Tamil inscriptions in Sri Lanka date from the centuries before Christ [1] to the modern era. The vast majority of inscriptions date to the centuries following the 10th century AD, and were issued under the reigns of both Tamil and Sinhala rulers alike. [2] Out of the Tamil rulers, almost all surviving inscriptions were issued under the occupying Chola dynasty, whilst one stone inscription and coins of the Jaffna Kingdom have also been found. [3]
Most inscriptions are of a Hindu or Buddhist nature, or record the exploits of merchants, soldiers, officials and kings.
The longest Tamil inscription in the island is from the Lankatilaka Vihara, for which historian K. Indrapala states the following:
"The status of the Tamil language in the Sinhalese kingdom in the pre-colonial period would be an eye-opener to many. Where necessary, Sinhalese kings or other authorities used the Tamil language for their epigraphic records. In the fourteenth century, a record inscribed in Sinhala on the walls of the Lankatilaka Temple was provided with a full Tamil translation on the same walls, as if setting an example to future rulers of the country. This Tamil inscription, incidentally, is the longest Tamil epigraph in the island." [4]
Background | Translation (English) | Inscription (Tamil in the Brahmi script) |
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A steatite seal from a signet ring found in an early Iron Age burial in Anaikoddai, Jaffna. The seal contains both Brahmi and megalithic graffiti symbols arranged in a way that suggests that they may be a translation of each other. [5] |
| Koveta (read from right to left). |
Background | Translation (English) | Inscription (Tamil in the Tamil Brahmi script) |
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Locally produced coins with Tamil Brahmi legends were found in the southern town of Tissamaharama. They are dated to between 200 BC - 200 AD. The coins are thought to have been issued by Tamil traders settled in Sri Lanka. [10] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription (Prakrit with Tamil letters in the Brahmi script) |
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The letters 𑀴, 𑀵, 𑀶 and 𑀷 are unique to Tamil Brahmi. They are found in multiple Tamil words in the earliest Prakrit inscriptions of Sri Lanka. [11] [12] The Veḷ name is found several times, [13] [14] [15] mostly associated with the chief title Parumaka. [16] Parumaka is the single most common lay title in the entire corpus of ancient Brahmi inscriptions, occurring over 314 times. The Tamil kinship term Marumakaṉ which means descendant is also present. [13] [12] [17] The word Dameḻa (Tamil) is present in six early Prakrit inscriptions related to Buddhist donations and Tamil Buddhist monks. The 𑀟 letter (often reversed) is used here to represent an early form of the Tamil 𑀵 (ḻa). [13] [11] [18] |
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(The following Prakrit inscriptions are included for completion as they are related to Tamils)
Background | Translation (English) | Inscription (Prakrit with Tamil letters in the Brahmi script) |
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An inscription referring to a Tamil house-holder terrace made by a Tamil Buddhist monk (samaṇa). |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription (Prakrit in the Brahmi script) |
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Inscription recording a Buddhist donation by a Tamil merchant. |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription (Prakrit in the Brahmi script) |
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Inscription recording a Buddhist donation by a Tamil merchant. |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription (Prakrit in the Brahmi script) |
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Inscription recording a Buddhist donation by a family with a Tamil wife. |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription (Prakrit in the Brahmi script) |
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Inscription recording a Buddhist donation by a Tamil devotee. [26] |
Background | Translation (English) | Inscription (Prakrit in the Brahmi script) |
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Inscription mentioning a Tamil Buddhist monk. [27] |
Background | Translation (English) | Inscription (Prakrit in the Brahmi script) |
