Origins of Sinhalese and Sri Lankan Tamils

[Dovah]

Answer my questions don't run away!!!!

No its not!! Do you have any idea what you're talking about!!!!!

This was supposed to be a question, kid?

Your views on Race are appalling....

 

[HeinzGud]

This was supposed to be a question, kid?

Your views on Race are appalling....

Mr. Dovahkiin haven't you seen the numbered list!!!!
Pls answer that.......................

Maybe because I'm not a racist! :thumb:

 

[Daredevil]

Just to disprove HeinzGud's superficial theory which is based on facial features --

Tamilian cricketers of India

Srilankan cricketers

HeinzGud, now tell me the differences you were talking about based on these photos

 

[HeinzGud]

Just to disprove HeinzGud's superficial theory which is based on facial features --

Tamilian cricketers of India

Srilankan cricketers

HeinzGud, now tell me the differences you were talking about based on these photos

Ok you won.............. I loose... happy Let's not troll after this............... pls guyz!

 

[Tshering22]

Answering Tamil Propaganda: The Origins of the Sinhalese!

You seriously posted this thread in a wrong forum.

 

[amitkriit]

Ok you won.............. I loose... happy Let's not troll after this............... pls guyz!

This forum is not meant for "war of ego". Everybody wins through rational discussions.

 

[jamwal]

Even if your Tamil and SInhalese are different race argument is true, still that doesn't give anyone an excuse to point out the difference and discriminate. India has hundreds of languages/dialects, dozens of flourishing cultures and languages and numerous races. There are quite a few countries like that. Does that make any particular racial, linguistic group better than the other ?
Let us say that you are indeed different races..so what ? Acknowledge the differences, find a middle ground and live as a nation. Why this holier than thou attitude ? I don't like Tamil terrorism and I certainly don't like the snooty attitude potrayed by some SInhalese. It reminds me too much of Pakistanis who suffered due to this same attitude against Bengalis in 1971. You guys will do well to learn from that incident.

 

[Ray]

How about this?

Prince Vijaya was the first recorded King of Sri Lanka mentioned in the ancient Sri Lankan Pali chronicles. His reign is traditionally dated to 543 BC - 505 BC.[1] The primary source for his life-story is the Mahavamsa. It is inevitably difficult, given the dearth of sources, to separate fact from legend in Vijaya's life, and as H. W. Codrington puts it, 'It is possible and even probable that Vijaya (`The Conqueror') himself is a composite character combining in his person...two conquests' of ancient Sri Lanka.

Ancestry and arrival in Lanka

Vijaya Singha (this surname gave rise to name Singhal or Ceylone) the ousted prince of Singhapur/Sinhpur went with his daredevil comrades to Sri Lanka.

As per Sri Lanka history Mahavamsa, written around 400 AD by the monk Nagasena, using the Dipavamsa and Sinhala Attakatha as sources, correlates well with Indian histories of the period. Ceylon before colonization by Prince Vijaya was earlier inhabited by the ancient tribe Veddas. With the arrival of Prince Vijay and his 700 followers history of the Sinhalese started. Vijaya was eldest son of King Sinhabahu ("Man with Lion arms") and his Queen Sinhasivali of Bhurishrestha Kingdom.

Vijaya married Kuveni (local Yaksha princess) like his army marrying off local women. Later this given rise to modern Sinhala race. Vijaya landed on Sri Lanka near Mahathitha (Manthota or Mannar), and named the island "Thambaparni" ('copper-colored palms). These are attested in Ptolemy's map of the ancient world. Mahavamsa also claims, Lord Buddha visiting Sri Lanka three times. Firstly, to stop a war between a Naga (Vedda) king and his son-in-law who were fighting over a ruby chair. It is said that on his last visit, he left his foot mark on Sripada (Adam's Peak). Tamirabharani was the old name for second longest river in Sri Lanka (known as Malwatu Oya in Sinhala & Aruvi Aru in Tamil). This river was main supply route connecting the capital, Anuradhapura to Mahathitha (Mannar). The waterway was used by Greek and Chinese ships traveling the southern Silk Route. Mahathitha was an ancient port linking Sri Lanka to Bengal and Persian Gulf.[2]

