lester / January 10, 2024
Vedda,
No point replying to you further, as your arguments lack any coherence.
/
Native Vedda / January 10, 2024
Lester
–
“No point replying to you further, as your arguments lack any coherence.”
–
Brilliant.
Please clarify the following :
You are a(n)
1.Sinhalese
2.Buddhist
3. Sinhala/Buddhist
4. Sinhala/Buddhist racist
5. Racist
6.Self hater
7.Aspiring Vellala/Govi …
8.Person of Avidya
9.Recent kallthonie convert from South India
….
….
…
/
leelagemalli / January 10, 2024
Dear NV,
.
Unfortunately Sinhalese racists in general don’t know what goes out of their botoxed lips.
In fact, as no one in this forum has done, we proved with facts, but the same man supported the Rajapaksa dogs.
. Today CT is set with the commenters as if they were born yesterday.
This is the BRAND of Sinhala Buddhist mentality in Sri Lanka.
These people will never change their attitude even if they are driven out of the country for any reason. “The woman who knelt down before a drugged and self-proclaimed “bodhisattva” and began to lick his feet was no different from Lester and his ilk.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJA_wRIsum0
/
Lester / January 10, 2024
Vedda,
But you still lost the war. Bye.
/
old codger / January 9, 2024
Native
None of the above are Brahmins.
/
Pandi Kutti / January 9, 2024
There is not pure Aryan or pure Dravidian ancestry, even the so North Indian/Pakistanis who claim a steppe ancestry only have a high concentration of Steppe ancestry but still have even amongst them, the Indus Valley Dravidian ancestry predominates. The caste Telugus, the Telugu Velamas( Vellalar) the Tamil Vellalar and the Sri Lankan Tamils have very high concentration of Indus Valley Dravidian. Look at the average Gujarati they only have 10% steppe DNA (so called Aryan), Ancestral South Indian 45% and Ancestral Iranian farmer (the original Proto Dravidians from Zagros mountains) 45%,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSiFYomXCnM
/
SJ / January 9, 2024
“the Tamils believe that the tribes who lived in the island before the arrival of Vijay were Dravidians”
Which Tamils?
Most of them couldn’t care tuppence.
/
Lanka Canuck / January 10, 2024
Originally it was the Dravidian Tamil tribes who occupied the South India – Sri Lanka region. People came to the Island from North and South India due to the Indian oceanic trade and migrations (free movement) throughout history. Right from the pre-historic period, people were also moving back and forth between Sri Lanka and Baratha over the palk-strait.
The distinguished scholar and historian Dr. Paul E. Pieris in his paper “Nagadipa and Buddhist remains in Jaffna” said, “It stands to reason that a country which is only 30 miles from India, and which would have been seen by fishermen every morning as they sailed out to catch their fish would have been occupied as soon as the continent was peopled by men who understood how to sail.”
Dr. Paul E.Pieris also declared in 1917 at a meeting of the Royal Asiatic Society that: “Long before the arrival of Vijaya there was in Lanka five recognized Ishwarams of Siva. These were Thiruketheeshwaram which was near Mahatittha, Muneshwaram dominating Salawatte, Thondeshwaram near Mantota, ThiruKoneshwaram near the great Bay of Kottiyar and Naguleshwaram near Kankesanturai”.
Regarding the Buddhist remains in Kantarodai, Mallakam, Mahiyapiti, Uduvil, Puloly and Chulipuram which includes lithic Tamil inscriptions, coins and metals like copper, iron, lead, pottery, etc.,
/
Lanka Canuck / January 10, 2024
Continued from above…
Dr. Paul E. Pieris concludes that “these remains suggest that North Ceylon was a flourishing settlement of the Tamils centuries before Vijaya was born – at least before the commencement of the Christian era.”
/
Tony / January 7, 2024
What load of lies from ethnic Malabari Wigneshwaraya!
/
Pandi Kutti / January 8, 2024
Tony cheta (ningalkku Malayalam ariyāno?)
” (nān ariyunnu.) Translation: Do you know Malayalam? I know. Here is a nice Malayalam song for you to sing and dance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLpV3kUCqEA&list=TLPQMDgwMTIwMjQeRvOjic82jw&index=1
/
Douglas / January 8, 2024
Mr. Wigneswaran: When you were BORN to this world, did you have the FREEDOM to choose who you are – a Tamil?
Have you ever done a Medical Checkup and FOUND that your PHYSICAL BODY (both outside and internal) is composed of any matter /fluid termed “Tamil”?
Please try to find answers to the above, every day before you go to sleep. I would help you in the long run.
/
SJ / January 8, 2024
D
Thanks.
They are questions that each of us should ask ourselves again and again as we are regularly confronted by bigoted racist theories.
/
Ajith / January 8, 2024
Douglas,
Douglas, You shouldn’t be asking these questions if you would have asked these questions to every one in this country at least 10 decades ago. Did you ask the same question from Mahinda Rajapaksa or Ranil Wickremasinha or Sajith Premadasa? Have you had a birth Certificate? Do you know that the census classify people as Sri Lankan Tamil Indian Tamil, Muslims, Sinhalese?
You cannot ignore the identities or languages or religions but the rulers of the countries laws and governance must not differentiate between different identities.
It is very simple to ask questions but find the answers is very difficult.
/
SJ / January 9, 2024
Douglas
“You shouldn’t be asking these questions if you would have asked these questions to every one in this country at least 10 decades ago.”
How old are you?
Will we soon see your name in the Guinnes Book of Records?
/
SJ / January 10, 2024
Douglas
Some people are jealous that you are a well informed centenarian who may break some records.
/
SJ / January 11, 2024
D
Some promptly admit it to it.
/
Mahila / January 9, 2024
Douglas,
All this is because here are Bigots in this country, without proper ELEMENTARY education, become CC, or Supervisor, Sectional, or Branch Manager of government departments, who claim that you must specify in various documents that fill-in everyday purposes indicate, Sinhala Buddhist/Christian/Catholic, Sri Lankan Tamil/Hindu/Christian, not satisfied that it is, SIMPLY “Sri Lankan”, WHICH WE ALL ARE!!!??? Who culminated this wild unwanted Practice!!! The Bigotten tried with me their utmost to COAX and failed, because I was steadfast, claiming the Nationality in the Passport should be Sri Lankan and nothing else, hailing from the Nation SRI LANKA!!! The CC and Sectional head would have none of it, until the Secretary, of the Ministry, held in my favour!!!
This “ROT BEEN GOING ON 75 YEARS” by begotten ill-educated, misdirected Public Servants and NOT because ‘WIGGY’ brought matter up now!!!??? Put the house in order, before faulting others!!!?? Main problem in the delinquency of Language, Race and Nationality – represented – “Jathiya”
Only relevant, useful Census and Statistics!! Not any other ADMINISTRATIVE purposes!!!??? Alternatively DIRECT hooligans’ drive minorities, systemic, strategic manner – ETHNIC CLEANSING, by the “THAMBI MUDALI” and Sinhala Only POLITICIAN Premier of the Neella Perumal Clan, which the daughter tried rectifying, and failed!!!???
/
SJ / January 10, 2024
M
Bigots like the one challenging him “Douglas, You shouldn’t be asking these questions” etc?
/
SJ / January 11, 2024
M
No amount of education or training is a guarantee against bigotry.
They could make a bigot more crafty.
/
leelagemalli / January 9, 2024
Douglas Appu,
I am confused today as notimes in the past. I live further out of the country. I dont know how srilankens living in the country would read it. . While these people too in CT are chasing caste, religion and racism, the so-called Sinhala Buddhists are digging their holes further.
–
Some women constantly lick the feet of a dog’s son because he introduces himself as a “bodhisattva”. The truth is that the man is a very mentally ill person. All this is happening while the CID or any other security network of the country is deaf and blind.
For the last 1.5 decades I thought that we common people are really stupid. My hypothesis turns out to be a fact as of today. That is why the Rajapaksas have thought it over and over again and targeted them for their commercial gains. Even cows on farms would think better than our people. I really don’t know what goes through the heads of us normal people (70% or so).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybo0-ZvSYBE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkhY4N2XWOQ
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leelagemalli / January 11, 2024
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fPIwGXqy-Y
–
Not only in the south but also in the north and east are full of racists. Soon, it will be named “Island des Venomous Reptiles”.
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Siva Sankaran Sharma / January 8, 2024
Thank you, Justice Wigneswaran, for your article and the well laid out facts not only by you but by also Lanka Canuk. Thank you to you too. I don’t believe that there was an entire continent called Kumari Kandam or Lemuria that went under the sea but there is enough evidence that part of ancient Tamil lands was lost to sea erosion and to climate change and the name Kanya Kumari may be a reflection of this lost land and the ancient land bridge and shallow seas, between the island and south India. However, there is definitely no ancient lost continent. This story about these lost lands may be about parts of the coastal ancient Tamil lands that went under sea, due to a tsunami/sea erosion or climate change and with it lots of historical and other evidence.
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Lanka Canuck / January 8, 2024
Thanks SSS, like you, CVW is also trying his best to bring out the real past that was deliberately hidden from the masses. You are right, Kumari Kandam is just another myth. It is just a realm of belief very similar to Buddha’s 3 visits to Sri Lanka. Geologists have found certain stuff such as sunken granite fragments, etc. the most recent was in the island of Mauritius. While Kumari Kandam remains a subject of fascination, until now there is no concrete scientific evidence supporting its existence. Unless and until the marine archeologists go down the ocean from Madagascar to Australia to Kanaya Kumari and Sri lanka and find some concrete evidence, Lumeria remains a myth.
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SJ / January 10, 2024
LC
Do not flatter me.
I can never match CVW or for that matter even you to claim that I am bringing out an unknown past.
I am only having a good laugh at frivolous claims.
/
Pandi Kutti / January 8, 2024
Wigneswaran . Well done. Lord Jesus Bless you. This is what even reputed well known Chingkalla historians and anthropologists even state.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMbhLoJWXs0
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Pundit / January 8, 2024
Barak Obama and Rishi Sunak were both young men when they shattered the glass ceiling. It is a pity that the destiny of millions of Tamil people who have so much to offer this country, lies in the hands of octogenarians who cling on to divisive, archaic theories and myths. It is time for educated young Sri Lankans of Tamil heritage to step forward and be part of the development of this country.