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Inscription recording a Buddhist donation by a Tamil devotee. |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Fragment of a stone slab with Tamil letters inscribed on it found on the platform of the Abhayagiriya. It records an act of merit in the Abhayagiri premises: the construction of the floor or platform of a building occupying an area of 256 square feet and a token gift of money. The letters are dated to the 8th century AD. [29] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Three short Tamil inscriptions found in the premises of the Ruwanwelisaya, Anuradhapura. The inscriptions are found on the pedestals of Dvarapalakas (guardian images). The first inscription dates from the 8th-9th centuries AD. The second dates to the 10th century AD. [30] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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A short Tamil inscription found at Pankuḷiya Vihara, Anuradhapura recording a donation. It dates to the 9th-10th century AD. [31] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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A slab inscription of the Tamil merchant community called the Nānkunāṭṭār. It records an endowment to the Mākkotai Buddhist temple at Anuradhapura. Mākkotai was a prominent town in Kerala and suggests that this temple was started by Tamil Buddhists from Kerala. Dharmapalan was the incumbent monk at this temple. A Sanskrit eulogy to king Sena II of Anuradhapura (866-901 AD) ends the inscription. [32] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Two Tamil inscriptions found among the remains of a Hindu temple in Anuradhapura recording endowments. Sri Sanghabodhi is a popular title of medieval Sinhala kings. The text is dated to the late 9th century AD. [33] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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An inscription found in a Ganesh temple in Nilaveli dated to the reign of Rajaraja I before 993 AD. The name 'Tirukōṇamalai' in the inscription remains the Tamil name for Trincomalee to this day. [34] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Fragmentary inscription from the Koneswaram temple in the reign of Rajaraja I. It is dated to before 993 AD as the eulogy of this king is at an earlier stage of development. [34] |
Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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A rock inscription found in front of an abandoned Siva temple in an isolated corner of the Kielekadawala village, Gomarankadawala, Trincomalee. [35] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Slab inscription of Rajaraja Chola I found near the Siva temple Ravikulamanikka-isvaram of Padaviya dated to 1005 AD. It records a eulogy to the Chola king and gifts made to the temple by donors. [36] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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An inscription found at Tirukketisvaram in Mannar, Sri Lanka dated to the reign of Rajaraja I (985-1014 AD). It records an endowment to a Hindu temple. [38] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Two fragmentary inscriptions found on a pillar at Tirukketisvaram in Mannar, Sri Lanka dated to the reign of Rajendra Chola I (1014-1044 AD). One inscription contains the initial portion of a eulogy to the king celebrating his conquests. The other records an endowment to a Hindu temple. [39] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Fragmentary inscription from the Pathirakali Amman Temple, Trincomalee recording an eulogy of Rajendra Chola I. |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Slab inscription from Fort Fredrick recording an eulogy of Rajendra Chola I. |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Two fragmentary Chola inscriptions from Kayts fort, Jaffna recording a eulogy to a viceroy of Rajendra Chola I celebrating his conquests. [42] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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A record of an endowment made to the Siva temple in Pulanari (Tamilised form of Polonnaruwa). [43] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Fragmentary Polonnaruwa inscriptions from the reign of Rajendra Chola I (1014-1044 AD) recording endowments to a temple. [44] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Fragmentary inscriptions from Polonnaruwa that initially recorded an endowment to the temple 'Vānavanmātēvi - isvaram'. A eulogy to Rajendra Chola I (1014-1044 AD) is also present. [45] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Inscriptions engraved on stones built into the walls at the temple recording endowments. They are dated to the early 11th century in the reign of Raja Raja Chola I (985-1014 AD). [46] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Tamil inscription found in Kantaḷāy, Trincomalee District in the reign of Rajendra Chola I (1014-1044 AD). It records a meeting in the Brahmadeya (Brahmin village) when a Chola viceroy Lankeswaran was ruling. [47] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Tamil inscription found in Mānānkēni, Trincomalee District in the reign of Rajendra Chola I (1014-1044 AD) when a Chola viceroy Lankeswaran was ruling. It refers to constructional activity at the Koneswaram Temple. [48] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Tamil inscription found in Sangilikanadarawa, Anuradhapura in the reign of Rajendra Chola I (1014-1044 AD). The inscription registers the grant of land and the deposit of some money on interest by a Chola army chief Jayamurinātālavān to a temple. [49] |
Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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A Tamil inscription found in Diyavinna, Sabaragamuva stating that a person named 'Virabhavanan Dahalabhha Mallam' arrived at this place. His warrior name suggests that he may have been a Chola soldier operating against the Rohana princes in the central highlands. Alternatively, he may just be an adventurer. [49] |
Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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16 Tamil inscriptions recording donations by Tamil Buddhists to the ancient Velgam Vehera in Trincomalee District dated to the period of Chola rule (993-1070 AD). Eulogies to the Chola kings are also found here. The temple was renamed and reconstructed as Rajarajapperumpaḷḷi (Great Vihara of Rajaraja I). The base mouldings of this vihara are of Dravidian architecture and differ from other Buddhist edifices in the island. Senarath Paranavithana describes it as the only known example of 'a Tamil Buddhist paḷḷi' preserved up to the present day. [50] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Atakada inscription recording an endowment to a Siva temple of the 11th century AD called Uttamacola isvaram in North Central Province, Sri Lanka. [51] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Four pillar inscriptions found near Siva Devale. No. 5 recording the names of Chola officials in Polonnaruwa. [52] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Slab inscription found in Ataragala, Puttalam District recording the construction of a building for Tamil merchants (Ainnurruvar) attached to a Chola military unit in the reign of Rajendra Chola I (1014-1054). [53] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Pillar inscription set up in the reign of Rajendra Chola II (1054-1063 AD). It records the establishment of a Vishnu temple in the southern part of Anuradhapura, and the donations made to it by an agent of the king. [54] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Inscription found in Medirigiriya, Polonnaruwa District dated to 1054 AD in the reign of Rajendra Chola II. It records donations to a Hindu temple in the area. [55] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Inscriptions from the Vanavanmatevi-isvaram, Polonnaruwa in the reign of Athirajendra Chola (1067-1070 AD) recording a eulogy to the king and endowments made to the temple. The administration of the temple is also outlined in this inscription. [56] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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The oldest Tamil stone inscription found in Jaffna. The record was originally set up in a Hindu temple in Nallur, Jaffna between 1018 and 1021 AD in the reign of Rajendra Chola I. The fragmentary inscription records the donation of livestock to the temple by a donor called Cattan. [57] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Three Tamil slab inscriptions dating to the Chola era (993-1070 AD), were found in the ruins of a Siva temple in Thirumangalai, Trincomalee District. [58] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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An 11th century inscription found in the remains of a Saiva temple between the North gate of the medieval city of Polonnaruwa and the Rankot Vihara. It records the close connection Tamil merchants (Ainnurruvar) had with Buddhist shrines (paḷḷi) in the city. [60] |
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Following the expulsion of the Cholas, Vijayabāhu I retained their administrative structure and made significant changes only at the top. [61] The reference to a register of Tamil clerks (Demaḷa lesdaru pota) in Vijayabāhu's Panakaduva Copper Plate inscription points to his employment of Tamil officers in the administration. Possibly many of them continued in service from the time of Chola rule. [61]
Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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An inscription engraved by Tamil Vēḷaikkārar troops in the 12th century AD celebrating the reign of Vijayabahu I. The Vēḷaikkārar also pledge to protect the Tooth Relic temple. [62] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Slab inscription found among Saiva temple ruins in Palamottai, Kantalai in the Trincomalee District. It records donations made to a Siva temple named after Vijayabahu I. [63] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Tamil slab inscriptions of the Ainnurruvar merchants based at the merchant town of Padaviya dating to the 12th century AD. [64] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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A Tamil slab inscription dating to the 11th-12th century AD, was found in Trincomalee in October 2010. It was found on land on the right side of the Koneswaram Road leading to the Koneswaram temple. [65] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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An inscription by the Virakkoti, a