At the beginning of the chronicle (see History of Sri Lanka) the King of Banga (Bengal) is married to the daughter of the King of Kalinga. Their daughter, Suppadevi, was not only 'very fair and very amorous', but was also prophesied to consummate a 'union with the King of beasts'[3] - in the Mahavamsa, a lion. When this duly happened, she gave birth to two children - Sinhabahu and Sinhasivali. 'Sinhabahu' means 'lion-armed' and the young prince himself is described as having 'hands and feet...formed like a lion's'.[3] The family lived together in the lion's cave, blocked in by a large rock the lion had placed to prevent their exit. Eventually, however, Suppadevi and her two children flee the cave. Later Sinhabahu kills his father with an arrow. Then, marrying his sister, he establishes a kingdom based on a city called Singhapur. Sinhasivali bears him a series of twins; their eldest child is named Vijaya, and his younger twin brother Sumitta. However, a critical twist and serious study by scholars and researchers with further references suggest that the King of Sinhpur/Sinhapura ( Sihor ), region's very ancient telltales and references about Prince Vijaya, his exile, his route, are the ones which connect strongly to the History of Sri Lanka and Sinhala/Sinhalese people and culture.

Vijaya is described as indulging in 'evil conduct, and his followers were...(like himself), and many intolerable deeds of violence were done by them'. So antisocial were his activities that the people of the kingdom eventually demanded that the (now aging) King Sinhabahu have him executed.[3] Instead Sinhabhu had half their heads shaved (a sign of disgrace) and exiled Vijaya with his followers, their wives and children, from the kingdom - traditionally said to number a total of 700 souls. After resting in several places they are found to be hostile, and the wayward prince and his associates eventually 'landed in Lanka, in the region called 'Tambapanni.[3]

Later research by Sinhala linguist W.S. Karunatillake supports the hypothesis that the Sinhalese originated in the Eastern India and that many words (over 50%) resemble Bengali language.[4] At the same time, the fact can not be denied for it was rise and origin of sub languages from Sanskrit in the times of Middle India where a great volume of syntax and material were common to all the newly emerging Indian Languages. And yet they were few at that time. This is to ask for a serious comparison and conclusion for Prince Vijaya's origin, whether it was from Singhpur, Kalinga or it was from Sihor, Gujarat, despite references weigh more in favor of Vijaya's origin to lower Indus, and Sihor, which was officially known as Sinhapur in Kathiawar peninsula in ancient times. Another critical point of observation is that, the last and, now only home to Asiatic Lions (locally referred as 'Sinh' or 'Sinha') is Gir Forest falls under Kathiawar peninsula in Gujarat and approach to core Gir territory is just some miles away from Sihor. In fact, till date as in year 2011, Lions are sighted in rural areas adjoining Sihor.

Interestingly, some dialects, words and punches between Bengali and Gujarati languages are strikingly common so the researchers and scholars may have to stress more on other viable aspects too while any Indian sub language during Middle India was not prominent and dominant, where Sanskrit was being widely used in majority of Indian sub-continent. This is where esteemed scholars and researchers have to stress more while they strive to bring out their valuable observations and opinion.

A second geographical issue is the location of Tambapanni, the landing-site of the Vijaya expedition. The Rajaveliya states that the group saw Adam's Peak from their boats and thus landed in Southern Sri Lanka, in an area that eventually became part of the Kingdom of Ruhuna. British historian H. Parker narrowed this down to the mouth of Kirindi Oya. This is now thought to be a far too Southerly location. The more favored region currently is between the cities of Mannar and Negombo, and Puttalam, where the copper-colored beaches may have given rise to the name Tambapanni, which means 'copper-palmed'.[5]

Origins of the Viyaya Clan

The arena associated with the legend of Vijaya and his followers may be in Singhapur (Simhapura or Singur), in the Lala Rattha (Lata Rashtra).[6] The country is identified with the modern Rarh region of West Bengal, India still called Lala/Larh or Rarh/Larika of Ptolemy.[7][8] Lala is referred to as Lata-desa in Sanskrit texts.[9] Al Biruni calls it Lardesh[10] to the extreme hilly west of Bengal where Hooghly district and modern Singur is located. There is however an epic reference to one Sinhapura kingdom with little historical proof, located on the upper Indus which shared borders with Ursa, Abhisara, Bahlika, Darada and Kamboja.[11] Seventh century Chinese pilgrim Hiun Tsang also refers to this Simhapura (Sang-ho-pu-lo) and locates it on upper Indus, in Gandhara (north—west Punjab) which might be a namesake like there were many Koshala or Ganga kingdoms in various parts of India.[12] Scholars have identified it above Salt Range.[13] Yet another Sinhapura is referred to in Gujarat and has been attested to in the Charter of the Maitraka King Dhruvasena I (525 AD-545 AD). Its modern name is 'Sihore' (Sinhore)/Sihor of Kathiawad.[14] There is also an ancient place name 'Hingur' located 40 miles east from the apex of Indus Delta but any of these have little evidences to be a relic of the ancient Sinhapura of the Sinhalese traditions (Hingur < Singur < Singhpur < Sinhapur).[15]