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Ruchira / January 8, 2024
Rishi Sunak was never elected.
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SJ / January 9, 2024
R
I will not hold it against RS. He is not an un-electable man.
He was elected by the relevant electorate (Tory MPs) as RW was here (all MPs).
Such things have happened several times before in Britain.
Alec Douglas-Home became PM when Macmillan stepped down amid a sex scandal involving John Profumo, Secretary of State for War.
More recently we saw two (Boris J & Liz Truss).
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Ruchira / January 9, 2024
SJ –
.
“More recently we saw two (Boris J & Liz Truss)” ?? What are you referring to? – there were no sex scandals involved this time around and Boris was elected by a vast majority.
.
Both Ranil and Sunak therefore are well criticised for not having the people’s mandate.
.
Sunak is not the most popular PM either. There’s a lot to hold it against him. The regressive policies adapted or attempted to adapt particularly in the domains of energy and immigration (and Suella taking the opportunity to make her own strides perhaps with the hope of ‘breaking another ceiling’) and failure to fix the problems in the NHS and School infrastructures are well known.
.
Infact many questions if he actually works for the British people or for his FIL/Infosys?
.
If not for the PartyGate Sunak’s fate could have been different. He should thank his “luck” for his the succes he enjoys.
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SJ / January 9, 2024
R
The sex part was incidental to my narrative
I know that term sex attracts attention, but the subject was mid-term appointment as PM.
If not for a scandal, sitting PMs generally would not step down. A death is a different story.
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Ruchira / January 9, 2024
SJ – Also he (RS) was neither elected by Tory MPs unlike RW here. With Truss stepping down RS became the PM ex-officio.
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SJ / January 9, 2024
He was unanimously elected by the Tory Parliamentary Group. There is still some democracy in the Tory Party.
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SJ / January 9, 2024
“Tory MPs chose Rishi Sunak – but don’t assume they’ll vote for his policies”
This was a story heading in the Guardian. I trust that yo will trust me with this.
*
When Mrs T stepped down rather ignominiously her loyalists ganged together to ensure that a ‘traitor’ shall not succeed her. So Michael Heseltine, a very senior minister, was rejected and a rather unknown john Major was chosen.
“After Thatcher resigned as prime minister following a challenge to her leadership, Major entered the second stage of the contest to replace her and emerged victorious, becoming prime minister. “
(Wikipedia)
There were shadier deals in Macmillan’s succesion by Douglas-Home.
/
Mahila / January 11, 2024
R,
I also think SJ is correct. When Lizz Truss stepped down, he was elected Unanimously by the Caucus – meaning there was no contest whatever – as the Conservatives didn’t want a contest as Boris’s departure has ruptured the party and the Tory’s’ didn’t want any further damage to the party which is due to face elections soon!!??
You may call that, ‘NO-CONTEST’ as being lucky or RS’s Good fortune!!! Well, the Nandasena “WALK-AWAY”, or ‘FLY-AWAY’ preceded by starvation and bankruptcy may be considered, RW’s GOOD FORTUNE!!!???
Abandoned by the elected LEADER, the FLOCK had no alternative but hold-on to the NOMINEE by their DEPARTED LEADER!!!??? HOBSON’S CHOICE!!!???
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Ruchira / January 11, 2024
M – I do not know if it’s Hobson’s choice but it definitely wasn’t people’s choice in both the instances. That was my original comment.
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Ruchira / January 9, 2024
SJ – Furthermore in relation to the comment you made regarding Adani, elsewhere, Sunak belongs to the same category of those who scratch Modi’s back. He is just not as big as Adani. The Right wing seems to be making it a habit to bring these millionnairs to power at the expense of the electorate they are supposed to rule over.
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SJ / January 9, 2024
Sunack does not scratch as much and his scratching will not bring personal gain.
Modi can be considered the political face of the Adani business.
Not only the Right, even the opportunist Left does. Money speaks louder than any megaphone.
Get real.
When has the electorate mattered anywhere except on election day?
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Ruchira / January 9, 2024
SJ- Sunak’s recent reversal of some of the environmental policies coincided with Infosys getting a big deal with BP. When asked he would deny any involvement with the company as it is his wife’s not his – technically. Also the negotiation of the trade deal between the UK and India was on limbo because India was seeking VISA for some thousands (if I recall right) of their IT workers to enter UK job market. Yes, Sunak is no Adani, they are worlds apart. But it is his father in law that keeps the connection between him and Modi alive I believe for India to refer to him as their Son in Law. As for the electorate I am of the view that left of center politics are more grounded than those of the right wing (or atleast I hope so) and as a result I am no big fan of Sunak. If not for Boris stepping down he may not have been elected as the public sentiment as far as I know is swinging away from the Tories. Next election should be interesting to watch.
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SJ / January 9, 2024
Sunak is a politician and like all politicians is vulnerable to pressures by loyal lobbies.
He had money and married into bigger money. What is immoral about it, especially for the Tory Party.
I fear that we are drifting away from the point of discussion.
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Ruchira / January 10, 2024
SJ – No issue of having money or getting married to it. Immoral is a loaded word. It was his politics and the conduct that is in question – I have pointed few specific decisions of his to the end. Hoole refers to you as a Communist but you hardly sound like one. May be Sunak is an exception! :)
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SJ / January 10, 2024
R
I was not going into any of that.
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Mahila / January 11, 2024
R,
“The Right wing seems to be making it a habit to bring these millionnairs to power at the expense of the electorate they are supposed to rule over.”
Contrary, could it be because recognition of their SUCCESS in personal life, the party is trying to capture the use of that capability to further the Party Objectives!!???
If we take Sri Lanka as an example, we have party Leaders, who have excelled in various way, in their life and Professional/Business (if one may call those activities) as such!!???
For instance, Tsunami aided Hambantota Fund operator and otherwise ‘Brief Less Lawyer’, Australian Steel Recycling Mill Share Fraudsters, Photocopy/Business Centre’s Operators, Tuition Masters and Tutorial Guidance, ‘Gamarala’ turned tourist hotel operator, etc. ALTERNATIVELY, In the main COMMISSION AGENTS and all-pervading sphere of activity 20% flat rate on LPP1, LPP2, & LPP3; ONO!?? Kaputa Kaka Hit, Boeing Downed!!!???
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Ruchira / January 11, 2024
M – It is the party objectives that are problematic. But I do agree some rich dude with a big business is better than the likes of a tea boy, as you have rightly pointed out.
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Mahila / January 11, 2024
RS was elected the previous term and was MP. When Boris became PM he was made Finance secretary and subsequently became Chancellor of the Exchequer (Treasurer) – during COVID time 2019-2021, from which position he contested and became PM!! No 2 Position in the Cabinet!!!??? If he was not popular, he would not have lasted that position for 3 years!!!???
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SJ / January 8, 2024
P
One does not break a ceiling when it is lifted for one for opportunist reasons by the White racist ruling class to protect class interests.
What has/had either to offer to the lower strata of dark skinned people?
Tokenism works in many ways, only to the detriment of the oppressed.
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Ruchira / January 9, 2024
SJ – I thought this comment of yours apply to both Obama and Sunak. But judging by the one made in response to mine above, it seems like you refer mainly to the former here and you make a disntinction between the two. Obama was elected (twice) unlike Sunak and well known for his progressive policies again unlike those of Sunak’s. Whether Sunak could get the people’s mandate to remain in the high office, come next elections, remains to be seen.
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SJ / January 9, 2024
“I thought this comment of yours apply to both Obama and Sunak”
Did I say so?
Dis I make comparisons except their election achieving nothing for the downtrodden members of their respective communities.
I also commented about glass ceilings somewhere.
*
Sunak can win if Labour screws up and the Tories show some economic recovery.
The British electorate is no less daft than ours.
*
This progressive guy stared a few wars.
(see https://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/23/politics/countries-obama-bombed/index.html)
This will be a wake-up call:
https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/why-haitians-are-chanting-down-with-obama/
*
Sunak may not last long enough to wage that many wars and the UK is not the power it was a century ago.
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Ruchira / January 10, 2024
SJ – I was referring to domestic policy. Foreign affairs is an entirely different matter.
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SJ / January 10, 2024
R
Do these policies concern different parts of the brain?
Both reflect a world outlook.
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Ruchira / January 11, 2024
SJ – “Both reflect a world outlook.” Yes a predatory one. Exploitation of others for self preservation. Some call it neocolonialism. But better regard it for what it is – a form of modern day savagism.
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Lester / January 10, 2024
SJ,
In the developed countries (OECD), with the exception of the USA, you can improve your socio-economic standing relatively easily, as the social welfare provided by the government is quite good. The problem is that people become dependent on so-called “benefits” and then accuse the government of racism or religious discrimination. There are people who continue with these “benefits” for years on end, to the extent of having more children to get extra. In the developing countries, there is too much corruption and people tend to cheat on their taxes, so the socio-economic status of the lower classes improves very little.
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Mallaiyuran / January 9, 2024
Have you seen plumbers fixing a broken pipe?
They cut the pipe into two pieces and remove the damaged section in the middle. Then bring a coupling and insert the two middle ends to make them work together like a single pipe. The bogus Sinhala unitary Sri Lanka did not work for Tamils. The pipe needs to be cut and rejoined with the new constitution that can stand over the old pipe, the Tamil Eelam and Sinhala Sri Lanka. Tamils need to have their sovereignty reestablished to live with Sinhalese feeling equal, forgetting the past 75 years of slavery to the Sinhala Buddhist Masters. All other half-baked fixing will cause the corrosion to spread to more areas of the pipe. The result will be that the pipe cannot be used again fixed as one pipe. Did you see the Evil Emperor suggesting that Tamils under Ms. Charles borrows from France, and he will borrow from the IMF, America, India, China? There is no easy fix for this kind Sinhala Supercity thinking habits. Evil is such a funny man to put Tamils under his jackboot in his talks!