merchant military community who the Sinhala Weerakkody are descended from. It records an endowment made to a Buddhist temple maintained by Tamil merchants (Annuruvan-paḷḷi) as well to the deity Paramesvari after they were aided in a skirmish by the council of a merchant town in Magala. [66] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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An inscription found in the Vahalkada tank in the northern part of Anuradhapura District. It records a heroic charter of various Tamil merchant and military communities in a merchant town established in the 11th century AD. [67] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Inscription set up within the premises of Viharehinna temple, Dambulla dating to the 12th century AD. It suggests that the Tamil merchant communities had established a reciprocal relationship with the Buddhist monastic establishment. The name of their merchant town - Tanmacākarap-pattinam - "ocean of dharma", is named after an epithet of the Buddha. The inscription records details pertaining to the Tamil merchants and their military associates. [68] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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An inscription found near Mangkulam, Vavuniya District left by Vēḷaikkārar Mūvēntavēḷān dated to the 12th year of Jayabahu I (1122 or 1123 AD). [69] The inscription records the Vēḷaikkārar warriors building a rest house, pond and well in the land granted to them. |
Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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An inscription found at the Siva temple in Kantaḷāy, Trincomalee District dated to the 35th year of Jayabahu I (1145 AD). It records donations made to the temple by the ruling Gajabahu II, a staunch devotee of Siva. Jayabahu I's successors at Polonnaruwa dated their records in his regal years even after his demise. This is because none of his successors were formally consecrated as rulers til 1153 AD. [70] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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A Tamil inscription found in Kantaḷāy, Trincomalee District dating to the 11th or 12th century AD. The inscription is almost completely worn out, but appears to record an endowment by an unknown king. [71] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Pillar inscription from Mankanay, Trincomalee District dated to the 43rd regal year of Jayabahu I (1153 AD). It records a land grant made by Gajabahu II to a Vihara through his Tamil official Mintan Korran who wrote this inscription. An oath is sworn both in the name of the Buddha and Ganesha. [72] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Slab inscription found in Mayilankulam, Trincomalee District dating to the 18th year of Jayabahu I (1128 AD). It was left by Kanavati (Ganapati), the leader of the Vēḷaikkārar army and an agent of the ruling Vikramabahu I (1111–1132 AD). It records a Buddhist temple (perumpaḷḷi/mahavihara) being put under the custody of the Tamil Vēḷaikkārar soldiers. [73] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Two pillar inscriptions from Budumuttava, Kurunegala District dating to 1118-9 AD in the regnal years of Jayabahu I. The locality at the time was under the control of Manabharana who is identified in the inscription as Virapperumal, the prince of Pandya lineage. His mother Mitta (the sister to Vijayabahu I, and grandmother of Parakramabahu I) was married to a Pandya prince as recorded in the Culavamsa. Manabharana's consort Cundhamalli was the daughter of Kulottunga I suggesting close and friendly relations with the Cholas in the early years of the 12th century AD. This first inscription records a donation made by her to a Hindu temple. The second inscription records a caste dispute between blacksmiths and washermen being resolved by Manabharana's intervention. It was engraved on the orders of Mākkalingam Kanavati, a Tamil official in the presence of fellow Sinhala officials. [74] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Tamil Pillar inscription found at Puliyankulam, Anuradhapura District, recording a donation of land to a Buddhist shrine. It is dated to the 12th century AD possibly in the regnal years of Jayabahu I. [75] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Inscription found close to the Rankot Vihara, Polonnaruwa issued by a Tamil warrior chief serving under Jayabahu I. [76] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Tamil pillar inscription found in Mailawewa, Gomarankadawala, Trincomalee District located close to a Buddhist monastery. |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Pillar inscription at Moragahavela, Tammankaduva dated in the 28th year of Jayabahu I (1138 AD), and in the reign of Gajabahu II. It records a donation of land by a Tamil Vēḷaikkārar soldier to a Buddhist monastery. [77] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Pillar inscriptions from Mahakirindegama, Anuradhapura District dating to the reign of