It was thought by some early historians that the Republican Gramaneyas of Sabhaparva of Mahabharata[16] may have been the ancestors of the Sinhalese.[17] The original home of the Gramaneyas seems to have been the Sinhapura of Gandhara/Kamboja, but the people shifted to lower Indus and then, after defeat by Pandava Nakula, to Saurashtra Peninsula, centuries prior to common era. There they seem to have founded a principality in Saurashtra Peninsula, centuries prior to common era which they named Sinhapura probably to commemorate their past connections with Sinhapura of Gandhara/Kamboja.[18] In all probability, Vijaya and his 700 followers, the earliest known Aryan speakers of the island either belonged to the 'Sihore' (Sinhapura)/Sihor of Kathiawad (in Bhavnagar district) or else to Hingur (Sinhapura) east off the Indus delta from where they had sailed to Sri Lanka and settled there as colonists suggesting ancient links of Northwest Kambojas with Sri Lanka.

Oriya scholars claimed Simhapura was the same as the ancient capital of Kalinga in modern-day Orissa. Nissanka Malla's inscriptions mention Simhapura as the capital of Kalinga. The Yalpanavaipavamalai, a Jaffna Tamil text written in the 18th century by Mayilvakanapulavar mentions a King Ukkirasingan,[19] whom Oriyas identify with Kalinga Magha of the Culavamsa as being a descendant of Vijaya's brother who remained in India though concrete evidences not found. And major drawbacks of all the hypotheses except east Indian town of Singur was they all lacked ancient developed ports like Tamralipta through which voyages to Sri Lanka would have been possible.

Kuveni

Vijaya's arrival in Sri Lanka is said to have coincided with the passing away of the Buddha. Indeed the very first 'person' that Vijaya supposedly encounters on the island is the 'Lord of the Gods', Lord Vishnu, who is charged by the ailing Buddha with looking after Vijaya and his descendants.[5]

The second encounter is far less auspicious - a Yakkinni, or demoness, who 'appeared in the form of a dog'. Vijaya's men, surmising that 'Only where there is a village are dogs to be found', followed the creature, only to come upon the Queen of the demons, Kuveni (also known as Kuvanna). Though the protection of Vishnu prevented Kuveni from devouring the hapless man, it did not prevent her from hurling him - and all of Vijaya's other companions - into a chasm.[5]

Vijaya eventually comes upon Kuveni and threatens her with death unless she releases his men. When this is done, Kuveni supplies them with food and clothing, and, 'assuming the lovely form of a sixteen year old maiden' seduces Vijaya.[5] Then, in a complete reversal of her allegiances, she states that she 'will bestow Kingship on my Lord (Vijaya)' and thus 'all the Yakkhas must be slain, for (else) the Yakkhas will slay me, for it was through me that men have taken up their dwelling (in Lanka)'. This Vijaya goes on to do, vanquishing the demons and driving them from the island, all the time with Kuveni at his side.

Though Kuveni bears him two children, a son and a daughter, Vijaya eventually rejects her with the words 'Go now, dear one, leaving the two children behind; men are ever in fear of superhuman beings'.[5] Despite begging Vijaya not to send her away, a broken-hearted Kuveni eventually leaves the palace, taking the two children despite being ordered not to. Arriving in one of the few surviving Yakka cities she is killed by her own people for her betrayal. One of her uncles takes pity on her children and tells them to flee before they, too, are killed. They eventually flee to Malaya rata where they settle and become the ancestors of the Pulindas. And alternative tale is that Kuveni flung herself from Yakdessa Gala, imploring the Gods to curse Vijaya for his cruelty - which they do by preventing any of Vijaya's children from ever sitting on the throne of Rajarata.[20] Interestingly 'Vijaya's curse' is held by some to still hold sway over Sri Lanka's troubled politics.