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Siva Sankaran Sharma / January 9, 2024
Of course, the original people who migrated to the island would have been the Vedda from an ancient land bridge between South India and the island, later it makes sense that it would have been Dravidian tribes speaking some form of Proto Tamil who would have migrated from South India, most probably largely from what is modern Tamil Nadu and Kerala but even from further north. This again would have been through a land bridge or a very shallow sea. The ancient Dravidians/Tamils were very good seafarers who traded with the world. Most probably these Dravidian tribes like Naga, Yakka all closely related to each other speaking semi or proto-Tamil or even a similar Dravidian dialect would have migrated to the island. That the Vedda have been influenced by these ancient Dravidians is obvious as they also worship the Tamil god Lord Murgan, and the legend is he married a Vedda lass Valli Ammal. a Tamil name, to cement the ties between the Vedda and these ancient Tamil Dravidians.
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Siva Sankaran Sharma / January 9, 2024
Tamil is the closest to proto-Dravidian and has retained most of its vocabulary almost 90% and many of its aspects, compared to other Dravidian languages, but they have retained other aspects that Tamil has not retained. Many claim Proto Dravidian is basically old Tamil. There has been a one of immigration from somewhere in North India of Prakrit speaking immigrants, men who came and married into the local Dravidian Tamil tribes and as legend states even took Pandian Tamil women from south India as their brides. Their DNA is still found amongst the island’s Sinhalese and Tamils. Other than this one-off migration, all other migration into the island from prehistoric to recent times have all been from South India, most of it was from Tamil Nadu and Keala, almost. Contrary to what Mahavamsa states this North Indian immigrant never triggered or created the Sinhalese people or language. They may have introduced the use of Prakrit language and certain customs but nothing more. They just came intermarried and got assimilated into the local Tamil/Dravidian population.
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Siva Sankaran Sharma / January 9, 2024
What triggered the evolution of the Sinhalese people and language in the southern parts of the island was arrival of Buddhism 2300 years ago and the large-scale conversion of the native semi-Tamil speaking Yakkas who largely inhabited the central, southern parts of the island to Buddhism and with the influence of the Prakrit Pali that came with Buddhism. As many have already stated the semi or Proto Tamil Elu speaking, Yakka were more boorish and peasant like compared to more sophisticated Naga kindred who largely lived along the northern, eastern and northwestern coasts and by this time had more or less switched from the semi-Tamil Elu to proper Tamil as their language and were even trading with the many parts of the world. Therefore, could not withstand influence of the onslaught of Pali words and vocabulary that arrived with Buddhism, to which they had converted on a mass scale from their ancestral Saivism and other religions., gradually creating and evolving a new language and identity called Sinhalese by 7AD. Note you can see the similarity. Local Tamil dialect Elu becomes Hela old Sinhalese. One of the old Tamil works for the island and its people Chingallam/Chingkallavar, meaning land of red or copper become Sinhala with the influence of Pali/Prakrit.
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Siva Sankaran Sharma / January 9, 2024
Mahavamsa to deliberately create a new origin for these converted Tamil Buddhist from the remaining largely Hindu Tamil Nagas from the north and east.
Even many of them converted to Buddhism but these ancient Tamil Naga Buddhist were able to withstand the Pali influence that came with Buddhism and retain their ancient Tamil identity, largely due to the fact they have started to speak proper Tamil and not a semi or proto-Tamil dialect and they were more a sophisticated and elite or worldly population. Wherever the Naga predominated the ancient Tamil identity was preserved, however in the Yakka predominating areas of the island, where there was less sophistication, this identity could not be preserved with the arrival of Buddhism and the Pali language. By the 8AD the Tamil Buddhists on the island and on the mainland had switched from Pali to Tamil as the language of Buddhism, this also severed the common tie and connection they had with their southern Sinhalese kin. By 10AD with the Chola conquest of the entire island Buddhism vanished in the Tamil north and east and Saivism again regained its supremacy. Note the king who converted to Buddhism was a Tamil Naga Saivite.
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Siva Sankaran Sharma / January 9, 2024
We do not know his real name but his tile in Pali Devnampiyatissa and in Tamil Thevanai Nambiya Theesan both meaning more or less the same in both languages as the man who adored God or believed in God. Tissa is the Pali version of the ancient Tamil name Theesan, that was very common during this era. His father was King Mootha Sivan a pure Tamil name, meaning the great Lord Siva and his older brother was Maha Sivan again meaning the same.
Dutta or Duttan in Tamil meaning wayward Gamini is also a Tamil Buddhist Naga. 2300 years ago, there were not Sinhalese on the island. His father was king Kakkai Vanna Theesan (meaning king the colour of the crow. Meaning black king, definitely not an Aryan) or Kaavan Theesan meaning the Thessan the great protector, in Tamil. Like in Kaavalan Kaavan enin in Thirukural. It was later Prakritised to Kavan Tissa.
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SJ / January 9, 2024
Devnampiyatissa = Deva nam piya tissa (god name loving Tissa) means Tissa who loved the name of a god.
Thevanai Nambiya Theesan = (god believing Theesan)
meaning Theesan who believed the god.
There is a world of difference between the two.
The latter is a rather recent invent. It may have been initially in all innocence, but not any more.
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Siva Sankaran Sharma / January 9, 2024
Yes, keep on nit picking, you are very good at this. What is the vast difference in the meaning between Tissa who loved the name of God and Theesan who believed in God? Both signify this person immense love and belief in God. Only some with a warped spiteful will start nit picking.
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SJ / January 9, 2024
If it is nit picking, so be it. Just avoid fake theories for everybody’s sake.
If you cannot understand the significance of the difference between the two, talk to someone who is literate and has access to a good dictionary.
Tamil has suffered enough charlatans who pretend to be expert etymologists to make absurd claims.
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SJ / January 9, 2024
My school books in Tamil had the name as தேவநம்பியதீசன் (Thevanambiyatheesan)
An ai (ஐ) vowel was added after Theva (தேவ) much later by people wanting to impose a Tamil identity on him.
It will be useful to check the writing of the name in Pali or any other language of the time where it could have existed.
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Siva Sankaran Sharma / January 10, 2024
Yes, the textbooks then were only giving the Pali/Mahavamsa version of the name and the Vijaya story with regards to the origin of the Sinhalese, and they were Aryans from north India. Textbooks then stated Sinhalese were indigenous and Tamils were not and were descended from 10-12Th century Chola invader. However now, new historical evidence like in Keeladhi, and genetic studies, have all proven, all this out of date. When were in School in the 1940s or even earlier? A few centuries ago, textbooks were stating the earth was flat and anyone who challenged this and stated it was round was persecuted. You seem to be having the same mentality, especially yourself hating anti Tamil and pro Sinhalese bias. Even Professor Indrapala wrote something in the 1960s with regards to the origin of Sinhalese and Tamil and now has admitted all this was incorrect with new evidence coming and has rewritten history with regards to the history of island’s Tamils and Sinhalese.
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Siva Sankaran Sharma / January 10, 2024
Please do not use outdated textbooks that you used in the 19030s and 1940s to argue history. The Sinhalese Sri Lankan state still controls the printing of these textbooks and history taught to children and still want to teach these outdated lies as history, in order to uphold Sinhalese Buddhist supremacy on the island.
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LankaScot / January 10, 2024
Hello Siva Sankaran Sharma,
I don’t know of any textbooks that stated the Earth was flat. The Greek Astronomer Eratosthenes measured the circumference of the Earth in about 200 BC. Somewhat later Roger Bacon (c. 1 220- 1 292) affirmed
the roundness of the earth using classical traditional arguments.
Until 1953 when Watson, Crick and Franklin cracked the DNA code no-one had a scientific explanation of how heredity worked. The Human Genome Project (HGP) was declared complete in April 2003 and has since led to much new knowledge about Human history.
Many contributors to this Comments Forum make the mistake of quoting people’s opinions on new evidence instead of examining or quoting from the original reports/evidence. For example look at the scientific reports from Keeladhi and explain to us what they show and please back it up with evidence.
Best regards
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Pandi Kutti / January 11, 2024
Just like you. Fake Scottish Chingkalla extremist.
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Siva Sankaran Sharma / January 11, 2024
Obviously, textbooks now do not quote that the earth is flat, as everyone know that it is not but a few centuries ago they did and also that it was the Sun that was revolving around the earth and not the other way around and even the creation theory and anyone challenged this, there was an inquisition, and the person was put to death. Even Charles Darwin was vilified with regards to evolution, as it challenged the Christian Creation theory. These are now outdated no one publishes them. However, in Sri Lanka the Sinhalese state deliberately still keeps on publishing outdated history, that has now proven to be incorrect, with new evidence, to deliberately brainwash children and to uphold the myth that the island only belongs to the Sinhalese Buddhists, and they are the real indigenous people not even the Vedda. SJ also deliberately, quotes from these outdated book and texts. You also know what I mean but being deliberate and misleading. You have a very Pro Sinhalese and an anti-Tamil bias. Very strange for a Scot Noticed you interact very favourably with all the Sinhalese hardliners and anti-Tamils and with the self-hating anti Tamil.
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Siva Sankaran Sharma / January 11, 2024
It is irrelevant when the DNA code was found but now has been found and many lies and myths broken, with this and new evidence now coming about the actual origins and genetic makeup of various people and most of the evidence now being provided are not by Tamils but by Sinhalese and others and they all constantly come with the same conclusion and result. That the island’s population are all the same, even the Indian origin estate Tamils, who hardly intermarried and remained isolated for the past 200 Years. Proving we are all Dravidians, with slight admixture from other people. Not Aryans or Arabs, as some would love to claim, and it is the same with India. Most mainstream Indians are basically the same, the Indus Valley Dravidian DNA is the main DNA, for all, even in the most so-called Aryan areas like Kashmir and Hunza, with various amounts of Steppe DNA predominating in the North, especially Northwest and more ancient ancestral South Indian DNA down south. Especially amongst the tribals and lower castes.