Gajabahu II in 1133/4 AD. It records a grant of land and fields to Brahmins of a Hindu temple. [78] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Pillar inscription from Hingurakdamana, Polonnaruwa District dated to 1150 AD. It records an endowment made to a Buddhist vihara by a Tamil soldier serving under Gajabahu II. [79] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Two Tamil pillar inscriptions set up on the order of Gajabahu II as boundary markers in two different localities in Kantaḷāy, Trincomalee District. [80] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Fragmentary Tamil inscription recording an endowment made to a Buddhist temple by a Tamil called Atittamahadevan. It dates to 1148 AD in the reign of Gajabahu II. [81] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Fragmentary inscription left by Virakkoṭi merchants in Galtampitiya. The contents suggests that the Virakkoṭi were worsted in a skirmish and arrested by some foes. They were then released on the intervention of the authorities of the virapaṭṭinam (merchant town). The letters 'Pāṇ' following the word prince suggests a ruler of Pandya lineage such as Manabharana (the cousin of Parakramabahu I) was ruling at the time. [82] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Parakramabahu I (1153–1186 A.D) issued an edict addressed to his local Tamil officials in Jaffna, advising them on how to deal with shipwrecked foreign traders. [84] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Tamil inscription from Panduwasnuwara in the reign of Nissanka Malla (1192 AD), recording his establishment of a Buddhist monastic school (pirivena). [86] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Bronze image of the Nānādesi merchants found in Jetavana, Anuradhapura with a Tamil inscription reading śri nāṇātēciyan dating to the late 12th century AD. Queen Lilavati made an arrangement with the Nānādesi merchants for the maintenance of an alms-hall in Anuradhapura. The same merchants also obtained from the Queen the right to establish and administer a settlement called Madhigaya. [87] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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A bronze seal of the Nānādesi merchants from Hambantota dating to the 12th century AD. [88] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Tamil inscription from Gomarankadawala, Trincomalee District recording the consecration of Kalinga Magha by a representative of Kulothunga Chola III dating to the early 13th century AD. [89] [90] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Slab inscription from Thampalakamam, Trincomalee District issued by an official of Kalinga Magha dating to the 13th century AD. It records the conversion of the village into a merchant town. [92] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Late 13th century Tamil inscription found in the premises of Rankot Vihara issued by a Tamil Vēḷaikkārar soldier named Mātēvan. He was appointed a chieftain of a territorial division in Polonnaruwa by Nanti Kirincatan, an invader with connections to the Western Gangas. [93] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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A late 13th century inscription from a Skanda temple in Trincomalee left by a Tamil Buddhist agent of the Pandya dynasty. It records the setting up of a pillar of victory at the entrance hall of a temple and is written in both Tamil and Sanskrit. [94] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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An inscription from Welikanda recording the establishment of a Buddhist temple (perumpaḷḷi) by the Ainnurruvar Tamil merchant community. It dates to the 13th century A.D. [95] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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One of the six heroic charters pertaining to the merchant towns established by the Ainnurruvar. Three are from the Kurunegala District. This inscription records a reciprocal agreement between the town council and the Virakkoti, who are also have said to have donated to a Buddhist shrine (lokapperum chettiyar is taken as an appellation of the Buddha.) It dates to the 13th century AD. [96] |
Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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15 line Tamil inscription found in Mahiyalla, Kurunegala District. It is dated to the 13th century AD and thought to be left by a Tamil silk trader. [97] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Inscriptions from Padaviya issued by the Perilamaiyar, a Tamil agricultural community. They record endowments made to a Hindu temple and are dated to the late 13th century. [98] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Fragmentary inscription recording an endowment made by a merchant to a Siva temple. [99] |
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(The following three Sanskrit inscriptions have been included for completion, as they were issued by Tamils.)
Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Bronze seal issued by a Siva temple in Padaviya dated to the 13th century and inscribed in Grantha script. [100] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Sanskrit inscription issued in Padaviya under the reign of the Arya Chakravarti dynasty (Setu family) in the late 13th century. It records a Vihara being built in Padaviya by a Tamil Buddhist general named Lokanatha. [101] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Fragmentary Sanskrit inscription from the Koneswaram temple, Trincomalee issued in the name of Codaganga. He is identified with Kulakkottan who is recorded in the chronicles of the temple as also having the name Cholakankan (Codaganga). The inscription is dated to the 13th century AD. [102] |
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Fragmentary Tamil inscription found in Periyapuliyankulam, Vavuniya District dated to the late 13th century AD. [103] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Inscription from Kankuveli village, Trincomalee District dating to the 14th century AD. It records a land grant to the God of Konanāthar by the ruling Vanniyar chieftains and their officers from seven villages. The concluding part of the record mentions Mudalimar, Thānaththār and Varippattu as witnesses to the grant. [104] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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The Kotagama inscription found in Kegalle District is a record of victory left by the Aryacakravarti dynasty of the Jaffna Kingdom in western Sri Lanka (14th century AD). 'Anurai' is derived from Anuradhapura and is a term used to describe all capitals of the Sinhala kingdom. [106] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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In the 14th century, a record inscribed in Sinhala on the walls of the Lankatilaka Vihara was provided with a full Tamil translation on the same walls. It is the longest of all Tamil inscriptions found in Sri Lanka and was issued in the reign of Bhuvanaikabahu IV of Gampola (1344-1354 AD). Both inscriptions register the grant of extensive fields and donations to the Buddhist shrine. [108] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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A stone tablet with an inscription in three languages, Chinese, Tamil and Persian. It is dated to 15 February 1409 and was installed by the Chinese admiral Zheng He in Galle during his grand voyages. The Tamil inscription records an endowment made to the Vishnu temple of Dondra (Lord Tenavarai Nayanar). [109] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Munneswaram temple inscription recording a grant of land and money to the temple and priests by King Parakramabahu VI (1412-1467 AD). [110] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Fragmentary Tamil inscription of Parakramabahu VI (1410-1467 AD) in Jaffna. His adopted son Sapumal Kumaraya had conquered the Jaffna Kingdom in 1450 AD and ruled it as a vassal state for 17 years. His name is still mentioned in prayers at the Nallur Kandaswamy Temple which he rebuilt. [111] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Tamil inscription of Parakramabahu VI found in Naimmana village, Matara District. It records a grant of fields in Naimmana to feed Brahmins at the alms hall near the shrine of Devinuwara. It is dated to 1433 AD. [112] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Pillar inscription found in Kalutara dating to the 15th century AD. It records an endowment to a Kali temple. [114] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Pillar inscription recording a grant to the Kankuveli Agasthi Stapana kovil dating to the 15th century AD. [35] |
Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Pillar inscription issued by Vijayabahu VI of Kotte in 1517 AD. It records the construction of a Kantacuvami temple by an Accutan Nayan. [115] |
Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Thambiluvil Inscription issued by Vijayabahu VI (1513-1521 AD) recording his endowment of vōvil to a Siva temple in Thambiluvil, Amparai District. [104] |
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Background | Translation (English) | Inscription |
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Coins issued by the Aryacakravarti dynasty of the Jaffna Kingdom (1215-1619 AD) with legends reading 'Setu'. The dynasty claimed to be protectors of the Setu and claimed lineage from the Tamil Brahmins of the prominent Hindu temple of Rameswaram. [116] |
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An inscription dating from the 16th century prophesying the destruction of the Koneswaram Temple at the hands of the Portuguese. The temple was subsequently destroyed on 14 April 1622. The pair of fishes on the inscription likely date to the 13th century, when the Pandya dynasty had conquered Trincomalee. [117] |