The Kuveni-Vijaya story evokes some similarities with the encounter of Odysseus with Circe. Circe is also an enchantress and a witch. The Kuveni myth is also remarkable for being so violent and tragic. Both the demon Queen and Vijaya are portrayed as being deeply treacherous and unfeeling - the former in betraying her entire people, the latter in betraying her in turn so callously. Indeed Vijaya's reason for rejecting Kuveni is his desire for a 'a maiden of a noble house' to be consecrated Queen with him. This desire could have had a political aspect - in marrying a princess of an established noble house he would essentially have established himself as a legitimate monarch in his own right, on a par with the other rulers of the subcontinent's kingdoms.

Kuveni, on the other hand, is regarded as a descendant of the demons of the Ramayana and of Ravana, who also dwelled in Lanka. A common folk tale was that her children did not, in fact, flee to Malaysia, but instead remained in Sri Lanka's jungles and became the Veddas - Sri Lanka's aboriginal population. This may indeed be the explanation for Kuveni and her people, as early Indian settlers would almost certainly have come into contact and conflict with indigenous Sri Lankans. The Yakkas are referred to occasionally as 'invisible',[5] and indeed would have appeared so to the newcomers unused to Sri Lanka's jungles, through which the Veddas even today can move in near-silence and with barely a trace.

Interestingly the Dipavamsa, on which the Mahavamsa is based, makes no mention of Kuveni whatsoever.

Reign and death

Vijaya's ministers in the meanwhile had set about securing a princess for their leader to marry, and found one in the form of the daughter of the Pandyan King of Madurai in Southern India. Not only did the King dispatch his daughter, but he also decreed that 'Those men here who are willing to let a daughter depart for Lanka shall provide their daughters with a double store of clothing and place them at the doors of their houses. By this sign shall we (know that we may) take them to ourselves'.[5] Thus every male in Vijaya's crew received a wife (their original wives had been separated from them on their voyage to Sri Lanka, and according to legend they were sent to the Maldivian Islands).

The ministers also appear to have been quite intrepid in founding their own towns and cities around Tambapanni - Ujjeni, Uruvela, Upatissagama, Vijita, and Anuradhagama.[5] Anuradhagama ('Anuradha's village') in particular was a significant foundation - under the name Anuradhapura (Anuradha's city) it was to become capital of Rajarata for over a thousand years.

Following the arrival of the princess of the Pandyan Kingdom, 'the ministers in full assembly consecrated Vijaya king and appointed a great festival'. Age and marriage appear to have had a profound impact on Vijaya, who changed his way of life and ruled 'in peace and righteousness' for thirty-eight years.[5]

The Mahavamsa describes the Pandyan ladies as originating from "Dakshina Madura" or "Southern Madura", which most Sinhala scholars have interpreted as modern-day Madurai in the state of Tamil Nadu, "Northern Madura" being the city of Mathura in Uttar Pradesh. This is a solid evidence of the relationship that Sri Lanka and South India have shared for long. There are several such recorded instances of intermarriage between ruling families of Sri Lanka and the major royal South Indian Dynasties, in particular, the Pandyas and the Cheras.

The events surrounding Vijaya's death provide an interesting insight into the standards of government - or at least the ideals of government - during this period. As seen before it was the ministers of Vijaya who took the initiative in finding a bride for the King and in founding cities, indicating a considerable amount of independence and authority. Similarly when Vijaya dies, 'the ministers ruled, dwelling in Upatissagama...for a year' [21] whilst Vijaya's chosen successor, Sumitta, was summoned from Sinhapura. In the event it is not Sumitta but his son Panduvasdeva who arrives and takes up the reins of government, thus ensuring that the direct line of Vijaya's house is broken.

Significance

Vijaya's reign is of immense importance to the Sinhalese people as it forms the core of their cultural identity. As the Sinhalese kingdom developed into something of a South Asian anomaly - a Buddhist Kingdom in a largely Hindu and Dravidian belt across the Palk strait- the Vijaya legend reiterated that which differentiated the Sinhalese from their neighbors. The clear association of Vijaya with Buddhism, though he is not Buddhist himself, foreshadows the kingdom's conversion in Devanampiyatissa's time. Vijaya's relationship with Kuveni explains the presence of the Veddas, and his marriage to the Pandyan princess establishes a precedent for the often cordial relations between the Sinhalese and the various kingdoms of South India.