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Siva Sankaran Sharma / January 11, 2024
As for calling the Keeladhi Archaeological excavations done by the Indian Central and Tamil Nadu Archeological departments and its findings and scientific evidence a fake, as many of it findings only conform what the Tamils state and are increasingly busting Sinhalese myths, speaks volumes and reveals to me a lot about you and your extreme anti Tamil bias. Like a typical Sinhalese racist and hardliner constantly coming here, and demanding backups is another ploy to discourage blogger. Once one back up is given, come back again with another cock and bull story and demand another. Enough and more evidence and backup has been given to you and to other Sinhalese racists, but you keep on coming back with more cock and bull unrelated stories and demanding more backup, as a deliberate ploy. It may be me or someone else stated, they all follow this same ploy, most probably someone is instructing them.
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Mallaiyuran / January 10, 2024
Ha ha ha ha ha ha
Name Please!
Which year was that book? Was it from Badiyudeen’s Print house book or Ampuli Mama Publishers? How many pages in that were written by Kandy Ayatollahs?
Listen, before attempting to answer any of those questions, Was your book in Sinhala Only or Pali Only? If it was in Tamil what is the point of continuing with your talk?
Ha ha ha ha
Child!
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Ruchira / January 10, 2024
LankaScot – Facts, evidence and sources of evidence are not the most familiar concepts to those who comment claiming various ‘truths’ here. They think Youtube videos by their favourite youtuber are valid sources.
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Mallaiyuran / January 9, 2024
“Devnampiyatissa = Deva nam piya tissa (god name loving Tissa) means Tissa who loved the name of a god. “
Sweet, sweet language! You cannot hear it even in the high flying Langkang Rapist Ari force society! Where did you get that Silver Gild?
“Deva” is not Tamil -Sanskrit
“Tissa” (Theesan) is not Tamil – Pali
“Nampi” is a Velir Kula high society males’ name. That name tells that certainly, this Royal Family had a nearby Pandiyan Dynasty’s connection. (Mahanama agrees on that.)
When you shell or hull the legends for history, unlike Appe Aanduwa, you cannot pick what you like and kick what you hate. His name suggests that he migrated to Northern Ceylon only after TN started to experience Sanskrit and Pali importation. That tells him he carried some of his newer religious bags and baggage with him. His father’s name was picked by Tamils from Mahavamsa – Pali as Mootha Sivan. There is generally no Mootha Sivan in Tamil. Mootha- Ilaiya adjectives appear in brothers’ names in Tamil. But not associated with Sivam (n). Muthaiya, Mutthamma, Mutthuvelayuthan, Maari Mutthan, Muthu Maari are names in Tamil. Muththu adjective gives a sense feminine, same as Sitaraman, Umasankar, Lakshmikanthan,….. other similar 1000 of names in Tamil and Tamilised-Sanskrit, where men take their wives’ names as introductory last names. (That is very uncommon in Eelam Tamils’ names cultural difference from motherland)
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SJ / January 9, 2024
(nodanna Sinhala thamage gela pitupasata haani karai.)
A Sinhala equivalent will be really ‘nodanna demala’ etc.)
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Mallaiyuran / January 10, 2024
What does that means?
You are done with you?
I did know that you will come very soon to this “kaulam” as soon as you challenged that you will ridicule all my comments!
Here after don’t scratch someone in CT just because somebody at home cooking for you three times, without any of your effort.
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SJ / January 11, 2024
“What does that means?”
Translation please.
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Mallaiyuran / January 9, 2024
So, his father was only Mutthu Chchivan, which means Sivan, the husband of well-known Lady Muththi (wife) (, which was not the reality, but a convention.) Buddhism in Langkang was not dropped, one day, by the crow (Sangamitta? – after all that is not a name, but certification of her membership in the Ladies’ Sangha- It might have been a short time custom calling all the ladies in that club as Sangha Mitta, like you call one in the police force as Policeman or Policewoman) that was sitting on the tree and eating Vadai which was stolen from the Patty’s basket. Buddhism came to Ceylon as the spread of contemporary culture from Tamil Nadu, by common interaction by both societies. Though Asoka sent so many messengers world over, Buddhism was picked by neighboring countries as a cultural exchange.
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Siva Sankaran Sharma / January 10, 2024
As per the Keeladhi excavations. a pre-Buddhist era, names like Uthiran, Theesan were very common Tamil names found on potsherds during this era. Thevan is definitely of Sanskrit origin from Dev but Tissa could be the Pali version of Tamil name Theesan. You don not find any name ending with Tissa/Theesan in any other part of India, during ancient or modern times, other than in the Tamil areas of India and Sri Lanka and amongst the Sinhalese. These ancient Tamil names like Theesan like the name Uthiran has now gone out of usage amongst the Tamils but its Pali version Tissa. still remains common amongst the Sinhalese.
‘
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Mallaiyuran / January 10, 2024
Hey Real,
This English Transliteration is not a good way to analyze the Tamils-Sanskrit-Pali names’ origin. Don’t you remember Manikavasakar singing as “Thesan’nadi Pautry ” He is mentioning the Siva’s abode to glorify Shiva. There have been long customs, like mine – the Mallaiyuran, Tamil educationist go with nicknames associated with their residential areas. We don’t know Manikavasakar’s name because he ended up being known as Vaathavuran, and his village was Vaathavoor. How do you interpret the name Ketheesan? That is the name used to refer to Thiruketheeswaram Siva. Now the land’s name is Ketheeswaram! Tamils were highly dynamic at one time. It is very difficult to stabilize the usage and bring out the meaning of the olden time. See this line “Enthayum Numthayum Emurai’Keeliro! When was the last time you used Neem for Neer? Poet is making a word Neem + Thanthai=Nunthai.
One time in an essay a European claimed Tamil poets simply create words nowhere existed before that. Because he had to struggle to translate Sampanthar Thevaram “Mihu Kari’yathu Vadi Kodu Thanathadi valipadu’mavaridar”. What happened to real words here? Doesn’t sound Tamil at all! I was even wondering if “Vadi Kodu” was anything of Sanskrit. But learned eventually “Vadivu Kondu
Europeans could not get the feeling of Tamil, so hurriedly they milled so many translations and killed the whole history & culture wrapped in the legends and bards.
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Lanka Canuck / January 10, 2024
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Tamil is one of the oldest among the Dravidian language family spoken in Southern India and Sri Lanka from early historic period. We are not sure when and where exactly the Tamil language originated but it evolved in South India. During the early historic period, Prakrits (Indo-Aryan language family) that deviated slightly from Sanskrit were introduced to the Dravidians of the island along with the Brahmi script by the Merchants/Traders of North India. The traders from the North-Eastern part of India (presently Bihar, Bengal, Bangladesh, and northern Orissa) introduced the Eastern Prakrits (mainly Magadhi Prakrit, the language of Jainism and Buddhism in North East India spoken by Mahavira and Gautama Buddha during the 5th century BC). On the other hand, the traders of North-Western part of India (presently Gujarat, Maharashtra and Sindh) introduced the Western Prakrits to the island. Some of those Prakrit speaking traders may have settled in the island and assimilated with the local Dravidian population. They also introduced Vedic Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism much before Emperor Asoka’s missionary introduced Buddhism via his son Arhat Mahinda Thero to the island. The Indo-Aryan languages had a very strong influence in South Asia due to Vedic Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.
Contd…
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Lanka Canuck / January 10, 2024
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Indo-Aryan Prakrits, a blend of North-East Indian Prakrit and North-West Indian Prakrit later became distinct in Lanka known as island Prakrit (Dipa Basa) which was originally the language (containing both East Indian and West Indian linguistic features) to communicate with the North Indian traders but later, with the introduction of Buddhism, it replaced the local Dravidian languages (mainly Old Tamil) to a certain extent to became the language of the ruling elite and the clergy (Brahmi stone inscriptions of 3rd century BC found in Sri Lanka are inscribed mostly in Prakrit and a few in Tamil). Prakrit was mainly used for cave writings and Stone inscriptions using Brahmi script (most of them talk about the donations to the monks) and gradually it spread over a period of centuries to the Dravidian population of the island as Dipa Basa (language of the island). During the 3rd century BC, Asoka’s son, the Buddhist missionary monk Arhat Mahinda Thero preached Buddhism to king Tissa and his people in Island Prakrit (Dipa Basa). His sister Sangamiththa who arrived later continued to spread Buddhism in Dipa Basa.
It was this Indo-Aryan Prakrit (Dipa Basa) that Prof. Wilhelm Geiger assumed/misinterpreted and labeled as ‘Sinhala Prakrit’ somewhere around 1930s and later Prof. Senarat Paranavitana who followed Geiger called it ‘Old Sinhala’ while others called it ‘Hela Basa’ making everybody believe that it was ancient ‘Sinhala’ language.
Contd…
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Lanka Canuck / January 10, 2024
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Sri Lanka was not the only Dravidian land that adopted Buddhism and Prakritised its language. Kalinga (presently southern Orissa & northern Andhra Pradesh) was another good example. All the Dravidian South Indian states have also adopted a certain percentage of Prakrit (lingua of Jainism and Buddhism) to their Dravidian languages (the lowest percentage being the Tamil speaking regions, Tamil is the Dravidian language with the least Sanskrit/Prakrit influence).
On the other hand, Pali, (the language of the texts) is a middle Indo-Aryan literary language (similar to, but not exactly the same as Magadhi Prakrit) was introduced to Sri Lanka after the introduction of Buddhism and was used as the Theravada Buddhist Chronicle and Canonical language. It was Prakrit (Dipa Basa) and Pali along with Sanskrit that mixed with all the local Dravidian Tamil language of the common people in the island and evolved into the Sihala language (Siya Basa) by the 7th century AD. A developed Sinhala/Hela language was found for the first time in the 8th century AD Sigiri graffiti (mirror wall) and the Elu/Helu literature was found only in the 9th century AD. There were no Elu/Hela/Sinhala texts/literary work (other than Pali) prior to the 8th-9th centuries AD. The ‘Sihala Atta katha’ and ‘Hela Atuwa’ were created very much later. They were not found in any early texts or Bhrami inscriptions until the 10th century AD.