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Two Tamil slab inscriptions dating to the 15th and 16th century, were found in the ruins of a Siva temple in Thirumangalai, Trincomalee District. [59] |
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A bell belonging to the Thirumangalai temple was found in Kankuveli, Trincomalee District. An inscription on it dating to the 17th century shows that the temple was under worship for more than 700 years. [59] |
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Valampuri conch with bronze attachments. There are figures of a Shiva linga, Nandi and peacock on the conch and a Tamil inscription dated paleographically to the 16th or 17th century AD. [118] |
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Tamil copper plate grants found in Veeramunai, Amparai District. They record a visit of Chetty traders from Madurai with an idol of Ganesh and a royal princess. It is dated to the reign of King Senarat in the 17th century AD. [104] |
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Tamil copper plate grants to a Brahmin called Ramanathan found in Sammanthurai, Amparai District. It is dated to the reign of Rajasinghe II in the 17th century AD. [104] |
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Inscription found in Verugal, Trincomalee District dating to 1722 AD. It records the names of persons who built the four walls of a temple, including Kayilaya-vanniyanar (a ruling Vanniyar chieftain) and Timassa, the son of Simayapillai. [104] |
Trincomalee, historically known as Gokanna and Gokarna, is the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee District and major resort port city of Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. Located on the east coast of the island overlooking the Trincomalee Harbour, Trincomalee has been one of the main centres of Sri Lankan Tamil speaking culture on the island for nearly a millennium. With a population of 99,135, the city is built on a peninsula of the same name, which divides its inner and outer harbours. It is home to the famous Koneswaram temple from where it developed and earned its historic Tamil name Thirukonamalai. The town is home to other historical monuments such as the Bhadrakali Amman Temple, Trincomalee, the Trincomalee Hindu Cultural Hall and, opened in 1897, the Trincomalee Hindu College. Trincomalee is also the site of the Trincomalee railway station and an ancient ferry service to Jaffna and the south side of the harbour at Muttur.
Koneswaram Temple of Trincomalee or Thirukonamalai Konesar Temple – The Temple of the Thousand Pillars and Dakshina-Then Kailasam is a classical-medieval Hindu temple complex in Trincomalee, a Hindu religious pilgrimage centre in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. The most sacred of the Pancha Ishwarams of Sri Lanka, it was built significantly during the ancient period on top of Konesar Malai, a promontory overlooking Trincomalee District, Gokarna bay and the Indian Ocean. The monument contains its main shrine to Shiva in the form Kona-Ishvara, shortened to Konesar.
The Arya Chakravarti dynasty were kings of the Jaffna Kingdom in Sri Lanka. The earliest Sri Lankan sources, between 1277 and 1283, mention a military leader of this name as a minister in the services of the Pandyan Empire; he raided the western Sri Lankan coast and took the politically significant relic of the Buddha's tooth from the Sinhalese capital city of Yapahuwa. Political and military leaders of the same family name left a number of inscriptions in the modern-day Tamil Nadu state, with dates ranging from 1272 to 1305, during the late Pandyan Empire. According to contemporary native literature, such as Cekaracecekaramalai, the family also claimed lineage from the Tamil Brahmins of the prominent Hindu pilgrimage temple of Rameswaram in the modern Ramanathapuram District of India. They ruled the Jaffna kingdom from the 13th until the 17th century, when the last of the dynasty, Cankili II, was ousted by the Portuguese.
The Sri Lankan Tamil dialects or Ceylon Tamil or commonly in Tamil language Eelam Tamil are a group of Tamil dialects used in Sri Lanka by its native Tamil speakers that is distinct from the dialects of Tamil spoken in Tamil Nadu. It is broadly categorized into three sub groups: Jaffna Tamil, Batticaloa Tamil, and Negombo Tamil dialects. But there are a number of sub dialects within these broad regional dialects as well. These dialects are also used by ethnic groups other than Tamils and Muslims such as Sinhalese people, Portuguese Burghers and the indigenous Coastal Vedda people.
Dakkhina Stupa is a 2nd-century BC large brick Stupa in Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka. Earlier thought to be a monument of King Elara, it was later identified as the Stupa of ancient Dakini (Dakkhina) Vihara by Senarath Paranavithana with the help of a Brahmi inscription of the 3rd century A.D. unearthed from the ground between the southern and western Vahalkadas of the Stupa.