Vijaya himself, however, is fascinating for being wayward, and on occasion even cruel and callous. Though he is consistently shown deference as leader of the embryonic Sinhalese polity, the Mahavamsa does not shy away from his more immoral acts. As such he is not held in the kind of awe and respect afforded to Devanampiyatissa, Dutugemunu, or Parakramabahu the Great.

The Modern Sri Lankan Navy, for a considerable amount of time, consisted of only one battle ship, named the 'Vijaya'.

Vijaya of Sri Lanka - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Actually, you are my long lost cousin!

 

[Ray]

One must know this

The Mahavamsa "The Great Chronicle" otherwise known as "The Great Dynasty" is the single most important work of Lankan origin (written in Pali language). It describes the life and times of the people who forged our nation, from the coming of Vijaya in 543 BCE to the reign of King Mahasena (334 – 361) (6th Century BC to 4th Century AD). A companion volume, the Culavamsa or Choolavansha ("lesser chronicle"), covers the period from the 4th century to the British takeover of Sri Lanka in 1815.

The Mahavamsa - Great Chronicle - History of Sri Lanka - Mahawansa

 

[Ray]

Heinz

Entschuldigen, Wake up und Duft des Kaffees!

 

[The Messiah]

sri lankans as north Indians ?

 

[HeinzGud]

Even if your Tamil and SInhalese are different race argument is true, still that doesn't give anyone an excuse to point out the difference and discriminate. India has hundreds of languages/dialects, dozens of flourishing cultures and languages and numerous races. There are quite a few countries like that. Does that make any particular racial, linguistic group better than the other ?
Let us say that you are indeed different races..so what ? Acknowledge the differences, find a middle ground and live as a nation. Why this holier than thou attitude ? I don't like Tamil terrorism and I certainly don't like the snooty attitude potrayed by some SInhalese. It reminds me too much of Pakistanis who suffered due to this same attitude against Bengalis in 1971. You guys will do well to learn from that incident.

Sinhalese actually never discriminated Tamils (as they call it) until the European arrival. European (Dutch and Brits) gave more favoritism to Tamils as to their divide and rule policy, and elevated Tamils to a higher position. This situtation reflects in Sri Lankan society in 1948, that majority of government services are held by Tamils (thanks largely to modern education system establishe by Brits in Jaffna). When Sinhalese try to balance this injustice (more than 70% of Sinhalese live in Sri Lanka compare to the 12% Tamils) Tamils called it discrimination. Can you justify the G. G. Ponnambalam's federal request of 50% governing authority for Tamils and 50% for Sinhalese in 1948????

Well India can't make any racial, linguistic group better than the other because without any racial, linguistic group there won't be any India. India's make up of racial and linguistic groups. That's the difference!

There was initially little tension amongst Sri Lanka's two largest ethnic groups, the Sinhalese and the Tamils, when Ponnambalam Arunachalam, a Tamil, was appointed representative of the Sinhalese as well the Tamils in the national legislative council. However, the British Governor William Manning actively encouraged the concept of "communal representation" and created the Colombo seat which was dangled between the Tamils and the Sinhalese.[SUP][7][/SUP] Subsequently, the Donoughmore Commission strongly rejected communal representation, and brought in universal franchise. The decision was strongly opposed by the Tamil political leadership, who realized that they would be reduced to a minority in parliament, according to the proportion of the population they make up. G. G. Ponnambalam, a leader of the Tamil community, proposed to the Soulbury Commission that there should be 50-50 representation (50% for the Sinhalese, 50% for all other ethnic groups, including Tamils) in the proposed independent Ceylon - a proposal that was rejected.[SUP][8][/SUP] The Second World War served as an interregnum where the adroit politics of D. S. Senanayake successfully balancing the polarising tendencies of the Sinhala as well as Tamil nationalists

Origins of the Sri Lankan civil war - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

How about this?



Actually, you are my long lost cousin!

Well the case of Vijeya is somewhat disputed. Our only reliable source of Information is Mahawansa indeed. However Mahawansa is a heavily biased chronicle due to the fact it was written by a buddist monk who tried so hard to link Sri Lankan royal heritage to Shakyas (Lord Buddhas race). There fore Mahawansa's authenticity has to be verified according to the archeological evidences. Which in this case is none.