Contd…
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Lanka Canuck / January 10, 2024
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The ancient history of Sri Lanka as told in the Pali texts and the Prakrit inscriptions is largely the story of the kings and events relating to their lives. We know who the king was and what he did but they do not cover everything, how the ancient society was organised, their customs and traditions, etc. It is a fact that there are four thousand plus Dravidian Tamil origin words in the Sinhala/Hela/Elu language. Wilhelm Geiger, Senarat Paranavithana, et al who studied and analyzed the ancient language of the Island only learned Prakrit (Dipa Basa), Pali and Sinhala but they never bothered to learn the Dravidian languages including Old Tamil (Tamil was the main language of the Dravidian Linguistic family). The early Tamil Buddhist literary works or rather the three Buddhist Epics in Tamil literature are Maṇimekhalai, Valaiyapathi and Kuṇḍalakesi which were unknown in Sanskrit, Pali and Sinhala. If these scholars had learned Tamil, their interpretation would have been different. Even today we don’t have a comparative etymological dictionary between Tamil and Sinhala. The combination of Orientalism and Nationalism in Sri Lanka chose the path of being exclusive rather than inclusive. If a Sinhala language scholar travels to India (North and South), he/she will realize that more than 90% of the Sinhala language is a blend of Northern Indo-Aryan and Southern Dravidian languages.
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Mallaiyuran / January 10, 2024
It was the Tamils who went to Greece and gave the word Rice. Tamil literature mentions towns of Greeks and Arabians that existed in their country. There was nothing mentioned even in Chilapathikaram, which was written by a Jain sage, who returned back to Hinduism, anything about North Indian Traders harboring in TN, long (time) or high(number) enough to influence the Tamil Language. During Chola’s time, TN completely overhauled its eating pattern (Idli and Sambar – while the whole India was still going with Rice and curry.) The Thai – Vietnamese- Indonesian languages, who contributed to the idly, did not influence Tamil. But it happened the other way, it was the Tamils who introduced Sanskrit and Tamil to them. Pallava’s invasion enforced Jainism (and Buddhism) in Tamil Nadu as government religion. So, they call those 300-400 years as (Kalapriya’s) Dark Period because their religions suppressed creatine writing and set fire to a lot of Sangam works, which existed until then, labeling them as Sex & Love Material. Thirunavukkaras became the VC of that time’s Jains university before he quit that religion. He was a master in Pali and Sanskrit. His Jainish name was “Dharma Sena’. He was known by that name throughout his young life. Even Illanko learned all his Jainism, Pali and Sanskrit from Jains institutions & monasteries.
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Mallaiyuran / January 10, 2024
Thiruvalluvar’ s writing shows that he was trained in master grade schools (Jain or Buddhism or possibly, in Both because; Hindus, like its latter days, had only casual, laissez-faire education, though they provided equal-co-ed for girls and boys, but the Ariyan religion appears to have strictly prohibited girls in their monasteries. This is why you see those many bards writing women, suddenly disappeared when Sangam started to fade. It was said there were four girls and seven boys in the Tholkapiyars batch). That is why the Thivu Vamsa was written by Tamil nuns, but after that there were no works in Buddhism written by nuns.
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Mallaiyuran / January 10, 2024
Your concocted story of Aryan traders teaching Tamils the Sanskrit and Pali, which is just coming out of the age old Europeans’ biased research. The problems were Europeans hated to read Tamil, that is why they missed that many materials in Tamils, which contradicts their findings. In contrast, Japanese studied Tamil and came to the conclusion that their Japanese language came out of Tamil. Koreans and Japanese celebrate Mattu Pongal. Chinese accepted they learned Buddhism and Martial arts from a Tamil Pallava Prince, he like Illanko, quit his monarchical status and lived as sanyasi. No Aryan traders come in between these realities, here. Western Pali came to Ceylon only through Kerala (Cheram), because those Western provinces were flourishing in education and observing high religiosity. Vijaya’s contribution was nothing to the local culture or language. Westerners did know that the Pali appearing Ceylon was not matching with Mahanama story of Vijaya or Sangamita, but they like didn’t to give up their Aryans Civilization’s dominance in India so erected so many branches to their stories to explain why the Eastern Bengalis in Ceylon are speaking Western Pali. Those were the jokes of the 18th, 19th, 20th centuries. When the Pali used to write Thivu Vamsa came from TN Nuns, how do you fix the Bengalis into that? Same case with Telugu Mahanama’s Mahavamsa too.
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Mallaiyuran / January 10, 2024
Here is this unbelievable story. Kanthar Odai is the only Tamil name around that neighborhood. All village names are clearly related to Pali. Kanthar Odai relating to the Kathirkama connection. There is a royal palace and a Buddhist prayer place there. These are said to be as old or older than 3 BCE. Interesting that it is the only place carrying a Tamil Hindu name around there. All others end with Kamam, or Vil. Vil is a Pali word. So why the name Kanthar Odai was given to a Buddhist temple, and there was never a Kanthan Temple in that vicinity? A little far away there is a Sivan Kovil, but it too is creating a controversy because it is named Kathiran Malai. Again, Maviddapuram and Sela Sannidhi are there. Apparently, these are coming from the culture that was spread throughout Ceylon at the Time of Kathirkamam. Sela Sandhi sticking another connection, i.e., near to Kathirkamam, there is a town called Sella Kathirkamam. Sellam means petted child, reminding Lord Muruga, as per the legend that he was cared for by six nannies. There are 100reds of Lord Muruga’s temples, abandoned in South and Up-country area. These may because when Tamils were converted to Buddhism, the temples became orphaned or when the Vedas were genocide, they lost owners.
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Mallaiyuran / January 10, 2024
You explained a lot about how Tamil came to Ceylon, but you fell short of saying that there is a Dravidian (is)land (a small country) in the Western Pakistan which speaks Brahui. Could you explain why that group of people went there and started to speak a Dravidian language? The interesting part is they no longer have the Dravidian Physical ID. Their culture was completely re-founded from Middle East and Afghanistan bases. The matter is, when Aryans invaded their land, unlike Tamils or Bengalese, they did not have a place to run (far South or far East). Because Aryan invaders were coming from the West, their far West escape route was closed as soon as the Aryans showed up on their doorways. That group of Dravidians were stuck there. The Invading barbaric race simply adopted their sophisticated Dravidian Language, but demolished everything else of their id, including the people.
Let’s leave that and we go back to Wikipedia: “a Dravidian language (Kurukh) spoken by nearly two million Oraon and Kisan tribal people of Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal and Assam in India, as well as by 65,000 in northern Bangladesh, 28,600 a dialect called Uranw in Nepal and about 5,000 in Bhutan “ Follow the map below to locate their Physical location, because this is not straight forward like Brahui speakers.
ihttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Dravidian_map.svg
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Mallaiyuran / January 10, 2024
Please explain this phenomenon to me. Aryans invaded North India 3000 years ago. There is no location in south India where you can point to a Sanskrit or Pali region. Bengal, Odisha, Jharkhand are all clean Aryan language speakers. How did the Kurukh speakers get in there and speak a Dravidian Language, which was completely wiped from their neighborhoods? Sinhala has overtaken the southern Ceylon Island. But people in the country speak Tamil. There is no question they are not the Original Tamils who lived there before Sinhalese took over the south. They were settled by the European planters. But can you explain how somebody in the far West of British India speaks Brahui and in the far east of India & some Mongolian races speak the same Dravidian family Languages. Most of these speakers no longer carry any Dravidian blood or culture. Amazingly, though modern Bengali is from 1200 CE, Bengalis lost their Dravidian language, maybe 2000 years ago. They lost their religion within the last 1000 years. Still they could not shrug off their Dravidian Physical attributes which stuck in them. But there are some spots in these hot lands where people are speaking a language their neighbor stopped 1000s of years ago. Why? It could be only because one time India spoke only one language, that was Tamil based Dravidian languages.
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Mallaiyuran / January 10, 2024
It is not the way you concocted. Maharashtra language was for long treated or called as Northern Kannada, a clean Dravidian Language. Hinduism was the main religion during Indus Civilization. Many terracotta seals have been discovered in the Indus Valley Towns, which shows Siva (Pasupathi) in meditating position. That is well congruent with the Saivite foundation principle, the man attains God’s status by meditation, other than that there is no super King God. This has been repeatedly proven by the many sages in the Indus Valley time through Mahavira, Buddha, Sankara and to Paramahamsa of the last century. Rig Veda tallying with this thought, but later Vedas differ and try to find a super king. Hinduism’s birth Language is Dravidian Language – rightfully it can be called as Tamil. That is why Pariyavan became Brahma. Another somersault is that Tamils were born in TN. Tamil took this format in Tamil Nadu, but its origin is Indus Valley. Rig Veda principle or philosophy originated in the Indus Valley. Equivalent for Braman is not found in any Indo-Aryan Languages. Rig Veda’s inability to come out with an organized god in line with Western religions says it was the nature of pure Indian Religion, not the one brought by the invaded Aryans. Aryans were only barbarian, it is completely a fraud to paint them as highly civilized traders, spreading culture in India.
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Siva Sankaran Sharma / January 11, 2024
Mallaiyuran, instead of me explaining this gives better explanation and this is from a non-Tamil westerner. Now you will get the anti-Tamils wanting all sorts of evidence that are everywhere, but they will keep on demanding, especially the fake Scot
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fh4RNP4bMWk
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SJ / January 9, 2024
“Note the king who converted to Buddhism was a Tamil Naga Saivite. “
Noted with a bellyful of laughter.
Thanks.
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Siva Sankaran Sharma / January 9, 2024
Keep on laughing like a jackass, as this is what you are only good for. Always coming here with your one or two lined sarcastic quips, but with not proper answer. We all he converted to Buddhism, them from which religion? Confucianism? Paganism? Stop making stupid comments just to sound very intelligent, when you are not but just spiteful and nasty, playing up to the Sinhalese racist gallery. He was a Saivite, His father was king Mootha Sivan, and his older brother was Maha Sivan. We do not know his actual name but the title in Pali and Tamil after he converted to Buddhism.
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SJ / January 9, 2024
You tickle me but are annoyed by my laughter.
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Pandi Kutti / January 10, 2024
SJ Thaatha, now you again being evil and naughty and recalcitrant. Stop deliberately harassing Siva Sankaran Maama with silly stupid arguments! Listen to this and chill old man. (❁´◡`❁) .