Hartley College is a provincial school in Point Pedro, Sri Lanka. Founded in 1838 by British Methodist missionaries, it is one of Sri Lanka's oldest schools. The school is named after Wesleyan priest and missionary Rev. Hartley.
Vallipuram is a village in Vadamarachchi, near Point Pedro in Northern Province, Sri Lanka. The village is an ancient settlement with rich archeological remains. The village is home to the Vishnu temple Vallipuram Aalvar Kovil.
Senarath Paranavitana, was a Sri Lankan archeologist and epigraphist, who pioneered much of post-colonial archaeology in Sri Lanka. He served as the Commissioner of Archeology from 1940 to 1956 and there after as Professor of Archeology at the University of Ceylon from 1957 to 1961.
Vanniar or Vanniyar was a title borne by chiefs in medieval Sri Lanka who ruled in the Chiefdom of Vavuni regions as tribute payers to the Jaffna vassal state. There are a number of origin theories for the feudal chiefs, coming from an indigenous formation. The most famous of the Vavni chieftains was Pandara Vannian, known for his resistance against the British colonial power.
The Vanni chieftaincies or Vanni tribes was a region between Anuradhapura and Jaffna, but also extending to along the eastern coast to Panama and Yala, during the Transitional and Kandyan periods of Sri Lanka. The heavily forested land was a collection of chieftaincies of principalities that were a collective buffer zone between the Jaffna Kingdom, in the north of Sri Lanka, and the Sinhalese kingdoms in the south. Traditionally the forest regions were ruled by Vedda rulers. Later on, the emergence of these chieftaincies was a direct result of the breakdown of central authority and the collapse of the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa in the 13th century, as well as the establishment of the Jaffna Kingdom in the Jaffna Peninsula. Control of this area was taken over by dispossessed Sinhalese nobles and chiefs of the South Indian military of Māgha of Kalinga (1215–1236), whose 1215 invasion of Polonnaruwa led to the kingdom's downfall. Sinhalese chieftaincies would lay on the northern border of the Sinhalese kingdom while the Tamil chieftaincies would border the Jaffna Kingdom and the remoter areas of the eastern coast, north western coast outside of the control of either kingdom.
The Naga people are believed by some to be an ancient tribe who once inhabited Sri Lanka and various parts of Southern India. There are references to Nagas in several ancient texts such as Mahavamsa, Manimekalai, Mahabharata and also in other Sanskrit and Pali literature. They were generally represented as a class of super-humans taking the form of serpents who inhabit a subterranean world.
When to date the start of the history of the Jaffna kingdom is debated among historians.
Professor Karthigesu Indrapala is a Sri Lankan academic, historian, archaeologist, author and former dean of the Faculty of Arts, University of Jaffna.
Professor Sivasubramaniam Pathmanathan is a Sri Lankan Tamil historian, academic, author and current chancellor of the University of Jaffna.
The Pancha Ishwarams are five coastal ancient kovils (temples) built in dedication to the Hindu supreme being Ishwara in the form of the god Shiva, located along the circumference of Sri Lanka.
Santasilan Kadirgamar was a Sri Lankan Tamil academic, historian and author.
Thambiluvil Inscription is a Tamil inscription dated to 16th Century CE initially found at Thambiluvil village in Ampara District, Sri Lanka. This inscription was donated by Vijayabahu VII of Kotte mentioning about his donation of "Vōvil" or "Wowil" to a temple.
Alvappillai Veluppillai was a Sri Lankan Tamil academic, historian and author.
Siviyar is a caste found in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka. They were traditionally palanquin bearers. They are a single community in Sri Lanka, but are however a subcaste of the Idaiyar caste in Tamil Nadu. According to Srinivasa Aiyangar “The Siviyar and the Agattu-Charna sub-division of the Tamil ldaiyan caste are note-worthy, as affording a connecting link between them and the Samantas and Nayars of Malabar.
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