However we cannot rule out Vijeya nor his story. Where ever he's come It must be from India (Mostly believed to be from eastern or western upper India). According to the latest archeological findings at various location of Sri Lanka of the ancient human dated way back as 130,000 years indicate Sri Lanka had considerable indigenous population. This fact is also mentioned in Mahawansa as Yaksa, Naga and Devas inhibited Sri Lanka before Vijeya, and the Kuweni's cloth weaving incident. Therefore modern archeologist believe that even before Vijeya there was a flourishing settlements in Sri Lanka.

PRE- AND PROTOHISTORIC SETTLEMENT IN SRI LANKA

 

[Ray]

Mahawansa is quoted as the Gospel of Sri Lanka's existence.

Or is it junk?

If so, it should be openly condemned as utter junk!

How many Sri Lankans would agree?

In ancient times, how would history be written and by whom?

Some university professor in a suit?

Or by learned people, and those days the learned people were monks, who had the time to reflect and write.

Ancient history around the world is the records kept by the religious people (who had the time and energy to be chroniclers) and through excavations and interpretation by historians and archaeologists and other scientist of various disciplines.

 

[HeinzGud]

Mahawansa is quoted as the Gospel of Sri Lanka's existence.

Or is it junk?

If so, it should be openly condemned as utter junk!

How many Sri Lankans would agree?

In ancient times, how would history be written and by whom?

Some university professor in a suit?

Or by learned people, and those days the learned people were monks, who had the time to reflect and write.

Mahawansa is not junk at all! It's a grt way to verify facts! But no archeologist would consider it as the only source of evidence!

 

[Ray]

So what is the theory that is being propagated these days in SL?

 

[HeinzGud]

What is the point of your view! Pls explain???

 

[HeinzGud]

The Tamils have a great culture. One of the best. But that is not found in Jaffna – the so-called heartland of the indigenous Tamils. Though they crow about their culture loudly and interminably, there is no significant evidence of great cultural achievements in Jaffna because they have been, at all times, merely mediocre imitators of S. Indian culture. To find the great Tamil culture one has to go across the Palk Straits to Tamil Nadu – the one and only homeland of all Tamils. The original and rich treasures of Tamil history and culture were forged in the creative anvil of Tamil Nadu. The Jaffna Tamils lacked the innovative genius to make their history shine with the splendour of any remarkable cultural icons to get anywhere near the magnificent achievements of Tamil Nadu in the north, or the Sinhala-Buddhist culture in the south. Unable to produce anything great, they were quite content to bask in the reflected glory of S. Indian culture. Focusing on the failure of the Sri Lankan Tamils to establish a cultural identity of their own, Prof. Sinnappah Arasaratnam, the Tamil historian, wrote: “No original artistic tradition grew in Tamil Ceylon. Culturally, the Tamils looked upon their arts as part of the Dravidian tradition of south India. When any major work was to be undertaken, craftsmen would be brought from Tamil Nadu. Geographic proximity and political relations made this possible.” (p.115 – CEYLON, S. Arasaratnam, Prenctice Hall Inc., New Jersey, USA).

As the nearest outpost of Tamil Nadu – the motherland of all Tamils wherever they may be — the Sri Lankan Tamils continued to use Tamil Nadu as their spiritual, geographical and historical homeland. That is one advantages that the other Tamils spread out in far-flung domains do not have. To be next door to the motherland instilled in the Sri Lankans an affinity which was missing in, for instance, the Tamils of Malaysia, S. Africa or the Caribbean. Their nearness made accessibility so easy that they did not even feel the need to establish a permanent settlement in Sri Lanka. After all, in the pre-TV era, it was the common practice among the Velvettiturai Tamils, to dash across to the other shore, see a post-prandial Tamil film and come back to have a good night’s rest. There was no necessity for them to establish another homeland in Sri Lanka when they had the genuine and only homeland just next door. How many homelands do the Tamils need to prove that they are Tamils? Or that they are somebodies and not nobodies?

The northern coastal belt of Sri Lanka was only a temporary base for their fishing or trading expeditions, mainly. Though they claim to have been inhabiting the island before anyone else they evinced no interest in making Sri Lanka their permanent home. It was nothing more than a transit point in the Indian Ocean. It took a long time for them to settle down in Sri Lanka as their new home. It is true that they came as brides, priests, traders, mercenaries, craftsmen, fishermen, invaders and marauders but not as permanent settlers initially. It took a long while for them to settle down as permanent stake holders in Sri Lanka. “What we can say with certainty is that by 1325 the Tamil kingdom had come onto the historical scene,” says Prof. Sinnappah Arasaratnam, (p.104 – Ibid).