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtbnCP9l5Z8
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Siva Sankaran Sharma / January 10, 2024
Sorry We all know and not We all
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Pandi Kutti / January 9, 2024
This is very interesting.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPpifOFLswE
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Ruchira / January 9, 2024
(A) Wigneswaran in his above article states: “In recent times DNA tests have shown the Sinhalese to be descended from the Dravidians.”
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(B) Here’s one of the latest genetic studies “Reconstructing the population history of the Sinhalese, the major ethnic group in Śrī Laṅkā”
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https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10514440/#mmc1
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Can someone explain how the conclusion stated in above (A) could be arrived from the findings presented in the study given under (B)?
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Or is there any other study/studies on which Wigneswaran’s statement is based on? That he isn’t willing to cite?
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TIA
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SJ / January 9, 2024
R
He is a conman who claims belief in miracles by other conmen including a murder convict in saffron robes.
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SJ / January 9, 2024
The only miracle to me was that he was a well regarded judge despite all his superstition including the claim that his god man drove away a deadly meteor by urinating towards the sky.
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Ruchira / January 9, 2024
SJ – He could be the Tamils’ Conman Candidate then… 🤣
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SJ / January 10, 2024
There are other confidence tricksters running.
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Ruchira / January 10, 2024
SJ – Looks there are truck loads of them…
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Ruchira / January 11, 2024
Looks *like
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old codger / January 9, 2024
Ruchira,
Perhaps you didn’t have time to wade through the whole report, of which this is a part:
“which also showed (Figure 3) that the Sinhalese are more similar to Śrī Laṅkān Tamils than to the Indian populations, and both possess a major South-Asian-related ancestral component”
In other words, both have been here for a long time, and no one has a claim to be the “original inhabitants”.
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SJ / January 10, 2024
oc
One of the sanest books on early history of Tamils was by Indrapala early this century.
People just pick out juicy bits that fit with their prejudices even in such serious texts.
I will not accuse any Tamil leader of having a scholarly approach to matters of history or economics.
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Ruchira / January 10, 2024
OC – Thanks for your response.
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My query above was precisely because I went through the full report.
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You in your comment say: “In other words, both have been here for a long time, and no one has a claim to be the “original inhabitants””
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That doesn’t answer the question I have raised. Neither does it clarifies Wigneswarans statement in question.
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To be more clear neither the question nor the statement by CVW highlighted is about original inhabitants.
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Furthermore I personally have nothing against the original inhabitant status being challenged as long as the counter argument is based on facts and not on some cooked up stories like Kumari Kandam etc.
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notohypocrisy / January 10, 2024
Ruchira,
Yes, it is about time this Kumarikandam/Lemuria theory was laid to rest. It was outdated even 100 years ago, but people who have no understanding of science keep dragging it up. CVW is one of them. Does that answer your question?
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old codger / January 10, 2024
Ruchira,
Obviously there is no evidence for CVW’s claim, because it is based on hearsay and/ or mythology. As I said, the science shows a closer connection between the two groups than to third parties. The difference apparently are not ethnic but cultural. I am not suggesting that these don’t matter. After all, even the closely related English and Irish murdered each other over different sects of the same religion.
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Ruchira / January 10, 2024
OC – You would excpect some credibility from a person of the calibre of CVW unlike various Sinhalese quarters that claim equally stupid things. Mahavamsa may contain errors. I do not know if they were honest mistakes made without knowing the historical facts or ones willfully included to distant Sinhalese from Tamils for whatever the reasons. But to challenge them with equally erroneous theories is not only counter productive but woukd further polarize the two communities a phenomena of current concern. DNA studies imv gives a diverse background to both Sinhalese and Tamils in Sri Lanka. SL Tamils if I am not mistaken are infact genetically more closer to Sinhalese than Tamils in Southern India.
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LankaScot / January 10, 2024
Hello OC,
I am afraid that the Irish would take exception to relating them to the English. The Irish have a long history that goes back long before the Angles, Jutes and Saxons colonised the East and South of England. Irish Nationalism also goes back a long way to the 12th Century Norman English colonisation. Back then there were no protestants. The recent “Troubles” in Northern Ireland were brought to end with The Good Friday Agreement. The Protestants are either a minority now or will be soon.
In the Genetic Reports that I have quoted previously, DNA evidence shows that the Sinhalese and Sri Lanka Tamils both have a significant West European contribution whilst the Indian Tamils have none. Can anyone come up with a reasonable explanation for this?
Best regards
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SJ / January 11, 2024
Religion and cruel colonial occupation of Ireland and suppression of Irish Celtic language have left deep wounds.
The contempt shown towards the Irish in England on occasion far surpasses that towards people of colour.
Placards like “No dogs, no Irish” were well known.
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old codger / January 11, 2024
LS,
Perhaps the Irish aren’t that closely related to the English, as you say. But we South Asians can hardly tell the difference 🤣
As to your second query, one must always bear in mind who you take DNA samples from. Some prominent “Sinhalese ” families , like the Ratwattes, do have recent European input. Also, a “Sinhalese ” from Chilaw has quite different lineage than one from Anuradhapura (assuming that the second guy is not a colonist). You might know that many Jaffna Tamil Christian families have European surnames like Hoole, Gardiner, Page, etc. You will have to ask SJ about that.
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Siva Sankaran Sharma / January 11, 2024
Most Jaffna Christians, especially from the upper castes have retained their Hindu family names. However, some of them have European surnames, usually this surname is the surname of the European missionary who converted them or the original convert. Even many of their descendants have now discarded these European surnames and reverted back to their original Hindu surname or take on another Tamil name as their surname, however others still, take pride in this European surname, that was given to them by the missionary who converted them. I cannot understand this, as this is like a slave taking the master’s surname, or the missionary branding these people with his family as if there were now his possessions and these people are very proud of this. Some others during the European colonial era deliberately Anglicized their original Tamil family name. to find favour with their British colonial masters. Murugan Govinthan became Morgan Govington. Many say the name Page is the Anglicized form of the original Tamil name Pechar or something similar.
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Siva Sankaran Sharma / January 11, 2024
Low caste converts always took European surnames in the case of Protestants to hide their origin. Whereas amongst a lot of Catholic Tamils, especially the Parvans, they forced to take Portuguese family names, when they were converted. Some really have a distant male European ancestor and this name continues. I have even come across a Hindu family from Delft who had a Durch surname and when I queried, they said they are Hindus but had a distant male Dutch ancestor and his family name still continues. Even some Hindu families have European family names, like Hallock, Strong, Storer, the reason is the ancestors of these people converted to Christianity and then reconverted back to Saivism, most probably during the Navalar Hindu revival era and have still retained this European surname. Many amongst them are also fast discarding these names. However, the ones who migrated to the west, both Christians and Hindus, retain these surnames, as they feel it is easy to assimilate.
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Siva Sankaran Sharma / January 11, 2024
Even amongst upper caste Hindu Punjabis there is a common surname ” Grover” it is the Angelized version of the original Hindu name ” Guruvar” meaning the teacher or even leader or the one who imparts knowledge.
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LankaScot / January 12, 2024
Hello Siva Sankaran Sharma,
A group of North Indian tribes migrated into Mid and West Europe possibly from about 1000 years ago. Some went through the Middle East and Egypt – some went through East Europe (Romania, Bulgaria etc.). They became known as the Roma. The ones that reached the UK were generally known as Gypsies. Nowadays they are called Travellers due to their past lifestyle of horse drawn caravans and itinerant work on the farms. Some of these peoples ended up in Scotland and took on the names of the Clan Chiefs. So you can find McAllisters, McPhersons and McPhees with North Indian DNA. As far as they are concerned they are Scots and proud of their Clan Surnames. Some research has been done but a lot more is needed. The Travellers have been subject to a great degree of discrimination in many countries including the UK. They have their own language/dialect and customs – most are Roman Catholic but worship a Black Madonna (Kali?).
The Traveller women mostly have black hair and dark brown eyes and share some of the characteristics of some of my neighbours between Gampola and Kandy.
Best regards
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Ruchira / January 11, 2024
LankaScot – expecting reasonable explanations here is futile. Most, except for a few, are either not interested or does not know how to engage in a civilized discourse of discussing a matter. I believe it’s the latter. Hence they resort to all sorts of name calling, accussations and ad hominem attacks that do not help them in their own course. Because as ironic as it may seem intolerance of civil discourse in general will only be dealt with the same intolerance. That is what happened in 2009.
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Rohan25 / January 11, 2024
OC, the Kumari Kandam/Lemuria claim is mythology and there is no scientific evidence yet to back it up, so he really should not be discussing this. As SSS has stated there is evidence that parts of the ancient Tamil country along the shores went under sea, either due to sea erosion, a Tsunami most probably or even climate change and this may have triggered this myth. However, the rest of what he stated is the truth and is now increasingly getting backed up with scientific evidence. What the Sinhalese racists, extremists and hardliners and their backers are cleverly and cunningly trying to do is discredit everything what he stated, using the Lemuria/Kumari Kandam myth, that he foolishly brought in without any backup, unlike the rest what he stated. This is like throwing the baby with the bathwater. This is what they are trying to attempt. Notice they are very quiet about everything else he stated but keep on highlighting and harping on the Lemuria/Kumari Kandan myth to discredit everything else. Very diabolical and cunning but he gave them the opportunity.
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Ruchira / January 10, 2024
notohypocrisy – The fact that Kumari Kandam is a fake theory is a fairly straightforward one, unlike the claim that based on modern DNA studies Sinhalese are descendents of Dravidians.
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SJ / January 11, 2024
The occupant communities of the island have more ancestors than Dravidians and whoever else in India to include Arabs, Persians, Europeans and Africans.
Compare the variation in complexion within each group for a start.
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Ruchira / January 11, 2024
SJ – Precisely.
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Native Vedda / January 10, 2024
old codger
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“In other words, both have been here for a long time, and no one has a claim to be the “original inhabitants”.
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Therefore there should not be an argument about who is more stupider than the other.