Unlike the Sinhalese they neither acquired nor developed a sense of belonging to the land. The Sinhalese severed their connections with India and went their own way to develop a new identity of their own. The Jaffna Tamils, on the contrary, never cut off their umbilical cord. They remained tied to S. India with the primordial urge to go back into the womb. Their comfort zone was S. India and not an alien patch which was divorced from their motherland. With Tamil Nadu near at hand, there was no necessity either for them to uproot themselves from their homeland and transplant themselves in some alien land. Without sending their roots deep into Sri Lankan soil, they opted to live on the surface, as it were, as they derived their cultural/spiritual sustenance from the rich sources in S. India. This is natural. They were justifiably proud of their Tamil culture and it was there for them to claim without having to work for it.

There is no evidence of the Tamil culture rising to great heights outside Tamil Nadu either. Besides, being overwhelmed by the greatness of the S. Indian Tamil culture anything that the Jaffna Tamil could produce would have a been nothing more than a third-rate imitation. So Jaffna, which was held aloft as the heartland of the Tamils, remained as a pale imitation of the S. Indian culture without any notable achievements. But with the typical Jaffna Tamil predisposition to pose as being superior to everyone else, they had the brass to claim that their culture was of a higher grade, and therefore, superior to that of even Tamil Nadu simply because “(S)ome archaic forms that are lost on the mainland have been retained in Jaffna.” (p. 115 – Ibid). Example : “Om” (yes) is used in Jaffna for “Aaam” (yes) in Tamil Nadu. And they take great pride in this speech pattern to claim superiority over the Tamil Nadu Tamil. Their pride reached the peak when the purists of Jaffna pleaded with Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike, when she was Prime Minister, to ban the import of Tamil pop culture from Tamil Nadu, particularly its cheap magazines, to save the superior quality / purity of the Tamil language in Jaffna.

Undoubtedly, one way of judging a culture is by the calibre of its icons. For instance, Shakespeare stands out as the unchallenged icon of the English culture/ language. He had the genius to borrow heavily from other sources and enrich his own culture. All cultures achieve their greatness by interacting with each other. It is the openness of the Sinhala culture that let other cultures come in and mingle freely to make it great. The Jaffna Tamil culture was more like a billabong – a stagnant water hole where no new waters flowed in. It was a closed society that was not open to fertilising forces from outside. Like the Aborigines of Australia, for instance, a closed society stagnates while an open society flourishes with the new and invigorating input of outsiders.

Consider, for instance, the great cultural icons of Jaffna. There are only two noteworthy figures recognised by the Tamils : Arumuka Navalar and C. W. Thamotherampillai. They are elevated to the highest rank because they are considered to be “revivalists” of the Tamil language. Note the word “revivalist”. It does not mean creative innovators. Both are known not for producing any original or classical works of art of their own but only for digging up the buried Tamil literature in S. India and reviving them. Thamotherampillai is known for going round houses in Madras, as it was known then, and virtually begging to get hold of the old texts buried in boxes. Arumuka Navalar brought the first printing press and introduced the text unknown to the wider Tamil public. This then is the extent of the great Tamil revivalist movement of Jaffna. None produced any original or outstanding works that could add to the glory of Tamil culture. The narrow field in which they worked too reveal the failure of the Jaffna to produce a worthy culture of their own.

The history of the Sinhalese and the Tamil began to diverge from the time the original settlers began to discover Sri Lanka. The critical point in the Sinhala settlers came when they severed the links to their land of origin. The tyranny of distance made sure that there was no going back to their homeland. Historical and geographical circumstances did not give the Sinhalese any option. They had either to make it in their new homeland or perish. Severing of the umbilical cord made all the difference. They had no fall back position like the Tamil settlers. Their was no neighbouring motherland to run to for cover. This made all the difference to the two settlers. The Sinhalese were forced to toil on every grain of sand and channel every drop of water not only to survive but to turn it into a glorious civilisation. Above all, they fertilised the soil with their blood. This is why the bonds of the Sinhala people to the land are far more stronger than the latter-day claims to a homeland of the Tamils.

With or without the Mahavamsa the Sinhala-Buddhists had a rightful and historical claim to the land because it was they who made both the history and the land. History and the land belongs to those who make it and not to those who come to destroy it. The Mahavamsa is the literary embodiment of the spirit and the soul of the people who created the monumental history recorded in it. It has been a bonding agent, no doubt. It affirms that the destiny of the land and history is inextricably intertwined with that of the Sinhala-Buddhists who are its traditional and anointed caretakers. Eminent scholars read/study it with respect it deserves. Frustrated female canines who have no other way of letting off their pent up Freudian steam – and their male counterpart — bark at it like the way they bark at the moon that sheds benign light on all living beings. It records how the Sinhalese, driven by their creative energy, gave the world a new culture and a new civilisation.

On the contrary, the Tamils who migrated to the north were floating in an out of the island without a fixed permanent abode. The irony is that the Tamils whose claim to the land is based on the questionable assertion that they came here first never bothered to make it their home. If they came here first and if they were committed to make this their homeland why did they allow the Sinhalese to take over the island? They could have done it then quite easily without Chelvanayakam leading the Tamils to their death in Nandikadal! The tragedy is that each time they tried to take over it was not only late but beaten by the superior forces of the Sinhalese. This is not a triumphalist proclamation but only a simple clarification of known history.

Besides, what were their Mahalingams, Panchalingams, Pothalingams and all the others endowed with lingams doing to overcome the demographic dominance of the Sinhalese? Since they claim to have come first they had all the opportunities to flood the island with Tamils. But when the time came to go to bed they ran to S. India. It was quite late by the time they woke up to the fact that there was a land called Sri Lanka. “By the sixteenth century, the Tamils were established as a people of the island,” says Prof. Arasaratnam. “They had ceased looking to the original homeland except for cultural inspiration,” he added. (p.115 – Ibid). Clearly, they found it superfluous to create anything new of their own because everything that had to be made was already there in S. India. They were quite content to be second-rate imitators wearing the borrowed clothes handmade in S. India.

At one point Prof. Arasaratnam argues that the Tamils could not create a grand civilisation on the scale of the Sinhala-Buddhists because they lacked the natural resources gifted to the Sinhalese. But this is puerile argument for an historian. Had he not heard of the great Pharaohnic civilisation built on the burning sands of arid Sahara desert?

Influenced by third-rate imitators Jaffna bred a shallow Tamil psyche that took pride in illusions of grandeur and superiority. The Tamil Tiger flag is a typical product of the imitative and debased culture of Jaffna. Running parallel to the illusions of grandeur that haunt the Jaffna psyche (example: Radhika Coomaraswamy talks of Sir Muthu Coomaraswamy, one of her ancestors, parading as a prince of Ceylon in St. James Court in colonial London) is a more grim aspect to the Jaffna culture. It is a beastly culture that made Jaffna the darkest and bloodiest chapter in Sri Lankan history. Details can be read in the next article.

H. L. D. Mahindapala

http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2016/02/17/do-the-jaffna-tamils-have-a-culture/

 

[salute]

there are tamilians who still residing at sri lanka,

 

[The Last Stand]

@HeinzGud

Isn't it like an established fact that the "Lemuria" and "Kumarikandam" hype (so-called theory) came out of nowhere in the early 20th century, exactly the time Tamils here were trying to make a 'thaniththamizh' - pure Tamil devoid of foreign language words?

If any Tamil guy claims how they gloriously arose in SL and they then moved North-wards, well, take it with a pinch or two of salt.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lemuria_(continent)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kumari_Kandam

Stuff is still taught at TN schools.

I should say that the "Kumari Kandam" really did exist, but it was not more than a quarter the size of TN at best, seeing that it does have mentions, and was destroyed by the sea. I know the sea is powerful and all, but to swallow completely a land mass twice the size of India.

Ridiculous flooding claims or not, idk how just this wonderful and perfect continent was completely swallowed if it really was as big as they claim it is.

 

[garg_bharat]

@Keshav Murali,

The Dravid history is not correct, It is modified under political influences.

The correct Dravid origin is from Sri Lanka where these people lived like forever. Unfortunately Sri Lanka now is prosecuting Tamil people.

The story of an island destroyed by sea is imagination.

The south India before Dravids had people similar to north India who spoke Sanskrit. Dravids eventually became more numerous and the earlier population mixed with the emigres.

North India saw weak kings for more than 3000 years during which there was a lot of immigration.

Ravana was of the same stock as the north Indian people. Sri Lanka spoke Sanskrit in Ravana's time. But is was a very long time back.