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Ruchira / January 9, 2024
Wigneswaran also states:
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“1. The Tamil speaking people were the original inhabitants of this Island. They existed from the time the Kumari Kandam or Lemurian Continent now under the Indian Ocean, was in existence. There were no doubt influx of Pandiyas, Pallavas, Cholas, Cheras and the Arya Chakrawarthis at different times. But they added to the original Tamil indigenous population which can be traced back to the time of the Kumari Kandam.”
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Here’s the Wikimedia page on Kumari Kandam: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumari_Kandam
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A couple of excerpts from the above Wiki page on Kumari Kandam or Lemuria:
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“Kumari Kandam (Tamil: குமரிக்கண்டம், romanized: Kumarikkaṇṭam) is a mythical continent,…”
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“Although the Lemuria theory was later rendered obsolete by the continental drift (plate tectonics) theory, the concept remained popular among Tamil revivalists of the 20th century.”
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Lester / January 9, 2024
““Kumari Kandam (Tamil: குமரிக்கண்டம், romanized: Kumarikkaṇṭam) is a mythical continent,…”
A well-educated lawyer should not publicly stray into arenas (history) beyond the bounds of his expertise. He/she risks looking like a charlatan. Anyway, this is the type of revisionist nonsense that underpins the fake freedom struggle. It ended in 2009 (militarily), but the ideology persists. The reasons are much deeper and have do with thousands of years of caste oppression in Saivite Hinduism. Just refer to the numerous excellent articles by Jeevan Hoole.
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Ruchira / January 10, 2024
“A well-educated lawyer should not publicly stray into arenas (history) beyond the bounds of his expertise. He/she risks looking like a charlatan.”
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Exactly!
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Especially in such a matter of fact way, when all the methods that we have at our disposal to reconstruct history have inherent limitations, one should learn to exercise some degree of caution.
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I wonder how this kind of thinking and coming to conclusion may have affected his work as a justice.
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Mallaiyuran / January 11, 2024
Lester, talk less. The IMF has predicted a big riot in 2024. Still the case on Protest 2022 is not cleared by the courts. Slap Party Political doctors seem to be preparing the UNP’s next delivery. The Evil Emperor’s library is gone, though he had courage to make a complaint at the police station. Many Slap Party MPs did not go to the police station, not just because they feared getting out of the house for Protesters, but fearing if the police would ask for land deeds or the IRS would ask for income receipts for money that was used to build the mansions. And more importantly, the Indian Army is going to occupy the areas near Trinco, you will not be able to go there. In any case or emergencies, as the last resort, make good friendship with the American Ambassador. She may be able to stamp a Visa if Indonesia or Maldives refuses.
(PS: Your comments suggest that because of meat shortages by Hitler government’s poop import from China and waste of ForEx , last night you air fried your brain and eaten it)
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SJ / January 10, 2024
R
Do not waste time on silly statements.
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Ruchira / January 10, 2024
SJ – True. But judging by the press it receives and the ensuing following that parrots the same make it difficult to ignore as if it’s just another looney opinion. The fact that such is the ideology of someone aspiring to be or promoting a common Tamil presidential candidate is a little concerning.
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LankaScot / January 10, 2024
Hello Ruchira and SJ,
As a teenager I read George Orwell’s 1984, Animal Farm, Down and Out in Paris and London and many of his other novels. He said “Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic socialism”.
A big lie (German: große Lüge) is a gross distortion or misrepresentation of the truth primarily used as a political propaganda technique. Many totalitarian (and even so called Democratic) regimes use these techniques to obscure/obfuscate facts. If the lies are not continually challenged then they become the given truth.
Keep up the good work😊
Best regards
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Ruchira / January 10, 2024
LankaScot – The lines between totalitarianism and democracy seems to be slowly blurring. I am of the view that we have gone long past 1984, but no one has yet realized it – if you know what I mean.
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LankaScot / January 10, 2024
Hello Ruchira,
Nice metaphor “gone long past 1984…” You should have been a poet – but yes I know what you mean.
Best regards
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Ruchira / January 11, 2024
LankaScot – Thanks. As a matter of fact I used to pen a poem or two occasionally back then when I was younger. Not so profound ones. One or two of them infact have got published in some insignificant places. Shall try to trace them back sometime. Cheers!
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SJ / January 11, 2024
R
There is a saying in Tamil:
There are ten people to follow a rich man and There are ten people to follow a mad man and
Popularity and publicity do not tell us much about the worth of anything.
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Ruchira / January 11, 2024
SJ – hard to disagree.
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Mallaiyuran / January 11, 2024
There are ten people to follow a mad man
Exactly!
Otherwise would there be so many Munthani spreaders in CT to shade and guard you?
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Siva Sankaran Sharma / January 10, 2024
Anit Tamils and self-hating Tamil spiteful, do not like the truth that Justice. Wigneswaran states about the real untold history of the island and its people as it challenges the entrenched Sinhalese Buddhist supremacy, lies that the Mahavamsa fairy tale states, that the Sinhalese Sri Lankan state deliberately promotes. Therefore, they attack him and bring politics into this to deliberately to muddy the waters.
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Lanka Canuck / January 10, 2024
The aboriginal Veddhas (hunter gatherers) were thought to have inhabited Sri Lanka as far back as 32000 BC; they descend from the prehistoric people of the island. It is still not absolutely clear from where the Dravidians came to the South Asian subcontinent but they moved to the Southern parts of the sub-continent and occupied the South India – Sri Lanka region during the period 1200 to 800 BC (Begley 1973). They were also freely moving back and forth between Sri Lanka and South India (presently Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh). Similar to South India, Sri Lanka also became the land of the Dravidians during the same period. The most ancient name for the island was mentioned in the 4th century BC Ramayana in Sanskrit as Lamka/Lanka (meaning island). Another ancient name for the island was Tambapanni found in Emperor Asoka’s 3rd century BC Prakrit inscriptions. Tambapanni in Prakrit means land of shining copper (Tamba – copper, Panni/panna – Shine/glitter). The ancient Greeks called the island Taprobane which was derived from Tambapanni. The old Tamil name for the island as mentioned in the 1st century BC Tamil Brahmi inscriptions (in Thirupparankunram) and the 1st century AD Tamil Sangam literature (Pattinapalai) is ILAM/Eelam (used until today for over two thousand years to mean the entire island).
Contd…
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Lanka Canuck / January 10, 2024
It is the Dravidian tribes of ILam/Eelam that they refer to in Prakrit as Hela people. The term Hela is a derivation from the Tamil term Eelam and not the other way around. The stem Eela is found in Prakrit inscriptions dated to 2nd century BC in Sri Lanka in personal names such as Eela-Vrata and Eela-Naga. The ancient Tamil word ILam/Eelam (ILA/Eela) for the geographical identity of the island was Prakritised as Hela/Hela Diva but however, the term ‘Hela’ cannot be seen in any of the ancient inscriptions in the island until the 8th century AD Sigiri Graffiti where it appeared for the first time (almost a thousand years after it appeared in Tamil). The Tamils believe that the Sanskrit word Lamka/Lanka was derived from the old Tamil word ILam-ka/ILankai meaning land of Gold (shining/glittering).
However, after the 4th century AD, the island was known as Sihala/Sihala Dipa in Prakrit and Simhala in Sanskrit. The Tamils believe that the Prakrit word Sihala was derived from the Tamil word Sri ILam but however, the word Sihala does not appear anywhere in the early history of the island, not even in the numerous Prakrit Brahmi inscriptions. It first appeared in the island only in the 4th century AD Deepavamsa and later in the 6th century AD Mahavamsa (only twice in the beginning chapter).
Contd…
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Lanka Canuck / January 10, 2024
However, the term Seehala Vihaara was found in a 3rd century AD Prakrit inscription in Nagarjunakonda, South India. In the 19th century, Robert Caldwell wrongly interpreted that ILam/ila is a corrupted form of Sihala or rather ILam means the land of the Sinhala people (whereas the term Sihala appeared many centuries after the Tamil term ILam). Some argue that the term Simhala in Sanskrit was mentioned in the Mahabharata. The stories of Mahabharata were written over centuries and canonized only in the Gupta Empire era in 4th century AD. The Chinese Buddhist monk Faxian in the 4th century AD calls it Sinhala (or the Lion Country). The Arabs called it Serendib and the Europeans called it Celao/Ceylan/Ceylon derived from the term Sihaladipa and Sihala.
There is an alternative view that it was the early Dravidians of the Sri Lanka – South India region who originally called the island ‘Cialam’ around 3rd century AD. In the Dravidian etymology, Ci-alam means a red colored land (Ci/Ce/Se/Chi/Che: adjective forms and root word meaning red, reddish: Ci-vappu; copper color: Ce-mpu; and A’lam: meaning land). The name was geographical in origin very similar to Tambapanni in Prakrit meaning copper colored land.
Contd…
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Lanka Canuck / January 10, 2024
The Dravidian term Cialam was first Prakritised as Seehala/Sihala (Seehala as mentioned in the 3rd century AD Prakrit inscription in Nagarjunakonda) and later Sanskritised as Simhala/Sinhala (Simhala Island as mentioned in the 4th century AD Sanskrit inscription in Allahabad) and the Tamils called it Cinkalam in post Sangam Tamil literary works (when the original Dravidian/Tamil words/names were written in Indo-Aryan Prakrit/Sanskrit format, sometimes they get corrupted beyond recognition).
Many centuries later, when the original Dravidian etymology was lost, and the prevailing dominant language became the North Indian Prakrits and the religion was North Indian Buddhism, the Theravada Buddhist monks of the Mahavihara have imagined a North Indian ‘Aryan migration’ to the island in the early historic period. The Pali Chronicles of the Mahavihara in the 4th Century AD fabricated an irrational mythology (Sinha-bahu, Vijaya and the Lion story) that Sihala means the descendants of Sinhabahu who killed his lion father and therefore known as Sinha-la whose son Vijaya and his followers were therefore known as Sihala and a migration of this ‘Lion Race’ from North India to the island had taken place in the ancient past. The ninth chapter of the Dipavamsa says the island of Lanka was called Sihala after the lion. This myth has pervaded the minds and hearts of the people right from the 4th Century AD.
Contd…
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Lanka Canuck / January 10, 2024
It is sometimes amusing, surprising and saddening at the same time to see the enormous pride that the Sinhala-Buddhist Nationalists take in the Myth that they have ‘lion blood’ (Sinha’le) running in their veins. The fact is, people of Cialam/Sihala/Simhala/Cinkalam were Dravidians of different tribes. That is why, the epigraphy (thousands of ancient Prakrit inscriptions) and the Pali Chronicles never mentioned an ethnic ‘Sinhala’ king or a ‘Sinhala’ tribe/race in the island during the early period. Only the name of the island was called Sihala/Sihala Dipa in Prakrit/Pali and the people of different Dravidian tribes were known as Yaksha, Naga, Raksha, the prehistoric Veddha and Deva the ruling elites (similar to today, the name of the island is Sri Lanka and its people are known as Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, and Burghers). It was the influence of the Pali chronicles (Vijaya & the Lion Myth) of the Mahavihara that turned the majority of Dravidians who followed Theravada Buddhism to Sinhalese (a lion race, an imagined ethnic identity). In other words, Sinhalese as an ethnic identity began to emerge only after the 4th century AD and the evolution of the Sinhala language from Indo-Aryan Prakrits (Dipa Basa) along with Pali, Sanskrit and the native Dravidian language (Old Tamil) began to develop only after the 4th century AD Pali chronicle.
Contd…
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Lanka Canuck / January 10, 2024
Today, everybody has taken it for granted that, right from the beginning, the word Sinhala stands for a particular ethnicity in the island and for the language they speak but the actual fact is; the early usage of the word Sihala/Sinhala was neither for ethnicity nor for the language, it was mostly a toponym referring to the island (Nagarjuni Konda inscription of 3rd Century AD). The ninth chapter of the 4th Century AD Dipavamsa says, the island of Lanka was called Sihala.
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Mallaiyuran / January 11, 2024
There was a Tamil 3rd Sanga time poet named Eelaththu Poothanthevanar. I tried to get any references on him from Google, no luck. The name means Poothanthevan from Eelam. He was around the start of CE or the end of BCE.
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davidthegood / January 11, 2024
Lanks Canuck, If all lankans are sihala, any differentiation is to be a buddhist, hindu, christian or moslem. So what are we fighting about in this small island. Be united.
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Mallaiyuran / January 11, 2024
Man….ah…… This is an embarrassment for two people. I always believed that the Tamil Nuns who wrote the Divu Vamsa were trained by Manimehalai. But no support here for that. Any way any nun lived in that time (4th CE) was a Tamil nun. I can console myself.
The other one is the UOJ Sadampi. His entire life time research has popped in the fire that swept through, in a second. Poor guy! The boy is going to cry the entire night.
Does Ruchira know how to wear Sari and bring the Thavani front and make a Munthanai? If not, please check on Google how to wear a sari
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SJ / January 12, 2024
Dravidians since 30000 BC!
If one assumes that the Indus Valley Civilisation was the oldest reputed Dravidian identity, that takes us back to 3300 BC.
Wonder why the Dravidian ‘race’ was dicking around in this potty little island for 27,000 years!
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Lanka Canuck / January 10, 2024
1 of 6
The aboriginal Veddhas (hunter gatherers) were thought to have inhabited Sri Lanka as far back as 32000 BC; they descend from the prehistoric people of the island. It is still not absolutely clear from where the Dravidians came to the South Asian subcontinent but they moved to the Southern parts of the sub-continent and occupied the South India – Sri Lanka region during the period 1200 to 800 BC (Begley 1973). They were also freely moving back and forth between Sri Lanka and South India (presently Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Andhra Pradesh). Similar to South India, Sri Lanka also became the land of the Dravidians during the same period. The most ancient name for the island was mentioned in the 4th century BC Ramayana in Sanskrit as Lamka/Lanka (meaning island). Another ancient name for the island was Tambapanni found in Emperor Asoka’s 3rd century BC Prakrit inscriptions. Tambapanni in Prakrit means land of shining copper (Tamba – copper, Panni/panna – Shine/glitter). The ancient Greeks called the island Taprobane which was derived from Tambapanni. The old Tamil name for the island as mentioned in the 1st century BC Tamil Brahmi inscriptions (in Thirupparankunram) and the 1st century AD Tamil Sangam literature (Pattinapalai) is ILAM/Eelam (used until today for over two thousand years to mean the entire island).
Contd…
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Lanka Canuck / January 10, 2024
2 of 6
It is the Dravidian tribes of ILam/Eelam that they refer to in Prakrit as Hela people. The term Hela is a derivation from the Tamil term Eelam and not the other way around. The stem Eela is found in Prakrit inscriptions dated to 2nd century BC in Sri Lanka in personal names such as Eela-Vrata and Eela-Naga. The ancient Tamil word ILam/Eelam (ILA/Eela) for the geographical identity of the island was Prakritised as Hela/Hela Diva but however, the term ‘Hela’ cannot be seen in any of the ancient inscriptions in the island until the 8th century AD Sigiri Graffiti where it appeared for the first time (almost a thousand years after it appeared in Tamil). The Tamils believe that the Sanskrit word Lamka/Lanka was derived from the old Tamil word ILam-ka/ILankai meaning land of Gold (shining/glittering).
However, after the 4th century AD, the island was known as Sihala/Sihala Dipa in Prakrit and Simhala in Sanskrit. The Tamils believe that the Prakrit word Sihala was derived from the Tamil word Sri ILam but however, the word Sihala does not appear anywhere in the early history of the island, not even in the numerous Prakrit Brahmi inscriptions. It first appeared in the island only in the 4th century AD Deepavamsa and later in the 6th century AD Mahavamsa (only twice in the beginning chapter).
Contd…
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Lanka Canuck / January 10, 2024
3 of 6
However, the term Seehala Vihaara was found in a 3rd century AD Prakrit inscription in Nagarjunakonda, South India. In the 19th century, Robert Caldwell wrongly interpreted that ILam/ila is a corrupted form of Sihala or rather ILam means the land of the Sinhala people (whereas the term Sihala appeared many centuries after the Tamil term ILam). Some argue that the term Simhala in Sanskrit was mentioned in the Mahabharata. The stories of Mahabharata were written over centuries and canonized only in the Gupta Empire era in 4th century AD. The Chinese Buddhist monk Faxian in the 4th century AD calls it Sinhala (or the Lion Country). The Arabs called it Serendib and the Europeans called it Celao/Ceylan/Ceylon derived from the term Sihaladipa and Sihala.
There is an alternative view that it was the early Dravidians of the Sri Lanka – South India region who originally called the island ‘Cialam’ around 3rd century AD. In the Dravidian etymology, Ci-alam means a red colored land (Ci/Ce/Se/Chi/Che: adjective forms and root word meaning red, reddish: Ci-vappu; copper color: Ce-mpu; and A’lam: meaning land). The name was geographical in origin very similar to Tambapanni in Prakrit meaning copper colored land. Contd…
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Lanka Canuck / January 10, 2024
4 of 6
The Dravidian term Cialam was first Prakritised as Seehala/Sihala (Seehala as mentioned in the 3rd century AD Prakrit inscription in Nagarjunakonda) and later Sanskritised as Simhala/Sinhala (Simhala Island as mentioned in the 4th century AD Sanskrit inscription in Allahabad) and the Tamils called it Cinkalam in post Sangam Tamil literary works (when the original Dravidian/Tamil words/names were written in Indo-Aryan Prakrit/Sanskrit format, sometimes they get corrupted beyond recognition).
Many centuries later, when the original Dravidian etymology was lost, and the prevailing dominant language became the North Indian Prakrits and the religion was North Indian Buddhism, the Theravada Buddhist monks of the Mahavihara have imagined a North Indian ‘Aryan migration’ to the island in the early historic period. The Pali Chronicles of the Mahavihara in the 4th Century AD fabricated an irrational mythology (Sinha-bahu, Vijaya and the Lion story) that Sihala means the descendants of Sinhabahu who killed his lion father and therefore known as Sinha-la whose son Vijaya and his followers were therefore known as Sihala and a migration of this ‘Lion Race’ from North India to the island had taken place in the ancient past. The ninth chapter of the Dipavamsa says the island of Lanka was called Sihala after the lion. This myth has pervaded the minds and hearts of the people right from the 4th Century AD.
Contd…
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Lanka Canuck / January 10, 2024
5 of 6
It is sometimes amusing, surprising and saddening at the same time to see the enormous pride that the Sinhala-Buddhist Nationalists take in the Myth that they have ‘lion blood’ (Sinha’le) running in their veins. The fact is, people of Cialam/Sihala/Simhala/Cinkalam were Dravidians of different tribes. That is why, the epigraphy (thousands of ancient Prakrit inscriptions) and the Pali Chronicles never mentioned an ethnic ‘Sinhala’ king or a ‘Sinhala’ tribe/race in the island during the early period. Only the name of the island was called Sihala/Sihala Dipa in Prakrit/Pali and the people of different Dravidian tribes were known as Yaksha, Naga, Raksha, the prehistoric Veddha and Deva the ruling elites (similar to today, the name of the island is Sri Lanka and its people are known as Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, and Burghers). It was the influence of the Pali chronicles (Vijaya & the Lion Myth) of the Mahavihara that turned the majority of Dravidians who followed Theravada Buddhism to Sinhalese (a lion race, an imagined ethnic identity). In other words, Sinhalese as an ethnic identity began to emerge only after the 4th century AD and the evolution of the Sinhala language from Indo-Aryan Prakrits (Dipa Basa) along with Pali, Sanskrit and the native Dravidian language (Old Tamil) began to develop only after the 4th century AD Pali chronicle.
Contd…
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Lanka Canuck / January 10, 2024
6 of 6
Today, everybody has taken it for granted that, right from the beginning, the word Sinhala stands for a particular ethnicity in the island and for the language they speak but the actual fact is; the early usage of the word Sihala/Sinhala was neither for ethnicity nor for the language, it was mostly a toponym referring to the island (Nagarjuni Konda inscription of 3rd Century AD). The ninth chapter of the 4th Century AD Dipavamsa says, the island of Lanka was called Sihala.
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